Whenever you would ask someone even slightly into audio about the top choice for Active Noise Cancelling headphones, the answer boils down to 2 options: either the iconic Sony WH1000XM4 or the legendary Bose QuietComfort Series/700. Walk into any coffee shop and you’re likely to find someone working on their laptop with either one of these on. Well, today we’ll focus on the ones from Sony. After all, the successful Sony XM4 over-ears are finally getting a successor after almost 2 years of high praise and stellar sales figures. The Sony WH1000XM5 retail box has been leaked in a Reddit post and many are ultimately excited for its release.
The design had been mostly the same since the XM2, with the 3 and 4 being easily mistaken for one another. There weren’t much differences between the last two save for some technological improvements, audio quality changes (some find these to be upgrades, some don’t), and connectivity fixes. This image below will show you that the two were basically the same pair of headphones on the outside.
This series found its claim to fame by creating a design that was extremely comfortable to wear and did not cause much (if any) pain over long listening sessions. The ANC technology was and still is top-notch, thoroughly developed by the engineers at Sony. They were the very first company to bring ANC to wireless earbuds after all – with the in-ear version of the XM3.
It also came with a sound signature that appealed to the mainstream out of the box. It follows your typical V-shaped sound, with booming bass to boot. However, this amount of bass does not cause muddiness or affect the clarity of the vocals or instruments. Many casual listeners praised (and still do so) these to the high heavens because it plays their Pop, Rap, and Mainstream genres better than anything they’ve heard before.
The hype this carried was hit-or-miss with audiophiles. A few were extremely disappointed by its characteristics while others found the adjustable EQ to work perfectly for them. They were able to mold the headphones’ sound into something more neutral and pleasing to listen to for trained ears.
The XM5 is the biggest redesign we’ve seen in a long time within this lineup. It makes sense since the on-ears also went through a humongous makeover. The materials and panels look thinner now making for a less bulky headphone, but we hope that they’ve maintained the premium and durable construction. There weren’t many complaints about the previous models being uncomfortable anyway. If the Sony WH1000XM5 manages to be lighter yet feel as solid or even more, then we’ve found ourselves a winner.
At the side of the box are features the audio device will come with. We’ve already expected compatibility with the top Voice Assistants as well as Sony’s signature 360 Reality Audio, but it’s always good to confirm advertised battery life. At 30 hours on a single charge, it’s on par with the XM4 and XM3. This may not be the final measurement though – it would be a pleasant surprise for these headphones to be officially announced with at least 40 hours.
Estimated sale date is August 2022. The official announcement date has been set at May 12, based on this Tweet. Ready your wallets, because we sure are!
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