Sony Takes the ANC Pole Position with WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless Earbuds

Off-season, Sony Electronics jumped to the lead, and announced the WF-1000XM5 earbuds – the latest truly wireless model in its best-selling 1000X series. According to Sony's own internal research, using JEITA-compliant measurement guidelines, the new design offers the "Best Noise Canceling" by reducing external noise over a wide bandwidth, so users can focus on the music. While at it, Sony updated all other specs in this new flagship product, now ready for Bluetooth LE Audio.

It's the active noise cancelling headphones that the consumer electronics industry learned to see as a market reference. And Sony knows this, and works to improve the standard for its best-selling product regularly. The new WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones improve adaptive noise cancellation even further, introduce new and improved 30mm drivers, while allowing for industry-leading call quality, and offering a subtle and yet more elegant design, using new materials for greater comfort.

To Wire or Not To Wire? Why not have both? Zorloo, a consumer electronics brand from Hong Kong introduced a product design that does both and manages to explore the best of wired or wireless audio. The Zophia Wire.less earphones support both modes by combining Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX support, with a built-in USB-DAC on the pluggable cable that allows listening to Hi-Res Audio and MQA files at their best.

In order to meet the quality expectations of their users, high-end consumer electronics manufacturer Bang & Olufsen decided on the new open standard LC3plus codec from Fraunhofer IIS for their wireless streaming devices. LC3plus is currently the most advanced solution that combines support for high-resolution audio with low delay. LC3plus has been standardized by ETSI as TS 103 634, and is the first solution to support high-resolution music streaming services also over wireless accessories.

The synergy between musical instrument brands and consumer electronics is able to generate extremely powerful lifestyle marketing strategies. The Meters range of headphones by Ashdown Engineering, combines the legacy of design and engineering of the bass amplifier brand in a unique range of consumer audio products, launched originally at CES 2017, in Las Vegas. Following the introduction of new updated models, the Meters headphone range is now being launched in the US market.

DTS is still much at play in wireless audio with its Play-Fi technology. The company that is now a part of Xperi and just merged with TiVo, announced that Hisense is joining its DTS Play-Fi whole-home audio ecosystem. With a rapidly growing presence in the US and Europe, Hisense’s partnership with DTS will bring additional wireless interoperability in consumer electronics. Hisense will design and manufacture Play-Fi enabled products to be globally distributed in the second half of 2021.