Sony Surprises With New 1000XM4C 2nd Gen Headphones With Updated Sound, Bluetooth 6.0

The $300 WH-1000XM4C will be released alongside Sony's new midrange CH730N and entry-level CH530 headphones.

Read full bio September 7, 2026, 12:00 pm ET

The Sony WH-1000XM4C look nearly identical to their predecessor. David Carnoy/CNET When Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones hit the market back in August 2020, I awarded them a CNET Editors’ Choice Award, calling them nearly flawless. Despite their age and the release of two successors — the WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6 headphones — the 1000XM4s remain quite popular.

Now, Sony is leaning into that legacy model’s popularity with the new WH-1000XM4C (M4 2nd Gen) , which comes in new color options and has “updated sound tuning designed for today’s listening preferences,” according to Sony. The WH-1000XM4C headphones list for $300 and are being launched alongside the new WH-CH730N ($180) and WH-CH530 ($80).