Overall Score 7.9 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 7 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Sony WF 1000XM4 | JBL Wave Buds |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | ipX4 | ip54 |
weight | 7.1g | 9g | |
has no wires or cables | ✓ | ✓ | |
sweat resistance | ✓ | ✓ | |
has an earbud foam | ✓ | ✗ | |
has stereo speakers | ✓ | ✓ | |
SOUND QUALITY | has active noise cancellation (noise control) | ✓ | ✓ |
has passive noise reduction | ✓ | ✓ | |
driver unit size | 6mm | 8mm | |
lowest frequency | 20hz | 20hz | |
highest frequency | 40,000hz | 20,000hz | |
sound pressure level | 105db/mw | 100db/mw | |
has a neodymium magnet | ✓ | ✗ | |
POWER | battery life | 8hours | 8hours |
battery life of charging case | 16hours | 24hours | |
charge time | 1.5hours | 2hours | |
battery power | 40mah | 47mah | |
has wireless charging | ✓ | ✗ | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✓ | ✓ |
bluetooth version | v5.2 | v5.2 | |
maximum bluetooth range | 10meters | 10meters | |
has aac | ✓ | ✓ | |
has ldac | ✓ | ✗ | |
has aptx adaptive | ✗ | ✓ | |
has aptx hd | ✓ | ✗ | |
audio latency | 40ms | ✗ | |
MICROPHONE | number of microphones | 4only | 2only |
has a noise-canceling microphone | ✓ | ✓ | |
mic sensitivity | ✗ | -38dbv/pa | |
EXTRAS | has ambient sound mode | ✓ | ✓ |
has in/on-ear detection | ✓ | ✓ | |
has find earbuds feature | ✓ | ✓ | |
supports fast charging | ✓ | ✓ | |
multipoint count | 2only | 2only | |
has a mute function | ✓ | ✓ | |
control panel placed on a device | ✓ | ✓ | |
has voice prompts | ✓ | ✓ | |
travel bag is included | ✓ | ✓ | |
See price on Amazon | See price on Amazon |
Ingress protection ratings refer to the rating of protection given by a casing, against solids and water. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value of the IP rating represents protection against solids say dust, followed by the one that refers to resistance against liquids (water).
Having a value of IP54, the JBL Wave Buds's rating for solids indicates that ingress of dust is not totally prevented but dust does not enter in harmful quantities to interfere with the correct operation or impair safety, and of liquids that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.
In comparison to the JBL Wave Buds, Sony WF 1000XM4 have a rating of IPX4 meaning that
no data available to specify a protection rating
and that of liquids is that,
they both have the same rating against liquids
The JBL Wave Buds have a weight of 9g . We consider a lower weight best for the reason that lighter devices are more comfortable to move with.
Sony WF 1000XM4, at 7.1g
are lighter than the JBL Wave Buds with a difference -1.9g
True wireless devices have no cables linking any part of the device together, JBL Wave Buds are true wireless for this matter since they have no cables. This is a major difference as some wireless earbuds have wires connecting the pair of earbuds together.
Sony WF 1000XM4 also is true wireless because it doesn't have cables connecting the 2 earbuds .
JBL Wave Buds are resistant to sweat
Sony WF 1000XM4's resistance to sweat makes both devices good for use during long-distance running, marathons, cardio sweat workouts , etc
The earbud foam is made to be ultracompact and lightweight, with almost no interference with earrings, spectacles, hats, or hairstyles. The Sony WF 1000XM4 have an earbud foam for some people it is more comfortable than the in-ear foam.
JBL Wave Buds have stereo speakers, what this means is that JBL Wave Buds's speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 also have stereo speakers
ANC utilises more advanced technology to actively cancel noise. ANC works when, it studies the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and after generates a mirror signal to counter it. In simple terms, it's like taking +1 (noise) and producing -1 (counter sound by the device) giving 0 hence "diluting" the noise.
The JBL Wave Buds have Active Noise Cancellation enabling you to listen at lower levels of volume, good for your ears since you don't need to crank up the earbuds volume to overcome background noise.
Sony WF 1000XM4 too have ANC making either of the devices ideal for flights and rush hour commutes. The JBL Wave Buds and Sony WF 1000XM4 operate with different noise cancellation settings, pick the noise cancellation type that suits your commute or that suites your relaxation time.
JBL Wave Buds sit well in place, creating an acoustic covering that tones down background sounds well as preventing the earbuds sound from leaking out .
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction which means that they reduce ambient noise without using technology to cancel it out.
JBL Wave Buds have a unit size of 8mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful, and can produce better bass.
A driver unit is the component that produces sound in the device, its size dictates the loudness of the device.
Sony WF 1000XM4 driver unit is 6mm in diameter,
which implies that they have a smaller driver unit than that of JBL Wave Buds by 2mm
, many people have a misconception that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so yes, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not imply that they produce better quality sound.
The JBL Wave Buds's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, low-frequency response measures if and how well an audio device generates low audible frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal on its way through.
Sony WF 1000XM4's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this means that
both devices make sound with equal bass
The JBL Wave Buds's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, high-frequency response shows how well an audio device produces high recognizable frequencies and if it makes any adjustments to the signal while at it.
Sony WF 1000XM4's highest frequency is at 40,000Hz, this means that
Sony WF 1000XM4 can generate a clearer and crispier treble than the JBL Wave Buds
SPL, is the pressure level of sound, measured in decibels, dB, JBL Wave Buds's measurement is 100dB/mW. Devices with a higher sound pressure level are generally louder when supplied with any given audio source.
