SONY WH-1000XM5

amazon SONY WH-1000XM5 reviews

Since its launch, the WH-1000XM4 has had very little competition. And with the 5th generation, this gap widens even further, making it easily the best ANC headgear on the market.

Recently, major audio companies have had strong support, Sennheiser with the Momentum TWS 3 pair, Jabra with the new generation of Elite sports headphones,… But certainly, none of the products have the same level of quality as powerful as the WH-1000XM5 – the successor to the WH-1000XM4 which has been on the market for 2 years now. This product is not only a small upgrade but a “makeover” in a comprehensive way.

We can see this right away in the zippered case. Instead of a round box like previous generations, the WH-1000XM5’s box is redesigned to be slimmer, especially with a flat base to stand like this.

In the box we find a USB Type-C charging cord and a 3.5mm music cord. The company has removed the connection accessory on the plane because perhaps few people use it anymore, those who often travel by plane also enjoy music and movies on their devices.

Perhaps just by looking at the photos, you can also see that the external design of this pair of headphones is completely different from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation already. The frame is made in the form of a thin bar, instead of being divided into 2 to “hug” the cups on the outside. Cups also don’t have the NFC logo anymore, creating a modern, minimalist design as much as possible.

Despite the design changes, the company still keeps the touch panel on the outside of the ear to control music and volume. Perhaps you will also have to note that the plastic used by Sony with the WH-1000X from generation 4 to 5 is all soft plastic, so it will easily get dirty and fingerprints, so if you often use the touch feature, you should be prepared to wipe if you don’t want the headset to be always in a dirty state.

The physical buttons and connection ports have not changed at all, we have a 3.5mm port to listen to music when the battery runs out, a power button and turn on Bluetooth, and a quick switch between active noise cancellation and listening to the environment.

Finally the Type-C charging port. The 5th version does not have a noticeable upgrade in battery life when the usage time remains the same at 30 hours, but the charging ability has been upgraded to be compatible with the Power Delivery standard, allowing only 3 minutes of charging to be used in 3 hours, really “speedy”!

Look around the headphone cups you will notice the yellow holes, this is the microphone system of the headset. With the WH-1000XM5, the number of microphones has been increased from 4 to 8, combined with the directional recording feature to significantly increase the call quality compared to the previous generation.

2 other external details that have also been upgraded by the company are the head and ear cushions. The head cushion had to be made slightly smaller in width because the frame of the headset is also smaller, but it has been thickly wrapped by the company so as not to put pressure on the top of the user’s head.

The ear cushions have also been used as a new leather material, noticeably softer than the 4th generation. Combined with the light weight of the headset, the WH-1000XM5 becomes one of the pair of headphones most comfortable I have ever used.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 at the time of its launch was the most modern pair of headphones on the market, perhaps only being caught up by the AirPods Max pair. But coming to the 5th generation, it will completely regain the throne with the number of features that just tell make you feel “fatigued mouth”, let alone experience it all to the fullest.

Design

After a few years of its launch, Sony has finally used a new design language for its noise-canceling headphones. WH-1000XM5 has a completely different appearance from its predecessors. The headband has been made a bit smaller and has a rather slim design. Looking at the two models of the Bose 700 and AirPods Max headphones, users can somewhat realize where Sony’s inspiration comes from.

The padding at the back is wider and softer to help create comfort for the user when using. The recording microphone is no longer as rough as before but is designed to be small and evenly distributed around the earcup. In addition, placing the microphone assembly deeper inside will reduce noise caused by wind. There will still be two familiar color options for the 1000XM5 that are black and white. Overall, the new design style gives the Sony WH-1000XM5 a more refined and elegant appearance.

Although the outer shell of the headset is made of plastic, it is very tough and durable. The wearing experience that the WH-1000XM5 offers are very comfortable and comfortable. Compared to Apple’s Airpods Max, it is clear that Sony’s headphones give a much better wearing experience.

The most unfortunate point probably lies in the fact that the WH-1000XM5 cannot be folded like its predecessors. This makes the carrying case of the headset larger but perhaps this is not such a serious problem.

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Sound quality

Not only the design but even the sound quality of the Sony WH-1000XM5 has made great changes. Instead of using a driver cluster with a diameter of 40mm as before, Sony has equipped the 1000XM5 with a driver cluster with a diameter of only 30mm. The size of the diaphragm has been tweaked to be smaller, but the sound quality has become more attractive.

The tonal range is strictly controlled by the 1000XM5 and has a more detailed, cleaner bar than the 1000XM4. Made from carbon fiber composite, the diaphragm will become lighter but still ensure a high level of rigidity. This is what makes the sound more natural and the response faster. In the comparison with the 1000XM4, the 1000XM5 excels at every point from detail, and sophistication to openness.

However, with vibrant hip-hop and EDM tracks, the Sony 1000XM4 stands out a bit more. To improve this on the 1000XM5, users can download the Headphones Connect app on smartphones to calibrate the EQ.

