The Sony WH-1000XM5 has been the reference point for noise cancelling headphones since it launched, and Amazon just made the easiest argument yet for picking one up. The XM5 is down to $198, down from its $399 list price, which is an all-time low and exactly half price, with no Prime membership required.
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Eight microphones and two processors just to kill noise
The WH-1000XM5 uses two processors and eight microphones working together to deliver what Sony calls unprecedented noise cancellation. Four of those microphones are beamforming mics dedicated to voice pickup during calls, and the remaining four handle environmental noise detection for the ANC system. The Auto NC Optimizer automatically adjusts noise cancellation in real time based on your wearing conditions and surroundings, so the performance you get in a quiet office is different from what kicks in on a noisy flight or a subway platform, with the headphones making that adjustment without you having to intervene.
The Integrated Processor V1 handles audio signal processing across a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response at 48 ohms impedance. The result is a sound profile that’s full and detailed across the range without the artificial bass boost that cheaper headphones use to manufacture an impression of quality. Speak-to-Chat detects when you start talking and automatically pauses your audio to let ambient sound in, so you can have a quick conversation without touching the headphones. Wearing detection pauses playback when you take them off and resumes when you put them back on.
