Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Bose QC45 - The Real ANC KING?
If you have owned the older Bose QC35 before, the QC45 is definitely a substantial upgrade because it’s got longer battery life - up to 24 hours instead of 20 - uses USB-C charging instead of micro-USB. It’s also got that same familiar design, the same fit, button layout. It also uses the same Bose Music app that lets you customise its sound quality with a simple graphic EQ or some presets. And after the last firmware update its ANC performance is now supposedly better than even the Bose NC 700.
Some are even saying that it might be better than the Sony WH-1000XM5. So it definitely deserves a comparison to the Sony XM5 headphones.
Call Quality
The Bose QC45 isn’t bad at all in terms of microphone pickup. But when compared to the Sony WH-1000XM5, my voice wasn’t amplified as loudly, and it did seem to pick up the room echo too, which was kinda weird. And when the noise kicked in, yes it did suppress much of that noise but it also lowered the volume of my voice even further. With the Sony WH-1000XM5, you can barely notice the noise at all, and it did do a much better job at rejecting wind noise, with no impact on the volume of my voice at all. So in terms of call quality, I have to say that I do prefer the Sony WH-1000XM5. Listen for yourself here.
ANC Quality
It appears that the Bose QC45 is a little quieter than the Sony WH-1000XM5. It seems to cancel a bit more low frequency rumble, as well as dealing with mid-range noises a little better, so you’re not going to hear as much background chatter. It is quite a noticeable difference but not a huge difference. Listen to the comparison here.
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality, I’ve noticed that the Bose QC45s did have more emphasis in the upper mids compared to the Sony WH-1000XM5, such that vocals appear brighter. For some people who prefer a bit more warmth in the mids and highs, these are going to sound a little shrill, but to me it’s not really a deal breaker, as they do sound smooth. Also the Bose seem to have less muddiness, which could be due to its lack of mid-range fullness compared to Sony WH-1000XM5. But details, as a result, do appear sharper in the soundstage. For example, I can hear that vocals sound more focused and distinct, while vocals on the WH-1000XM5 sound a bit more diffused. If that’s the kind of sound you’re into, then you’re going to prefer the Bose QC45.
Where the Sony WH-1000XM5 have the advantage is that it’s got more gravity, more heaviness in the mids and upper bass, so the WH-1000MX5 sounds fuller and thicker. That’s the kind of sound I prefer because I feel a bit more emotion and presence in the music. Bass also sounds a bit better on the WH-1000XM5, as it punches harder and louder, and obviously that’s going to sit very well with bass lovers.
Why I Prefer The Bose QC45
So which one of these should you buy then? Well, the biggest advantage the QC45s have over the Sony WH-1000XM5 is that its ANC cancels more noise. It also folds in smaller and it fits into a smaller case. If you’re travelling, this means that you don’t have to set aside more space for something like the WH-1000XM5 case.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 do seem to fit bigger head sizes, its headband extends a little further, but the QC45 do have deeper earcups, so if you have big ears, you don’t feel the back of the ear cups as much. It also has a slimmer profile than the Sony WH-1000XM5, so it looks more discrete, doesn’t stick out as much when I’m wearing them. And while you’re not going to get any lip syncing delay when watching videos with both models on your phones - because phone apps like YouTube or Netflix have their own latency correction built into the code - if you’re looking for some headphones to play mobile games with, the Bose QC45 has lower Bluetooth latency on iOS. On Android, they have the same amount of lag as the Sony WH-1000XM5 but this means that if you’re an iPhone user, you’re going to get a smoother gaming experience with the Bose. You can listen to the latency test here.
Why I Picked the Sony WH-1000XM5
While there are good reasons to pick the QC45 over the Sony WH-1000XM5, there are a few issues with it.
For example, though it is possible to toggle between noise cancelling and ambient sound mode with the QC45, there is no way to turn off noise cancelling, not even in the Bose Music app. The reason why you may wanna turn it off is to save battery while still being connected over Bluetooth, and you simply don’t get that option with the QC45. You also don’t have the ability to adjust the degree of noise cancelling or ambient sound at all, so it’s either full noise cancelling, or full aware mode.
With the Sony WH-1000XM5, you get all of these options and more. Also, my review unit has more volume on the right earcup, so the stereo balance is skewed to the right. It could be a software thing, because when I listened over cable, vocals are centered nicely. It may be possible to fix this through a firmware update. However, as of now, even if the Bose’s noise cancelling is better, as long as this issue remains, it’s very hard for me to recommend the QC45s over the WH-1000XM5.
And there are more reasons to choose the Sony WH-1000XM5 over the QC45: its call quality is better, it has a longer battery life of up to 30 hours, it comes with Hi-Res support with streaming over LDAC, which is something that audiophiles always look out for, and a broader range of useful quality of life features such as Speak-to-Chat, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling, touch controls and so on. I also feel that the WH-1000XM5 are more comfortable to wear, its clamp is more gentle than the QC45, yet it still stays on my head very well. That is why I feel the Sonys are a stronger choice than the Bose QC45.
But some of you may feel differently so do let me know in the comments what you think!
For latest prices or to purchase these products, you can do so by clicking on the Amazon links below.
Sony WH-1000XM5 - https://amzn.to/3yIrnqr
Bose QuietComfort 45 - https://amzn.to/3HrytC9
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