Sony XM4C vs Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Hands-on

As great as flagship headphones can be, paying $450 (or more) isn’t always in the cards. That’s where the humble mid-range headphones fill in a huge gap, allowing you to enjoy some features of a premium experience without a premium price tag.

Both Sony and Bose tapped into this gap, with the latter releasing the second generation of its QuietComfort headphones and the former releasing a second generation of a previous flagship model, the Sony XM4s. The new version gets a slightly updated name: the WH-1000XM4C headphones.

I was thoroughly impressed with both pairs of headphones, so I knew I had to test them side by side to determine which reigns supreme as the best mid-range headphones.

Sony and Bose duke it out for the best mid-range headphone.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Sony WH-1000XM4C vs. Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Specs

Sony WH-1000XM4C specs

• Active noise cancellation: Yes

• Processor: QN1 for ANC

• Microphones: Four

• Equalizer: 10-band custom equalizer on companion app

• Spatial audio: Yes, but limited use

• Battery life: 27 hours

• Quick charge: Three-minute quick charge for one hour of playback

• Connection: Bluetooth 6.0

• Multipoint: Connect up to two devices at once

• Weight: 0.61 pounds

• Colors: Black, lavender, platinum silver

Bose QC (2nd gen) specs

• Active noise cancellation: Yes, with manual adjustment available

• Microphones: Six

• Lossless playback: Wired USB-C audio up to 24bit/48kHz

• Equalizer: Three-band custom equalizer

• Spatial audio: Bose TrueSpatial technology with Immersive Audio modes for Still, Motion, and Cinema

• Battery life: 24 hours per charge (18 hours with Immersive Audio)

• Quick charge: 15-minute charge for 2.5 hours of playback

• Connection: Bluetooth 5.4

• Multipoint: Yes

• Weight: 0.5 pounds

• Colors: Black, white smoke, eucalyptus green*, dewdrop mint*, rosewood mauve* (*limited edition colors)

Sony WH-1000XM4C vs. Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Sound quality

The Bose QuietComfort (Gen 2) headphones come in black, white smoke, eucalyptus green, dewdrop mint, and rosewood mauve.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The Sony WH-1000XM4Cs are available in black, lavender, and platinum silver.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Sony headphones are known for their superior quality, and that trend holds true between these two headphones. Without any adjustments to the sound, the XM4C headphones produced a more nuanced and detailed sound profile with noticeably more clarity. The piano and vocals in Fiona Apple’s rendition of “Why Try to Change Me Now” put me in a cozy jazz bar, while I found myself bumping the volume up on the Bose headphones to try to capture the same immersion.

Speaking of immersion, Bose does have the advantage in offering spatial audio in the form of its proprietary Immersive Audio. While it’s not the best spatial audio I’ve heard, it does help live performances and more soaring songs shine — Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” was especially pleasing in this mode.

Sony’s equalizer…
Credit: Screenshot / Sony

versus Bose’s.
Credit: Screenshot / Bose

Sony technically offers a spatial audio mode in the form of its 360 Reality Audio, but it’s only functional with select apps (and none of the major music streaming ones). The lack of spatial audio, however, can be forgiven due to the excellent equalizer found on the companion app, which offers six presets, in addition to three custom settings. Users can also fine-tune their settings with a 10-band equalizer, compared to Bose’s three-band equalizer and four presets. Ultimately, Sony provides a much more dynamic listening experience.

Sony WH-1000XM4C vs. Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Active noise cancellation

Where Sony generally takes the audio cake, Bose is known to be the master of ANC. While Sony’s most recent flagship XM6 headphones have reversed that trend, Bose is back to taking the crown between these mid-range headphones.

Sony’s headphones use adaptive sound control and a four microphone system, compared to Bose’s manually adjustable ANC and six microphone system. The result is slightly better ANC on the Bose headphones, with more flexibility in how much sound actually comes through. That said, Sony does offer an ambient reduction sound. In either case, you probably wouldn’t be too mad to have either pair with you on an airplane or commute.

Sony WH-1000XM4C vs. Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Design and comfort

Bose has a fun party trick Sony can’t quite match up to.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The Bose headphones boast comfort in the name, and they live up to the expectations they set. They have a slightly looser fit than the Sonys, which also helps, but ultimately have more plush ear cushions. The cushions are also replaceable, which is useful for future-proofing. Don’t get me wrong, the Sony XM4Cs are still plenty comfortable, but if you’re a chronic headphones wearer, the Bose headphones may suit your needs better.

The headphones fold up to roughly the same size.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Bose relies on tactile controls, however.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Travel-wise, both these headphones fold up to a similar compact position that makes them easy to pop into a bag. The biggest difference in their design is down to preference: the Bose QC rely solely on tactile controls (buttons and a power switch), while the Sony headphones use touch controls predominantly for playback, with the addition of a power button and ANC button.

Sony WH-1000XM4C vs. Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Companion app

I’d never recommend buying one pair of headphones over another based on their companion app, but because these headphones are still an investment, it’s worth knowing the ins and outs of the experience. Bose’s app layout leans more elegant, showing all the customization options on one screen, while Sony requires a scroll.

The Sony companion app requires some scrolling to see all the options.
Credit: Screenshot / Sony

While Bose’s has it all laid out.
Credit: Screenshot / Bose

They’re relatively equal in terms of customization — where Sony headphones offer much more audio customization, Bose headphones offer more noise cancellation customization.

Sony WH-1000XM4C vs. Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Battery life

Both headphones have decent battery life.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

But Sony beats out Bose by three hours.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

While I was somewhat disappointed Sony cut the 30-hour battery life from the original XM4s to the 27 hours on the XM4C headphones, the 24-hour battery life on the Bose QuietComfort headphones puts the extra few hours into perspective. It’s a decent amount of battery life in both cases, but the three-hour edge from the Sony headphones could be the difference between struggling on the last stretch of a long flight.

Sony WH-1000XM4C vs. Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Value

This comparison would be much more difficult without a price difference between these two headphones. The Sony XM4C headphones retail for $299.99 and have already gone on sale a couple of times, dropping as low as $248. The Bose QC 2 headphones are more expensive at $359, with a price drop just below $290. Considering the relatively similar experience between the two headphones, the Sony headphones are undeniably the better value.

Sony WH-1000XM4C vs. Bose QuietComfort (2nd gen): Which is better?

If you struggle to find over-ear headphones that you can comfortably wear for long stretches of time, the Bose QuietComfort headphones are likely your best choice.

For everyone else, the trade-off in slightly worse ANC is worth the price difference, sound quality jump, and better battery life on the Sony XM4C headphones. Though I wish they also had replaceable ear cushions for stretching out more years of use, the immediate advantages of these headphones are too good to ignore.

Where to buy the Sony XM4C and Bose QC 2 headphones

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