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Updated January 10, 2024·
The HifiMan Sundara headphones have excellent sound quality and a very good soundstage, making them ideal for music lovers who appreciate detail and an immersive listening experience. They are not wireless and lack a microphone, so they aren't suited for calls or convenience in portability. Meanwhile, the Sony WF1000XM4 earbuds are wireless, provide active noise cancelling, better for calls and meetings, and are more portable, with good battery life. They're a versatile choice if you need to use them while moving around, during travel, or in noisy environments. The Sony earbuds also have features like an app equalizer and virtual surround sound, enhancing their functionality for various multimedia applications. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HifiMan Sundara
Good for gaming
Very good for TV and video
Advantages of the Sony WF1000XM4
Very good for air travel
Best in class for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Gaming
7.2/10
5.6/10
The HifiMan Sundara is good for gaming, while the Sony WF1000XM4 is poor.
Phone Calls
4.9/10
6.7/10
The Sony WF1000XM4 is only fair for phone calls, while the HifiMan Sundara is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.8/10
10.0/10
The Sony WF1000XM4 is best in class for podcasts and audiobooks, while the HifiMan Sundara is good.
TV and Video
8.8/10
6.0/10
The HifiMan Sundara is very good for TV and video, while the Sony WF1000XM4 is only fair.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
8.3/10
The Sony WF1000XM4 is very good for noise reduction, while the HifiMan Sundara is poor.
Battery
N/A
9.0 Hours
The HifiMan Sundara does not have a battery. The Sony WF1000XM4 has 9 hours of battery life.
Cost
$279
$220
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The HifiMan Sundara has a price of $279 and the Sony WF1000XM4 costs $220.
Build Quality
8.2/10
8.9/10
The Sony WF1000XM4 and HifiMan Sundara both have very good build quality, though the Sony WF1000XM4 has somewhat better build quality.
"The HiFiMan Sundara is the set of headphones to get if you want high-end audio, but don't want to shell out a king's ransom for it. These planar magnetic headphones are comfortable, straightforward, and excellent performers."
"The headphones deliver a satisfying user experience, class-leading battery life, some of the best noise-cancelling we’ve heard in this category, and absolutely stunning sound quality."
Get a great deal on the HifiMan Sundara or the Sony WF1000XM4
About HifiMan
HiFiMAN is a Chinese, high-end, audio product manufacturer, with 20 years of experience, that specializes in amplifiers, digital audio players and planar magnetic headphones, some of which have become a staple in the audiophile community such as the entry-level Sundara, the midrange Edition X, and the very well-regarded, high-end, Arya.
About Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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