Sony WH-1000XM5 review
Sony’s new WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones are the company’s most advanced to date — but also the most expensive at $400. For that money, you get a fresh design, upgraded sound, better active noise cancellation than ever, and improved voice call quality. But they're very similar to the 1000XM4s, giving Sony fans little reason to upgrade.
Transcript
00:00- [Chris] Sony has a new set
00:01of flagship noise-canceling headphones.
00:03These are the WH-1000XM5s.
00:06And I know, we've made fun
00:08of Sony's awful product names
00:10for years now.
00:11But I think when it comes
00:12to the 1000X series, people get it.
00:14These are among the very best
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined12
undefined:undefined13
undefined:undefined14
undefined:undefined15
undefined:undefined16
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedheadphones are essential
00:32for peace and quiet, whether
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined24
undefined:undefined25
undefined:undefined26
undefined:undefined27
undefined:undefined28
undefined:undefined29
undefined:undefined30
undefined:undefined31
undefined:undefined32
undefined:undefined33
undefined:undefined34
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedthey got some inspiration.
01:14This new style definitely looks cleaner,
01:16with fewer obvious seams and such,
01:18but I'm not convinced
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined51
undefined:undefined52
undefined:undefined53
undefined:undefined54
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedcomfort over a lavish design.
01:48Both ear cups still pivot
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined59
undefined:undefined60
undefined:undefined61
undefined:undefined62
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedlay flat in their case.
02:05And as a result, that case is large.
02:08Whereas I had no issue
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined68
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedCancelling Headphones 700,
02:25which can't fold up either,
02:27is smaller and makes better use of space.
02:30People travel with noise-canceling
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined80
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedtighter, more detailed,
03:11and cleanup the sometimes
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined101
undefined:undefined102
undefined:undefined103
undefined:undefined104
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinednew record, for example,
03:30the M5s just sound more
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined108
undefined:undefined109
undefined:undefined110
undefined:undefined111
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedSony's keeping them around.
03:45Take your pick.
03:45If you want cleaner and tighter sound,
03:47go for the M5s.
03:48If you need that boom factor
03:50and the powerful excitement,
03:52maybe the M4s are more your style.
03:54As for noise cancellation,
03:55these actually have the same Qin one chip
03:57that was in the M4s,
03:58only now there are two of them.
04:00And so Sony says the
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined129
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedyou're in a coffee shop,
04:13but it's an improvement over
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined135
undefined:undefined136
undefined:undefined137
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedand that all happens
04:29in the background
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined142
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedmicrophones in total,
04:45and four of them are used for voice.
04:47So when you combine that
04:48with supposed AI noise reduction
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined154
undefined:undefined155
undefined:undefined156
undefined:undefined157
undefined:undefined158
undefined:undefined159
undefined:undefined160
undefined:undefined161
undefined:undefined162
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedmeeting and talk to folks,
05:31this is how the M4s perform.
05:33And so now we've got the AirPods Max.
05:35Even more expensive than the M5s,
05:37these are Apple's flagship headphones.
05:39They've gotten good
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined183
undefined:undefined184
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedwhether Sony sounds better
06:00or if Bose has a leg up.
06:01Again, we're in a very quiet office,
06:03so I think all of these are
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined192
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedfeel and sound and look,
06:15but they don't have the best mic.
06:16So I'm sure they're not quite as good as
06:18the AirPods Max or the Sonys.
06:20But just another comparison for you
06:21to hear and see how they come out.
06:24The 1000XM5s still support LDAC,
06:26Sony's codec for
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined204
undefined:undefined205
undefined:undefined206
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedwith two devices at once,
06:46say your phone and your laptop.
06:48Unfortunately, Sony still
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined221
undefined:undefined222
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedwas hoping Sony might add
07:14this time around, but still hasn't.
07:16First, it's getting silly
07:17that these headphones
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined231
undefined:undefined232
undefined:undefined233
undefined:undefined234
undefined:undefined235
undefined:undefined236
undefined:undefined237
undefined:undefined238
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedup to their $400 price.
07:53The active noise cancellation is better
07:54than it's ever been.
07:55They sound way different,
07:56which might prove somewhat divisive.
07:59For anyone that already has the 1000XM4s,
08:01there is zero reason to run
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined252
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefined
undefined:undefinedwas thinking with this case.
08:20For those reasons, take a look at the M4s
08:22and maybe save yourself some money.
08:23I feel like Sony might
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined00:00:17,190 --> 00:00:18,430
undefined:undefined264
undefined:undefined265
undefined:undefined266
undefined:undefined267
undefined:undefined