In addition to using the QN1 noise processor similar to the 1000XM4, Sony also integrates a noise processor to increase noise cancellation efficiency. Users can fully enjoy their favorite songs on airplanes or in cars without worrying about background noise.

In the previous version, Sony is equipped with a button that allows users to customize ANC noise cancellation. Now, this button has completely disappeared on the WH-1000XM5. Sony said that this headset will automatically optimize noise cancellation accordingly.

As for the voice, with a total of 8 microphones and 4 of them are used for recording, the quality of the conversation is significantly increased. Not only that, but Sony also improved the AI ​​algorithm so that the headset can automatically reduce noise when listening to calls. This is a comprehensive upgrade when compared to the 1000XM4.

Continued support by the LDAC codec allows users to immerse themselves in detailed, vibrant, and high-fidelity sounds. If it is not possible to connect directly to a smartphone, the LDAC codec is the most effective tool to help audiophiles experience high-resolution music on Amazon Music and many other music streaming applications. And note that, LDAC is only compatible with devices using the Android operating system. In addition, users cannot use the LDAC codec and the multipoint connection feature at the same time.

The control features on the WH-1000XM5 have not changed compared to its predecessor. With just a slight press on the earcup, the user can adjust the volume or switch songs, … 1000XM5 still can identify the user who is speaking and automatically stop playing music. Users can also stop playing music by lifting the left earcup or completely removing the headset from their head.

Battery life on the Sony WH-1000XM5 remains the same at 30 hours continuously as before if you use the noise-canceling feature. It’s a bit unfortunate that the USB-C charging port on the headset is still only for charging instead of testing the audio signal transmission function like many other products. In addition, the headset is also not water-resistant. Hopefully, in the next version, Sony will improve these points.

With a new, more sophisticated, and modern design, providing a more comfortable wearing experience, better noise resistance, and more attractive sound quality, the Sony WH-1000XM5 will surely satisfy all music lovers.

The overall sound quality of the WH-1000XM5 has changed positively, from being too bassy like the 4th generation to a rather vibrant but more balanced sound. The biggest change is in the bass part, with the sub-bass has been much moderated, reducing the “explosion” but also because of that, we can hear each layer of drums, and bass string instruments more clearly than the WH-1000XM4, which often shows the bass is slightly compressed into “1 block”. The bass playing speed is also better because of that, interrupting the beat in the right place, not prolonging it, which is extremely beneficial for songs with continuous drum sounds like Too hip to retire on the Whiplash album.

Both the mid and high parts also have changes to match the new sound quality of the WH-1000XM5. The mid-section that diverged a bit before was thick, warm, and overwhelmed by the bass, now moves forward more, adding brightness in the high-mid to represent female voices more accurately. Norah Jones’ voice in Sinkin Soon is clearer, closer, and no longer has to pass through a thick bass layer like in the 4th version.

The weak treble of the WH-1000XM4 has been replaced by a more powerful treble in the 5th generation. We still can’t say this is a prominent high, but the addition is easy to spot and is a big upgrade for the overall sound quality of this pair of headphones to become balanced, handling more different songs.

In terms of connection technology, the headset has switched to the latest Bluetooth 5.2 instead of 5.0, has high-end CODEC LDAC, the ability to upgrade MP3 music to Lossless DSEE Extreme, and the ability to connect multiple devices at the same time (Multipoint connection), switch back and forth quickly with the touch of a button.

Other ancillary features include automatic music pause thanks to the proximity sensor, speak-to-chat that automatically lowers the volume whenever it detects that the user is talking to someone, Spotify compatibility, calling virtual assistants and 360 Reality Audio surround sound with supporting software.

That’s not to mention the most powerful feature of this pair of headphones, which many people choose to buy to experience: active noise cancellation. With the 5th generation, thanks to up to 8 microphones and 2 QN1 noise cancellation chips, and Sony V1 controller chips, the ANC feature continues to push to a new level.

In addition to still being able to manually customize, intelligently automatically customize depending on the environment, the noise-canceling efficiency of the WH-1000XM5 is even higher than that of the WH-1000XM4, especially in the mid-range with human voices. There are still sounds that are too sudden and the volume is too loud, we can still hear them, but the rest of the other sounds are extremely effectively blocked, wearing headphones to listen to music is “deaf” to the outside world!

The point still made well by Sony is the comfort level when active noise canceling is on. Using ANC, I still do not feel any pressure on my ears, my head is not dizzy, and does not affect the sound quality. The experience with the ANC of this pair of headphones must be said to be comprehensive, without anything to criticize.

Upgrades in design and support features have been many, even the sound quality of the WH-1000XM5 has improved compared to the previous generation. Instead of using the usual Dynamic 40mm driver, the company switched to a smaller 30mm but carbon-coated diaphragm for a more precise move.

The undisputed king

Perhaps we don’t need to say too much more about the Sony WH-1000XM5, this is a comprehensive upgrade of a product that has been at the top of the market for a long time. Although there are still a few small disadvantages, it is undeniably the best pair of active noise-canceling headphones at the moment, until Sony decided to launch the 6th version in the future.