Is the YY2954 the new Sony WH-1000XM5? (Update)

A new Sony model has shown up on the FCC, the YY2954. The FCC filing does not reveal much, but we are most likely looking at the new WH-1000XM5. The headset is labelled as “engineering prototype” rather than pre-production like in the WH-1000XM4 filing. The internal battery rating is now 3.8V compared to 3.7V on the WH-1000XM4.

The FCC label has now moved from the headband to under the ear pad. Could this mean the material used for the headband is metal instead of plastic? Sony could engrave the metal with the label but perhaps, the area where the model number was before is now covered up or too small to fit the label. Regardless, I suspect we will see a new design on the headset.

One new piece of information is the USB rating for charging, it says 5 V / 9 V (USB). Not sure why we have 2 numbers, perhaps regular 5V charging and 9V fast charging? If anyone knows, please leave a comment below. Apart from that, the documents mention a chip antenna but no information about the chipset used, more on that later.

So what colour options can we expect? Most likely the same as now, black and silver for the launch. Below is an import listing of the headset into India. The exporter is from Sony Hong Kong. I have been sitting on this export listing for about 2 weeks and was not sure what this was but had a hunch this could be the new WH-1000XM5 on the basis of the 2 colours, S(ilver) and B(lack).

Back to the chipset. The FCC documents do not reveal the chipset used, but a new Sony device appeared did appear on Bluetooth SIG, filed under a weird name, BMS002. The certification mentions 2 combined designs, 163117,157713, the same ones used on the new WH-XB910N, corresponding to the Mediatek MT2822.

This could be the new WH-1000XM5, but it could also be the upcoming YY2950. But it is a rather peculiar coincidence that this BMS002 appeared on Bluetooth SIG the same day the YY2954 appeared on the FCC. It could also be the YY2953 or WF-L900.

Update and correction: This BMS002 is not the WH-1000XM5, but portable wireless speakers from Sony.

The design description is also rather weird, Bluetooth platform. Usually the description is Wireless Stereo headset. This unit uses Bluetooth wireless technology. Maybe Sony is yet again trying to hide their model information. Sneaky if true.

I decided to dig into the TCRL (Test Case Reference List) version. The reason being when I was comparing the WH-XB910N and WF-1000XM4 with the BMS002, I noticed the TCRL versions were different. Both the WH-XB910N and WF-1000XM4 are on TCRL 2020-1, where as this BMS002 is on TCRL 2021-1. There already is a TCRL 2021-2 but it became available back in late January 2022.

Downloading the TCRL 2021-1 release, the zip file is labelled as “TCRL 2021-1_LE Audio-ASCS-BAP-BASS-PACS_Mesh CDB_EE-CSIP-S”. Notice the LE Audio in the filename. Perhaps this new BMS002 will support LE Audio or can be upgraded/re-certified for LE audio? I initially thought this could have been the same for the WF-1000XM4, but that might not be the case since it’s TCRL is older. Anyways, this is just a theory and could mean nothing until LE Audio is fully released. Perhaps someone with more knowledge knows more and could add some details in the comments regarding TCRL.

Finally, when could the WH-1000XM5 be released? Well the short term confidentiality ends on August 8th, so I would expect an a reveal either before August or on August 8th. Mind you, the WH-1000XM4’s short term confidentiality ended on June 1st 2020, but the headset was announced in August but the WH-1000XM4 leaked pretty much in its entirety before the reveal.

Update

The headset has also appeared on the Korean FCC and in Canada recently.

As always, anyone with any information can always contact me with any new details or post a comment below. And now we wait for the Signature Series unveiling.

Update

The WH-1000XM5 has appeared on E-Comm. Perhaps a release is coming sooner than August? But that remains to be seen.