{"id":617427,"date":"2026-09-07T18:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T18:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/617427\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T18:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T18:14:13","slug":"sony-surprises-with-new-1000xm4c-2nd-gen-headphones-with-updated-sound-bluetooth-6-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/617427\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony Surprises With New 1000XM4C 2nd Gen Headphones With Updated Sound, Bluetooth 6.0"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Sony\u2019s WH-1000XM4<\/a> headphones hit the market back in August 2020, I awarded them a CNET Editors\u2019 Choice Award, calling them nearly flawless. Despite their age and the release of two successors \u2014 the WH-1000XM5<\/a> and WH-1000XM6<\/a> headphones \u2014 the 1000XM4s remain quite popular.<\/p>\n

Now, Sony is leaning into that legacy model\u2019s popularity with the new WH-1000XM4C (M4 2nd Gen)<\/a>, which comes in new color options and has \u201cupdated sound tuning designed for today\u2019s listening preferences,\u201d according to Sony. The WH-1000XM4C headphones list for $300 and are being launched alongside the new WH-CH730N<\/a> ($180) and WH-CH530<\/a> ($80).<\/p>\n

Read more: Best Headphones of 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

WH-1000XM4C\u2019s small differences<\/p>\n

Aside from some tiny cosmetic changes, the M4 2nd Gen headphones look identical to their predecessor. The XM4C\u2019s most notable feature upgrade is Bluetooth 6.0 instead of Bluetooth 5.1, and the headphones now support a new 10-band equalizer (and gaming EQ) for \u201cgreater sound personalization,\u201d instead of the older five-band equalizer.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe WH-1000XM4C comes in three color options, including a new lavender color that will only be available online at Sony and Amazon. Sony says the XM4 has been popular among younger female users, and the new color is targeted at them. David Carnoy\/CNET<\/p>\n

The 1000XM4C (M4 2nd Gen) are still equipped with Sony\u2019s QN1 chip along with four microphones (the WH-1000XM6 have 12 by comparison), so their noise-canceling performance is the same. Battery life has dipped a bit: The M4 2nd Gen are rated for up to 27 hours with noise canceling on, compared to the original\u2019s 30 hours.<\/p>\n

The original M4 headphones were known for having strong, dynamic bass and a slightly warmer sound profile than their successors. The foundation of that profile remains, but the new tuning helps deliver cleaner, more refined sound overall.<\/p>\n

WH-CH730N is a true second-gen midrange model<\/p>\n

I was fond of Sony\u2019s over-ear CH-720N<\/a> headphones because they were lightweight and comfortable while sounding good and offering decent noise-canceling performance for a reasonable price. (They listed for $150 but dipped to as low as $100 during flash sales.) While the list price for the new WH-CH730N<\/a> has gone up $30 to $180, the model offers a similar value proposition in a new foldable design, along with improved performance all around. Plus, they promise better battery life at up to 50 hours with noise canceling on, according to Sony.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe WH-CH730N comes in white, pink, blue, black and a new oat color. David Carnoy\/CNET<\/p>\n

I like the new design, which looks and feels slightly more premium than their predecessor\u2019s, and the headphones are quite comfortable. The new headphones\u2019 sound is slightly improved, too. They lack the clarity and depth that you get with Sony\u2019s more premium headphone offerings, but the sound is open and well-balanced with some nice warmth to it (the bass goes pretty deep, too). They\u2019re pleasant headphones to listen to.<\/p>\n

While the noise canceling certainly isn\u2019t up to the level of what you get with Sony\u2019s flagship WH-1000XM6, it has been upgraded with Sony\u2019s Dual Noise Sensor technology and is pretty decent (Sony says it\u2019s about 10% more effective). The bigger performance gain is arguably with the voice-calling performance, as the headphones have beamforming microphones with optimized microphone placement and AI noise reduction.<\/p>\n

They, too, have a 10-band equalizer with a gaming EQ setting. And while they don\u2019t support Sony\u2019s advanced LDAC audio codec, they do support the LC3 audio codec, which is new (they support SBC and AAC). Alas, like their predecessor, while they come with a cable for wired listening, they do not come with a carry pouch or case. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe WH-CH730 in their new oat color on the left.David Carnoy\/CNET<\/p>\n

Entry-level on-ear WH-CH530 get small upgrades but cost more<\/p>\n

Sony\u2019s earlier CH-520<\/a> was a pretty basic on-ear model that didn\u2019t have noise canceling, but sounded good for its relatively low price (the headphonea list for $60 but were often discounted to less than $50 and sometimes as low as $38<\/a>, as they are now). Available in new color options, the new WH-CH520 list for $20 more and offer some small upgrades \u2014 most notably, improved voice-calling performance with AI noise reduction. However, they don\u2019t seem like a true next-gen product like the CH-730N.<\/p>\n

\"Sony'sThe CH-530 headphones are available in cobalt, coral, mint, pink, white and black.David Carnoy\/CNET<\/p>\n

The headphones are targeted at younger folks and now have a volume limiter feature, which should appeal to parents with young kids. Their battery life is rated at up to 55 hours. They don\u2019t support wired listening, so you can\u2019t plug them into an in-flight entertainment system. Nor do they come with a carrying pouch or case.<\/p>\n

Priced for discounts<\/p>\n

List prices for headphones have been creeping up, but all of Sony\u2019s new so-called \u201cvalue\u201d models should see decent discounts heading into the holiday shopping season. The 1000XM5 headphones are currently selling at $198 at Amazon as part of a limited-time deal, so there\u2019s no reason the M4 2nd Gen shouldn\u2019t hit something close to that price in the not-so-distant future. Also, take the $180 price on the CH-730N with a grain of salt, as that model should see $50 discounts in flash sales, particularly around Black Friday.<\/p>\n

I just received review samples of all three models, and I\u2019ll have full reviews of the M4 2nd Gen and WH-CH730N later this month, including comparisons of their performance.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"David\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDavid Carnoy\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExecutive Editor \/ Reviews\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExecutive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET’s Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He’s also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Kobo e-books and audiobooks.
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSee full bio\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Sony\u2019s WH-1000XM4 headphones hit the market back in August 2020, I awarded them a CNET Editors\u2019 Choice…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":617428,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[61,60,80],"class_list":["post-617427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}