Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In addition to being a headphone addict, I was looking for another option for a quality set of wireless NC ear buds for air travel. Currently I use over-the-ear Sony WH1000XM (original V1) OR Bose Wired in ear QC20's. Both sound good and have very good noise cancelling. However, I wanted to reduce the bulk while traveling and have an option to go wireless as my new phone does not have an audio jack. Enter this review, and my comparison between the Sony WF 1000XM4's and the Google Pixel Buds Pro (PBP). In this review, I used a 0- or 1-point system with 1 point for the winner, 0 points for the loser and 1 point for each for a tie. If you don't want to read through the comparison, just get the PBP's. These two earbuds are very close in features, sound quality and noise cancelling, but the PBP's are cheaper and still beat out the Sony's based on my scoring...and I really love the Sony’s but cannot justify them for the price difference! For my smaller ears the Sony's were a bit more uncomfortable. Ultimately both are really good ear buds, and it comes down to a matter of fit and price (at least for me). If price is not an option and you have larger ears go with Sony, otherwise go with the Pixel Buds Pro. Detailed review Price: Both were purchased on sale, so the Sony's were $250 (regularly $280) and the PBP's were $150 (regularly $199). In my opinion, PBP's are a bargain compared to the Sony's! Winner: PBP Fit: PBP smaller and lighter. Sony, foam tips seal well, but can be scratchy in the ear and feel hotter. For my smaller ears the PBP's were just more comfortable. Winner: PBP Noise Cancelling: Sony is better with NC and foam tips. PBP's not far behind though. With proper ear tips, the Sony's will block out slightly more noise in air travel. In the office, it is also close, but some of the higher pitched sounds will make it through on the PBP's. Overall, it is pretty close given the cost difference between the two, and Sony's reputation for Noise cancelling. Winner: Sony Bass -no/flat EQ: Both are bass heavy buds. Winner: Tie Mid - no/flat EQ: Both have OK Mids. Sony's seem slightly more subdued, but both were pretty muddy without some EQ help. The PBP's treble boost may also help the MIDs come out a little more but its too close to call. Winner: Tie High - no/flat EQ: PBP have an accentuated high-range making music a little brighter but can get shrill. The Sony's highs were a little dull making for an overall slightly subdued sound Winner: PBP Overall sound no/flat EQ: Sony's sound slightly cleaner out of the box without the EQ, but the two are close. They both need some EQ help to go from good to great sounding buds. Winner: Sony Overall Sound W/EQ: With some EQ adjustments both can be closely matched. Sony needs a treble bump, PBP's need treble reduced. Both need the mid’s bumped slightly. Winner: Tie Touch Controls: PBP has more controls available at once. Both can be changed in the apps, but with Sony you must choose between music control or volume control. The PBP's can do both with taps or swipes. Both will pause music when the earbuds are removed. Winner: PBP Control feedback: Sony's have spoken audio queue's, PBP's use beeps. Much easier to know what you changed with spoken responses by the Sony's. Winner: Sony Volume level: At the same volume settings, the Sony's were louder. For the PBP's it seemed I needed to play these near max volume. Could be a phone issue, but all volume and app settings were the same for both. This bothered me enough to almost make me not want to keep the PBP's. Winner: Sony Battery Life (ANC on): Sony's seem to have a slight edge, but only by a few minutes. Too close to call Winner: Tie Charging: Both have USB C and Wireless charging and charge in approximately the same amount of time. Number of charges and quick charging (5-minute charge for an hour of play) is the same per the specs. I have not tried this out yet as I always keep these charged. Winner: Tie Multipoint (pairing): Sony does not allow you to pair and use with two Bluetooth devices at the same time. The PBP's do. Shame on Sony for not including this for the price of these headphones. Great feature for office use! Winner: PBP App: Both apps are well done. The PBP app is a little easier to use. Both have ear tip check feature which will tell you if you ear tips are sealing well. I used a smaller tip in one ear and both apps detected a bad seal. Winner: Tie Charging Case size: Both are small, but the PBP's have slimmer case and feels better when carried in the pocket. Winner: PBP Assistant features: Both are capable of using Google assistant or Alexa..Yes, the PBPs will work with Alexa Winner: Tie Auto Ambient Switch: Only available on the Sony. If it senses you are talking it will automatically switch to ambient sound pass through and pause your music. Very useful feature and works well especially on an airplane. However, if you like to sing out loud you probably want to disable this feature. Winner: Sony Find my headphones: Only available on the PBPs. You can send a signal and make the buds beep if you misplace them. Winner: PBP Bluetooth: Both connect instantly and have great range. Walking to the other side of my house and through about 3 walls, both ear buds cut out in the exact same location. Winner: Tie Microphone: Did not really test this, based on the soundguys.com review they are close, but in their recorded audio the PBP's mic sounds a bit better to my ear than the Sony's. Winner: PBP Total Score: Sony 13, Pixel Buds Pro 16