Sony WH-1000XM5 Review
As I pulled the Sony WH-1000XM5 unit out from the box, I could tell that I was going to be amazed. Sony WH-1000X series has always been a king of wireless noise-canceling headphones and there were promises that XM5 would go beyond that. The headphones came highly recommended and fueled my expectations so I was eager to try them out. For the last couple of weeks, I have been examining everything from the design comfort and sound, the smart features onboard and now it is time to present the whole package of impressions to you.
Reasons to Buy
- Excellent sound quality with deep bass and clear mids.
- Top-notch noise cancellation, especially in high frequencies.
- Lightweight and comfortable for extended use.
- Multipoint Bluetooth pairing and solid connectivity.
- Impressive battery life with quick charging.
Reasons to Avoid
- Non-folding design reduces portability.
- High price point.
Design and Aesthetics
The design of the Sony WH-1000XM5 devices differs significantly from their predecessors and, in my opinion, takes the product to a new and better level. As soon as I opened the box, I fell in love with the beautiful, modern, and seamless design that gives an impression of a high-end gadget. Sony’s new smart wireless headphones no longer tries to stick with Sony WH-1000XM4 slightly bulky look but rather adopts a less shaped but a more advanced look.
The first one, which came to my immediate attention immediately, was the increased size of the earcups which provide better coverage. Although this earcups are similar to Skullcandy Hesh ANC or Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 in size but the Sony is comfortable. The headband itself is lower in profile, so the whole design seems more gracious. The buttery, soft matte-coating headbands are also another fashionable accessory of the headphones. Their finish is fingerprint resistant so that they will still look new several days into usage.
There are no loud logos or bright, distracting designs - just a perfectly smooth body and a calm logo. It features, as usual, two colors black and silver. The black version looks very smart and business-like, that’s why I chose black color.
Smooth external hinges is another rather minor but noteworthy design approach. While previous constructions used to have exposed joints, the Sony WH-1000XM5 has a monolithic body structure and, hence, feels considerably more secure and high-class. In addition to that, this subtle feature also improves the aesthetics and adds a bit more fortitude, making the XM5 really high-grade audio equipment that is not just for show.
Materials and Build Quality
While designing the Sony WH-1000XM5, it is clear that Sony spent some money on the materials, and this is very clear the first time you touch them. When I first put on this Sony noise canceling headphones, it was obvious to me that these were headsets made out of high quality materials and could withstand any use. WH-1000XM5 are mainly made from plastic so that they can be lightweight but the material don’t look or feel flimsy. The materials are not cheap either, the soft touch surfaces and their super smooth edges give users a sophisticated yet tough finish on the headphones.
According to my test, this material quality made the Sony headphones better than other popular models like Jabra Elite 45h and Jabra Evolve2 65
The cups are also comfortably wrapped with a perforated comfort synthetic leather. The material did not make my ears feel hot and uncomfortable even after hours of using it. The density of the material and the structure of the cushions or claps make the equipment easy and pleasant to use, as the device is assembled around the ears. The headband has also been improved from the earlier models, as it has retained the curves and is made of a softer flexible material. This not only increases the scope of usage but also adds a classier look to the product.
I was especially struck by the screw and gloomy join which was nowhere in sight and thus made the overall look even much better. Also, this type of construction helps to achieve the modernization of style and minimalistic approach in the case of the headphones, although when I first saw these features, I wondered if they would affect the durability of the devices. Thanks to the Sony WH-1000XM5, after weeks of use, I cannot notice any damage or signs of wear and tear on the device.
Comfort and Fit
When it comes to headphones, comfort is usually defined as one of the most significant pros and mostly for users like me who wear it for quite some time. I am glad to report that the Sony WH-1000XM5 did quite well in this area.
The ear pads are very thick and soft with excellent overall comfort. Completing the design is a memory foam layer covered with plush leatherette. The internal cushions are also formed to the shape of the ears without too much pushing any areas rather loosening up the pressure. Even after wearing them for several hours straight during long flights and work sessions, I did not conclude with any discomfort or ear fatigue. They truly managed to walk the line between providing enough firmness and poring cushion.
You know I have tested lots of headphones that are best in the market of 2024 like Sennheiser Momentum 4 and Technics RP-DJ1200 but they can't beat this Sony wireless headphones.
The binaural headband is fully adjustable and is also made of the same material that covers the head cup. It allows me to forget about pressure caused by the headphones on the vertex of the head, as the weight is evenly distributed. When compared to some of its counterparts, the WH-1000XM5 weighs 250g which is a little less after portion consumption to help on wear. I also liked the fact that the ear cups do not stay fixed, but rather rotate and induce the motion to ensure a tight fit.
