Sony’s serious entry into the noise-cancellation headphones market has been a grand success. Their in-ear models have been popular, but it’s truly the headphones that stand out. Anyone considering noise cancellation headphones that offer style, performance and great noise-cancellation rarely needs to look any further. Noise cancellation works by actively filtering out noise from the background, and as the effectiveness improves with every new model, one can expect a lot more in the fifth generation called the Sony WH-1000XM5.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 are a pair of noise cancellation wireless headphones, but they can also be plugged into a sound source such as a laptop or PC with a cable. Sony provides a 1.2m long cable if you need it. These headphones look a little different form the older, WH-1000XM4. They seem to have fewer seams, so they look more refined and minimalistic. There are few distractions. The build quality looks good and weighing about 250g they are not overly heavy to wear to wear for long hours.
The true appeal of the Sony WH-1000XM5 is its noise cancellation feature. There are four microphones built into each earcup that listen to the surroundings and pass them on to the processor, that in turn filters out the unnecessary frequencies. That makes it 8 microphones built into these WH-1000XM5. Sony claims the headphones do a great job at filtering out mid and high range frequencies even better. Sony’s Auto NC Optimiser ensures that it filters out only the unnecessary frequencies effectively, no matter where you wear them, out in the open, in a flight or at a work place. They are even able to figure out the weather conditions, pressure and how you wear the headphones and change the functioning accordingly.
The processor onboard is the Sony QN1 which does most of the noise cancellation work, alongside the Integrated Processor V1. The eight microphones send on data to these processors to handle the noise cancellation and the other functions of the Sony WH-1000XM5. The sound rendering is done by the 30 mm drivers on each earcup. There is a good amount of engineering that has gone into these headphones. Sony claims that the outer edges of the driver use soft edges to help keep out external noises, and the use of carbon fibre elements help with the sound quality, particularly the higher frequencies. The headphones are rated for a frequency delivery ranging from 4 to 40,000 Hz. Sony even claims the solder joint are made of gold, not lead-based materials like most other electronics. This should help with better conductivity, according to them. The use of Fine Sound Resistors helps with even power delivery, and this in turns helps maintain a low noise-to-power ratio.
Quality isn’t lost in the wireless transmission process either. Sony is confident its LDAC standard ensures high quality streaming to the headphones, thanks to its 3x higher transmission rates over traditional Bluetooth formats. Another piece of technology is DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine). The headphones are compliant and ready for High-Resolution Audio (Hi-Res). All of these ensure there are no compromises as far as audio quality goes. The wireless standard is Bluetooth 5.2 and Sony claims a range of up to 10m which is enough for most environments. You also get the convenience of being connected to two devices, so you can switch between them without effort. When you receive a call, the Sony WH-1000XM5 knows which one’s ringing and it switches automatically to it. Even pairing with devices is simple, especially with Windows 10 and Windows 11, not to mention Android with its Fast Pair feature.
Headphones are more than just quality and performance, comfort is just as important. Blocking out background noise usually means making a tight fit between the earcups and the user’s head, but that can also make wearing them uncomfortable. That’s not the case with the Sony WH-1000XM5. They use a soft-fit leather that ensures the fit around your ears is snug but not suffocating. Even the headband is designed to slide about to fit the user’s head easily, even offering a level of swivel.
These are no ordinary pair of wireless headphones. One can expect smart features that automatically pause and resume music or podcasts when you remove the headphones from your head. Other features include the Spotify Tap feature which lets you automatically resume Spotify playback without having to reach for your smartphone. Two to three taps will do it! The Sony WH-1000XM5 uses touch sensors so you don’t have worry about force-tapping a button or about wear and tear.
The Headphones Connect app is a must-have if you own any Sony earphones or headphones. With the WH-1000XM5, the app does the job of figuring out the fit and the various noise cancellation features. These headphones are already tweaked to be used with voice assistants on your smartphone, such as Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. With Google Assistant, you can even control the headphones’ features using voice commands, along with the plethora of information you can ask for. Having a conversation with people around you also are easy. You won’t have to fumble around with settings and disconnecting from your laptop or phone, removing the headphones – simply depend on the Speak-to-Chat feature. It detects your voice and knows when to turn off the noise cancellation feature and to resume when you’re done.
The cherry on the cake is the battery life. The headphones can play up to 30 hours on a single charge, which is more than enough for you to go days without having to recharge them. If you choose the optional USB-PD compatible adapter, you can even charge the headphones enough to run 3 hours more in just 3 minutes of charge. This is handy when you realize your headphones have no charge, but you need to get up and going on in minutes. What’s more, the headphones ship with a stylish carry case that itself folds neatly, so it doesn’t occupy space in your bag.
There is not a lot to dislike about the new Sony WH-1000XM5. They are nearly here in the Indian market, and you can now pre-order them here at reliancedigital.in. You should also see them appearing shortly at your nearest Reliance Digital store if you prefer getting a hands-on experience with them. For more information on the latest products, and how to best use the technology you already own, keep visiting here at reliancedigital.in.
