Sony Announces New WF-C500 Earbuds And WH-XB910N Headphones

Sony has introduced two new devices to its list of audio products, with the WF-C500 true wireless headphones and the WH-XV910N overhead wireless headphones. While the company refers to the former as such, the device is actually a pair of TWS earbuds. In order to avoid any confusion (especially between the two), we will be referring to the WF-C500 as earbuds from now on.

Let’s start with the Sony WF-C500. The new product is intended to be one of the brand’s more affordable offerings from its earbuds category. While it lacks advanced features such as active noise cancelling (ANC) and touch-based controls, the WF-C500 does come with AAC support, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, Android Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair support, as well as IPX4 water resistance. As for colour options, Sony is offering the new device in orange, green, white, and black.

Under its hood are 5.8mm audio drivers with a frequency range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz, and DSEE audio enhancements. Typical of any current day earbuds, the WF-C500 also comes with microphones for your voice calling needs. Battery-wise, Sony claims that the device is able to last 10 hours of audio playback and five hours of communication time on a single charge. The included charging case provides it an additional 10 hours of usage, and will take two and a half hours of charging via USB-C to max out its capacity.

Next up is the WH-XB910N wireless overhead headphones. Part of Sony’s Extra Bass line-up, it is equipped with 40mm drivers with sound and digital noise cancelling technology, as well as DSEE enhancements. The new headphones can be used wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.2 or through a wired connection, thanks to its onboard 3.5mm jack and included cable. The WH-XB910N arrives in blue and black colour options.

Like Sony’s high-end WH-1000XM4 headphones, it also comes with touch-based controls on its right earcup for playback, volume adjustment, answering calls, and activating/deactivating the onboard noise cancelling. Also featured on the device is Ambient Mode that lets you hear your surroundings while listening to music or making calls, and then there’s Quick Attention Mode that picks up nearby voices or announcements.

The WH-XB910N is claimed to last up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on and 50 hours with the feature switched off. Charging-wise, Sony says it would take 3.5 hours for the headphones to get a full top-up via USB-C.

The new WF-C500 and WH-XB910N are priced at RM449 and RM799, respectively. As for their local availability, Sony says Malaysia will receive the earbuds on 18 October onwards, while the headphones are expected to arrive later in November.

Solar-Powered Adidas Headphones Are In The Works

Adidas is a global powerhouse that is known by many, mainly through its vast catalogue of sportswear and footwear. One of the brand’s latest projects still revolves around sports but comes in the form of audio equipment instead.

Some may not know this but Adidas has its own audio product lineup and we don’t mean those that the company have produced with Sennheiser before. Instead, what we meant is the Adidas Headphones family of products which are actually developed and designed by Zound Industries.

Based in Sweden, Zound was also responsible for bringing Marshall, who produced amplifiers used and adored by many musicians throughout the globe, into the world of consumer audio products in 2010. The partnership between Zound and Adidas is much recent though, as the initial batch of Adidas Headphones products was just launched in 2019.

Designed as the follow-up to the original Adidas RPT-01, what made the upcoming RPT-02 SOL rather interesting is the fact that it will be solar-powered, through the usage of Powerfoyle solar cell made by another Swedish company, Exeger. Aside from that, Zound will also be using recycled plastics in order to manufacture RPT-02 SOL.

As the story goes, this is not the first time that Zound and Exeger have collaborated together though. In fact, Zound has used Exeger’s Powerfoyle on another headphone called Los Angeles, that the company will release this month under its in-house brand, Urbanista.

However, the RPT-02 SOL will feature an on-ear design as opposed to the Los Angeles headphone which features an over-ear design instead. The fact that the Adidas-branded release is made for an active lifestyle, set them apart as well, given that the RPT-02 SOL will also be lighter than the Los Angeles headphone .

While the teaser video from Zound and Exeger has shown the general design outline of RPT-02 SOL, it is still going to be quite some time before consumers can get their hands on them though. At the moment, Zound plans to release the RPT-02 SOL within the first half of 2022 and are expected to have a price tag of between USD 199 (~RM 834) to USD 229 (~RM 960).

You Need Wired Headphones To Listen To Lossless Audio On Apple Music

Last night, Apple had announced that the Lossless Audio option will be rolled out to Apple Music alongside Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos next month. These new features will be provided at no extra cost to subscribers but if you are already looking forward to listening to your favourite song with the new hi-fidelity setting through the service, then you also may have to invest in new headphones.

This is because you need a wired headphone in order to do that. In the age where wireless headphones and true wireless earbuds including Apple’s own AirPods series have become so popular among consumers, this limitation may seem rather irritating.

