has competed with the Apple AirPods Max and the Bose 700 for the title of best Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) headphones available. However, is the newest version of the headphones a must-have for the average consumer and audiophiles alike, or is it an incremental upgrade worth skipping?
Much of the details regarding the WH-1000XM5 launch were known long before the official announcement from Sony. In early 2022, an upgraded model of the headphones was listed on the official Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under a codename, signaling an inevitable public release. Other leaks trickled in, claiming that the upgraded version would include new features and a redesign. Some leaks turned out to be spot-on, while others didn't quite pan out. Regardless, there are some key changes in the WH-1000XM5 that set the headphones apart from the previous WH-1000XM4.
The most noticeable difference between the The appearance resembles the AirPods Max, with a rounded ear cups distinguished by a narrow, more circular stem. The headband also has padding that wraps around the entirety of the band, compared to the previous model, which only had foam padding at the midpoint. Overall, the design change has less disted plastic sections and appears more refined and simple than the WH-1000XM4. The redesign didn't stop at the headphones, though — the included storage case is sleeker as well, and is now collapsable for easy storage in a bag.
Upgraded ANC On The WH-1000XM5s
While the new design is visible and flashy, the most noticeable improvements come under the hood. The main selling point of the WH-1000XM5 as opposed to other wireless headphones is their use of Active Noise Cancelling, which uses sound waves of opposite frequency to cancel out loud sounds in the wearer's environment. This is set to be more successful on the newer model, since it includes two processors tasked with properly cancelling out these sounds. The computing power takes into the sounds from the eight microphones scattered across the WH-1000XM5. It's a huge upgrade from the previous model, which only had one processor and five microphones. The sound quality will be better, too — thanks to for the LDAC3 audio codec, which is the highest quality sound that can currently be transmitted through Bluetooth on any pair of headphones.
Though there are some key upgrades, a lot is familiar between the WH-1000XM5 and the WH-1000XM4. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because the previous model is considered to be one of the best noise-cancelling headphones on the market. The latest model boasts the same 30-hour battery life, capacitive touch controls, and active-noise cancelling modes that can suppress or enhance the surrounding noise. These improvements come at an additional cost; the WH-1000XM5s start at $399, which is a $5o increase from the MSRP of the predecessor. Sony's WH-1000XM5 provide additional features to justify the slight price hike, but probably aren't worth the jump from the WH-1000XM4s.
Source: Sony