I traveled a lot more last year, and that gave me the chance to try out my over-the-ear headphones on multiple flights rather than just the city streets and subway.
I’ve been a fan of the Sony WH1000 model over-ear headphones since their release. A few months ago, Sony came out with the fifth generation, the Sony WH1000XM5, Over-the-ear active noise-canceling headphones. These are my thoughts after using them around New York City and on a few flights.
WH1000XM5 HEADPHONES DESIGN
The design on the WH1000XM5 headphones (I will call them XM5 here on after), is great. They have been redesigned from the WH1000XM4 over-ear headphones that came out in 2020.They are so lightweight and not compressing at all. The design is rather simple. They don’t feel as heavy and sturdy as previous models. The headband is thinner than the last model. The thinness of the headband and how they connect to the earcups is noticeably different from the XM4 model. There’s no cushioning around the headband. The right earcup has a USB-C charging port. The left earcup has the power/bluetooth pair button (hold down for 3 seconds to put in pair mode) and the noise-cancellation button. The earcups have vegan leatherette cushioning. The headphones are available in three colors: black, blue, and silver (which looks more like a beige). The XM5s don’t fold when storing. The case collapses to be a little more flat when not in use.
SOUND AND EXPERIENCE
The fit of the Sony XM5 has to be the most lightweight of all of the over-ear headphones I’ve tried. While there is some cushioning on the earcups, it’s not a lot where your ears get overheated. There’s no click adjustment to the headband. It slides up and down smoothly as needed. As I previously said, the headphones don’t fold, so you will have to lug the carrying case around or keep them around your neck. If you do keep them around your neck, you have to turn the earcups outward to have them flat.
If you want to indulge in a little bit of the recent hot FC 25 game, in addition to checking out FC 25 coins, choosing this headphone is an even better choice.
SONY WH-1000-XM6 WIRELESS NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES REVIEW
Noise-canceling on the XM5 headphones is great. Using them on a flight, the ANC blocked out enough noise, allowing me to fall asleep. My favorite thing about the XM5 headphones is the Adaptive Sound Control. It changes the noise canceling level depending on your activity. It can change the noise cancelation to allow ambient sound. You can also control it with the app too.
The music turns on and off as you place and remove the headphones from your head. There were a couple of times when, on a long flight, the headphones would turn off on their own even as music was still playing. Not sure what happened there. But I toggled the app never to turn off, and it hasn’t happened since. You control the XM5s with expected gestures like “Quick Attention” where you cup the entire earcup to pause the music, swiping up and down to control volume, and back and forth to control tracks.
Sony WH1000XM5 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones Now Available in Smoky Pink Color
The XM5s have decent bass and punchy sound. I enjoy the stronger bass, but it can drown out other sounds at times. For the most part, it does give strong bass with a clean sound. You can use the equalizer on the app to adjust the sounds to your liking. This can be useful not only when listening to music, but also when playing games on your phone. For example, the music in games with FS in Vulkan Vegas is very different, so being able to customize the sound is definitely a big benefit.
SONY XM5 Headphones Call Quality and Battery Life
When it comes to taking calls, I am not a fan of doing that with headphones on, as I will be yelling unintentionally. The call quality was good and clear, and the other party had no complaints. It did amazing outdoors, with canceling outdoor noises. It’s still something I avoid doing in public.
While I wouldn’t use these at the gym or near water, just because of the fit, for those who were thinking about using them for working out, there is no IP rating for the XM5s.
When it came to battery life on the XM5s, there was something else to rave about. Even the standby time between charging is good. I went several days and over 25 hours of listening time without having to charge the XM5 headphones.
SONY HEADPHONE CONNECT APP
The Sony Headphones Connect App (on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store) allows you to adjust the settings of your Sony headphones. While you don’t need the app for the basic operation of the XM5s, it’s so helpful to have.
You can see the battery life, pick the smart assistant you can use, switch the adaptive sound control settings, turn on speak-to-chat, adjust the equalizer, switch the touch sensor function, head gesture settings, see what badges you’ve earned while using Sony audio products, and more. It allows you to update the software. You can also check out the tutorial on how to use the headphones since they are gesture-based.
Sony WH1000XM5 Headphones VERDICT
The Sony WH1000XM5 headphones are an easy recommendation since they check all of the boxes of higher-end noise-canceling headphones without completely breaking the bank. These headphones are great for day-to-day use and travel. While they may still be on the higher end of a budget for some, the Sony XM5s have followed the path of their predecessors, reducing the price to under $300, which is great.
SONY WH-1000XM5 OVER-EAR HEADPHONES
Pros
- Lightweight build
- Not water-resistant
Cons
- Doesn't fold
