Hello, everyone. I’ve been thinking about getting the WF-1000XM5, but I’m not sure if it’s a good investment. I’ve heard that the WF-1000XM4 had a major battery drainage problem. Is this still the case with the WF-1000XM5?
Right now, I am using the WH-CH710N. They’ve been great, but recently they started to break. They still work, but the ANC doesn’t isolate the same way on the right ear as in the left ear, and they aren’t really compact. So I’m looking for an upgrade. I know that over-ear headphones are superior when talking ANC, but they aren’t as compact as in-ear. I’ve also heard that the AirPods Pro are a good option. But as an Android user, I usually tend to avoid Apple products.
Do you guys have any recommendations?
I’d recommend against Sony IEMs. I know multiple people who got theirs replaced under warranty (WF-1000XM4 and 5), one of them twice. They tend to not last for very long.
I have some WH-1000XM4 over-ears and they’re not terrible, but not worth the money either. They need an equalizer to sound decent.
But before you buy anything: Can you wear IEMs comfortably for a long time? I got some weirdly shaped ears and horrible earwax, so I don’t bother with those at all.
I used my WF-1000XM4s daily for 2 years until the batteries gave out. They were already out of warranty, but Sony replaced them anyway. I still use mine daily and am quite happy with the performance. They’re great IEMs if you’re fine with the batteries croaking after a couple of years – not a big deal if you’re comfortable installing aftermarket cells.
It’s not ideal, but I’ve had worse exeriences with other IEMs. My worst experience was actually with the GalaxyBuds, which unfortunately I developed an allergy to (Don’t roll your eyes – I’m not the only one! It was an issue with the rubberized coating in a few specific batches). Those assholes accepted my in-warranty RMA, but then never sent anything back. I literally only wanted a replacement, not even money back! Support completely stonewalled me even though I had the UPS receipt from their return slip 😤
Interesting, I still have the original Galaxy Buds (4.5 years now!) and they are working just fine on their original batteries. They don’t last quite as long now of course but there are no other issues