SkippyMcSkips

Feb 16, 2024 02:52 PM By Logik

1

@RTings team, Im curious how you found the Sony XM5’s? My XM4’s have trouble connecting/disconnecting from devices and after 3.5 years I’ll need to replace them. I’ve read the XM5’s are simply not as good-but i’m not sure by what measure. What is your experience?

Hey Logik,

As you can imagine, wondering how the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Sony WH-1000XM5 compare is pretty common, and for good reason. The Sony WH-1000XM5 are solid headphones, and they will sound and operate a lot like your WH-1000XM4 headphones. However, it might be more of a lateral move than a significant upgrade, and we have a comparison you can check out.

Here are some things to consider: the XM5 have a shorter battery life by about 10 hours (depending on use), and their noise cancelling overall isn’t quite so effective compared to the XM4. Although they both have impressive isolation, the ANC is not as effective with low-pitched noise. If you take a lot of calls, the mic on the WH-1000XM5 is definitely an upgrade. It’s also probable that the XM5 will have more years left of product support such as firmware updates, simply because they’re a more recent release. They do fit and feel different compared to your XM4, which depends to an extent on how you feel about the fit and comfort of your current pair. That’s harder to assess and rather subjective, so outside of the quantifiable data, here are some experiential impressions written by some of my colleagues here at RTINGS. In that thread you’ll also find useful comparisons between the XM4 and XM5 in real-life use scenarios.

All that said, before you buy a new set of headphones, I’d suggest that you try selecting ‘forget’ to clear the Sony WH-1000XM4 from your saved devices in the Bluetooth settings, because that can sometimes fix connection troubles. You’ll subsequently have to connect to devices like it’s the first time. If that doesn’t work, try a factory reset.

So, besides your connection issues, what do you like about the WH-1000XM4, and what do you wish was different?

Cheers, Jasper

@RTings team, Im curious how you found the Sony XM5’s? My XM4’s have trouble connecting/disconnecting from devices and after 3.5 years I’ll need to replace them. I’ve read the XM5’s are simply not as good-but i’m not sure by what measure. What is your experience?