Sony Announces New WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless Earbuds
Promising to offer the “best noise cancelling”, “next level immersive sound” and Sony’s “best ever call quality”, the new Sony WF-1000XM5 looks to build on its predecessor’s excellent foundation.
Sony’s 1000X earbuds series is well-known for having some of the best active noise cancellation performance in the market, and the WF-1000XM5 will apparently take it up another notch by using three microphones on each earbud with a pair of feedback mics to improve low-frequency cancellation.
In addition to that, the earbuds come with the newly developed Integrated Processor V2, which utilises the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN2e alongside updated polyurethane foam ear tips that now come in an extra-small size to add to the noise cancelling prowess of the earbuds. Sony says this is their “biggest ever step forward in noise cancelling”.
When it comes to sound quality, Sony has updated the earbuds with a newly designed 8.4mm Dynamic Driver X as well while managing to shrink the size of the earbuds, with the WF-1000XM5 being 25% smaller in size and 20% lighter than the WF-1000XM4. This will be good news to people who found the WF-1000XM4 too big in their ears.
The earbuds support the plethora of features we’ve come to expect from a pair of flagship Sony earbuds, including options like DSEE Extreme upscaling, wireless high-res audio thanks to LDAC support, 360 Reality Audio, head tracking for Android users, multipoint connectivity, Speak-To-Chat and so much more.
Sony also says the WF-1000XM5 offers the company’s best call quality, thanks to an AI-based noise reduction algorithm and bone conduction sensors. Call quality has long been a problem with Sony’s earbuds, so this is definitely good news, although we’ll have to put the earbuds to the test to verify the company’s claims.
With eight hours of battery life in the earbuds when noise cancelling is turned on and an additional 16 hours in the case for a total of 24 hours, the WF-1000XM5 offers the same battery life as the WF-1000XM4. However, charging is quicker on the newer model, with three minutes of charge providing up to 60 minutes of playtime. There’s also wireless Qi charging available on the WF-1000XM5, as expected.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 retail at £259/ €320, and are slated for availability in selected countries from August 2023.
Visit Sony for more information
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.
Posted in: Headphones
JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION
Want to share your opinion or get advice from other enthusiasts? Then head into the Message
Forums where thousands of other enthusiasts are communicating on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP
Trending
applause awards
Each time StereoNET reviews a product, it is considered for an Applause Award. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both.
Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.
The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.
We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award, it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.