Finally we can use the earphones of Sony for calls.
And this is for us the most interesting news of the WF-1000XM5the new true wireless headphones from the Japanese giant.
But, of course, it’s not the only one.
In fact, the generational leap is really evident on all fronts, capable of bringing the top of the Japanese range closer to perfection. There’s still a few small smudges but nothing really worrying. On the other hand, we didn’t expect anything different since for the Sony WF-1000XM5 a cost of 320 €.
Yes to calls
Why start with calls?
It’s a legitimate question. After all, when we talk about earphones we tend to shift the performance of the microphones downwards, considered secondary to the design, audio quality, noise cancellation effectiveness, controls and even completeness of the app.
This time, however, let’s reverse the situation a bit and do it with full knowledge of the facts.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 have always stood out for all the aspects mentioned above – or almost – but they have always disappointed a little during the call. And this doesn’t just apply to them: the LinkBuds S, for example, also exposed their side when it came to phone calls and so did many other excellent true wireless headphones from Sony.
Now, however, the Tokyo company has run for cover, equipping the WF-1000XM5 with a system finally adapted to our expectations.
First of all we switched from 2 to 3 microphones for each headset, one positioned towards the outside and two towards the inside. Added to this a small anti-wind grille e a bone conduction sensor which perceives the vibrations of the mouth to help the software decide which frequencies to cut and which to keep. All of this it serves to eliminate external noises and instead make your voice clear and audible.
And it works.
Contrary to other products, in fact, we have never had to give up headphones in order to have a satisfactory conversation. Even in unfavorable conditions we were able to successfully complete our phone calls or any voice messages. Certain, if the noise increases, the voice becomes a little more metallic and artificial but nothing that prevents you from speaking and making yourself understood.
The quality of the calls is obviously not the element that should push you to choose the WF-1000XM5 but knowing that you can do them with complete peace of mind is an important evaluation factor for us.
But have I forgotten them?
Design has always been a sore point for Sony’s top-of-the-line earphones.
Not so much for the aesthetic aspect – which remains subjective – but for the size and weight.
This time, however, the Asian giant performed a miracle: the M5s are 25% more compact than the M4s and 20% lighter.
The difference is immediately visible, and it makes all the difference in the world.
We happened to stop a couple of times to check if the headphones were actually in place because you’ll forget you’re wearing them. A result to which the new form factor also contributes, designed for better fit the shape of the ear.
Let’s not forget then the polyurethane rubbers which are very close to those in foam. What does it mean? Which adapt much better to your ear without losing their insulating capacity.
Now you have 4 pairs available: the M, already positioned on the earphones, and then the SS (Super Small), the S and the L. Characterized among other things by different colors inside so you can distinguish and pair them easily .
The newcomers boast then a double finish so you can easily distinguish the central part, opaque and sensitive to the touch, from the lateral part, which is instead shiny and designed to be grabbed often and willingly, to insert or remove the earphones from the case or from your ears. Sure, it holds fingerprints a little, but nothing you can’t live with.
Instead, it is completely opaque he box, as well as being compact enough to fit in any pocket. On the lid we find the Sony logo while on the front there is the status LED which helps you understand the charge available or the possible activation of the Bluetooth pairing, activation which takes place with a long press of the small key positioned on the back of the case. Also on the back we finally have the USB-C connector for charging but, if you wish, you can also use wireless charging.
Sony WF-1000XM5 review: audio quality is a guarantee
Audio quality has always been one of Sony’s strong points, especially when we talk about top-of-the-range headphones.
Now, however, the Japanese company takes a further step forward thanks to the new 8.4mm driverbaptized Dynamic Driver X and composed of several circles made of equally different materials.
The result is impressive, again raising the bar for the competition.
There are lots of details and especially, you can play with the different presets or the 5-band equalizer to adapt them to your personal taste. Sony even goes one step further with the feature Find your equalizer, for now in beta but usable without any difficulty; in essence you can follow a guided process that asks you, from time to time, to indicate which sound satisfies you most in order to obtain a truly personalized profile.
There is also support for the LDAC, Sony’s proprietary codec, and features it’s DSEE Extreme, which you can enable to allow the headphones to compensate for any deficiencies due to wireless signal transmission. And yes, of course the 360 Reality Audio, which is now enriched by head tracking. We haven’t noticed big differences but Sony’s spatial audio always has its reason.
The ANC doesn’t disappoint either
There’s a reason why, even today, the WH-1000XM3 – Sony’s over-ear headphones launched in 2018 – are still our travel companions today: active noise cancellation.
Together with the sound quality, it is one of the strengths of the Japanese manufacturer and it is even in tiny headphones like the WF-1000XM5.
This year we even a chip dedicated to the purpose, the Noise Canceling HD QN2e, which works together with the Sony V2, the main processor, the 6 microphones and the software to suppress all those unwelcome noises that dot our days. And yes, now the work done is even more effective on the frequencies of the voiceso you don’t have to put up with the neighbor on the train who talks on the phone for hours but you can isolate yourself and enjoy the journey.
Also excellent ambient sound mode, the one that lets the surrounding sounds pass without amplifying them excessively. If you want, you can also adapt it to your needs by choosing one of the 20 available levels and activating the option that makes the voices pass better.
Finally back the adaptive sound control, which manages ANC and ambient sound independently. Basically there are 4 customizable profiles – Staying, Walking, Running and Transport – and the software chooses which one to activate based on what you are doing and where you are at that moment.
You are not obliged to use this feature which, basically, was created to avoid adjusting everything manually every time; however, it is not said that the software always understands and responds to your needs. Our suggestion is to try and figure out whether or not it’s right for you.
The controls
Forgoing Adaptive Sound Control you will have to turn ANC and Ambient Sound on and off manually. As? Either with the Sony Headphones app or i touch controls.
By default, the left earphone is associated with this function: with a touch you activate ANC, the Ambient Sound or deactivate everything. No double or triple taps are foreseen. On the other hand, after 4 touches you will go to lower the volume.
The right earphone, on the other hand, deals with playback: one touch to play or scare, two touches for the next song, three for the previous one, as well as four touches to turn up the volume and a long press to call up the voice assistant.
The controls are very responsive but there isn’t much customization: in fact, all you can do is switch the two headphones and choose whether you want to have all three options related to Ambient Sound Control or if you prefer to have only two.
In addition you can activate Quick Access then double- and triple-tap the left earbud to pair with something. “Something” however has two options for now: Spotify Tap or End. Basically you can either play a song from Spotify chosen for you or play a relaxing sound from Endel, provided you have these two apps installed.
Finally, we point out the presence of the sensor that detects when you remove the headphones to stop production and that of the Head gesturesto accept or reject a call without touching the earphones.
Sony WF-1000XM5 review: the other functions
The Sony WF-1000XM5 using the Bluetooth 5.3, with the app that allows you to decide whether to prioritize connection stability or sound quality.
Also from the Sony Headphones application you can enable it multipoint, allowing the earphones to connect to two devices simultaneously.
We also have the return of the Speak-to-chat which continues to be inexplicably translated with Voice Dictation text. Actually, contrary to what the name suggests, this option stops playback when you talk to someone; you can set the sensitivity and the delay (in seconds) between when the voice is heard and when the mode is deactivated.
L’app…