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I genuinely love Sony products. I’ve always lusted after their TVs, I’m a Sony shooter (both still and video) through and through, and I dearly love their endearingly bonkers approach to the smartphone market.
I’ve also credited Sony with making my overall favourite noise-cancelling headphones of all time – the WH-1000XM4 (and no, one thing I don’t like about Sony is their product naming conventions).
Sometimes, though, Sony just gets it biblically wrong.
Enter the WH-1000XM5 (to which I shall refer as the ‘XM5’ from here on). These cans should have been amazing but they unfortunately let this Sony fanboy down on far too many levels – and they’ve just been trounced, surprisingly, by an unlikely competitor.
Here are five ways the Beats Studio Pro beat the Sony XM5s, hands-down (with one notable caveat).
1. Safe evolution
The Beats Studio Pro look practically identical to the headphones they replace. That’s right – after nearly six years of waiting, we have another pair of Beats Studio headphones which look like a pair of Beats Studio headphones.
That is absolutely fine, in my book – to be commended, in fact.
I’m a fan of safe evolution in tech, particularly within the headphones space. Anything beyond that usually results in something that is over-engineered or simply worse than the thing it replaces.
The XM5s are a classic example of this. They don’t sound as good as the XM4s (subjectively) and their design – although a little more contemporary – results in a much, much bigger problem for Sony’s flagship noise-cancellers.
2. The case (it REALLY matters)
Some people are with me on this one while others think I’m a blithering idiot.
I’ll repeat my stance one more time (possibly): when it comes to noise-cancelling headphones, the case is one of the most important elements.
There is a caveat here. If you never take your headphones out of your house or office, then the case is utterly irrelevant. Obviously. But if you do venture outside with your cans, it needs to not be an absolute pain in the arse.
The XM5 case is exactly that. It’s roughly the size of my house and includes an unfathomable ‘collapsible’ feature intended to make the headphones easy to live with. The problem is that you can only collapse the case when the headphones aren’t in it, and the collapsing makes no difference to the dimensions of said case. Even Sony’s own marketing material depicts people helplessly wedging their XM5 case into bags that will contain no space for anything else after that.
The Beats Studio Pro case is an unexpected masterpiece. Resembling a tiny wash bag, it slots effortlessly into any rucksack and is a joy to use. Simple. Convenient. Useful. I cannot stop thinking about it.
Beats has managed this impressive feat because the Studio Pro fold correctly. In fact, they do actually collapse, which is where Sony should have focused its own space-saving efforts when designing the XM5s.
3. The absence of touch controls
Touch controls on headphones and earbuds tread a very fine line between convenience and utter frustration.
I’ve tested far too many over-ear headphones that get this horribly wrong. Their touch controls are fiddly to use and far too easily operated by mistake while placing the cans on your head or adjusting their fit.
This is why I love physical buttons on tech. Unless you’re as good as Apple at creating haptic-based touch controls, please don’t bother.
Ironically, Beats is owned by Apple but has eschewed touch controls on the Studio Pro for proper hardware buttons. They’re tactile, easily accessible, and you never, ever press them by mistake. The Sony XM5 do have a couple of buttons, but you’re expected to interact with playback controls via the huge touch-sensitive ear pads, and it still feels like it’s solving a problem that never existed.
4. True high-end audio
Sony has always been at the forefront of high-end wireless audio. Thanks to LDAC, its consumer headphones have long been on the receiving end of three times more data than conventional Bluetooth audio.
But you can actually plug the Beats Studio Pro in and enjoy true high-definition music.
That’s right, the USB-C port on Beats’ latest headphones isn’t just for charging – it’s capable of delivering lossless audio via the built-in digital-to-analog converter.
Now, granted, neither of these headphones are likely to be bought by audiophiles for analytical listening. But the fact that Beats has seen it fit to really make use of that USB-C port beyond juicing these things up is a lovely thing and a genuine point of differentiation for their marketing team. I don’t understand why so many headphone manufacturers skip this step.
5. Daily driver perfection
When you combine the case with the comfort, broad listening capabilities (yes, I did just say that about a pair of Beats headphones), and full integration with iOS and Android’s most useful ecosystem features, the Beats Studio Pro are the best daily drivers on the market.
During my comparison between the Beats Studio Pro and Bose QC45, I noted that for a pair of daily driver headphones to be truly great, they don’t have to excel at anything – they just need to get everything right.
I’m not looking for perfection with my daily driver headphones (although the fact the Beats’ case comes close is a happy coincidence). I just want them to do a job every single day without pissing me off. That’s perfection, in my eyes, and Beats has really shown Sony how to do this.
Did I ever think I’d say that?
Nope.
Wrap-up: Sony’s saving grace
The opinions expressed in this comparison will not be popular. They might make you irreversibly angry (trust me – I’ve been on the receiving end of the wrath of Sony Headphone People many a time). But I couldn’t care less.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about headphone reviews over the last three years, it’s that every single point of differentiation is subjective. We all need to respect one another’s opinions. None of us are right or wrong; everything I’ve noted above is purely my opinion.
I have, however, tried a lot of headphones, and I can’t help but think that Sony really should have done better with the XM5s. I want them to. Really. As noted earlier, I deeply love that brand. The one saving grace here is that the XM5s have the best noise cancelling I’ve heard. If that’s a top priority for you – get them. For me, it’s not enough, for the reasons mentioned above.
As for the Beats Studio Pro, they are an unexpected masterpiece and I’m falling in love with them a little more every day.
The headphone game is, finally, getting very interesting indeed.
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4 Comments
Totally agree. I’m a WF/WH/whatever fan but I simply can’t help but think Sony missed a lot of opportunities with the XM5 model. The sound is great and very adjustable and noise cancellation is top-tier. But…the case is crap, pure and simple. As a guy that spends a lot of time on the road and away from home, it’s simply too big to include in my limited luggage. I watched your review on the Studio Pro and bought them last weekend and I’m very impressed. The sound, albeit less adjustable, is pure clarity and can be personalised well in the Spotify app. The case is the big seller for me and is, as you say, much like a small wash bag which is simple to drop into my work bag. These are now my headphones of choice especially as the Apple Store offer a 10% discount to veterans. Keep up the good work Mark.
This review was terrible, nothing about sound or which one that picks up small audio in the music. This is more like review for a travelling magazine.
Dude you suck ar giving fair review. Why not just ADD (subjective) to every statement you write.
I got a $100 discount on XM5 and they are amazing! I also have Beats products and their noise cancellation microphone are like you! Neither good nor bad.
Whelp I have never had a pair of bluetooth headphones and lusted after the all the reviews of great sound quality and noise canceling with the XM5’s…. I finally was able to get a pair and I hate to say it as I too have been a fan of Sony products. They are absolutely horrid… They show every bit of facial oil so badly it’s embarrassing. The flop around like a cheap pair of winter gloves. Even worse the volume level is so low I can’t even use them when I cut the grass. The whole intended purpose. When you cough, talk etc. the music stops for about 15 seconds… annoying to say thr least. I by chance happened to pickup a pair of used and abused beats studio 2 headphones. I have never used a pair of beats before. Compared to the XM5 these are awesome! You can actually crank the volume and they have bass galore! They don’t stop the music when you cough or talk. Best of all they don’t look like their dripping in facial oil. The best part they knock the *hit out of the XM5’s and they only cost me $12 bucks a day new $24 set of ear pads. I am now hooked on Beats headphones and even love the look compared to the Sony. DONT BUY THE XM5’S!!!