Concerning the clamping force, it is not too aggressive but it is firm. Even when I am very active, they remain in place and I was confident enough to wear them out for walks and other light activities without the worry of them moving or clamping too hard on my head.
Sound Quality
Moving on to the most important aspect: loudness and audio quality. For many years already, I have tested a variety of different high end headphones, and without a doubt the Sony WH-1000XM5 is one of the very best there is. These are not new to Sony, which has been known to produce great audio equipment, with this particular model, they have exceeded many of their own previous limits by addressing most of the aspects, especially the sound quality, more explicitly the clarity, detail, and separation of the audio.
When I tested the JBL Tune 770NC and Beats Solo3, so I was thinking that they are unbeatable in sound feature. But I was wrong after testing the Sony M5 headphones.
To begin with bass, this is punchy and deep enough to be satisfying, but thankfully, it doesn’t overdo the rest of the sound. No matter if I was sinking low into bass-infused leads in hip-hop or electronic music, or trying out some cinematic bass symphonies, I was pleased to find the lows hitting clean and hard without being bloated or muddy. It is quite an achievement for wireless noise-canceling headphones in a studio setting that even the bass response is well controlled. It gives you that booming sound you love without overpowering the mids and highs.
Regarding the mids, this is the best part of the best Sony headphones. The vocals have the right amount of crispness, naturalness, and are positioned in the right place, so they are very good for listening to podcasts or acoustic music or simply the pop and rock styles. The headphones have good warm mids, so vocalists and instruments such as the guitar or piano are good enough in the mix without getting buried. It’s not that one is looking for problems in busy, complicated pieces but there was a good enough easy in which the voices and instruments were kept apart.
The highs are effortless but detailed, and most importantly, they do not hurt. Treble can be a challenge in wireless headphones where loud sounds usually have harsh high pitch sounds but with Sony, this is not the case. When I really turned it up, there were still no bothersome “S” or “T” sounds that cut into your ear too much from the treble. This allowed me to enjoy tracks for hours on end without worrying about developing ear fatigue, usually, too high-pitched treble frequencies can result in such.
Very impressive in their own right is the soundstage of the Sony WH-1000XM5, considering it is an over ear, closed-back, noise-canceling headphone. I lie back and lose myself in the music. While it is not as good as the enormous hazy soundstage provided by open-backs, it’s wasn’t bad at all considering how extremely portable and noise-canceling it is built for. It was also really easy to separate out the different instruments and understand the sound to its fullness when listening to varied-background detailed songs. It was surprisingly directional as well if that description even makes any sense — the WH-1000XM5 was able to create a kind of surround effect whether you’re listening to an orchestra (orchestra music) or performances (live music).
Sony managed to include in the package the use of hi-res audio codecs and upon linking the headphones to devices that support what is called LDAC codec the change in audio quality was a remarkable experience. There’s also the addition of the LDAC protocol which is used for higher bit-rate audio streaming and the XM5 absolutely benefits from lossless audio encodes such as FLAC. Everything from classical music to jazz to very fresh electronic music was tested and the headphones reproduced all of them without a single hitch. The headphones deliver so much clarity that you can pick out the detailed nuances in each note, and the movement of music is so full and sweet.
The wireless capabilities of the Sony WH-1000XM5 more than compensates for any absence of LDAC with regard to sound quality. For casual usage, whether it’s playing tunes from Spotify or any tracks stored on the phone, it is good enough. On a general note, the sound signature would be somewhere near balanced but slightly on the warmer side making it suitable for most music and listening habits.
When it comes to wireless, noise-canceling headphones, the headphone is one of the very best options currently available, because it provides an engaging and insightful performance alike among its rivals in the category. The sound of these headphones wouldn’t let you down whether you are an avid music lover, or just someone who is not especially fond of audio or someone who wants clear and hard sounds from the headsets. Sony has once more shown the reason why people still crave for their WH-1000X series.
Smart Features
The Sony WH-1000XM5 comes with a lot of smart functions which further makes the use of the device rather impressive and I appreciated them. The touch-sensitive controls on the earcups are one feature that I loved the most. Just a couple of swipes were enough in raising the volume or skipping certain tracks or answering the calls even when the phone was not in hand. The touch controls worked as designed and were very simple to use.
Also present with the headphones is voice assistant functionality which made it possible for me to use Alexa or Google assistant with very little effort, just with a command. Whenever I needed to get directions or change the music, I just had to ask and it would work immediately, with the noise of the environment not affecting the quality of the microphones.
Adaptive Sound Control is yet another impressive feature that determines how much noise canceling or external sound is allowed, depending on the particular location and activities of the user. For instance, when I was outside on a quiet street and was walking, the feature decreases the level of noise-canceling power, and when I sit down in an incredibly busy cafe, it enhances that level. It’s a minor detail, but still it improves feelings of the product.
