Look, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say, but it was easier to stick to the status quo. Everyone has universally accepted that Sony XM6s are head and shoulders above all others, including the Samsung Buds 4 Pro. And for a while, I repeated this thought, even though in the background, I was noticing things that didn’t add up to the overall assumption most hold. For starters, the Buds match the 24-bit 96Hz sound on Samsung phones. They don’t need LDAC because they have Samsung’s proprietary codec. But they didn’t stop there..
They have planar drivers and dual amplifiers built into their 4 Pros. And over and over, I would notice that I had more powerful sound and higher volumes over the Sonys, which I assumed were superior in this area, but they are not. The bass hit harder, and the treble was just a little more detailed thanks to those planar drivers in each bud. This also counters the DSEE advantage Sonys typically has over other earphones and platforms.
And another thing I noticed is that most people who judge these earphones all judge them on their default flat setting, which is just stupid in my opinion. I never do this. I judge the earphone based on the best possible setup I can get them to perform in for sound versus the best setup I can get others to perform in. I’ve never understood the point in just judging the generic sound of something that gives you the ability to get the best out of them. And with that, the midrange advantage that the Sonys normally have is removed with the EQ of the Buds 4 Pros. YouTube videos sound better on the 4 Pros, movies sound better, and music sounds more powerful. The only thing I might still give the Sonys is that the vocal performance and timbre are still a little more natural, even if not as powerful and dynamic.
And possibly the last and biggest thing I’ve noticed now that I’ve made my choice is that venting is better on the Samsung Buds 4 Pro. The Sonys, while they did a better job this year with the venting, are still not free of the congested feeling you get from some earphones. After using the Bud 4 Pros and jumping to the Sonys, you feel the pressure build in your ears where you had zero when using the Buds 4 Pro. And while that might not mean much to everyone, to someone with migraine issues, it does.
Now, if I had to bet, I believe this is possibly connected to the foam tips. They create unnecessary pressure by themselves naturally. Changing out the tips might solve that if you’re willing to lose the ANC levels, which will also be hurt by the missing foam. Unfortunately, there is a cost to comfort, and I’m honestly just tired of paying it. At the end of the day, it just further justifies my direction and choice of the Samsung Buds 4 Pro over the XM6.
So, at the end of the day, you have to pick what makes sense to you. I can still see the Sonys as the better choice for most people who don’t own a Samsung phone. It has better battery life and higher ANC as flat-out FACTS. So choose your direction carefully. But just know it might not be as easy a choice if you have both and give each equal time and judge them fairly on your results versus hype and others’ assumptions if you have a Samsung phone.
Tech-N-Things 