Bose and Sony are the industry leaders when it comes to manufacturing active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones. In May 2019, Bose released its latest flagship product: the
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
, which aimed to take back the title of best ANC headphones from Sony. The
Sony WH-1000XM4
is an attempt to take back its title. We’re putting the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs Sony WH-1000XM4 in this head-to-head to see which headphone is worth your next paycheck.
Editor’s note: this post was updated on July 26, 2021, to add updated house curves for analysis.
Which headphones are designed better?
Both headphones are well-designed pieces of hardware, though they each have their own caveats to consider.
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 feature a clean with matte-finished ear cups and a steel headband.
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 feature a clean design with matte finished ear cups and an adjustable steel headband. The thick ear cups on these headphones feel snug, resulting in good
isolation
that blocks out a significant amount of ambient noise. Unfortunately, the ear cups don’t fold up toward the headband for a compact form factor which makes them bulkier than Sony’s headphones.
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Also, the thick padding—coupled with the soft, rubberized headband—may put more pressure on your head than with the
Bose QuietComfort 35 II
. While the added pressure isn’t extreme, some may find it uncomfortable to wear during very long listening sessions.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 keeps the same foldable design as the WH-1000XM3.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 sports the same design as the
WH-1000XM3
and features the same folding hinge for easy storage and transport. Unlike its predecessor, the ear cups on the WH-1000XM4 are thicker for improved isolation.
When designing the WH-1000XM4, Sony reduced the amount of padding on the headband, leading to increased pressure on your head which can feel uncomfortable during long periods. However, similar to the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, this isn’t a big deal as the added pressure is barely noticeable.
Onboard controls
Bose uses both buttons and touch-capacitive panels to control the Headphones 700.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 forgo tactile buttons in favor of touch sensors. The right ear cup allows for playback and volume control, while the left ear cup lets you access ambient sound controls or your voice assistant; this may be toggled in the Sony Headphones Connect app. During our Sony WH-1000XM4 review, the touch controls failed to register certain taps, especially when Adam double-tapped the headset to pause playback.
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 feature a mix of control methods. There are buttons for pairing, active noise cancelling control, and voice assistant access, while volume and playback is controlled through a touch-capacitive panel on the right ear cup. From our tests, we found that the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 did a better job registering swipes and taps than the Sony WH-1000XM4.
Which headphones have better connection quality?
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones only supports SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs.
Both headphones offer comparable audio connections and codec support, each headset with its own set of pros and cons. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 feature a 2.5mm headphone jack and support just one high-quality Bluetooth codec: AAC, which affords reliable high-quality audio to iPhone users. Unfortunately, the
same can’t be said for Android
users because the Android operating system fails to consistently encode and decode the AAC Bluetooth codec across devices. Even still, any user can listen via SBC, the lowest-common denominator of Bluetooth codecs.
Learn more:
Understanding Bluetooth codecs
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 offer fast and easy pairing with Android phones, allowing you to connect and set up Google Assistant in a few taps. The headphone also features
Bluetooth multipoint
, which enables you to switch between two devices connected simultaneously.
For people who need a reliable headset for conference calls, Bose sells a
USB Link Bluetooth Module
for the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. For just under $70, the module ensures that your headphones are automatically connected to your computer when both devices are powered on. It’s compatible with both macOS and Windows computers, and features tight integration with Microsoft Teams.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 supports Bluetooth multipoint, but drops aptX support seen in the WH-1000XM3.
On the other hand, the Sony WH-1000XM4 houses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack for wired playback, and supports slightly better codec options—including SBC, AAC, and the company’s proprietary LDAC. Although
LDAC has its issues
, it remains the best codec we’ve tested for streaming content over Bluetooth. You can connect up to two devices simultaneously via Bluetooth multipoint, though this feature is exclusive to the AAC codec.
Which headphones sound better?