The feature of detecting whether you wear the earphones or not, i.e., stopping music when the earphones are removed, worked great. A couple of times, it saved me as I was disturbed and did not remember to turn my music off.
Connectivity and Usability
The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are certain to exceed your expectations as they do have Bluetooth 5.2 and I must say the connection was superb. Connecting the headset with my mobile phone and laptop was a matter of seconds for me and throughout my tests, I did not experience any disturbances or delays. It also has a multipoint feature which means the headset can be connected to two devices simultaneously and toggled to use one at a time. This was quite helpful when I was listening to songs on my phone and then had to log in to a Zoom meeting on my laptop.
Beyond this, I also found additional adjustment possibilities via the Sony Headphones Connect app. Immediately after downloading the software, I was able to modify the sound features, system’s ANC system, or reprogram the touch sensor controls. It also provides a great number of adjustments in order for a person to enjoy every sound he or she is listening to.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
As for ANC, there is no denying that the Sony WH-1000XM5 noise cancelling headphone is among the best. I tried the noise cancellation in different situations such as walking on the streets of a crowded city, in a noisy office, or even during a flight. The headphones performed exceptionally well in every scenario in blocking out unwanted noise.
To some extent, the performance of the isolation system from the WH-1000XM4 to the WH-1000XM5 has improved noise-canceling ever so slightly. This is most advantageous when trying to eliminate mid to high frequency components such as the interference of people talking or the setting in an air-conditioned room.
The Adaptive Sound Control feature also helps, as it adjusts the level of noise cancellation based on your surroundings. THe WH-XM5 is able and does without any adjustments from me, whilst I am standing still in a quiet room and while inside the loudest of zones. I’ve experienced time and again that nothing is as effective at noise canceling as a properly designed system.
Battery Life
Sony says the Sony WH-1000XM5 is rated for 30 hours of battery use with ANC on and my usage came almost close to that. For an entire day at a time and even with Average to Heavy use, I was able to keep the headphones for a couple of days on a single charge. Without the ANC function, users can extend the battery out to about 40 hours which is more than enough for even the longest of flights or extended sessions at work.
Nothing lasts for free, and here I found the lacking aspect of the sony’s effort. Charging was also fast, as I managed to load the device just for 10 minutes of usage, promising a 3 hour playback time. It is a nice advantage when you are in a hurry and want to get only a short burst of charge.
Mic Performance and Call Quality
Out of the several identified areas for improvement, one that Sony has done remarkably well is the mic performance. Whenever I made calls, my voice came out clearly even in the presence of some background noise. The WH-1000XM5 utilizes four beamforming microphones and noise suppression technologies that are reliable especially to noise shielded surfaces, and it worked wonders.
There was a time when I was calling someone while I was in the crowded cafe, and I remember that the person on the other side didn’t have to deal much with the sound from the café as they could hear me perfectly well. With regard to work calls, I noticed how reliable and clear they were on the XM5. For those who take calls and/or virtual meetings very often, that’s a good option.
Durability and Portability
It is evident that the Sony WH-1000XM5 is a well-constructed and solid headphone model. However, it should be highlighted that the headband is no longer capable of folding inside like that of WH-1000XM4. To some users who have gotten accustomed to folding their headphones for easy carriage, this might seem a disadvantage. Because the inability to collapse them into a much smaller, more compact form means that they require slightly more space in a bag. There is however a hard shell carrying case provided by Sony which comprises the headphones and is built to guard the headphones against damage during transport. It is quite sleek and mid-sized, heaving no much pressure upon being tucked in a backpack, suitcase or even a large handbag.
In terms of sturdiness, I used the WH-1000XM5 a lot over the course of several weeks and I have to say that they have coped with it rather well. People may also use the soft artificial leather and hard plastic parts for normal everyday use without worrying too much about them getting damaged easily. After normal functioning of these headphones for several weeks there are no visible fatigue symptoms on the ear cups and headband which make these headphones ideal for persons with heavy daily use of headphones.
Our Verdict
Having conducted all the tests on Sony WH-1000XM5’s I can safely conclude these are some of the high-quality noise-canceling headphones available in the market today. Everything one can ever want in Sony headphones from the stylish design and the excellent comfort to the popular and excellent sound is exactly what the manufacturer has put in these headphones.
Even though the price is steep, the efficiency and performance delivered are worth every dollar. If you're a frequent flier, an avid music listener, or simply want a great pair of headphones, well, you will be more than satisfied with the WH-1000XM5 in almost all aspects. You may consider these headphones if you are looking to buy high end listening devices.
