Review of the WF-1000XM5 Earbuds in the UAE

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Sony is back with the latest release of Flagship Earbuds for the music lovers. Sony is a well-known brand when it comes to technology products and devices. Since the first launch of Sony’s headphones and earbuds, it has produced one of the best quality headphones, earbuds as per the latest standards of technology and quality. I have been reviewing most of the Sony earbuds launched in the UAE and so far it has never disappointed me so far.

In the recent launch event in Dubai on 4^th August 2023. Sony WF-1000XM5 launch event was organized at Krasota restaurant in Address Hotel Downtown Dubai. It was a unique immersive gastronomic adventure. During the event, the Sony Middle East team gave the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds

I have used the device for more than 3 weeks and use it daily for at least 1-2 hours and sometimes for 4 hours.

Let us look at the Sony WF-1000XM5 in detail in the below review

Design & Specification

Sony WF-1000XM5 case comes with a dimension of 64.6 mm x 40.0 mm x 26.5 mm and weighs around 39 grams. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds weigh 5.9 grams x 2 which includes earbud tips (M).

The case comes with a battery and can provide 8 hours on a single charge and 24 hours of playback with the charging case. As for the charging time for the case, it takes about 1.5 hours for the wired charging case with earbuds in it.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds come with an 8.4 mm dynamic driver unit which works from 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz (44.1 kHz sampling) and 20 Hz – 40,000 Hz (LDAC 96 kHz sampling 990 kbps) frequency response range. It has Accelerometer, Infrared sensor, Hall sensor and Touch sensor.

As for the connectivity, it works with Bluetooth 5.3 and has pop-up pair support and simultaneous Bluetooth connection with dual devices. The earbuds work with smartphones running EMUI10 or above. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are IPX4 rated, so it is splash resistant during normal use which means, the earbuds will not get damaged with sweat or some splash of water but cannot be used underwater or submerged in water. The earbuds support SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3 audio formats. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds come in the box which has the earbuds, charging case, three sizes of ear silicone ear tips, wireless charging case, USB-C charging cable, Quick start guide (including safety information) and Warranty card.

The Review

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds box is a white colour box made of recycled paper. The packaging case has embossed text “1000X Series” The whole case has a paper sleeve with 4 colour prints of the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbud image

Once you open the box, you will find the Sony WF-1000XM5 device which has the “SONY” logo printed on the top of the case. This is the only branding on the case.

Once you remove the earbuds case, there is a partition and below there is a sleeve box that contains the quick start-up guide, and warranty card. Below the sleeve, there are USB–C charging cables and 3 pairs of silicone Noise Isolation Earbuds Tips (sizes – L, S, and SS).

The Sony WF-1000XM5 which we received is the Sliver colour (which actually looks off-white) and there is Black colour also available in the market. The device came already with some charge, so you can connect the device as soon as you remove it from the box. Personally, I would suggest first to charge the device fully (wired or wireless) before you connect with your smartphone. The device can be connected instantly by bringing the earbuds near the smartphone which has an NFC switch on and a pop-up on the screen you will find the request for the earbuds to pair with your smartphone. If this doesn’t work, then you can download the Sony | Headphones Connect APP from the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you are planning to connect the Sony WF-1000XM5 to another device, you can do it by using the headphone App from your phone to pair it to another device.

Using with Sony | Headphones Connect App

As I am already using the Sony | Headphones Connect APP, for me it was a very simple procedure, Switch on the Bluetooth on the phone. Bring the Sony WF-1000XM5 case with earbuds in it near the phone for pairing. Connecting with NFC switched on the smartphone. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds once paired show up in the Sony | Headphones Connect APP too.

The Application works with all the SONY devices which includes the Sony headphones series and as Sony earbuds series. You are able to see the earbuds and charging case battery status, Adaptive Sound control and music which is playing on the earbuds. You can see the 2 devices to which you are connected with your earbuds or headphones.

Under the sound mode, you can choose from Noise Cancellation mode to Ambient sound and normal. Under the System, you can connect to 2 devices simultaneously ON/OFF. Use Google Voice assistant for Android devices. You can change the touch sensor functions too. You activate the Hand gesture movement too.

There is an Equalizer setting where you have suggested preset mode and you can manually create your own equalizer setting. There is a Beta version of “Find your equalizer”, here you have to follow the simple procedure. The App shows various button type numbers, you choose the preferred sound quality and create an equalizer setting. This is a good option for listeners who don’t understand the Equalizer bar adjustment.

For the 360 Reality Audio Setup, you can analyse your ear shape but taking a photo of your ear and following the instructions of the app. Under the service mode, you can activate 3^rd party apps like Spotify

Audio

Earbuds speaker unit

The earbud weighs 5.9 grams each. The design is rounded with no protruding elements from the earbuds. The top side of the earbuds are matt finish which has the touch sensor functions and the sides have a shiny piano finish.

