Sony’s completely wireless earphones “WF-1000XM5”. The biggest feature is that not only the sound quality but also the noise canceling function has been improved compared to the previous generation “WF-1000XM4” which was a big hit. The actual selling price is around 37,000 yen.In addition to the black shown in the photo, platinum silver is available as a color.
Sony’s flagship model of completely wireless earphones, the WF-1000XM5, was released in September. In addition to the improved sound quality, the previous generation “WF-1000XM4” is also attracting attention for its improved noise canceling performance, which was highly praised.
Sound quality can be checked using listening devices installed at electronics retail stores, but it is difficult to properly check the effectiveness of the noise canceling function at a store. Therefore, this time I thoroughly checked the effectiveness of the WF-1000XM5 in everyday situations using the WF-1000XM5 that I actually purchased. If you are interested in the noise canceling function of the WF-1000XM5, please use this as a reference.
In addition, as I did, there are many people who own the previous model WF-1000XM4 and are wondering whether to replace it with the WF-1000XM5, so this time I am comparing it with the WF-1000XM4.
Smaller size and improved sound quality
First, let’s take a quick look at the major changes compared to the previous generation WF-1000XM4.
The biggest feature of the WF-1000XM5 is that it is smaller and lighter. Compared to the WF-1000XM4, the size of the main body (one ear) is approximately 25% smaller and the weight is approximately 19% lighter. Although the WF-1000XM4 received high praise overall, many people cited the fact that the earphones themselves were a little large and heavy as a drawback. This point is an improvement that reflects user feedback, and is one of the main reasons why I purchased the WF-1000XM5.
When it comes to miniaturization and weight reduction, one is concerned about battery life, but when the noise canceling function is enabled, continuous music playback is possible for 8 hours, and when the noise canceling function is disabled, it is possible to play music for 12 hours. There are no changes from the WF-1000XM4, including the ability to play music continuously.
Both the main body and the charging case of the WF-1000XM5 are smaller and lighter.One ear (left) of the WF-1000XM5 body weighs approximately 5.9g, and one ear (right) of the WF-1000XM4 body weighs approximately 5.9g. The WF-1000XM5 charging case (left) and the WF-1000XM4 charging case (right) are approximately 7.3g, approximately 25% smaller in size, and approximately 19% lighter in weight.The charging case is also quite compact and can fully charge the earphones twice, allowing you to use just the earphones and case for up to 36 hours.
The sound quality has improved so much that anyone can clearly hear it. The resolution has increased, and vocals and instrument sounds are now more realistically reproduced. Good balance between low, mid and high frequencies.
However, evaluations of sound quality vary greatly depending on the genre of music you listen to and your personal preferences. Regarding this point, I recommend checking out a viewing device at a home electronics store to see if it suits your tastes.
It’s important to use the right size eartips
In order to maximize the effectiveness of the noise canceling function and sound quality, it is important not only to fit the earphones correctly in your ears, but also to choose earpieces that fit your ears. Before testing the noise canceling performance, I started by looking for the optimal size earpiece.
In addition to the M size earpiece that is attached to the main unit when shipped, the WF-1000XM5 comes with three sizes of earpieces: “XS”, “S”, and “L”.
The WF-1000XM5 comes with four sizes of earpieces: “XS”, “S”, “M (installed at the time of shipment)”, and “L”. You may be wondering which one fits you best, but you can use the “Determine the best earpiece” function in Sony’s headphone/earphone app “Headphone Connect” to find out the optimal size. First, use this feature to check which size fits you.
Headphone Connect is available in iOS and Android versions, and can be used with smartphones, tablets, and Sony’s Android-powered Walkman.
Testing the noise canceling function at home
The noise canceling function of the WF-1000XM4 was top-level performance compared to wireless earphones from all manufacturers, so to be honest, I was skeptical even if I was told that the noise canceling function of the WF-1000XM5 was enhanced. Ta. However, when I actually tried it, the difference was clearly noticeable.
This time, I tested the noise canceling performance of the WF-1000XM5 in everyday living spaces such as at home, on the train, and around town. For music playback, I used a Sony Walkman “A307” connected to LDAC. The way you hear surrounding sounds when using noise canceling changes between quiet songs such as jazz ballads with a small number of notes and rock songs with a large number of notes, so the noise canceling effect during music playback was verified in both cases.
Music playback is performed using Sony’s Walkman “A307” connected to LDAC. The volume is “60 (maximum 100)” at home.In other places, it was set to “70 (maximum 100)”
The results of comparing noise canceling functions in the house are summarized in the table below.
