A well-known criticism of our esteemed 47-year-old publication has reared its ugly head over the previous few months and years. In case you hadn’t observed, one model above all others has been dominating the realm of wi-fi headphones and earbuds, main a couple of cynically minded web dwellers to invest that we could also be responsible of displaying disproportionate bias to this new class pet.
If the title that has already popped into your head is ‘Sony’, be happy to award your self a metaphorical gold star. You probably have been following our opinions this yr or paid a go to to the What Hello-Fi? 2023 Awards website, you might need observed a relatively extraordinary phenomenon occurring on this yr’s greatest wi-fi headphones winners. Of the 5 merchandise named on this ultra-competitive class, each single one was produced by the famend Japanese audio producer. No Bose, no Sennheiser, no JBL, not even an Earfun in sight. Sony, Sony, Sony, Sony and Sony once more. A clear sweep. Such model dominance is sort of extraordinary – not simply within the wi-fi earbuds and headphones class, however in any.
Whereas distinctive, a single firm dominating one nook of the market truly makes a level of sense. We’re speculating slightly right here, however when you have got a gifted, forward-thinking group of engineers who’re working in excellent concord with each other and consequently create a successful components, that components is often transferred to a number of fashions throughout varied worth factors. Simply take a look at JBL within the Bluetooth speaker market if you’d like a parallel instance. Get good folks working in a productive, artistic tradition and, whether or not you are making Swiss watches or Swiss cheese, the merchandise are going to learn.
What we additionally usually observe within the broader hi-fi world is a reasonably predictable sample of peaks and troughs, of firms using excessive on a cresting wave, falling off the metaphorical surfboard (if solely briefly) after which clambering up as soon as once more and scaling the identical heights as earlier than. Sony, clearly, is using a reasonably mighty wave proper now due to its clear artistic cohesion; however we wouldn’t be stunned if, this time subsequent yr, we’re gushing over the may of Bose or the sonic mastery of Sennheiser as rival firms rediscover their mojo. In spite of everything, these opponents are bringing the competitors; they simply aren’t fairly at Sony’s degree proper now.
What, although, are the sonic cooks cooking up within the semi-metaphorical Sony kitchen that makes their specific recipes (that is fairly the tortured metaphor) so scrumptious? And what can rivals be taught from the success of an organization that has come to dominate this nook of the market with such putting consistency?
With out making ourselves candidates for the award for ‘stating the blazingly apparent’, sound high quality is vital to this Sony success story. Throughout the corporate’s vary, be it a budget WF-C500 wi-fi earbuds or the premium Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ears, the dynamism and sonic ‘understanding’ of the music they current is unmatched. What strikes us again and again is the inescapable feeling that these headphones, be they massive or small, low-cost or premium, convey their sonic cargo with nuance, texture and real musical feeling. For bringing out the musicality of music, Sony choices, in the intervening time, are doing it higher than others.
It’s a theme that recurs persistently throughout our opinions panorama. We dubbed the price range WF-C700N noise-cancelling earbuds as having a “detailed, dynamic and musical presentation”, whereas the flagship WH-1000XM5 over-ears wowed us with their “sensational sonic readability” fused with “punchy supply” and “musical, entertaining sound”. Even the premium WF-1000XM5 noise-cancelling earbuds, which we initially felt have been a smidge scientific and analytical, revealed layer upon layer of musical expression the extra we listened to them. Throughout the value spectrum, phrases akin to “punch”, “dynamism”, “musicality”, and “drama” – the important thing substances to Sony’s sonic success – come up time and time once more.
And it is not simply within the sound division the place Sony persistently impresses, with sacrifices in different key design and have areas minimal. If something, the Japanese mega-brand is main the best way in guaranteeing that customers get as a lot headphone, or certainly earbud, for his or her cash as doable – stuffing them stuffed with options that, relatively than merely ticking a field in a specification sheet, truly work the best way you need them to. Energetic noise-cancellation, specifically, is persistently wonderful throughout the board, with cheaper fashions such because the WH-CH720N and the WF-C700N providing notably respectable efficiency for the cash. Very like many Apple merchandise, they ‘simply work’. When it comes to worth, Sony may be very exhausting to beat proper now.
Possibly that’s a part of the Sony secret, in that it usually sacrifices glamour and gimmickry for reliability and real high quality. We’ve got actually had conversations in our workplace wherein we now have speculated as to why Sony isn’t thought of to be a real audio titan in the intervening time, and a part of that probably stems from the truth that, whereas it’s undoubtedly a high quality operator, it is hardly the sexiest firm available on the market proper now. Bose is sexiis; Apple is arguably the sexiEast. Sony is to audio what VW has historically been to automobiles: not all the time “fascinating” like Tesla or Mercedes, however extremely robust to beat for shopper worth.
Sony branding is commonly nameless and banal, its packaging is fiddly and slightly soulless, and even the merchandise themselves are sometimes plainly colored and slightly drab to have a look at (a pair of sage inexperienced WF-C700N apart!). Maintain a pair of Sony WH-1000XM5 in a single hand and Bowers & Wilkins Px8 alternate options within the different, and your gaze will nearly actually be drawn to the latter. But what all of them supply by way of precise construct high quality, usability and reliability is second to none, a lot in order that we will’t consider many manufacturers which can be as ergonomic, dependable or well-made. The price range Sony WH-CH720N over-ears, examined at £99 / $129 / AU$259, ought to have been naff and fragile, however they really feel as strong and stable as you would hope for at this worth level. The £100 / $120 C700N earbuds’ design, in the meantime, looks like they might simply be priced a lot increased.
Whereas understandably disappointing – a barrier, even – for some, that lack of visible aptitude and widespread model cachet isn’t the top of the world once you actually give it some thought. In the event you’re planning on taking your new headphones out and about on the tube or within the massive scary metropolis, stuffed with noise, visitors and roving ne’er do wells, having a pair of unassuming, innocuous-looking headphones is not any unhealthy factor. A pair of Apple AirPods Max promote themselves to the world like neon-lit diamonds. Even the best Sony fashions (as we have seen numerous instances on commuters) appear way more unpretentious, and thus nameless, by comparability.
All of this combines to supply merchandise which have their priorities precisely so as, with sound high quality firmly on the high of the listing. What Sony’s domination of the wi-fi headphone market actually reveals, nonetheless, is an understanding of what it truly means to make good audio merchandise, no matter type, worth or perform.
To our minds at the very least, the purpose of a extremely respectable pair of headphones isn’t merely to disclose element or to offer a clean, impartial soundstage; relatively, it’s to replicate the soul and intention of the music itself. If music’s true lifeblood is to be expressive, dynamic and emotionally resonant, the best headphones are those that reveal these timbres and feelings probably the most successfully. Whereas we settle for the truth that it could actually appear to be undue bias when one model sweeps a class clear, we’re dedicated to giving plaudits to the best-value merchandise in our business.
With this in thoughts, Sony is at the moment in a category of its personal.
MORE:
What Hello-Fi? Awards 2023 winners revealed – verify them out now!
Learn our earbuds opinions of the Sony WF-C500, Sony WF-C700N and Sony WF-1000XM5
And our over-ear opinions of the Sony WH-CH520, Sony WH-CH720N and Sony WH-1000XM5