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About the Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds
Should you buy the Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds?
Excellent, balanced sound
Works for both Apple and Android
The WF-1000XM5 come in biodegradable packaging and include three extra ear tips and a short charging cable.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 arrive in a biodegradable box. Inside is the charging case with the earbuds inside, the obligatory legal paperwork, three additional color-coded ear tip sizes (XS, S, and L), and a short USB-C to USB-A charging cable. There’s a USB port on the back of the charging case, which can also be charged wirelessly.
Noise canceling on the WF-1000XM5 is the best you can get, superbly filtering out ambient sounds.
Remarkably well, it turns out. At time this review was written, the WF-1000XM5 delivered the best overall noise canceling you can get. Activating the ANC while I sit writing these very words puts me in my own little sonic bubble, completely blocking out background noise including the air conditioner and taps from my wireless Apple keyboard.
On the XM5, Ben Shepard’s driving bassline on Soundgarden’s “Spoonman” pushes the momentum of the song forward without covering or overshadowing Chris Cornell’s vocals. The various percussion elements cut through and sparkle within the thick rock texture, and the instrumental spatial placement gives the sense of a nice and wide soundstage.
Unlike the AirPods Pro 2, there’s a 5-band EQ (with additional Clear Bass settings) in the Sony Headphones app that allows for some tinkering, if desired. I tweaked the sound to add a touch more high-end sparkle and put Clear Bass up a notch. There are eight preset EQ curves—with names like Excited, Mellow, Treble Boost, and Bass Boost—but to my ear, none of them improved on the default curve or what I accomplished with my own adjustments.
A Find Your Equalizer tool in the app guides you through a selection of different EQ options, slowly whittling them down as you choose your favorite from each grouping. It’s an interesting process, but it never landed on an option that I found to be distinctly better than where I started. Best to keep with the default or do your own tweaks if you’re so inclined.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 case is right around the same size as the AirPods Pro (left) and a good bit smaller than the Bose QCEII (right).
The WF-1000XM5 are thankfully about 25% smaller and, at 5.9 grams per earbud, 20% lighter than the XM4. They feel comfortable in the ear and during the testing process I regularly wore them for hours at a time without any fatigue.
The curved design is sleeker and more flattering than the XM4, which had the copper-colored external mic protrude from the body of the earbud. Overall, they are more compact than the AirPods Pro or Bose QCEII, as both of those earbuds have a stem design. The XM5 fit within the ear’s concha.
The XM5 charging case is smaller than the Bose case, and while a little wider, it’s squatter than the AirPods case. Its flat bottom also allows it to stand up instead of lay on its back.
The Sony Headphones Connect app that’s available both on iOS and Android devices, has a plethora of features available—which might edge on too many for some. Included is Adaptive Sound Control (which adjusts settings based on actions or locations), Ambient Sound Control with the option to suppress surrounding noises while allow voices to pass through, and the adjustable equalizer mentioned above.
Playback and quick action controls can be switched from left to right earbud and vice versa, but there’s no need to choose one over the other as all controls are accessible on the earbuds. There’s even an option to use head gestures to answer or reject incoming calls that works well.
Perhaps the most important feature is the earbuds OS compatibility. The Sony WF-1000XM5 work equally well, with full functionality, on both Apple and Android devices. The majority of my testing was done with an Apple iPhone 14 Pro, but experienced the same ease of use when I switched over to a Samsung Galaxy S21. It’s one of the major benefits Sony has over Apple.
The WF-1000XM5 are smaller and more comfortable than the XM4 earbuds, but getting a solid fit takes effort.
Sony changed the internal structure of the eartips, which allows them to be more flexible. They also introduced a new XS size to accommodate those with smaller ear canals. Both excellent news, as having a solid and secure fit is vital to experiencing the best ANC and sound the XM5 have to offer.
Getting the earbuds to consistently fit well took some effort, though. I find that a medium or large tip is what generally works best with my ear shape, and the medium worked well for my left ear. But for an easy fit, my right ear needed something between a medium and large.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 are the best overall true wireless earbuds around.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II threw down the gauntlet at the end of 2022, and we’ve had to wait a while to hear from Sony. But what a response it is. The WF-1000XM5 meet or exceed the competition in practically every category. Noise canceling is phenomenal, sound quality rivals the competition, and they can be used with any device.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 combine class-leading ANC with excellent performance.
Managing Editor, Tech
John is Reviewed’s Managing Editor of Tech. He is an ISF Level III-certified calibrator with bylines at ProjectorCentral, Wirecutter, IGN, Home Theater Review, T3, Sound & Vision, and Home Theater Magazine. When away from the Reviewed office, he is a sound editor for film and musician, and loves to play games with his son.
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Category: Technology
Source: USA Today Technology
