If you’re anything like me, you pretty much live with your earphones in or headphones on. This isn’t because I’m always listening to music or podcasts — sometimes I just need to dull the noise of the world. Whether you’re looking to do exactly the same or you want to listen to David Kushner’s Elk Grove in the highest possible resolution for the millionth time (no judgement here), there’s no better pair of wireless in-ear buds than Sony’s all-new WF-1000XM5.
Sporting a sleeker, slimmer design than the XM4, the new buds are available in black or silver and come with ear tips in four different sizes. Capable of up to 12 hours’ usage on a single charge — or 8 hours if noise cancellation is turned on — and with two additional full charges on the case, these will get you through a long workday or a long-haul international flight.
They deliver what the brand claims is “the best noise-cancelling performance on the market”. The buds also support multipoint connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3, SBC, AAC, and high-resolution LDAC codec compatibility, as well as Sony’s DSEE Extreme algorithm which, it says, can up-scale lower-quality audio. In simple terms, these buds have industry-leading noise cancellation and support just about every kind of audio file you could need, in a package that’s 25% smaller and 20% lighter than those of their predecessors. Even better is the fact that both the buds and the case are made almost entirely from recycled plastic.
R8 499
sony.com/za
The Goods
The (modern) art of technology
There’s no better pair of wireless in-ear buds than Sony’s all-new WF-1000XM5 to dull the noise of the world
Image: Supplied
If you’re anything like me, you pretty much live with your earphones in or headphones on. This isn’t because I’m always listening to music or podcasts — sometimes I just need to dull the noise of the world. Whether you’re looking to do exactly the same or you want to listen to David Kushner’s Elk Grove in the highest possible resolution for the millionth time (no judgement here), there’s no better pair of wireless in-ear buds than Sony’s all-new WF-1000XM5.
Sporting a sleeker, slimmer design than the XM4, the new buds are available in black or silver and come with ear tips in four different sizes. Capable of up to 12 hours’ usage on a single charge — or 8 hours if noise cancellation is turned on — and with two additional full charges on the case, these will get you through a long workday or a long-haul international flight.
They deliver what the brand claims is “the best noise-cancelling performance on the market”. The buds also support multipoint connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3, SBC, AAC, and high-resolution LDAC codec compatibility, as well as Sony’s DSEE Extreme algorithm which, it says, can up-scale lower-quality audio. In simple terms, these buds have industry-leading noise cancellation and support just about every kind of audio file you could need, in a package that’s 25% smaller and 20% lighter than those of their predecessors. Even better is the fact that both the buds and the case are made almost entirely from recycled plastic.
R8 499
sony.com/za
You might also like...
Review | Sony LinkBuds S
Beoplay EX is the brand’s most versatile true wireless buds to date
Make it memorable
• From the September edition of Wanted, 2023.