Check the noise canceling function indoors WF-1000XM5
No music WF-1000XM5
With music (quiet jazz ballad) *1WF-1000XM5
With music (rock) *2WF-1000XM4
No music WF-1000XM4
With music (quiet jazz ballad) *1WF-1000XM4
With music (rock) *2 Sound of air conditioner with strong wind
(43dB to 49dB) Faintly audible Not audible at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all The sound of a vacuum cleaner cleaning in the background
(60dB – 62dB) I hear a high-pitched hissing sound. I hear a faint sound. I hear a barely audible vacuum cleaner. I hear a high-pitched hissing sound. I hear a faint sound. The sound of the TV with the volume set to 30.
(48dB to 56dB) Narration can be heard faintly Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it at all Can’t hear it clearly Can’t hear it faintly Can’t hear it Almost can’t hear it Can you talk normally to family members?
(36dB to 56dB) Faintly audible Not audible at all Can’t be heard at all Decent audible Faint audible Almost inaudible
*Noise values are reference values simply measured using a smartphone app (noise meter) *1 Come Away With Me by Norah Jones *2 Rocks Off by The Rolling Stones
First, to see if the sound of the air conditioner (43 dB to 49 dB) disappeared, I tried it with the air conditioner set to “strong” and just below the air conditioner. With the WF-1000XM5, even when music is not playing, you can barely hear the air conditioner, and you can hardly hear it.
On the other hand, with the WF-1000XM4, the sound itself is much quieter, but you can clearly hear the air conditioner. Obviously, the WF-1000XM5 has better noise canceling performance. However, when music is playing, the air conditioner sound is completely audible on the WF-1000XM4, just like the WF-1000XM5.
Next, I tried to see if the sound of the vacuum cleaner cleaning in the background (60dB to 62dB) would disappear. The WF-1000XM5 can be heard only faintly when listening to quiet jazz ballads, and becomes almost inaudible when listening to rock music. On the other hand, with the WF-1000XM4, even when listening to rock music, you can hear the faint sound of a vacuum cleaner in the background, and the high-pitched sounds are especially bothersome.
There are times when I want to turn off the sound of my family’s TV and concentrate on my work. I also tried standing about 1.5m away from the TV to see if the TV sound would disappear. The TV was made by Toshiba, and the volume was set to “30,” which was a little high. With the WF-1000XM5, the voice of the narration can only be heard faintly, and when playing music, even quiet songs become almost inaudible.
On the other hand, with the WF-1000XM4, when listening to loud songs such as rock, you can hardly hear it, but when listening to quiet songs, you can hear the TV sound to the extent that it gets in the way. In this test, we found that the noise canceling function of the WF-1000XM5 was clearly superior.
If you want to completely shut out noise in your home, the WF-1000XM5 is the perfect choice. You can listen to music without being disturbed by various sounds around the house. However, the noise canceling function is so powerful that you won’t notice at all if someone is talking to you while playing music. You need to be careful on that point.
Testing the noise canceling function on a train
Many people use completely wireless earphones for commuting to work or school, so I tested the noise canceling function even on the train. The test was conducted on a Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line train during the afternoon. The verification results are summarized in the table below.
Check the noise canceling function on the train
Inside the subway Hibiya Line (66dB to 79dB) WF-1000XM5
No music WF-1000XM5
With music (quiet jazz ballad *1) WF-1000XM5
With music (rock*2) WF-1000XM4
No music WF-1000XM4
With music (quiet jazz ballad *1) WF-1000XM4
With music (lock*2) Driving noise seems to have been reduced by half, but it’s still audible.It’s only a little audible.It doesn’t bother me at all.It’s reasonably loud.It’s at a level that gets in the way of the music.It’s a little bothersome when driving speed increases.Listen to in-car announcements. I can hear it at an audible level. I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it clearly. I can hear it at an audible level. I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it.
*Noise values are reference values simply measured using a smartphone app (noise meter) *1 Come Away With Me by Norah Jones *2 Rocks Off by The Rolling Stones
Just by wearing the WF-1000XM5 in your ears, the noisy train noise is reduced by half. When I’m listening to quiet music, I can hear some running noise, but when I’m listening to rock music or other intense music, the running noise becomes less noticeable. The in-car announcements are barely audible when I’m listening to quiet music, and I can’t hear them when I’m listening to rock music. The noise canceling function of the WF-1000XM5 is quite effective even on the train, as you can’t hear the voice of the person having a conversation in front of you while listening to music. It’s at such a level that you need to be careful if you want to listen to the in-car announcements.
On the other hand, the noise canceling performance of WF-1000XM4 is clearly inferior to that of WF-1000XM5. If you are listening to a quiet song, the sound of the train running will always get in the way, and if you are listening to a rock music or other intense song with a lot of sounds, the sound of the train will become louder as the train speeds up. I can hear the sound at an annoying level. I can’t hear the voice of the person having a conversation in front of me when I’m listening to music, but I can hear announcements in the car even when I’m listening to rock music.
Verifying the noise canceling function in the city
Next, we tested whether the sound of cars, people walking, and talking could be erased in the city. The test was conducted at the busiest location along Chuo-dori in Akihabara, Tokyo, between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. The verification results are summarized in the table below.
