Lightweight and extremely comfortable. Sitting on my Air India flight from Mumbai to Delhi on a rainy Sunday evening, we have lost in my own world most of the time. The Sony WH-1000XM5 might be the first pair of over-ear headphones to convince me to abandon True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earphones for a while. For a long time, headphones have seemed large and sometimes cumbersome. It is an extra item that has to be carried around and cannot fit comfortably in your pocket like a pair of TWS earphones.
For this reason, and this reason alone, we have never considered buying a pair of headphones, with the exception of an occasional gaming headset that we have for my gaming sessions at home. With the release of dozens of headsets, it's hard to get really excited. Yet every time Sony releases a pair of TWS headphones or earphones, the whole world stands up and takes notice.
That's because the company's flagship product, the Sony WH-1000XM5, takes active noise cancellation (ANC) technology to the next level. Each iteration of the WH-1000 headphone line may look the same, but it has made improvements in key areas such as noise cancellation, sound and call quality, and even comfort. This is the key to keeping the WH-1000 line of headphones above every other competitor on the market.
Design
The new Sony WH-1000XM5, unlike other companies, deviates from the look and design of its predecessors. The new Sony WH-1000XM5 comes with a sleek and clean design that we liked because it looks very neat and aesthetic and while we were wearing it outdoors it caught the attention of people walking by. Unlike its predecessor XM4, the earcups of the new Sony WH-1000XM5 do not fold inwards. The company has used synthetic leather pads on the earcups and the headband.
The earcups are very cleverly designed and fit comfortably in ears of all sizes. The weight of the headphones is relatively lighter than the Sennheiser Momentum 4, which we reviewed a few days ago.
The company has opted for only two buttons in the new SONY headphones: a power button and a button for room mode and noise cancellation, located on the left earcup. The right earcup contains all the tactile control functions: you swipe up to increase the volume and down to decrease it. Pressing and holding in the center of the right earcup activates the voice assistant. You can also swipe forwards and backwards to change tracks and double-tap the center to pause/resume the track.
Connectivity & Controls
The new Sony WH-1000XM5s pair easily with Android and iOS devices and we initially paired them with our Android phone via Bluetooth only, but for a better control and sound experience, we suggest downloading the Sony Headphones connect app. The headphones can connect to Bluetooth devices via AAC, LDAC and Bluetooth codecs, but surprisingly the company has omitted aptX support. There is a 3.5 mm audio jack on the left earcup that can be used to connect the headphones to the device. Using the app allows for ANC, 360-degree audio and a customized equalisation function.
The app allows you to choose between full noise cancellation that blocks out all external sounds, an ambient sound mode that lets you hear your surroundings, especially when walking down the street, and an OFF mode that completely excludes ANC. The responsive equalisation boosts the bass and can be adjusted according to your preferences. The headphones are also able to learn the user's daily habits, tracking the user's usage behavior and adjusting accordingly according to the environment, such as switching to ambient sound mode when walking.
The new Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones feature an improved voice assistant. Both Alexa and Google Assistant can be activated hands-free using their respective activation commands. The voice assistant can answer calls or dial a number and can also control music.
ANC
The new Sony WH-1000XM5 has one of the best ANC within the flagship segment as we experienced better ANC in the Sony WH-1000XM5 when compared to the previously reviewed Sennheiser Momentum 4. The headset cancels out all external noise/sound leaving with you mesmerizing sound experience thanks to the eight microphones present on the headset.
Calls
The new Sony WH-1000XM5 comes with improved call features when compared to its predecessor. The call quality is very good and the new XM5 could be termed as one of the best headsets which deliver better quality. The call experience is enhanced by Sony’s Precise Voice Pickup technology, which uses four beamforming mics present on the headset and AI-powered noise-reduction, plus wind-noise reduction which provides clear call quality. The headset also does a phenomenal job of keeping the unwanted noise and wind at bay when you are speaking over a call.
Battery
The new Sony WH-1000XM5 comes with a battery life of 30 hours whereas we saw that the latest Sennheiser Momentum 4 has 60 hours of battery life. During our time with the new Sony WH-1000XM5, we were able to use the headset for 30 hours with a single charge and sometimes the headphone went beyond the mentioned limit by lasting up to 31-32 hours. The headset can last 40-42 hours with its ANC disabled. The company has also increased the charging speed as the headset gets fully charged within 1:00-1:15 hours.
Conclusion
The latest Sony WH-1000XM5 is one of the best ANC headsets present in the flagship segment priced at ₹ 34,990. The smartly engineered XM5 does not miss out on any feature to make it lag behind the competition. The sound quality is top-notch and the bass level is extremely good. In terms of battery power, it does fall behind Sennheiser Momentum 4 but overpowers it in other sections.
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