Each of these flagship headphones deliver the best sound that Sony and Bose have to offer. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is tuned with a more neutral
frequency response
than the company’s former flagship: the
QuietComfort 35 II
. The slight emphasis in the lows helps retain lower-frequency sounds without masking vocals and stringed instruments—a profile that will suit most consumers.
Bose’s default frequency response (cyan) very closely follows our house curve (pink).
The sound signature Sony WH-1000XM4 may not be as neutral-leaning as Bose’s offering, but it still delivers a pleasant listening experience. There is a slight underemphasis at 1000Hz, which hurts some voice sounds and instrument attack. Similarly, you may notice that cymbals and other high-pitched percussion sounds off, as the headphones miss our target by anywhere between 2-10dB from 8kHz and up. You won’t notice the emphasis at 30Hz, as that’s usually reserved for sounds far lower than what appears commonly in music.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 default frequency response amplifies bass and treble notes a bit.
Per our objective testing, the Sony WH-1000XM4 edge out the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 by 0.1 point, scoring 9.7 and 9.6 respectively. We’re just barely giving this win to Sony because of the high-quality LDAC support, as the frequency response deviates a fair bit away from our house consumer curve.
With the Sony Headphones Connect app, you can tune the sound profile of your headphones for a bespoke listening experience to a point—we suggest dropping the “clear bass” a couple notches, as well as the bands between 4kHz and 10kHz. The overemphasis both in the bass ranges and the highs can make some people a little fatigued after listening for a while, as both of these ranges overshadow vocal sounds. Meanwhile, using the WH-1000XM4 on an Android device gives you the ability to use LDAC, which provides high-quality audio streaming thanks to its higher data transfer rates over other codecs.
Which headphones have better noise cancelling?
Among the best in its class, the Sony WH-1000XM4 offers very good noise cancelation and isolation.
Based on our tests, the Sony WH-1000XM4 offers the best active noise cancellation. While both headphones do a similarly great job at attenuating ambient noise, the WH-1000XM4 outperforms Bose’s flagship headphone when cancelling out mid-low frequencies between 200 to 1,000 Hz. This means that lower frequency sounds like jet engine rumbles and air conditioner hums are less likely to interfere with your content.
While effective, the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 aren’t as good at attenuating outside noise as its nearest competitors.
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is still one of the best on the market, able to cancel out a significant amount of ambient noise. However, if you had to choose between Sony and Bose for its noise cancellation, the Sony WH-1000XM4 will offer a better listening experience—whether you’re on a flight or just channeling your inner couch potato.
Which microphone is better for you?
The microphones on both headphones are great, and again both have their deficiencies. The microphone on both headphones share one common disadvantage. There is a significant drop-off that starts at around 200Hz. Both companies did this strategically to reduce the proximity effect (when bass notes become too amplified if a speaker is too close to the microphone, but that means people with deeper voices will face reduced vocal presence and clarity. Sure, you can increase the gain through your system’s mic settings but doing so will raise the
noise floor of your audio
.
Listen to the examples below and help us determine which system is best for calls.
Sony WH-1000XM4 microphone demo:
https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/mic-demo.mp3
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 demo:
https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Bose-700-headphones-Mic-sample.mp3
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Does the Bose Headphones 700 or Sony WH-1000XM4 have better software features?
While the Sony app isn’t the prettiest it does give you access to all the customization options you need and even some special features.
The last thing you’re thinking about when comparing the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs Sony WH-1000XM4 is app support, but app features are an integral part of the Bluetooth headset experience.
Sony offers deep in-app integration with the Sony WH-1000XM4 via Sony Headphones Connect. Inside the app, you have access to features that let you customize your listening experience, including EQ controls, Sony 360 Reality Audio setup for in-ear spatial audio, and DSEE Extreme for audio upsampling of low-quality music files.
The Sony app also lets you customize usability features like voice assistant access, speak-to-chat, touch sensor control mapping, and ambient sound controls. Speaking of which, you can enable the headphones to automatically switch between noise cancellation levels based on your location or activity—whether you’re sitting, walking, or commuting to work.