However, the reason behind this limitation is fairly rudimentary. CD-quality audio has a bitrate of 1411kbps and while Bluetooth has a transmission ceiling rate of around 2000kbps, the actual transmission speed that users are able to get in real life is far lower due to interferences as well as distance between devices.

There are indeed some hi-res audio codecs out there that have been optimised for Bluetooth transmissions such as Qualcomm aptX HD and Sony LDAC but even then, their bitrate is still nowhere close to CD-quality audio. As a comparison, aptX HD goes up to 576kbps while LDAC maxed out at 990kbps.

On another hand, Apple has yet to come out with such codecs itself. Furthermore, Apple Music’s Lossless Audio files will be encoded in Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) which is not supported even by the company’s highest-end wireless headphones, the AirPods Max.

Even though AirPods Max can be used as a wired headphone, it will still not be able to support Apple Music’s new Lossless Audio option. In terms of codecs, the headphone, as well as AirPods Pro, are limited to AAC, in addition to SBC which comes as a standard on any Bluetooth audio device.

Of course, we have also mentioned last night that users who want to push the playback quality even further via the Hi-Res Lossless Audio option need to use external devices such as a USB digital-to-analogue converter in order to make that happen.

As for the Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, it turns out you can listen to Atmos tracks with any given headphones. Just choose the Always On option in the Apple Music’s Settings and you will be good to go.

Sonos Files Patent For TWS Earbuds And Over-Ear Headphones On USPTO

Sonos is a brand that has focused on high-quality portable speakers, top-notch home surround systems, but virtually nothing in the headphones department, despite many calls from fans for the latter. That could change sooner rather than later, though, if a recently discovered patent filing by the brand is anything to go by.

The patent, which filed to the USPTO back in February, was discovered by Zatz Not Funny and contains images and sketches of True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds and its casing. The designs are novel and somewhat unique, to say the least; rather use a conventional lid, the patent shows an oval, cylindrical charging case. With earbuds on each side that pop out and then clip right back in when in need of a charge.

There’s also the design and shape of the earbuds, which are elongated and as pointed out by Tom’s Guide, seem to take a page out of Sony’s own WF-1000XM3 earbuds.

Moving on, the patent filings also show a diagram of what appears to be over-ear headphones, but sadly, it doesn’t show anything else but the sides of the earcups. Beyond that, the only other detail on the headset seems to be how Sonos’ wireless charging technology could be fitted and applied to it.

That said, the possibility of Sonos making over-ear headphones was dispelled, when it launched the Roam in April. On top of that and as we’ve said several times before, patent filings are usually made as a way for brands to protect and slap a copyright protection of sorts on some designs. As such, there’s a likelihood that they may not see the light of day.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX Is A Pair Of Wireless Headphones With ANC

Danish brand Bang & Olufsen has announced its new Beoplay HX wireless headset. It boasts most of the bells and whistles you’d expect from an upmarket pair of headphones. But beyond all that, it has a pretty impressive battery life.

Bang & Olufsen claims that the Beoplay HX can last for 35 hours with ANC turned on, and 40 hours without. Which is pretty impressive, to say the least. And when it runs out, you charge it with a USB-C cable. The wireless connection is done over Bluetooth 5.1 with support for aptX Adaptive, AAC and SBC codecs. But when you prefer a more conventional connection, it not only has a 3.5mm audio jack, but also a cable that comes in the box.

Beyond features, it’s probably safe to expect better-than-average build quality from the Beoplay HX. The ear pads have lambskin over the memory foam inside. And the headband uses cow hide instead. Which, if genuine, sounds so much better than all the faux leather in the market currently. The rest of the headphones use aluminium, with a bit of recycled plastic here and there.

Naturally, something from the Danish brand wouldn’t come cheap. The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX is priced at US$499 (~RM2069). Right now, it remains to be seen if these headphones will be making their way to our shores.

Sony WH-1000XM4 Lightning Review: Same Great Sounding ANC Headphones, Plus Some Tweaks

Sony’s 4th generation WH-1000XM4 ANC headphones have been around for more than half a year now. As with all successive models, the headphones bears all the hallmarks and signatures of its predecessors, plus one or two more new features that weren’t present with the last generation.

The headphones have officially reached my hands, and that means I finally get a chance to take Sony’s best ANC headphones for a spin.

What Is It?

Here’s the bottom line: the 1000XM4 are 4th generation ANC headphones and a follow-up to 2019’s WH-1000XM3. As for its overall design: then, as now, the shape and build of the headphones are recycled from its predecessors. From the shape and bow of the headband, right down to its earcups.

