Sony WF1000-XM5 vs XM4 vs Airpods Pro - A New ANC King?
With the release of the WF1000 XM5 earbuds, the question you might have is what has Sony upgraded compared to the Xm4. And are they better than Apple's AirPods Pro? And how much better can they be, Particularly regarding sound quality, ANC. Because XM4 are still top 5 in my opinion. And also you’re probably wondering if the XM5s bring any brand new features to the table…that we haven’t seen before.
If those are questions that you have then you're in the right place.This XM5 vs XM4 vs AirPods Pro 2.
Design & Build
The case on the XM4 and the Airpods Pro case are both very pocketable. Both pass the cowboy pocket watch pocket test with flying colours. The XM5 case is quite similar to the XM4 with slightly rounded edges and I’m happy to see that Sony has brought back the pairing button. And 4.9 stars out of 5 on the pocket test…because you should always allow room for improvement.
All three cases support wireless charging, so there's no compromise. The Airpods' advantage is the built-in chime to find them if lost. You do also have that Apple AirTag find feature built in. And Sony does use Google fast pair, and you can use google maps to find their last known location that way. And the buds themselves can make a chime but not the case itself.
The size of the buds is clearly different. The Airpods have that classic shower head design and are compact. The XM4 are an unapologetically large set of buds compared to Airpods, and the size and weight are one of the more common complaints some reviewers had about these.
If that was one of your concerns then you’ll be happy to know that Sony XM5 earbuds are….25% smaller and 20% lighter than the XM4. And there is a difference in ear tip techniques also. Apple uses the traditional lightweight silicon tips, and the Sony has an arguably more advanced foam tip which assists with better passive noise cancelling thanks to its ability to create a better seal.
The new XM5… does use the same technique as the XM4. And there’s four sizes in the box. extra small, small, medium and large. And Sony Headphones app provides a feature to help you find the best fit for your specific ears…
All three of these earbuds have an official IPX4 rating, meaning the buds are water-resistant. This makes all three ideal for the gym but not for swimming.
Key Specs
Of course, there are some key differences in tech specs. Let's start with the battery life. The XM4 can run for up to 8 hrs with ANC on, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 is up to 6 hrs & the new WF1000-XM5s from Sony can run….up to 8 hrs with a combined 24Hrs with the case & 3 mins quick charge can give you up to an hour of music playback.
Bluetooth codecs affect battery life, bringing me nicely onto a significant difference between Sony's earbuds and the AirPods. Apple, of course, uses the AAC codec, which is very good and the Sonys also have., but Sony can go one better with their own LDAC codec, which allows for HiRes audio playback over Bluetooth.
Simply put, the connection between the phone and earbuds is three times faster, which equals better fidelity sound if using HiRes streaming services such as Deezer HiFi & Tidal. And, of course, Sony makes LDAC available on the new XM5s. It is more power hungry and the range isn’t as good as the more traditional codecs. So is the option to switch it off and use AAC or SBC for lower latency.
This brings me onto an upgrade that Sony have recently made. Multipoint pairing is supported on the XM5 out of the box and both devices can use LDAC.
Fit Comparison
Now let's talk about comfort and fit. And let's start with the XM4. Even though they are larger and slightly heavier than the AirPods, they sit firmly in my ears.
If you use the foam tips similarly to those you might use on a gun range. That's where you compress them before you put them in your ear. They will sit very securely. Maybe this is where the inspiration for the gold bullet casing came from…or maybe not.
And Sony does have a 'find my fit' feature in the app to make sure you are using the right ones. The AirPods instantly feel lighter and less noticeable when worn over longer durations. The stem design helps them hook in and distribute the weight. And the silicon tip is less forceful than the foam.
The XM5 is now smaller and lighter are so much more comfortable now. And you’ll notice this the most when using them for longer periods of time. The foam tips when fitted correctly secure the XM5s in place even more securely than before. Again the find my fit feature is invaluable not just for stability in the ear but also for sound quality. And also the smooth sides create less friction which can assist in regards to comfort
Sound Quality
Let's talk about the most important factor: the sound quality. There's no surprise here, but the new XM5 is the best sounding out of the 3. Compared to the XM4, which sounds fantastic and is still in my top 5 earbuds. Sony has improved the ..... the audio is just a little cleaner and this could be due to redesign of the driver.
The XM5 has Sonys new dynamic driver X.
The AirPods Pro 2 and the XM4 are very close in sound quality. The AirPods have an excellent, balanced sound and surprisingly good bass, but the XM4 edges them out in bass and noticeably in sound quality when listening to HiRes audio. When both are running on the AAC codec, it's much closer.
But one things Airpods have that the XM4s don't is head tracking spatial audio. And this where another new feature on the XM5’s comes in the do have head tracking. And built in DAC which assists with the 24 bit signal processing.
Active Noise Cancelling
Now let's talk about active noise cancellation & ambient passthrough. If you're an iPhone user with an Apple Watch, you can benefit from the watch and AirPods working together to detect noise levels and adjust on the fly. That's a feature hard to beat.
But both Sonys have their unique ability to use the Sony headphones app. Your phone will learn from your usage patterns, geolocations, and activities to adjust the ANC levels on the earbuds dynamically… Sony's app is a really advanced bit of software… The most advanced earbuds app that I've ever tested.
I've had to put these through several tests to determine which earbuds block out the most noise, and it's close, but…the XM5’s do seem to have the most comfortable ANC capabilities
The XM5 has improved by 20%. Thanks to the addition of an additional mic on each side. Sony has also doubled the noise cancelling processing by adding another processor.
Ambient Aware
If you're wondering about ambient passthrough. The goal is to allow the outside sounds through as if you're not wearing earbuds at all. Quite often, the downfall of ambient modes is too much white noise, a kind of hissing sound.
The Airpods have an excellent ambient mode, one of the best out there in my opinion. The XM4 also offers solid performance in ambient mode but sits just behind the AirPods Pro 2. And the new Sony WF1000-XM5
If you’d like to hear the Mic comparison watch the video above or click here
So if you're wondering about mic quality. This is an area that some say Sony needed to improve and right. Now you're listening to the XM4 mic quality. And the bud style without the stem has an slight disadvantage here.
Because when you have a stem on the earbud, the mic can be a bit closer to your mouth, but more importantly, the beamforming mics are angled more precisely in the right direction.
And now with the Sony XM5 Sony have made a concerted effort to improve voice pick up with bone conduction tech and improved positioning. So let me know in the comments how the XM5 mics sound compared to the other two. And also, let me know in the comments if you prefer the stem or the bud-style earbuds.
My Opinion
So there's a lot to consider between these three earbuds. If you're locked into the Apple ecosystem, you may benefit from AirPods's convenience in switching between Apple devices quickly and working in tandem with the Apple Watch for ANC and the Apple Find my feature.
But if you feel kind of trapped in Apple's walled garden and you're looking for an alternative and a worthy adversary. The XM4 is still a great option, but it's the XM5 you should keep an eye on.
because Sony WF1000-XM5 offers better sound with its ability to playback actual 24bit 192KHz Hi-Res audio. With the Sony's, you also get complete control of the EQs and the ability to fully customise the controls. Not to mention the intelligent noise cancelling features and the speak-to-chat, where the music can be turned down automatically when you begin to speak.
You could sum up the WF1000-XM5 as being built for the music. ( That is Sony’s tagline for the XM5 after all )
There's a lot to consider. So hopefully, this useful & has provided you with what you needed to know to help you make the right purchase decision. If it has, please give this a little thumbs up and subscribe. That will help more people find this video, and maybe it'll help them to.