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Software control over the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is done through the Bose Music app. Inside the app, you get access to firmware updates, equalizer adjustments (new as of 9/17/2020), noise cancellation adjustments (between levels 1 and 11), voice assistant access, and device management options for multipoint connectivity. You may also tweak the EQ in the Bose Connect app so long as you’re running 1.4.12 or later.
Both apps are available on iOS and Android, and afford the same features to each operating system.
Which headset has better battery life?
Here at
SoundGuys
, all active noise cancelling headphones are subjected to the same testing standards. We play music at a constant output of 75dB(SPL), with ANC on the highest setting until battery depletion.
Even with active noise cancelling on max, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 headphones still managed to pump out 21 hours of constant playback.
According to our tests, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 lasted longer during normal use, lasting roughly 21 hours, 25 minutes. On the other hand, the Sony WH-1000XM4 lasted 19 hours, 59 minutes—roughly and an hour and a half less than Bose’s flagship. You may get more mileage by limiting noise cancelling intensity and disabling features like EQ or audio upscaling.
Both these headphones feature USB-C for charging, though the Sony WH-1000XM4 features quick charging, giving you five hours of playtime after only 10 minutes of charging. Bose also has fast charging: 15 minutes yields two hours of playtime. If you need to power your headphones in a pinch, Sony has your back. However, based on sheer battery life alone, Bose is the way to go.
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs Sony WH-1000XM4: Which one should you buy?
In this Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs Sony WH-1000XM4, Sony comes out on top.
Between these two headphones, the
Sony WH-1000XM4
comes out as the better pair of noise cancelling headphones. Though it shares similar hardware to Bose’s flagship, such as touch control functionality and comparable microphone quality, the WH-1000XM4 features a better overall sound signature and superior noise cancelling performance—combined with deep app integration, a foldable design, and a modest battery life. This makes Sony’s headphones the better value, especially since they’re priced at roughly $350 USD at the time of this update.
Sony WH-1000XM4
All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time, and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary greatly by currency.
$ at Amazon
$278 at Best Buy
$348 at Crutchfield
On the other hand, the
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
are still a great pair of ANC headphones that feature a clean design, competitive noise cancelling performance, and a neutral-leaning sound signature that Bose fanatics may be privy to. If you already own the Bose QC 35 II, or are rocking an older Bose ANC headphone, their latest flagship is a great choice if you don’t want to step into Sony’s side of the market—though we highly recommend doing so.
Bose Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones 700
All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time, and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary greatly by currency.
$ at Amazon
$379.00 at Best Buy
$379.00 at Crutchfield
Are there other alternatives to the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4?
If you’re looking for some alternatives, there are plenty of other headphones to choose from. The
Sennheiser PXC 550-II
is a great pair of noise cancelling headphones that offer excellent low-frequency noise cancelling, support for aptX and aptX Low Latency, and a comfortable design—all for about half the price of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. If you want a more premium pair of cans, the
Shure AONIC 50
may be for you. It sports a leather-wrapped design that delivers support for numerous high-quality codecs, a pleasing sound signature, and amazing ANC performance.
Apple has entered the noise cancelling headphones game with the
Apple AirPods Max
. It integrates a lot of the features found on the Apple AirPods Pro into a unique, over-ear design. The AirPods Max offers active noise cancellation, Transparency Mode, Adaptive EQ, Spatial Audio, and include Apple’s proprietary H1 chip for seamless connectivity with Apple devices. However, all these premium features do come at a cost, with the headphones priced at $549 USD—much more expensive than the Shure AONIC 50.
The Shure AONIC 50 noise cancelling headphones effectively reduce the presence of low-frequency sounds.
For a more portable option, consider getting a pair of
noise cancelling true wireless earbuds
instead of over-ear headphones. While they may not offer a long battery life, true wireless buds fit right in your pocket, delivering a great listening experience without having to carry a cumbersome headphone case or pouch. The
Sony WF-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Pro
are favorites of ours.
