The Sony WH-1000XM4 is a James Bond-class gadget among headphones. With its app, it offers immense possibilities for sound customisation and use of ANC and innovative, immersive 360-degree sound. Its tuning is particularly suitable for fans of rock, pop or hip hop, for whom the warmly tuned over-ear headphones serve up rich, deep bass. Disadvantage: It is noisy in Bluetooth mode.

The headphones are compact, have hardly any weaknesses and a strong smartphone connection via app. There is room for improvement in the acoustics, especially when making phone calls.

The Sony headphones are compact, have hardly any weaknesses and offer a strong smartphone connection via app. There is still room for improvement in the acoustics, especially when making phone calls.

Sony's flagship headphones WH-1000XM4 impress with powerful sound and numerous functions. The "360 Reality Audio" provides exceptional all-round sound.

Eight candidates, one tester, four weeks of work - and what remains are a few lines of conclusion. First of all: None of the headphones is a disappointment. Personally, a certain sound characteristic may have appealed more here and there, but there was not a single total failure in the listening comparison...