Sony’s Truly Wireless earbuds have gotten a new addition with the WF-C700N. The new truly wireless earbuds come in new, hip colours and bring some of the best that Sony has to offer at an affordable price point. Coming in shades of Sage Green, Lavender, Black and White, it comes with the perfect fit for your style.
The new WF-C700N adopts a design guided by the extensive ear shape data collected since the first in-ear headphones were introduced in 1982. This paired with the data on ear sensitivity for various types, Sony has created an earbud with a comfortable, stable fit no matter the ear size. It’s also so seamless that people may miss it while you’re zoning out to your favourite tunes.
Speaking of zoning out, the WF-C700N comes with noise cancellation and ambient sound. Two signature features in any pair of modern headphones or earbuds. The C700N comes with noise-cancelling technology that can be adjusted in the Sony | Headphone Connect app. If you don’t want to block out the world, Ambient Sound mode will allow you to keep it in the background of your tunes. The mics that power these modes also give the C700N its remarkable Focus on Voice mode and call performance. These modes hone in on voices allowing you to keep up with conversation better even with them in your ears. The Wind Noise Reduction Structure of the C700N also delivers clear voice in windy situations.
The WF-C700N packs a punch with Sony’s 5mm driver unit. The drivers produce rich, full sound despite its miniature stature. From deep bass to chirpy highs, you’ll be able to hear the full gamut of your music with the in-ear headphones. The Headphones Connect app will also allow you to customize your music to fit your preferences with its EQ. This is further expanded with Adaptive Sound Control which dynamically adjusts ambient sound depending on what and where you are. Need to multitask? No problem, the earbuds have Multipoint connectivity allowing you to connect with up to two devices over Bluetooth at the same time.
The C700N comes with up to 15 hours of battery life; 7.5 hours on the earbuds themselves with a single full charge in the cylindrical case. You’ll also be able to wear it even when you’re sweating or caught in a drizzle with its IPX4 water and dust resistance rating.
A New Shade of WH-1000XM5
Together with the new WF-C700N, Sony also announced a new shade of their critically acclaimed WH-1000XM5. The new Midnight Blue colour brings puts class and elegance front and centre. The subtle blue of the finish gives a sense of alluring mystery perfect for the WH-1000XM5
Pricing & Availability
The WF-C700N is already making its way to Sony stores near you starting on April 4, 2023. It will be retailing for MYR549.
The new Midnight Blue shade for the WH-1000XM5 will also be available at the same time. It will retail at MYR1,799.
When Sony announced and released the WH-1000XM4, or the fourth generation of their most premium noise-cancelling headphones, we were excited about it. It featured the same design as before, nothing wrong with the folding design, it is perfect for travelling. It is a more comfortable headphone to work with. Thanks to the improved processor, noise cancellation is better than ever, and sound quality improved. We liked the WH-1000XM4.
Then there is their fifth-generation premium noise cancelling headphones. The architecture of the headphone has changed alongside new materials. There is a new driver, which is lighter and smaller than before. There are now two processors within the headset, one more than before. All this should make Sony WH-1000XM5 the best noise cancelling headphones money can buy today.
Is it though? Is it worth MYR 1,799? Should you buy the older one instead? We find out.
Design
The new WH-1000X flagship headphone looks different from before. There is no more folding the headphone to fit a more pocketable case or shape. The adjustable headband is now smooth and quiet. It is slimmer now than before, which is good. They also made it longer to relief some clamping pressure.
The ear cups are also larger than before. They say there are eight mics on the headphone, four on each ear cup. We could identify six of them by a quick visual inspection. We suspect the other mics are inside the ear cups.
The WH-1000XM5 feels like a much larger headphone compared to its predecessor. The larger ear cups wrap your ears and seals them better. Strangely, it is lighter than before.
The carrying case is also larger now. Inspired by Japanese origami, it can be folded flat for storage. It is oddly shaped, like a flattened bell. We think that the older headphone package is easier to pack since it takes up less space in your bag compared to the new one.
Because there is more space in the case, packing the cables and airplane adapter is rather simple. You can simply put everything in the magnetically sealed compartment within the case.
The Most Comfortable WH-1000X Headphone Ever
There is a benefit to its size. Since it weighs no more than the older headphone, and with less clamping force, you can wear it for longer periods of time. They say that they used more composite materials to make it even lighter than before.
The cushions on the ear cups are a little thicker than before, but somehow airier too. The larger ear cups also mean better passive noise cancelling. Of course, you might want to think about using it indoors where there is active cooling.
