Sony WH-1000XM5 vs WH-1000XM4 🔥 Hear the Difference!
Some of you may be thinking of getting the Sony WH-1000XM5, or if you already have the WH-1000XM4, you might be thinking of upgrading to the Mark 5s, but some people have said that for the price, it’s not that much of an upgrade and it’s better value to just go for the XM4 cause the XM5 have a very similar set of features like Hi-Res audio support with LDAC streaming, up to 30 hours of playtime, uses the same noise cancelling processors, tap and swipe controls, speak to chat, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling, and so on.
Features
By and large, it doesn’t have any new features, but it does have several very important upgrades over the XM4, like an increase in the number of microphones from six to eight for improved noise cancelling and passthrough, an upgraded beamforming algorithm for improved call quality, and a redesigned form factor that responds directly to the complaints people had about the XM4s, that the XM4’s earcups are too cramped, so Sony made them more spacious. Other complaints were about the XM4’s creaking noises when walking or running, so the XM5 have fewer moving joints to eliminate that noise. And this also made the headband more durable while being as stretchy as the XM4.
Much of the flak that the XM5 are getting actually has to do with its redesigned form factor. It’s definitely not as compact as the XM4, so if you’re going travelling with these, the case is going to take up extra space in your luggage. They also look bulkier when wearing them, and don't fold flat against your collar, so if you’re hanging them around your neck, the cushions point upwards so they feel a little more restrictive than XM4. But if these aren’t deal breakers at all and you do wanna know how they compare against the XM4 in terms of fit, comfort and performance, keep reading as we will be touching on all of these elements.
Comfort
I will say that the new WH-1000XM5 are definitely more comfortable than the WH-1000XM4, partly because of the earcups’ cushions. The headband also feels more comfortable against my head, but it’s not because there is more cushioning since it actually doesn’t have as much padding as the XM4. Rather, it’s because the new headband flexes in a wider arc, so more cushion is making contact against your head. And this is while applying the same clamping pressure as the previous model. The XM5 also extends longer so they will fit bigger heads, though I would have preferred that it still clicks when I adjust it. I’ve also noticed that they’re using a thicker type of pleather, so now it also feels more durable than the previous model’s cushions.
Sound Quality
Do the WH-1000XM5 actually sound better than the XM4s? My first assumption was that there’s going to be a sacrifice to the bass performance due to the smaller 30mm drivers compared to the XM4’s 40mm, On the contrary, the new model actually have more bass. I did a frequency sweep to confirm that it seems like the XM5s have a significant gain in the upper bass frequencies over the XM4s. For most types of music, you’re not going to pick up much of a difference, but for certain beats with longer bass decay, the XM5 will display a louder, more sustained bass extension.
Sony WH-1000XM5 (Blue), Sony WH-1000XM4 (Red)
The single most noticeable difference that anyone can hear is that the XM5 are warmer and more laid back in the midrange unlike the XM4 which has more brightness and sizzle, so vocals sound like it’s got more bite. The XM4 also seem to have less body in the vocals than the XM5. So depending on how you like your vocals, you might have preference over either headphones. Apart from that, they sound quite similar in terms of track separation, detail retrieval and soundstaging. It may be possible to get the XM5 to sound more like the XM4 by tuning it with the Sony Headphones Connect App’s graphic EQ.
My custom EQ settings for the Sony WH-1000XM5
Microphone Quality
The XM5s are a significant upgrade over the XM4s. Not only in terms of reproducing the sound of my voice, but also in terms of background noise and wind noise rejection. It’s pretty amazing how silent the background is, even with everything that’s going on. So based on my experience with other noise cancelling headphones, I dare say that the XM5s may be right now the best in terms of microphone pickup. LIsten for yourself in this video here.
ANC Quality
The XM5 seems to be a huge improvement over the XM4. There was a lot more silence, especially in the midrange where it’s notoriously difficult to cancel (I talked about why in this video). While the XM4s employed white noise masking to deal with that which is why you could hear some hiss in the background, the XM5s were actively cancelling more of the midrange voices. This is actually something I felt when I was using these outside in noisy situations, it really was dealing with human chatter very, very well. So if you were wondering if the ANC’s been upgraded here, well, these are quite a big upgrade over the XM4s. In terms of passthrough transparency, I’ve also found the XM5 feel far more transparent. It feels more like I wasn’t wearing any headphones at all compared to transparency on the XM4. Check out the actual test in this video.
Audio Lag
Next, let us test the Bluetooth audio lag when playing games or watching videos on an iPhone SE and the Samsung Galaxy S22+. It seems like the WH-1000XM5 has a little more lag on the iPhone and a little less on Android. But the difference is actually small enough that you won’t be able to tell the difference without slowing down the video. For watching videos on YouTube, lip syncing is very tight, since apps like YouTube or Netflix usually have their own latency correction built into their code. Check out the audio lag test video here.
Conclusion
The Sony WH-1000XM5s can be a mixed bag and some people won’t like the direction Sony’s taking with its design like the new size and side profile. Sony clearly made some bold decisions in an attempt to refresh the look-and-feel of these headphones, bringing them more in line with other popular models, while addressing the concerns that customers had about the previous model. You get bigger earcups but fatter size, you get reduced creaking but not-foldable. And you get a bigger case as a bonus. It’s a new design that’s not going to appeal to everybody especially in Sony’s core fanbase. But it is a tightrope that very few companies dare to tread when dealing with a popular flagship.
Still, there are a lot of improvements to enjoy. Its ANC, its transparency, and its microphone pickup is a full generation ahead of the WH-1000XM4. In fact it’s looking to me like these have right now the most effective noise cancelling in the market. In terms of sound quality, I’m not sure I agree with other reviewers that these sound better. It sounds different, but I wouldn’t exactly call it an upgrade cause although I do like what they did with the XM5’s bass, I miss the sizzle of the XM4 midrange reproduction. If you’d like to find out the latest pricing and deals for both headphones, check them out in the Amazon links below.
Sony WH-1000XM5 - https://amzn.to/3yIrnqr
Sony WH-1000XM4 - https://amzn.to/3a4Vk5E
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