Sony has just unveiled the latest and greatest pair of its flagship wireless noise-cancelling headset -- the WH-1000XM5. The fifth generation of these headsets might stick with the same boring naming scheme, but the headphone has received some striking overhauls inside out.
We got to try them out for a few weeks and here¡¯s what our experience was like.?
Aesthetically, the WH-1000XM5 (will refer to it as XM5s going forward), has gotten a massive overhaul. Gone are the chunky, flowy headband design and in comes a rather sleek and discreet headband with slightly larger ear cups that still get the classic flat sides.
It's entirely made out of plastic, even though the headband looks like it¡¯s made out of aluminium, especially on the silver colourway.?
The headband stays suspended with a soft yet tight mechanism to adjust the headband in the way you want, instead of relying on segmented clicks we¡¯ve seen in the previous generation, which does offer more control over the comfort and fit of the headband.?
The earcups flip and go flat, to be stored in the case which is also provided. They don¡¯t snap shut like the previous generation which might seem like a deal breaker for many, but I feel, this way was convenient to store in a backpack.?
Moreover, in my opinion, this would also help the headband last longer and not make it susceptible to breaking, which is often seen with the collapsible hinge style in my experience.?
It also weighs around 250 grams, which might seem like a lot, but is fairly lightweight, lighter than its predecessor in fact.?
The earpads and headband faux leather cushions have been reworked, which as per Sony¡¯s claims last longer and are not as susceptible to wear and tear, which is a good thing.?
The feel and comfort is still pretty good. Although I had some difficulty with comfort due to the rather thin headband on the first day of use, I got used to adjusting it to my comfort and hasn¡¯t been a displeasure ever since.
Moreover, should they start disintegrating (which is inevitable, sadly), you can take them to a Sony Service centre and they¡¯ll replace it for you (for a price, of course), which is great.
The left earcup gets the ANC button and a power on/ BT button. I would have loved to see at least one of these buttons to be a little accented, to allow ease of reachability without looking which button is which.?
I think these are one of the best-sounding headsets on the market today. The previous generation was already pretty good and somehow they've managed to make the listening experience even better.?
We tested the XM5s on an iPhone 11 Pro and a Galaxy S22. The streaming platform of choice was Spotify for both devices and the tracks were streamed on the highest possible quality.?
Listening to Deva Deva from Bramhastra, the headphones beautifully produced Arijit Singh¡¯s bold vocals as well as the electronic music elements in a phenomenal way. It does have the classic Sony soundstage, focusing on highs and lows, but in my experience, the mids weren¡¯t truly sacrificed.
Listening to Pasoori by Ali Sethi and the XM5 felt so much at home, highlighting each instrument, each vocal and each punchy bass in crazy detail. Also, listening to ¡®Into The Night¡¯ by Yoasobi truly makes you feel the calibre of the 30mm drivers onboard and the world they're capable of putting you in.
Most of the capability is also thanks to Sony¡¯s AI-based DSEE Extreme that upscales streaming music to make them sound richer. Support for LDAC is a neat addition, however, it doesn¡¯t work with Sony¡¯s multi-point connectivity (allowing two devices to connect at once), which was disappointing.?
They say don¡¯t fix what ain¡¯t broke, but Sony¡¯s gone ahead and perfected an already almost perfect ANC system. Powered by Sony¡¯s HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1, works in tandem with Sony¡¯s Integrated Processor V1 and eight microphones to create a robust noise cancellation experience.?
While listening to music, stuck in Mumbai traffic, the headset cancelled out the traffic noise splendidly. The palm gesture on the right cup to talk did come in handy during those times.
I often used them while working from home to cancel out construction work outside my home and it did a great job without really making me feel fatigued.
The included ambient mode also works flawlessly and makes it feel almost natural. The ability to tweak the ambient level in the app is also a neat bonus that adds to the personalisation experience of the headset.
Sony is using a quad-mic setup dedicated to voice calls, which beamform to capture your voice despite disturbances in the background while filtering them out in real-time. They call it Precise Voice Pickup Technology which uses AI to only pick your (wearer¡¯s) voice to send to the listener on the other end, and I have often been surprised at how good it has been.
I often play games on my PS5 on my TV speaker but like to stay connected to my friends on Discord. Normal headsets would capture the game sounds along with my voice, but this one did a fine job of filtering them on most occasions, which was mighty impressive.
Sony claims that despite the additional processing and microphones that are at play, the XM5s can still last for a good 30 hours before needing to be charged. In our testing, we found this to be almost on point, with the headset lasting around 28-ish hours on a single charge.?
Your mileage may vary depending on how much ANC/Ambient mode you use (since they consume the most power).
Sony¡¯s WH-1000XM5 is a pair of headsets that is being offered at a premium price tag of Rs 34,990, and it truly justifies it for what it has to offer.?
Premium audio experience, stellar ANC as well as a mic setup on which you can actually take phone calls, all with a firm, reliable build quality and a battery life that doesn¡¯t quit on you as easily, WH-1000XM5 is a tight premium package that is perfect for anyone looking to spend the top rupee for an uncompromising audio experience.