Hardware
While the overall size of the headphones is larger, the drivers are smaller than before. The driver in each cup is now 30mm, 10mm smaller than before. It is made with carbon fiber composite to ensure they still offer powerful bass.
Bluetooth 5.2 Active Noise Cancelling DSEE Extreme Beamforming Mic Adaptive Sound 360 Reality Audio 360 Spatial Sound Dolby Atmos Multipoint Connection Speak-to-chat
Features
Sony spares no expense at equipping their flagship noise cancelling headphones with even more features this time. These features can prove useful in a lot of situations too.
Two Devices, One Headphone
There is a caveat, as per warned by the Sony Headphones app when turn on multipoint Bluetooth connection. Choosing to connect your headphone to two devices at once voids LDAC support, but you can still prioritize sound quality. You also might not be able to tell the difference unless you concentrate hard
Speak-to-Chat
On the WH-1000XM5, activation delay is much better than before. You get a little ping to tell you that it has detected your voice and cut the music. The headphone goes into ambient mode almost immediately when you start a conversation. Once it activates, it will stay on for 15 seconds by default.
Via the app as well you can change how sensitive the algorithm works according to how it works for you. You can extend it to 30 seconds, indefinitely, or reduce it to 5 seconds. We find that 15 seconds and normal sensitivity on the function is good enough for our use case in most cases.
Touch Control and Quick Control
Like before, the right side is where all the touch sensitive controls are. Your music controls start with a double tap to pause or play music, then swiping left (forward) or right (backward) to go back and forth between your favourite songs. To control volumes, you swipe up and down. A double finger tap-and-hold switches the Speak-to-Chat function on or off. A single button tap-and-hold brings you to voice assistant of your choice via the Headphones App. Every input comes with a ping so you know the headphone registers them. There is an additional Noise Cancelling Ambient button that can also be programmed to respond to double or triple taps that you can set up yourself via the app.
To quickly get into Ambient Noise mode temporarily without speaking, you simply place your palm over the right ear cup for a quick conversation. If not, just take off your headphone to pause the music. Once you put it back on, your music starts again.
Sony Headphone App
We always maintained that the Sony Headphone App is one of the best control apps for wireless headphones. The interface is still familiar to any users of Sony Headphones. For the WH-1000XM5, there is now a “Services” tab that allows the headphone to connect to a variety of apps and add certain functionality for the app. For now, that service is limited to quickly launch Spotify.
The app is also how you update your headphone. Once the headphone gets connected and app launches, the firmware gets updated. You can also choose not to update your headphone immediately.
Geotagging
Through your smartphone, the headphone detects your location and sets its Noise Cancelling/Ambient Noise levels to your preference, turns speak-to-chat on or off, and even changes its equalizer to your liking in different geotagged areas. Via the app you can add locations and set up your headphone however you like in all your saved locations.
Fast Pair but No NFC – Wait What? Why?
We love that new Bluetooth devices now come with Fast Pair and Quick Connect. We only need to turn the headphone on and our Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra picks it up immediately and prompts the pairing sequence. Everything was done within a few seconds, and we can use it immediately after. To tailor our experience, we took a few extra minutes fiddling through the Headphones app. No NFC to be found on the headphone though, bummer.
You Might Want to Keep it Dry
The WH-1000XM5 does not come with any IP rating or any assurance from Sony that it is water resistant. In that case, you might want to refrain from getting it too wet in any situations. We think that the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphone is mostly made to be used in the likes of airports and malls or even at home.
Performance
While improvements are made everywhere else, the most important part of a headphone is how it sounds.
Picking up the Phone
The WH-1000XM5 offers crisp and clean voice in calls. At the same time, because there are more mics than ever now and thanks to Sony’s clever voice pick up technology, we are reported to sound better than ever in calls.
Sound Quality
As expected from Sony, the maker of some of the best audio gears in the industry, the WH-1000XM5 is still one of the best sounding headphones in its class. The bass response is deep on the WH-1000XM5. The low-frequencies pack a lot of details and punch, but it also feels like the mid-range and high-end frequencies are slightly muddled compared to its predecessor. You still get clean high-end frequencies and detailed mid-range tones, albeit a little on the warm side.
Thing is, we still prefer the audio reproduction on the WH-1000XM4 over this pair. The WH-1000XM4 somehow sounds a little more balanced and just a tad cleaner. Again, this is something you’d only pick up if you pay enough attention.
Noise Cancelling with Two Processors
Instead of just using one QN1 processor to handle both audio and noise cancelling work, the new headphone features two processors. You get the QN1, and you also get a V1 integrated processor from the WF-1000XM4 earbuds.
