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I get to try all the latest headphones as a reviewer — but I'd still recommend the six-year-old Sony WH-1000XM4 for just AU$299

Yes, they have gone lower in price before, but this is the lowest I’ve personally seen in recent months — they tend to regularly hover around the AU$329 to AU$349 mark, so for them to now dip just below AU$300 is worth shouting about.

Reference image for: I get to try all the latest headphones as a reviewer — but I'd still recommend the six-year-old Sony WH-1000XM4 for just AU$299
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Yes, they have gone lower in price before, but this is the lowest I’ve personally seen in recent months — they tend to regularly hover around the AU$329 to AU$349 mark, so for them to now dip just below AU$300 is worth shouting about. Delivering everything you could realistically need from a pair of headphones, the Sony XM4s are still worth their weight in gold.

What happened

This is still a developing thread, so the useful part is knowing which source signals are hardening and which ones still need caution. With devices, practical impact usually shows up in battery life, heat, stability, and long-term usability rather than in a few flashy headline numbers.

Where the sources line up

Delivering everything you could realistically need from a pair of headphones, the Sony XM4s are still worth their weight in gold. They deliver excellent noise cancellation, sound fantastic and are extremely comfortable to wear. For the money, there aren’t many better audio upgrades you can make. With devices, practical impact usually shows up in battery life, heat, stability, and long-term usability rather than in a few flashy headline numbers. The readers who should care most are the ones planning to replace a device, buy an accessory, or upgrade a work setup in the next few months.

Practical impact for readers

The Sony XM4s were, for a long time, sitting pretty atop my guide to the best headphones in Australia . They did eventually have to succumb to the sonic talents of their newer sibling, the Sony WH-1000XM6 but, make no mistake, the older XM4s still offer an awful lot to impress. The readers who should care most are the ones planning to replace a device, buy an accessory, or upgrade a work setup in the next few months. The next step is to see whether the current signals harden into a durable change or fade as a short-lived experiment.

Who should pay attention now

For starters, they’re much, much more affordable. While price drops on the XM6s are becoming more common, they’re still very much a premium set of cans that still cost north of AU$550. In fact, if you consider the XM6’s launch price of AU$699, you could get two pairs of the discounted XM4s with change instead. The next step is to see whether the current signals harden into a durable change or fade as a short-lived experiment. That is why the useful reading move is not to stop at the headline, but to compare the promise, the workflow change, and the likely cost before deciding anything.

What is still unclear

With regard to all other aspects you’d want to consider when buying a pair of headphones, the Sony XM4s tick multiple boxes. Their active noise cancellation system still holds up, and is capable of blocking out all but the highest of frequencies. That is why the useful reading move is not to stop at the headline, but to compare the promise, the workflow change, and the likely cost before deciding anything.

Source notes

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