Sony WH-1000XM5 Nerfed by Firmware 2.4.1? 🤔
I’m a bit late with this one, but today, we’re going to find out if the XM5’s latest firmware 2.4.1 screwed anything up apart from being just a security related update. Some people said it did, and since the WH-1000XM6 is coming soon, we’ve got theories floating about that Sony might do something funny to get people to upgrade to XM6, perhape nerfing any part of its performance with updates? That’s why we’re going to see if its noise canceling, mic pickup and sound quality is affected in any way by Firmware 2.4.1.
Microphone Quality
The XM5’s mic pickup on the new 2.4.1 firmware is about as great as it was on 2.3.1. I can’t hear any changes in terms of clarity of voice, how it filters and cancels the background noise leaving the voice intact. Still is one of the best headphones for phone calls. As usual, I tested its mic pickup in quiet and noisy conditions using really loud cafe background noise.
👉 Have a listen to the microphone samples
Active Noice Cancelling
In terms of active noise canceling, it seems to be similar to when I tested it on 2.3.1, but maybe a little stronger if you observe the decibel meter.
👉Have a listen to the ANC samples
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality, frequency sweeps between both firmwares show some variance as to the tuning of the mids and highs especially in the 1-2 kHz region. In theory, the new firmware should sound a bit brighter, but when actually listening to, and comparing the samples, both firmwares sounded just about the same, and it’s really hard to tell the difference. So I can only conclude that the variance we’re seeing is just some inconsistencies in the way the earcups were coupled to the microphone rig.
Verdict
So no, there is no sign yet that Sony nerfed XM5’s performance so that more people will be keen to upgrade to the XM6. In my opinion, they should not want to do that, because perhaps some people might not want the XM6, and they’re just waiting for the XM5 to go on a big discount, just like how it is with the XM4 which till this day, is a favorite Sony among fans.