The WH-1000XM5 has something they call Auto NC optimizer that is supposed to adapt the noise cancelling algorithm to suite your environments better. They also say that the new algorithm and added microphones are supposed to cancel mid and high-frequency sounds better than ever.
With eight mics for working together with the processors, you get arguably the best noise cancelling experience from a Sony headphone. The WH-1000XM5 seems to filter noise a little better than before all-around. Even in a crowded café, putting on the headphone is like transporting yourself into a different place. You still hear some noise, but it is a lot less. Even the coffee machine is less intrusive.
Ambient Noise mode
One of the biggest improvements on the WH-1000XM5, we think, is its ambient noise mode. We find that extremely useful even on the previous headphones when someone is trying to get your attention to have a quick conversation with you. It responds much faster and accurately now.
You can turn it on by pressing the NC mode button also on the right earcup or cover it with your palm. That button can also turn of your Noise Cancelling/Ambient Noise functions completely. If you turned your Speak-to-Chat function on, it turns on the moment it detects your voice.
Ambient noise mode on the WH-1000XM5 does not sound natural. But it is closer than ever, we think. Having conversations with the headphone on feels more natural than before and voices are picked up a little better, if you prioritize voice.
Out and about, having the ambient noise mode on is important to at ensure spatial awareness. We recommend having ambient noise mode on in the public for your own safety. Of course, in the airports or train stations, you want to be able to hear announcements with ambient noise mode.
DSEE Extreme
DSEE Extreme is simply audio upscaling technology that upscales regular audio from the likes of Spotify. It turns your regular Spotify quality to CD quality by filling details due to compressions.
The result, if you pay attention, is quite a significant boost in details in your music. There are plenty of added details in music you listen to, very comparable to what you are get from CDs if you can remember. You get a better result if you are working with Spotify, though Tidal and Deezer offers better audio experiences.
360 Reality Audio
The only way to really experience 360 Reality Audio without spending a fortune on a Sony Bravia XR TV is to get a subscription to Tidal. We do not own a Bravia XR TV. In that case, we have to put a disclaimer here that our 360 Reality Audio experience will not be representative to what you get from a Sony Bravia XR TV.
On Tidal, 360 Reality Audio works only on songs that are produced specifically with 360 Reality Audio in mind. You want to keep in mind that 360 Reality Audio is not Spatial Audio. It is a music-first proprietary technology that supports up to 64 audio channels aimed to put you in the middle of a concert hall or recording studio.
Listening to audio with 360 Reality Audio changes your music listening experience. Most of the time, you really feel like you are listening to music being recorded right in the middle of the studio with instruments and singers all around you. We recommend you listening to Alicia Keys’ “3 Hour Drive” featuring Sampha and compare it to the regular “Master” version.
Battery Life Champ
To be fair, there is nothing to shout about here. It still features the same battery life as before at 30 hours of music playback time despite working with two processors. If you want to use it for calls, it can for up to 24 hours, and you are not going to be on the phone for 24 hours at a time.
We have never used it beyond 20 hours without charging the headphones, so we will not be able to fully confirm its 30 hours battery life. But it does about 20 to 24 hours with little to no issue, and we take Sony’s word for it. We used the headphone mainly for music and connected to a single source, our smartphone with about 70% volume and Noise Cancelling all at all times.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 – Something is Missing
The WH-1000XM5 looks like a completely different product compared to its predecessors. We assure you that it is not though. It is still very much a Sony product; it feels like a quality product built to last. Instead of poorer build quality, the weight savings are obtained through new material sciences and innovative technologies.
There are a few things we feel that makes the WH-1000XM5 a small step back compared to the Sony-WH-1000XM4. The audio quality took a slight hit due to the smaller drivers. The WH-1000XM5 cannot be folded to be as compact as before, which is rather annoying since the package is rather bulky. It is also MYR 200 more than the previous headphones at MYR 1,799.
There are still a lot of positives on the WH-1000XM5. The headphone is more comfortable than before with a near perfect clamping force, allowing extended use cases. The lightweight construction also means that there is less strain to your neck too. The noise cancelling is better, and voice is picked up better, especially when you need to make calls. Functions like Speak-to-Chat also respond more accurately than before, which makes it a lot more intuitive.
It is hard to justify a purchase decision for this one. In terms of noise-cancelling capabilities, this is the best you can get your hands on currently, only marginally. With ANC, its predecessor sounds slightly more balanced too, albeit with a slightly less punchy bass. If sound quality is your focus, there are better sounding headphones too.
We think that the MYR 1,799 price tag is steep for the entire package. You are paying for some new interesting innovations on the headphone though. In our opinions, the slightly better sounding WH-1000XM4 is now a bargain. Sony’s headphones go on sale all the time too, so you can get your hands on Sony’s headphones for less than its retail price tag.
