Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony WF-1000XM5 – Review

The flagship 1000MX series of Sony has helped the brand establish itself as one of the top names for in-ear and on-ear wireless headphones. The audio products are truly impressive and this is also apparent in the case of WF-1000XM5, as they are one of the best sounding earphones currently available.

Design and build

The XM5 are 20% lighter and 25% smaller than the XM4, but they use the same push-in and then twist to fit method. The best part is the addition of another size of eartips, which is extra small, and each size is available in polyurethane foam instead of silicone. This allows them to fit in just right. They are available in black and ‘silver’, which actually looks beige.

The buds itself are made from glossy plastic, but the outer part, which is touch sensitive, is actually matt similar to the charging case. You can use the touch area to hold and tap for changing volume, toggling noise cancelling, or for pausing and playing audio.

Sound quality

One thing to say about Sony is that it certainly knows how to tune its headphones and this is evident in the case of the WF-1000XM5 because they produce a detailed, incredibly clear, full and balanced sound. The drivers are called ‘Dynamic Driver X’ and the name suits, given that they offer good audio range. They have increased the size to 8.4mm from 6mm and this is apparent in the sound.

The common AAC or SSC codecs are used by the XM5 to play audio, but you will only be able to get the best sound quality on Android devices rather than iPhones, as the latter do not support the LDAC Hi-Res codec. The sound quality is actually better than both Bose and Apple, which is quite an achievement for Sony.

Noise cancelling and smart features

Sony claims that the XM5 have better noise cancelling than the XM4, as they have improved by almost 20%.As long as they fit right, they will block out all the noise. They will also pause audio automatically when you take one out. Each bud has three mics for capturing the ambient noise and battling it with its ANC tech.

Sony has used the HD Noise Cancelling processor QN2e chip and Sony Integrated V2 processor to help with the active noise cancelling as well. Call quality has also improved and the wind reduction is also impressive. Improvements have also been made to the equalizer with the addition of a ‘Find your equalizer’ feature.

As it uses multi-point technology, it is possible to connect two devices at once. There is also Adaptive Sound Control that allows the buds to change the settings automatically.

Battery life

Sony promises eight hours of battery life on a full charge and this is precisely what the XM5 deliver. The case is nice and it can give you 24 hours of listening time when it is fully charged. These numbers apply with ANC, so you can get an even better battery life when you turn off ANC.