Sony WH-1000XM comparison - Follow-up
4Another quick comparison, this time a side-by-side comparison of the 1000XM2s and the 1000XM5s in a Dash 8 ... one of noisiest planes I've been on. The flight is from Port Macquarie (PQQ) to Sydney (SYD).
Obviously I can't really record the difference in noise cancellation but hopefully the video of the flight gives some indication of the noise level in the cabin. Although, listening back, it sounds like the GoPro has somewhat muted the background noise ... because who wants background noise normally!
At the end I give a short summary ... basically, I think I can definitely hear a difference:
[1] The XM5s have better noise cancellation than the XM2s when compared side-by-side,
[2] The playback volume doesn't need to be as loud on the XM5s compared to the XM2s,
[3] Finally, the XM5s have that neat feature of automatically pausing when you take them off.
So should you get them?
[a] If you have the XM2s and can't afford to upgrade to the XM5s ... no sweat, they still do an excellent job.
[b] If you don't have either but were on a budget ... perhaps consider the XM4s that are still available as they're cheaper than the XM5s and probably do a better job than the XM2s.
[c] If you wanted to upgrade and you're lucky enough to get daily allowances that will cover the cost because you eat cheaply ... go for the XM5s, refurb. the cushions on the XM2s and pass them on to someone who could use a good pair of noise cancelling headphones.
Hope this helps.