Is it worth replacing your WH-1000XM4 with this one? We do not think so. Although it is an upgrade everywhere, you also take minor hits in key areas. The trade-off is not enough to justify an upgrade from the already stellar WH-1000XM4. If you come from even older platforms, it is worth the upgrade.
Sony’s WH-1000X series is known to be one of the world’s best, if not the best headphones with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) features today. When they launched the WH-1000XM4, basically the fourth-generation high-end ANC headphones money can buy, it was regarded to be the best there ever was, leaving the likes of Bose in the dust. The question that remained from the fourth-generation product was “how is Sony going to make it even better”?
They answered with the WH-1000XM5, the fifth generation of what is possible in the world of noise cancelling headphones.
Two Noise Cancelling Audio Processing Chips
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
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Source: Sony
Rather than just sticking to one processor for the headphones this time, they fitted two chips into the device. You get the proven QN1 processor you find yourself familiar with from the third and fourth generation WH-1000X over-ear headphones. They introduced the more powerful V1 processor in the WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds, and it made its way here into the fifth-generation wireless over-ear headphones.
The inclusion of two chips rather than one means that the processing power of the headphones just doubled. That should translate to better and cleaner noise cancellation to tune the entire world out of your ears. Sony also claims that the WH-1000XM5’s noise cancellation algorithm can now handle mid-high frequencies to better seal noise away from your ears. There is also a new Auto NC Optimiser that optimises noise cancelling to different environments.
Smaller But More Powerful Drivers
Source: Sony
Sony’s clever engineers have found ways to cut back on material and weight with a smaller 30mm drivers. While it might sound that the engineers have cut back on power too, the Carbon Fibre constructed engine does not seem to agree with the logic. Because it is also a smaller driver, high frequencies tend to be a little richer, helping music sound more natural.
Of course, there is LDAC compatibility and DSEE Extreme algorithm that allows you to listen to high-Resolution Audio with the least possible loss in fidelity and quality. DSEE Extreme also allows you to listen to music and audio from streaming platforms at near CD quality. There is also Sony’s clever 360 Reality Audio algorithm that allows you to enjoy music as they are intended in the studio with Tidal.
Better Call Quality
Instead of the four mics that the fourth generation WH-1000X had, the WH-1000XM5 has eight, four on each side. While most of the mics are made for better noise cancelling, four of them are beamforming mics that you can also find on the WF-1000XM4 for improve voice pickup. At the same time, AI noise reduction helps transmit your voice clearly to the other end of the line.
New Age Design
Source: Sony
While the WH-1000XM5 retains the touch controls that has been associated with the WH-1000X series, there is a sort of new design that comes with the new pair of headphones. It is larger than before, and not as flexible (cannot be folded) oddly enough. Even the case that comes with it is much larger than before. Weirdly, the larger design does not add any weight to it though, in fact it is just slightly lighter than the older heapdhones.
There are more soft materials that are also supposed to be more durable than before. The Vegan Leather materials form soft fitting surfaces so that wearing the headphones for extended periods is a comfortable experience. The new design is also supposed to alleviate some clamping pressure while remaining secure on the head. At the same time, a stepless slider means that you can infinitely adjust the size of the headphones to really fit your head.
Everything else that was great about the WH-1000XM4 is still retained here though. You still get Adaptive Sound Control that is cleverer than ever before with Sony Headphones App. The new WH-1000XM5 now also tells you if you are listening to your music at too high levels with a new pressure sensor within the cups. If you are out and about, when you want to order your coffee or talk to your friends, Speak-to-chat function is still retained.
Still Impressive Battery Life
Source: Sony
When we tested the WH-1000XM4, we never found ourselves worrying about its battery life. It had 30 hours of battery life in a single charge, that was why. This continues with the WH-1000XM5.
To be fair, the quoted battery life has not changed. It is impressive still because instead of a single processor, this has two to power now. It is not like they fitted larger batteries as well since there are no added weight on this pair of headphones. They managed to put fast-charging technology to this pair of headphones though. A quick three-minute charge gives you three hours-worth of listening time.
Price and Availability
The WH-1000XM5 will be available in two colour options, like its predecessors. It is now available for pre-order at Sony’s authorised stores and retailers. You can even pre-order it from their website if you want and have it delivered to your doorstep as soon as it is available. It retails for MYR 1,799, which is a little more expensive than its predecessor. But the improvements made on this pair of headphones might be worth the premium. Still, you might want to wait for our review before deciding on one. More information on the Sony WH-1000XM5 can be found on their website.