Internally, each earcup is fitted with a 40mm dome type Neodymium driver, along with aluminium coated LCP diaphragm, all of which warrants the WH-1000XM4 a frequency range between 4Hz and 40KHz. While still on the subject of the earcups, Sony also seems to have taken the liberty to have increased the surface area of the earpads, making for an even more comfortable experience.

One new physical addition to the 1000XM4 is a sensor that detects if and when the headphones are affixed to your ears and when they’re not. As for its structural integrity, the headphones are still incredibly lightweight, yet still extremely sturdy and durable. No, really, I actually spent what I consider to be a reasonably fair amount of time stretching, twisting, and bending the headband, just because I can.

Once again, like its predecessors, the right earcup is loaded with touch sensors that support a multitude of gestures, including the usual tap to play and pause, as well as swiping in one of the four directions to repeat or skip tracks and control the volume.

Is It Any Good?

I’ll be blunt: If you’re bumping up from the 1000XM3, you’re not going to notice anything different between the two models. As I said, the design of the 1000XM4 is virtually identical to its predecessors, save for said changes to the headband and increased surface area of the earpads.

One major improvement with the 1000XM4 is the built-in microphones. Over the phone, conversations sound a lot clearer than the 1000XM3, and it even does a bang-up job in isolating the ambient sounds from my voice. That said, I have been told by people on the other end that the headphone’s microphone does, on occasion, produce some intermittent reverberation that makes my voice sound like it’s vibrating.

Another new feature is multi-pairing, the 1000XM4 can finally be paired to two devices simultaneously, meaning I can connect both the headphone to my phone and another device of my choice. Personally, having it is a major convenience, especially since that means that I don’t have to slide off the headset every time I have an incoming call on my phone, therefore forcing me to pause whatever media that I am currently viewing on my secondary device, which is usually my laptop.

As for the audio quality of the 1000XM4, you can expect the same level of audio fidelity as the 1000XM3. Highs and mids are clear, precise, and show no signs of breaking, even with the volume pumped up close to the ceiling. Likewise, lows – a signature focus of virtually all Sony audio products, and the 1000XM4 is no exception – are deep and free of distortions, but are not as skull-rumbling as other headphones or earbuds that I’ve tested in the past.

It is also worth mentioning that sound staging feels very accurate, and I can easily identify each instrument, as well as where exactly their position is. This is evidenced in jazz songs such as Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, Stacey Kent’s La Venus du Melo, Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelt’s Digging My Potato. Along with more contemporary pieces such as the Eagles’ 1996 version of Hotel California, Alter Bridge’s Down to My Last, Grimes’ Flesh Without Blood, or the ever depressing stylings of Lana Del Rey’s How to Disappear.

Lastly, the ANC feature of the 1000XM4 is still just as good at blocking out all noises when activated, so much so that it has gotten me into trouble with others whenever they yell at the top of their lungs, trying to get my attention. Oh, and before I forget, that near 30 hour battery life is still there.

The Bad Stuff. Tell Me.

Speak to Chat is extremely sensitive, to the point that just humming or speaking to myself immediately stops whatever music or podcast I’m listening to. Even more annoying is the fact that the feature doesn’t immediately resume playback of my track and instead takes a good half-minute to do so. Mercifully, I can simply double-tap the right earcup to get back to my music quicker, but that doesn’t detract from the issue.

The good news is that the feature can be shut down, albeit directly via the official Sony Headphones Connect app. Upon disabling the feature, I found the listening experience exponentially improved.

Another issue I have with the 1000XM4 at this point is the presence of the 3.5mm headphone port below the left earcup. To be clear, I am and have always been, an advocate of the 3.5
mm headphone jack as an option, but given the already widely adopted trend of the phone abandoning support for the physical feature in favour of USB-C, I think Sony missed the boat, yet again, to make the USB-C port on the headphones multipurpose. Rather than just a dedicated charging port.

Lastly, and this is really just more of a pet peeve than anything else; Sony removed support for Qualcomm’s aptX HD codec with the 1000XM4. Honestly, I find it odd that it decided to do, seeing how it had no issue making it available with previous iterations of the headphones. That said, the absence of aptX HD actually does little in hampering the delivery.

Should I Buy It?

As I said near the start of this review, if you’re moving up to the Sony WH-1000XM4 from the 1000XM3, it’s clear that you are simply buying the headset for the sake of keeping yourself up-to-date with the latest device. At best, the differences between the two headphones are minuscule and as such, you may be better off sticking with the 1000XM3 and saving that RM1599. Either for a rainy day or something else entirely.

For those among you who are finally making the leap into the world of ANC headphones that’s loaded with all the bells and whistles, I can confidently say that you could do worse than to get yourself a pair of these Sony headphones.