# Sony launches WH-1000XM4C with enhanced audio profile and lower price

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/sony-revives-wh-1000xm4-headphones-with-updated-audio-in-new-xm4c-variant/
- Published: 2026-09-07T17:09:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-07T23:16:03+00:00
- Topics: Gadgets, Software

## Key points

- Sony re-releases WH-1000XM4 as cheaper WH-1000XM4C ($300)
- New mid-range WH-CH730N ($180) and budget WH-CH530 ($70) also launching
- All three headphones arrive this September with improved EQs and safety features

## Summary

Sony is reviving its acclaimed WH-1000XM4 headphones as the WH-1000XM4C, alongside two new budget models, rather than releasing an entirely new upper-midrange headset. The XM4C keeps the original's design and features, including QN1-chip noise cancellation and multipoint Bluetooth, but adds Sony's newer sound profile, 10-band and gaming EQs, and Quick Access streaming shortcuts. This unusual "re-release" strategy lets Sony offer a proven, well-reviewed model at a lower price than its current flagship, the WH-1000XM6, while filling out the rest of its headphone range with fresh mid-range and budget entries.

The WH-1000XM4C will cost $300 when it launches this autumn, $50 less than the original XM4 and $150 cheaper than the XM6, though battery life drops to 27 hours with noise cancellation on, three hours less than before, offset by a faster quick-charge feature giving an hour of playback from three minutes' charging. Sony is also launching the WH-CH730N, a $180 replacement for the WH-CH720N with a redesigned folding build, improved ANC and call quality, and battery life of up to 50 hours with noise cancellation on; and the WH-CH530, a $70 successor to the WH-CH520 with no ANC but better sound, AI-assisted calls and 55 hours of battery life. Both new models also add safe-listening features to manage volume and usage over time, and all three headphones are due out this September.

## Coverage

- [The Verge: Sony reintroduces WH-1000XM4 headphones as new XM4C variant](https://www.theverge.com/tech/990687/sony-announces-xm4c-headphones)
- [Engadget: Sony brings back WH-1000XM4 headphones with new audio for $300](https://www.engadget.com/2251246/sony-revives-its-wh-1000xm4-headphones-as-a-refreshed-300-dollar-option/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.