Two years after its predecessor, Sony has just presented the Sony WH-1000XM5, its new noise reduction Bluetooth headphones, with a completely revised and refined design.
We had been expecting it for a few weeks and Sony did not miss its appointment. This Thursday, the Japanese manufacturer officially announced its new active noise reduction Bluetooth headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5.
After several weeks of leaks and an invitation shared last week, the manufacturer has just presented its new high-end headphones, which have taken over from the WH-1000XM4. And for the first time since the very first MDR-1000X, launched in 2016, Sony has decided to completely revamp the design of its new device.
The best noise reduction on the market, according to Sony
It must be said that between the WH-1000XM3 and the WH-1000XM4 launched two years ago, the differences were very small on the front. This time, Sony has decided to operate a major aesthetic overhaul. This notably involves a new design with a much thinner hoop – but still just as padded, we are promised. The firm has also revised the system for attaching the headband to the ear cups. Exit the fork system, we are entitled here to a simple branch positioned in the center of the earpiece, a bit like what Bose offers with its Headphones 700. Like its American competitor, Sony has also made some sacrifices since, if the ears can rotate, the WH-1000XM5 loses its ability to bend.
Still regarding the design, Sony indicates that it has reviewed the materials of its headphones, still plastic, but recycled as well as the cushions in soft synthetic leather. The helmet also displays a weight of 254 grams.
Obviously, Sony wants to position the WH-1000XM5 as the headphones offering the best active noise reduction on the market. If the Japanese manufacturer has proven to us in the past how much it mastered this feature, note that the market has evolved since then and that Apple, with its AirPods Max, already offers very high level active noise reduction.
To accomplish this, Sony has doubled the number of microphones on its headset, from four on the 1000XM4 to eight on the 1000XM5. The manufacturer has also taken the HD QN1 processor, already present on the previous model, and added a V1 chip, also used on the WF-1000XM4 headphones. What allow, on paper, a better noise reduction on the treble and midrange. An atmospheric pressure sensor is also present to detect when the user is on a plane, as is technical fabric on the microphones to filter gusts of wind and prevent them from being transcribed into the speakers.
Since we are talking about loudspeakers, it is time to address the audio reproduction. As on the previous generation, Sony offers three Bluetooth audio codecs on its WH-1000XM5: SBC, AAC and LDAC. Enough to allow the headset to display Hi-Res Audio Wireless compatibility. The headset also embeds Sony’s DSEE Extreme algorithm to enable upscaling overly compressed audio files, as well as multipoint Bluetooth compatibility – which will then disable the LDAC codec. On the transducer side, however, Sony has reduced the airfoil, going from a 40 mm format to 30 mm diameter transducers. Nevertheless, according to the Japanese firm, they are equipped with lighter and more rigid diaphragms thanks to carbon fiber. A lightness supposed to ensure a better travel for the bass and a rigidity more adapted to the treble. In theory, we should therefore find the same sound reproduction as on the WH-1000XM4.
The best call quality on the market, according to Sony
If Sony claims that the 1000XM5 offers the best active noise reduction on the market, the manufacturer is not stingy either in terms of call quality. For this use, the Sony WH-1000XM5 uses four beamforming microphones as well as AI-based continuous learning to best isolate your voice from ambient noise.
Among other notable features, the Sony WH-1000XM5 still benefits from a port sensor – hidden this time – from the “speak to chat to pause the music when talking, touch controls on the right earpiece with the mode « quick attention», voice assistants that can be activated directly by voice oradaptive sound controlwhich allows you to automatically manage the noise reduction according to your geolocation or your activity. Note, however, the lack of Bluetooth LE Audio compatibility, a function that will arrive on Android 13 in the coming months and will reduce latency for mobile gaming.
For autonomy, Sony announces that its headphones can operate for 30 consecutive hours with noise reduction activated. It recharges in USB-C Power Delivery and can recover 3 hours of playback with 3 minutes of charging.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 will be available in May in France. It will be offered in two colors – matte black or silver – at a price of 420 euros. Note also that if the WH-1000XM3 will leave the range, the WH-1000XM4 will always be offered as an alternative, around 300 to 330 euros.
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