WH-1000XM4 Extremely poor noise cancellation (good ANC was the primary reason I bought them)

[NonhumanHominid]

Here is the message I sent to customer support yesterday (to which I received a “thank you for your feedback” response and no actual support)

I bought the WH-1000XM4 after my Bose NC700s died. I have to say that, for headphones which cost me £355, I’m really not impressed with the noise cancellation (it is turned on, but I don’t like the fact that I cannot adjust the level). I am in an extremely noisy environment, where I’m having to contend with alarms, banging doors, screaming, shouting 24/7. I’m autistic and being able to filter this out is vitally important to me being able to survive, and I can really discern no difference between it being on and being off. Even when I’m playing music, I can still hear everything that’s going on outside my room, when I’m not the noise level is really not that much different to when I’m not wearing them. Also, with the ANC on, and no music, they sound like I’m in a wind tunnel. Is that normal…? The supposedly excellent noise cancellation was my primary reason for buying them. Extremely disappointed. Is there anything I can do to improve it - or is this really as good as it gets…? 

Can anyone her offer me any actual support…? When they worked, the Bose was definitely superior (but they had very poor battery life).

Thank you 

[RottenFoxBreath]

What are they connected to, and are you using the app, headphone connect?

[NonhumanHominid]

Two iPad Pros (2nd and 4th generation). Yes I am using the headphones app (I’ve switched off adaptive sound and it’s made no difference).

[NonhumanHominid]

Still need support with this. Really not impressed at all. For £350 I really expected better - far better. Help please. I’m in a very noisy environment and these don’t do anything to cancel out anything but really quiet sounds. 

[RottenFoxBreath]

Adaptive Sound Control(enabled) - Detection of Actions - Settings - Adaptive Sound Control = on - slide all the way to the left, for Noise Cancelling. 

Locations you frequent = off.

Also, make sure you calibrate them on in an empty room, and with them on your head.

Anything else will more than likely be down to your phone or tablet or whatever.

[NonhumanHominid]

yes of course I’ve done that, it only makes a difference to EXTERNAL noise, not internal. I cannot hear the traffic, but I can hear everything INSIDE THE BUILDING, as though I wasn’t using them at all. Never had that problem with my Bose before they died.

Care to explain to me how that’s down to my iPad and not the headphones…? I didn’t buy a noise cancelling iPad because there is no such thing. I bought noise cancelling headphones which don’t cancel noise.

I wasn’t aware that the noise cancellation was in my iPad, I thought it was in the headphones. If this is the car could you please explain to me how it works and why the Bose did a better job…? I did extensive research and nowhere did I see anything which stated “noise cancellation will only work on external noise if you have an iPad” because, had I done so, I’d obviously not have bought them.

So, explain to me what it’s got to do with my iPad…? These were advertised as having “world-class noise cancellation”, not “world class noise cancellation*”

*unless you’re using them with an iPad, then the noise cancellation will be a bit ***** really

As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t got what I was promised. 

So I need to know why the cancellation of internal noise is so poor, when it wasn’t with my now-dead Bose…? Surely, if it was “down to my iPad”, I’d have had a problem with those too, and I did not. So I want a proper explanation.  

[Win_88]

Hi @NonhumanHominid

Noise Cancelling is indeed carried out by the headphones and isn't dependent on the connected device, however, I'd like to point out that NC is most effective with low frequency noise (This is true regardless of the brand), as higher frequency noise is much harder to cancel out. So alarms, banging and shouting isn't really the type of noise you'd expect NC to handle. Examples of noise that's easier to cancel are: An airplane engine noise, trains, etc. This (to me) would explain why your question was handled as feedback rather than a technical issue that requires troubleshooting.

I'm assuming you already updated the headphones, tried a factory reset, and used the Noise Cancelling Optimizer via Headphones Connect at least once.

Win_88