It can be hard for a company to keep improving the sound quality of a product from one generation to the next, but Sony has done it with the WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones. Not only that, but it was done while a major redesign was being done. The Sony XM5 headphones might feel a little less high-end than they used to, but the sound quality is a big step up from the last generation. If you are looking for a new pair of wireless headphones that block out noise, you should start your search here.
The WH-1000XM5 headphones are a bit rounder than their predecessors. This is the best way to quickly describe them. All of it is a little bit neater and slicker. There are fewer visible points of articulation, noise-cancelling mic ports that are less obvious, and a slimmer headband with an extra leather-like covering to hide its joints and extension points. The space for your ears is also a little different.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]The WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4 are oval, but the WH-1000XM5 is an ovoid. Even though we haven’t pushed them to their limits, the slide-out extension points feel stronger than older models. There are also fewer pressure points that could break, which was a common complaint about older models that had been used a lot. But some of the changes might not be so good. Still, it’s annoying that there’s no way to keep water out of this. Since the headphones no longer fold up, they aren’t as easy to carry around as they used to be. Even though the headband is better hidden and fits better with the rest of the design, it seems to have less padding than other Sony headphones.
That may be a moot point, though, because they’re still comfortable and will stay on your head for long listening sessions even if they’re not soft. There is plenty of padding around the ears, and the cups can twist and turn to fit people of all sizes. The band applies just the right amount of clamp pressure to keep the headphones in place without forcing your brain out of your ears. This headband now grows smoothly instead of in steps like it did in earlier versions.
If you want to meet people at the gym or live in a place where it rains a lot, these might not be the headphones for you. There is a funny picture on the packaging of the headphones that tells you not to sweat on them or wear them in the rain. With ANC on, our standard battery test gave us a result of 31 hours and 53 minutes, which is a little better than Sony’s claim that the WH-1000XM5 has a battery life of 30 hours. When ANC was turned off and the test was run again, the result was much better (by more than 20 hours! ), giving a total battery life of 53 hours and 6 minutes under the same test conditions.