Sony WF 1000XM4's sound pressure level measurement is 105dB/mW. How loud a device is can be perceived differently by separate persons, so we need to have a way of getting an objective measurement of sound level expressed in numerical terms.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 have neodymium magnets, when used in earbuds produce a higher sensitivity and substantial sound output using less power to do so. They can help generate music at quite a high sound pressure level, using high magnetic flux.
JBL Wave Buds's battery life is 8 hours, these last longer than 5 hours of listening which is considered average before recharge. A device's battery life is commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and have to charge the device less often.
Sony WF 1000XM4's battery life is
equal to that of the JBL Wave Buds
. Each time you recharge your earbuds, they get a little less listening time. The effect is barely noticeable at first, but over a few years, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.
This is given by the manufacturer, and JBL Wave Buds's case is said to have a charge of 24 hours. A charging case with a longer battery life allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go multiple times before recharging the case itself.
Sony WF 1000XM4's charging case has a battery life of 16 hours,
less than that of JBL Wave Buds by 8 hours
It requires 2 hours to fully charge the JBL Wave Buds's battery. It is recommended to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.
Sony WF 1000XM4 takes 1.5 hours to fully charge the battery,
less than that of JBL Wave Buds by 0.5 hours
JBL Wave Buds's battery capacity is 47mAh, battery capacity, shows the amount of electrical energy that a battery can store.
Sony WF 1000XM4's battery power is 40mAh.
less than that of JBL Wave Buds by 7mAh
The Sony WF 1000XM4, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the device, you just put down on a supported charging pad.
The JBL Wave Buds have a battery level indicator, an indicator shows you when the earbuds has a low battery. Its lights display the charging status of your device and case.
Sony WF 1000XM4 too have a battery level indicator, these allow you tell the charging state of your earbuds, whether fully charged, or having a low battery.
JBL Wave Buds have USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
Sony WF 1000XM4 too use USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug comes along with most current electronics.
The JBL Wave Buds have Bluetooth version of 5.2, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that enables data transfers between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
Sony WF 1000XM4 has a Bluetooth version of 5.2,
equal to that of the JBL Wave Buds
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
JBL Wave Buds have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.
Sony WF 1000XM4 have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the JBL Wave Buds
JBL Wave Buds support AAC, a codec that is used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Since it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it can provide better results than other codecs at a similar bit rate.
Since its the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the JBL Wave Buds will work well with your iPad. If you are planning on using these with Android you need to pay even closer attention to codec support for if they only have AAC they won't provide the best audio quality possible, ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 support AAC as well. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves higher sound quality than MP3 encoders at the same bit rate.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 support LDAC, a codec developed by Sony which allows streaming high-resolution audio over Bluetooth connections at up to 990 kbps at 32 bit/96 kHz. It is capable of a very high bitrate of 990kbps, which provides high-resolution audio.
The JBL Wave Buds support APTX Adaptive, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It has a variable bit rate (between 279kbps and 420kbps).
The Sony WF 1000XM4 support APTX HD, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It supports high-quality 24-bit audio (at a bit rate of 576kbps).
Latency refers to the time it takes for the audio signal to be transmitted to your earbuds. Sony WF 1000XM4 have a latency of 40ms, a lower latency reduces audio lag and is particularly important when playing games or watching videos.
The JBL Wave Buds have 2 microphones.
Sony WF 1000XM4 microphones are 4,
more than that of JBL Wave Buds by 2
. More microphones record better sound quality and help the device to filter out noise.
JBL Wave Buds use a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are made to filter out noise from the earbuds' sound.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 too use a noise-canceling microphone. Especially useful in noisy environments.
The JBL Wave Buds microphone sensitivity is measured at -38dBV/Pa. The size of the analog or digital output signal from the microphone with its input stimulus is a calculation of its sensitivity. It's the 'loudness' of the voice that the microphone can pick up.
JBL Wave Buds support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient sound to still be heard even while wearing them
The Sony WF 1000XM4 support ambient sound mode as well, it’s useful when you want to listen to music while being aware of your surrounding, say you’re having a run but would still want to be able to hear traffic.
The JBL Wave Buds have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the earbuds can detect when they are removed from your ears so that the music is paused.
Sony WF 1000XM4 support in/on-ear detection, automatically pauses your music, or audiobook when you remove earbuds from your ears saving battery life.
When misplaced in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, JBL Wave Buds have a find earbuds feature.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 too have the find earbuds feature. Simply use the earbuds app on your phone to play a sound from your earbuds to locate them.
The JBL Wave Buds support fast charging. Most often, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to reduce the amount of time it takes to charge the earbuds.
Sony WF 1000XM4 support fast charging. This kind is similar to regular charging, just that the battery is filling up much faster. Say, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery is charged to 50% in just 30 minutes.
JBL Wave Buds support multipoint of 2 connections, this feature allows you to link to more than one Bluetooth device and switch between them. Say, you can switch calls from one device to another without having to manually disconnect and reconnect.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 support multipoint count of 2,
equal to that of the JBL Wave Buds
. Bluetooth multipoint is useful because you can be on one call without missing notifications from another connected device.
The JBL Wave Buds have a mute function, they have the feature to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the device.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 also support this function. It means that you unilaterally turn off the earbuds' microphone, but still hear the other party's voice.
With the JBL Wave Buds, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever functions are supported on the device.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 too have a control panel on them.
The JBL Wave Buds have voice prompts. Automatically receive information via audio messages, like if there is an issue with the connection.
The Sony WF 1000XM4 also support voice prompts meaning the device notifies you if the battery is low, and it's time to recharge the device.
JBL Wave Buds come with their own special pouch. Carrying earbuds openly, or placing them inside your pockets without a casing can easily put them at risk of getting damaged.
Sony WF 1000XM4 also have a travel bag included, which offers safe transportation.