My WF-1000XM4 eartips feel hard and slippery. Is that normal?

It's normal aging, not a defect. Sony's polyurethane eartips compress and harden with years of use. Hard foam doesn't expand against your ear anymore, so it stops sealing and starts slipping. Replacement eartips restore the original feel.

Do XM5 eartips fit the WF-1000XM4?

The nozzles are close but not identical, and the XM4 is a bigger earbud with different case clearance. Use eartips made for your exact model so both the seal and the charging case keep working.

Is it worth buying new eartips for a four-year-old earbud?

If the battery still holds up, absolutely. The XM4's sound and ANC still compete today, and worn eartips are usually the single biggest downgrade in an older pair. New eartips cost a fraction of new earbuds.

Why don't manufacturers include foam ear tips in the box?

Because silicone lasts practically forever. A silicone ear tip can be used for 5 to 10 years, so manufacturers can bundle it once and forget about it. Memory foam adapts to your ear but wears out: with intensive daily use a set typically needs replacing after about three months, when the foam stops sealing properly. That is why foam ear tips are an upgrade you choose rather than a default in the box.

Sony WF-1000XM4 falling out? Fix the fit of an aging favorite

The WF-1000XM4 came out in 2021, which makes most pairs in daily use senior citizens by earbud standards. The electronics age fine; the eartips don't. If your XM4 lost its grip, its bass or its silence, start here before you start shopping for new earbuds.

What actually wears out

Sony shipped the XM4 with polyurethane foam-type eartips. Foam seals by expanding against your ear canal, and after a few years of daily compressions it simply stops expanding. The result creeps up slowly: a bit less bass this month, a bit more street noise the next, and eventually an earbud that lets go during a brisk walk. The XM4's size makes it worse; it's one of the heavier earbuds around, and weight punishes a weak grip.

Silicone: gaps leak sound, ear tip slips

Memory foam: expands, seals, stays

The checklist, cheapest first

Inspect the foam. Squeeze an eartip: it should rebound slowly and fully. Shiny, cracked or permanently flattened foam is finished.
Run Sony's seal test. Headphones app, 'Determine optimal eartips'. Do it per ear; canals differ.
Clean, but dry. Wipe eartips with a dry or barely damp cloth. Never rinse foam under the tap.
Reconsider your size. Ears change over the years (really), and a size that worked in 2021 might not be the best one now.

New foam, new earbuds (almost)

Replacing spent eartips on an XM4 is the closest thing to a free upgrade: the seal comes back, and with it the bass and the noise cancelling you bought them for. Our memory foam eartips for the WF-1000XM4 fit its wide nozzle and keep the earbuds fitting in the charging case:

Foam Eartips for Sony WF-1000XM4 - Memory Foam Eartips - foamigo®from €14.95View ear tips

Fit them right and they'll disappear in your ears:

1Old ear tips offGrip them low and pull; they come straight off.

2Click the foam onPress onto the nozzle until you hear the click.

3A little squeezePinch it a little between your fingers.

4In and expandThe foam grows back until it gently grips your ear.

Keep an old favorite going

A fresh set of eartips, a case cleaning and a firmware update: that's the full maintenance list for keeping an XM4 excellent past its fifth birthday. When you're ready, everything that fits is on the WF-1000XM4 fit page.

About foamigo

From selling earbuds to fixing them

We sold thousands of wireless earbuds and kept hearing the same thing: great sound, shame they slip out. So we made memory-foam ear tips that take the shape of your ear. Straight from Amsterdam.

Read our story

See every ear tip that fits the Sony WF-1000XM4