Check the noise canceling function in the city
Akihabara Chuo-dori (64dB-74dB) WF-1000XM5
No music WF-1000XM5
With music (quiet jazz ballad *1) WF-1000XM5
With music (rock*2) WF-1000XM4
No music WF-1000XM4
With music (quiet jazz ballad *1) WF-1000XM4
With music (rock*2) I can’t almost hear the sound of people walking I can’t hear I can hear a lot of hearing people walking I can hear it faint I can’t hear it I can’t hear the voice of someone 1 meter away I can’t hear it I can’t hear it I can’t hear it I can’t hear it I can’t hear it I can’t hear it I can hear it faintly I can hear it, I can’t hear it, I can’t hear it, I can’t hear it, I can’t hear it, I can’t hear it, I can’t hear it, I can’t hear it, I can’t hear it, I can’t hear it
*Noise values are reference values simply measured using a smartphone app (noise meter) *1 Come Away With Me by Norah Jones *2 Rocks Off by The Rolling Stones
In the city, I was once again surprised by the noise canceling performance of the WF-1000XM5. As soon as you put it on, you can no longer hear the sounds around you. When I play music, I can’t hear the surrounding sounds even if it’s a quiet song. As I was leaning against the guardrail and inspecting it, a car was driving right behind me at a fairly fast speed, but I couldn’t even hear it. It feels a little dangerous.
As for the WF-1000XM4, the noise of the crowd does not go away just by installing it. I can hear the sounds of people passing by and cars at a clearly recognizable level. However, when playing music, even if it’s a quiet song, the sound of cars running becomes almost inaudible, and the sounds of people passing by and people talking become barely perceptible. In the case of intense songs such as rock, the surrounding sounds become almost unnoticeable. It can be said that the WF-1000XM4 has sufficient noise canceling performance for use around town.
Testing the noise canceling function at a coffee shop
There are times when I can’t concentrate on work or reading because of the loud voices talking next to me in a cafe or other shop. Noise canceling earphones are also effective in such cases. We also tested how much the voices of people around you are drowned out at a coffee shop.
The test was conducted at a cafe in a certain chain store in Akihabara. I was able to take a seat in the perfect place for the investigation, between a couple talking about love, a middle-aged man soliciting a dubious insurance policy, and a middle-aged man listening. I tried to see if it would go away. The results are shown in the table below.
Check the noise canceling function at a coffee shop
Akihabara coffee shop (57dB to 64dB) WF-1000XM5
No music WF-1000XM5
With music (quiet jazz ballad *1) WF-1000XM5
With music (rock*2) WF-1000XM4
No music WF-1000XM4
With music (quiet jazz ballad *1) WF-1000XM4
With music (rock *2) The voice of a woman speaking at a table about 60 cm away is almost inaudible. I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it. I can hear it at an audible level. It’s a faint sound. It’s almost inaudible. The voice of a man talking at a table about 60 cm away is almost inaudible. I can’t hear it. I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.I can’t hear it.
*Noise values are reference values simply measured using a smartphone app (noise meter) *1 Come Away With Me by Norah Jones *2 Rocks Off by The Rolling Stones
With the WF-1000XM5, you can hardly hear both women’s and men’s voices just by wearing it in your ears. If you play music, even if it’s a quiet song, you won’t be able to hear the voice. The man next to me was urging me to buy insurance in a loud, enthusiastic voice, but his voice became completely inaudible. Just by wearing them in your ears, you can almost no longer hear the music playing inside the store. The WF-1000XM5 seems to be quite useful as earplugs when you want to shut out noise at a cafe etc.
On the other hand, in the case of the WF-1000XM4, the speaking voice does not disappear just by wearing it in the ear. Even when playing music, if the song is quiet, you can hear the voice a little. In this respect as well, it was confirmed that the noise canceling performance of the WF-1000XM4 was considerably inferior to that of the WF-1000XM5.
The noise canceling feature alone is worth replacing.
From the above verification, we were able to confirm that the noise canceling performance of the WF-1000XM5 is significantly improved compared to the previous generation WF-1000XM4. Its performance is such that you won’t even notice a car passing behind you, so it’s safe to say that it’s at a level that you shouldn’t expect more from in your daily life. If noise canceling performance is important to you, this alone is enough to make it worth upgrading from the WF-1000XM4 to the WF-1000XM5.
The WF-1000XM5 is more powerful in many aspects than the WF-1000XM4, including smaller size, improved sound quality, and significantly improved noise canceling performance. I myself had a hard time deciding to replace the WF-1000XM4 because it is quite expensive, but in the end I am very satisfied.
The drawback is that they are a little expensive at around 37,000 yen, but if you want completely wireless earphones with excellent noise canceling performance and high sound quality, please take a look.
2023-10-22 21:25:00
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