the headphones for ultimate silence

I had the honor of testing Sony’s newest headphones, the WH-1000XM5, for a while. Are these headphones worth the high price? Find out in this article!

Sony WH-1000XM5: new high-end headphones

The new high-end headset from Sony, the WH-1000XM5, succeeds the successful WH-1000XM4. This predecessor was already known for excellent sound and even better noise reduction. After I have been able to use these headphones for half a month, I can already give you a small tip: they are a nice model!

But is the Sony WH-1000XM5 also worth the 420 euros that you pay for these top headphones? In this review I will examine all aspects and give you an answer to this question.

The sound quality of the Sony WH-1000XM5

Let me start with the most important thing: the sound quality. This is often the reason why you purchase an expensive model like the Sony WH-1000XM5. To get straight to the point; yes the model surrounds you with a warm and clear sound.

In my opinion, most modern headphones are often too focused on the bass sound. However, with this Sony WH-1000XM5, the warm undertones were not too bad for me. They carry the music well and sound balanced. For the hip-hop fan, it might be nicer to turn the bass up a bit. I myself have the high tones of the headphones with the equalizer screwed up a bit. This is purely because I am a fan of even brighter tones, which accentuate vocals nicely. The Sony WH-1000XM5 clearly shows its strength here.

You don’t notice the real difference in sound quality compared to other headphones on a streaming service like Spotify. The hi-fi version of the Swedish giant was announced years ago, but still not available. For the ultimate listening experience, you should opt for lossless audio that comes with an Apple Music subscription. In this way you can also enjoy Sony’s ‘360 Reality Audio’ (or in Apple terms: Spatial Audio) with the WH-1000XM5.

Partly because I want to give full attention to music and the musicians, I have a large CD/LP collection with a nice amplifier. You only really notice that the sound of the Sony WH-1000XM5 is excellent if you don’t stream it via bluetooth or the internet. The supplied cable is therefore also a nice addition. Not everything has to be wireless! However, when I listen to the music at this highest quality, I don’t notice much difference with the predecessor of these high-end headphones.

Noise Reduction & Wearing Comfort

The big difference with the predecessor, the Sony WH-1000XM4, is the quality of noise reduction. Of course, this has always been Sony’s unique sales pitch for this WH-100XM series. With the WH-1000XM4, eight more microphones were used to pick up and output the sound phases. With the Sony WH-1000XM5, there are no fewer than eight. These are divided and hidden in both auricles.

It strikes me that, compared to the predecessor, the noise reduction works a lot better. It filters out wind noise better while cycling and the remaining noise after the noise reduction is softer and slightly higher. So it sounds less like a moped and more like the waves of the sea. Ideal right?

In terms of wearing comfort, the Sony WH-1000XM5 suits me very well. It feels light, although the 250 grams is on the heavy side for noise-cancelling headphones. After wearing it for a while I don’t even notice that I have headphones on. Especially if I have the noise reduction turned on. In addition, the fit is set in such a way that when I move vigorously (such as in a head-shake test), these headphones do not fall off my head.

I often prefer the Sony WH-1000XM5 over my (semi-professional) studio speakers, especially because of the fit. This ensures ultimate silence and therefore also full focus. Even at the busiest point in my city, where ships, trains and cars come together, you imagine yourself in a nature reserve due to the noise reduction.

The design and battery life

The biggest disadvantage of the Sony WH-1000XM5 compared to its predecessor is the fact that you can no longer fold the ear cups. I personally don’t find this a problem, but I can imagine that this can be an obstacle for some. The included case for the headphones is elegant and also fits well in your bag. However, if you often carry an overflowing backpack or laptop bag, these headphones may no longer fit.

The design is slimmer than before, without being annoying. Adjusting the WH-1000XM5 is very smooth and the eight microphones are well concealed in the design. The Sony WH-1000XM5 comes in an eco-friendly packaging, made of cardboard. At first this felt somewhat strange and cheap, but in reality you never look back at this packaging. Good move Sony!

I have been using these headphones for several hours every day for two weeks now. However, I only had to charge it once. With the noise reduction on, you can listen to music or podcasts for no less than 30 hours, according to Sony. And this turns out to be true. In addition, the Sony WH-1000XM5 also has fast charging. If I charge the headphones for 3 minutes, they can last for 3 hours again.

The extra features and the Sony app

You expect from headphones with a suggested retail price of 420 euros that there are a lot of useful extra functions. That is certainly the case. I like that they don’t feel overwhelming. They are nicely concealed in the design and the app.

This makes it possible to connect to two devices at the same time. This is going very smoothly. However, I still find the sounds of the connection a bit getting used to. They are very similar to turning the headphones off and on. Also the control of your music (louder, softer, next, etc.) is a bit too tender for me. I often press a little too hard on the right ear scoop, triggering ‘Talk Trough’ mode instead of playing the next song.

Speaking of that ‘Talk Through’ function, it is extremely useful and perhaps works a little too smoothly. The same goes for the ‘pause when you take off the headphones’ option and the ‘Speak-To-Chat’ function. Fortunately, you can turn off these functions in the special and well-arranged Sony app. Unfortunately, I haven’t been using the headphones long enough to test the ‘adaptive sound control’ function. This keeps track of how and when I put on the headphones, and adjusts the sound and noise reduction accordingly.

Buy and compare the Sony WH-1000XM5

Of course, these headphones are not your only option. But if you really care about good noise cancellation, this one is definitely worth considering. Also for the audiophile the Sony WH-1000XM5 is definitely recommended. However, if you don’t want to spend that much money, I recommend buying an older model of this series. The Sony WH-1000XM4 or the WH-1000XM3 do not differ significantly from these high-end headphones. Sony continues to bring good headphones to the market!

Do you want to check how these headphones compare to other models in the same price category? Then read our comparison article with the AirPods Max from Apple. The Sony WH-1000XM5 has a suggested retail price of 420 euros. However, since it is already a few months old, it has come down a bit in price.

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