The inside ear side of the earbuds has 2 magnetic pin which helps to charge the earbuds when kept in the charging case. It has an in-ear sensor by which the earbuds play the music or stop it. Each earbud houses three microphones. The earbuds originally come ready with M size of the soft silicone type ear tips. These ear tips are unique as they take the shape of the ear-hole for comfort and better noise cancellation. On a single fully charge you get 8 hours of music play. On continuous calls, you can get 6hours

Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are IPX4 rated

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are IPX4 rated, so it is splash resistant during normal use which means, the earbuds will not get damaged with sweat or some splash of water but cannot be used underwater or submerged in water. The earbuds are smaller and lighter compared to the Sony WF-1000XM4.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 comes with an 8.4 mm dynamic driver X. Diaphragm driver which works from 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz (44.1 kHz sampling) and 20 Hz – 40,000 Hz (LDAC 96 kHz sampling 990 kbps). The earbuds come with a total of 4 different sizes of ear tips to fit as per the user’s ear size. 3 Sizes come inside the box and one pair already is attached to the earbuds. These ear tips are different from the regular silicone ones. These take the form of ear holes and give a comfortable and help in noise cancellation of the earbuds.

The earbud’s diaphragm structure combines several different materials for the dome and the edge, achieving low distortion and a clear sound quality. This is possible with the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN2e and Integrated Processor V2, the WF-1000XM5 earbuds can do 24-bit audio processing and high-performance analogue amplification. Due to this, you get low distortion and crystal-clear audio reproduction.

The earbuds support Hi-Res Audio, this could be possible due to LDAC, which is Sony’s own adopted audio coding technology. LDAC can transmit approximately three times more data than conventional Bluetooth audio for exceptional High-Resolution Audio quality that is closer than ever to the studio recording. It is also Sony’s first earbuds to include head tracking – an excellent feature for movie buffs.

Audio Quality

The Sony WF-1000XM5 was tested for hours on different genres of music from Country, Jazz, Rock, R&B, Soul, Metal, Lounge, techno, House, Hindi Classical and Hindi Bollywood. The test was done with the Hi-res quality 24bit 96kHz and 320kps Mp3 music and also watched multiple movies.

As I am quite picky about music and devices as I am also an audiophile listener. I made sure I tested for hours while working on my articles as I am doing right now using the device while writing this review too. 

From small nooks, and trebles to the perfect rumbling sound of the bass, it sounded perfect and I could feel the different ranges of audio equipment used in the song that is from guitar to snares, string pulls, vocal breathing and distance chirping of birds in the lounge music. Even while watching movies, I could hear the long-distance boom and distance crackling of fire sound. Especially, when I put the earbuds into ANC mode, I was isolated from my surroundings at home and felt part of the movie scene there was a scene where an insect sound was in the distance and I could feel it hovering behind my ear.

For all testing, I used Google Hangout and the vocal was clear but the call receiver mentioned the voice came with a little echo-like hall effect. Voice Calls were clearer while using it in a noisy environment.

Sony WF-1000XM5 Charging Case

The Sony WF-1000XM5 charging case is made of recycled material. As for the styling, the edges of the case have become more rounded compared to the Sony WF-1000XM4. Actually, this makes the case more comfortable to carry in your pocket as there are no sharp edges.

The bottom side is flat, so you can keep the charging case upright on the table or anywhere. The case comes with a 330mAh building battery. The case is not IPX4-rated, so need to be careful around sand and water. Also, please do not keep wet earbuds inside the charging case.  It has a USB Type-C charging port which can fully charge the device with the earbuds in 1.5 hours and give you 24 hours of playtime in ANC mode OFF.

There is a small reset button beside the port, this comes in handy if you want to reset the earbuds. The charging Case supports NFC and pop-up connection. The inside of the case has magnetic pins which recharge the earbud when kept inside the case. On the front side of the case, there is a very small multi-coloured LED light which indicates the Status battery level of the case and earbuds.

Price and Availability

The Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds launch price was AED1299 and comes in Two colours available: – Black and Silver. It is available on Sony’s Website, e-commerce site and major retail outlets.

Conclusion

The Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds are recommended for everyone who loves music and would like to own a comfortable pair of earbuds with a great range of sound quality. With 8 to 24 hours of playtime on a single charge, it is perfect for travelling without worry about the drainage of the battery and ANC is amazing. The earbuds are IPX4 rated, so it is splash resistant during normal use which means, the earbuds will not get damaged with sweat or some splash of water. It supports Hi-Res audio and 24-bit audio with a special dedicated setting under the Sony | Headphones Connect APP for the earbuds. You can connect with 2 Devices simultaneously.

The sound quality or audio frequency is detailed and I can suggest this for Audiophile listeners for travelling wirelessly purposes. The earbuds are Bluetooth 5.3 which has a better range of sound compared to earlier Bluetooth versions.

(Please note: When I say for Audiophile listeners, this device is perfect for compact carry and listening wirelessly with ANC Mode ON.) Overall, the Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds are excellent and recommended for all music lovers, businessmen and gamers.

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