Geschreven door I have been using noise cancelling headphones for years. Due to a mechanical defect in the old ones, it was time for a new one. I chose to buy the Sony WH-1000XM5 and compared to the previous models I have had, it is a huge update. Especially when it comes to the noise cancelling.
Ordering online is pretty fast, but right before the weekend we drove to Joure for relaxation, shopping, coffee and coke on a terrace and all I had to do was reserve the headphones by phone at the local Expert store to pick them up there. So, we took our elderly Jack Russel Terrier Stitch along and had a nice stroll through Joure.
On the way back home I connected the headphones to a USB port to charge it. Arrived at home the battery was charged at 100% and the only thing I had to do is to connect the headphones to my iPhone via Bluetooth. The only thing that disappointed me was what came next: app installation and a huge list of actions you have to perform to register and get everything set up. With the icing on the cake also followed a 50-minute (!) firmware update, which, by the way, didn’t stop itself from playing a bunch of music on Spotify.
It will take some fine-tuning in the coming weeks. That is encouraged in the app by Sony with the achievement of a host of medals. It’s not an Olympic-level headset for nothing.
By the way, very nice is the packaging of the headphones: made entirely of cardboard. I think all brands should do that. The included storage box protects the headphones well and can be hung on a loop. Internally there is a compartment with a flap that is magnetically attached. You will find in that pocket the USB-C charging cable and fixed headphone cable, for when you want to work with wires.
The noise cancellation has different levels that you can set with a button. For example, you can let the sound of your surroundings mix with what you’re listening to. That way you can consciously keep walking or driving around your environment without putting yourself or others at risk. But sitting in the middle of a busy environment or where there is a lot of noise pressure, you can use the maximum attenuation for the necessary quietness. Also very good in the app is measuring the sound pressure of the headphones themselves. After all, you get the tendency to turn it all on just a little too loud and you can get hearing damage from that. The headphones have built-in internal microphones and a processor that measures that. In the app, you can see a report of your sound pressure.
By the way, do not confuse the WH-1000XM5 with the WF-1000XM5, which are small earbuds that are probably also very good, but I personally prefer headphones instead of two wads in my ears. This is purely personal, I have never had good experiences with in-ear headphones.