The Japanese manufacturer has just released the new generation of its popular 1000X series “over-ear” headphones, the WH1000-XM5, with novelties both in terms of design and technologies.

After the last 3 models, whose design could be considered an evolution of that of the first generation, Sony has revised the shapes of the new WH1000-XM5 in a more profound way, especially as regards the headband, which in the portion near the pavilions in the new model has now a circular section. In addition, the newly developed “Soft fit leather” material gives a leatherette effect and a luxury feel and aims to further improve comfort thanks to the greater softness and less pressure on the ears.

The WH1000-XM5 can rely on 2 processors which control 8 microphones to capture external noises and allow the user to listen to their music without being disturbed. The integrated Auto NC-Optimizer system allows the headphones to optimize noise cancellation levels based on the environment for an always pure listening experience. This is a very smart system that, when activated, can learn your behavior and recognize locations that you visit more often, such as your favorite restaurant or the gym. It can then adjust sounds to suit the surrounding environment.

The Sony WH1000-XM5 has also a new 30mm driver unit, specially designed for these headphones, equipped with a lightweight and rigid carbon fiber composite dome that according to the manufacturer should offer a better sensitivity at high frequencies. By switching to the battery mode, it will be possible to obtain up to 30 hours of listening with a single charge. Thanks to the fast recharge you will be able to get 3 hours of listening with just 3 minutes of recharging.

The Speak-to-Chat function allows you to stop playback and activate the external sounds mode if you start talking, thus allowing you to start a conversation without having to take off your headphones. Not only this, but these headphones also promise an overall better-calling experience, if compared to the previous models, thanks to the new Precise Voice Pickup technology that uses 4 beamforming microphones and AI algorithms to eliminate surrounding noises, and also thanks to the new design which should minimize wind noise.

The new Sony WH1000-XM5 is available in two colors, Black and Platinum Silver, with a price on Amazon UK of £379.00 at the time of writing.