Sony WH-1000XM5 a noobs review
Title: My First Dive Into Silence — A Newbie’s Honest Review of the Sony WH-1000XM5
I’ll be real with you — I’ve never used noise-cancelling headphones before. I always thought they were just overhyped expensive gear for people who fly too often or want to flex on public transport. But after years of sticking to cheap wired earbuds and the occasional over-ear headphone, I decided to splurge. The Sony WH-1000XM5 kept coming up in reviews, and I figured: why not?
First Impressions: Light, Sleek, and... Unsettling?
Out of the box, they felt lighter than I expected. Minimalist. Clean. Almost clinical. I paired them with my phone and put them on. Then came the moment I turned on Active Noise Cancelling (ANC).
Suddenly, everything... disappeared.
No hum from the ceiling fan. No motorcycles in the distance. No birds. Not even the fridge buzz. Just… nothing.
And then the dizziness hit.
At first, I thought I was imagining it — a slight pressure in my ears, like when you're taking off in a plane. A subtle wobble in my balance. Then nausea, like I’d stepped into a vacuum-sealed void. It wasn’t painful, just disorienting. Like my ears were searching for input and getting none.
I almost boxed them up right then.
The Adjustment Curve: Brain vs Tech
But I gave it a few more tries. Short sessions at first — five minutes here, ten there. My brain slowly started to adjust. The pressure sensation stopped feeling threatening. My ears learned to trust the silence.
By the third day, something shifted.
I walked outside with them on. Normally, my neighborhood is a cocktail of barking dogs, engine roars, kids screaming, and birds fighting over garbage. With the XM5s on? I could barely hear anything but the faintest low-end murmur. My music floated cleanly in my ears, like I was in a personal sound bubble.
I didn’t realize how exhausting constant background noise was… until it vanished.
What I Loved:
- The Silence: Not total silence, but enough to feel like someone hit a mute button on reality.
- Comfort: Super light, no pinching. I wore them for 3 hours straight editing audio and forgot they were there.
- Transparency Mode: A tap and I could hear the world again — useful when ordering coffee or crossing a street.
- Sound Quality: Rich, balanced, not overly bassy. Everything felt detailed without being clinical.
What Was Weird at First:
- That initial vertigo from the ANC. If you’ve never used this tech before, expect an adjustment period.
- No folding: Unlike the XM4s, these don’t fold up — something to consider if you’re low on bag space.
Final Thoughts: The Calm I Didn’t Know I Needed
I used to think noise was normal. A background default I had to tolerate. But now, I crave the silence. The XM5s didn’t just give me peace and quiet — they made me realize how much energy I was spending filtering out the world.
If you’re new to noise-cancelling like I was, be prepared for a weird first impression. Your brain will fight it. But give it time, and you might just fall in love with the stillness.
Comments