Sony earlier this week launched the new generation WH-1000XM5 headphones in India.
The new headphones come with a lot of improvements over the predecessor both in terms of design and hardware. It costs Rs 34,990. I have been using it for a little over a week and here are my thoughts on Sony WH-1000XM5.
Design and build quality
Right off the bat, WH-1000XM5 comes with a noticeable change in exterior design language. The cups are more robust with a smooth edgy exterior outlook but come laced with a soft leather cushion around the corners that sit on the ears and ensure the user can comfortably wear it for long hours. Even the headband that holds the two cups looks slimmer but the soft leather ensures there is no discomfort. Also, you can adjust the cups by extending the band so that they can sit properly on the ears. They extend easily and yet firmly sit. Once drawn out, they won't easily budge from the position.
Though it weighs a quarter of a kg, I never felt any heaviness or any kind of uneasiness during long journeys wearing the WH-1000XM5.
However, sometimes with high humidity in the air, sweat does get accumulated in the ears and has to dry once or twice during binge-watching a movie. This is not a deal breaker considering we live in a tropical climate and no headphones can stop the body's natural reaction during such conditions.
The left earcup comes with a standard 3.5mm audio jack along with ANC(Active Noise Cancellation)/Ambient Sound switch button, power on/off. And on the right, you will find the Type-C charging port.
The headphones come with a really nice compact carrying case. It has high-quality fabric and the case can squeeze into any backpack with ease. Yet, it is sturdy to keep the headphones intact and don't crushed by other items in the bag. The case has a special compartment within it to house the charging cable and the headphone cable (1.2 metres).
User-interface and performance
Like any recent Sony earphones, users have to install the Headphones Connect app before pairing with the phone. It hardly takes 10 minutes for the set-up process. But, if you want the try 360-degree HD music, the process may take longer, as you have to take photos of your ears and submit them to the app to ensure the headphones deliver true stereo music.
The Headphones Connect app offers a feature-rich equaliser with multiple preset modes such as Speech, Bass Boost, Treble Boost, Vocal, Relaxed, Mellow, Excited, and Bright and it also has two custom options for the owner to adjust audio delivery that matches their taste. This value-added feature enhances the user's listening experience.
With ANC on, it can deliver up to 30 hours of listening time and with ANC off, it can go for another 10 hours. Before I started the review, I ensured the device was fully charged. I wore the headphones mostly during my commute between the house and the office. I spend close to two and half hours on the bus in traffic every working day. To make the bus journey tolerable and depending on my mood of the day, I listen to music switching between western blues, rock, hip-hop (Eminem only), and Carnatic genre songs (mostly sung by MS Subbalakshmi, SP Balasubramium, and good old Raj Kumar Kannada movie tracks). The device supports SBC, AAC, and LDAC audio formats.
Inside, the headphones come with a specially designed 30-mm driver unit with a light and rigid dome. It is said to be made of carbon fibre composite material and this improves high-frequency sensitivity for more natural sound quality. It does the job quite well.
I always prefer pre-set EQ options and here on the Sony Headphones Connect app, I usually listened to music with Treble Bass, Bright, and Vocal modes. I am happy to note, it excelled in high-quality music delivery.
During calls, the Sony headphones, which come with four beamforming microphones, Precise Voice Pickup technology, and advanced audio signal processing, were really good in terms of picking my voice. Even when I was in rush hour traffic, the person on the other side was able to hear me with less background noise. I too was able to hear the person without any distortion.
Another notable aspect of the Sony headphones is the speak-to-chat feature. It activates once the mics on it detect that the user is speaking to somebody in the front and automatically pauses the music. This way, the owner doesn't have to pull the headphone to the neck to speak to the person. The headphones turn on the ambient mode and you can hear the person in the front hands-free once done talking, within a few seconds, the music resumes. I found this to be great on the Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS and here too, the WH-1000XM5 excels in this aspect as well.
There is also an adaptive sound control feature where you have to allow location tracking via phone app and once activated, the headphone turns on the pre-set mode, whenever you reach home or the gym, there will be a difference in audio delivery.
In the case of the home, the user can set the mode to mellow to have a pleasant effect and in the latter case, you can set it to be extra bass to offer a punchy effect and motivate you during the workout. You can change the settings anytime on the app.
I have to say, with ANC on, I had a really good time traveling for the past week. Occasionally, the blaring audio of the horns creep in, but the ANC ensured, it never really ruined the listening experience. And, I did not have to charge the headphones even once during the week. Besides 2.5 hours (on average) on the road for five days and around 10 hours at home including a two-day weekend, the Sony WH-1000XM5 had still around 20 per cent of battery left. This is really great.
With the app, you will always know what the battery capacity is and this way, you never have to face any anxiety of battery dying out in the middle of a virtual meeting, call, or while enjoying your favourite TV series on your tablet or phone.
It takes around three and half hours to fully charge from zero to reach 100 per cent mark.
Final thoughts (4/5)
Sony's latest WH-1000XM5 truly lives up to the hype around the ANC feature. Also, the Equaliser with custom setting options ensures, the headphone offers a good listening experience be it podcast or music, or a movie. And also, there is absolutely no noticeable audio lag-ness when played on a phone/tablet or a PC.
It is a top-class performer, excelling in comfort, distortion-free crisp audio delivery with ANC on and the battery life is just remarkable.
Sony WH-1000XM5 will surely work well in the office, at home, and even on long trips on planes or on road. If you are in the market looking for all-rounder premium headphones, this is a good option worth buying.
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