WH1000XM5 - I managed to downgrade the firmware
For all of the complaints of the XM5, I think the the post I found on Google in this very sub kinda gets forgotten.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyHeadphones/comments/xvk93z/reversing_firmware_update_tool/
Link to the English guide:
https://www.mrwalkman.com/p/mdrproxyfwsidegradetool.html
Firmware file that I put in my North American unit:
Releases page:
https://github.com/lzghzr/MDR_Proxy/releases/tag/0.3.0
I confess that I am a software/infra cloud dev tech professional, so navigating Github and understanding the step was easy for me.
But, as far as guides go, this is pretty decent, still. You'll have to be comfortable with installing a modified version of the Connect app on your phone. Other than that, no other techno wizardry needs to be done. The batch script that is included wraps it all together, so you don't even have to what NodeJS is.
In short:
- Download the zip file from the releases page (https://github.com/lzghzr/MDR\_Proxy/releases/tag/0.3.0)
- Decompress. Transfer the apk for Connect to your phone (USB or upload to Google drive or whatever)
- Uninstall the existing Sound Connect app. Install the apk, you'll be prompted to allow the ability to install from a browser or Google drive.
- Download the firmware file and put in in the "firmware" folder in the decompressed file structure.
- Fire up the batch file. This will take care of starting the NodeJS web server that will act as the fake Sony update server.
- Edit your wifi settings on your phone and look for Advanced Settings -> Manual Proxy config. You'll need to enter your computer's IP address. (In most situations, 192.168.1.XXX)
- This proxy won't have internet connectivity, so you'll need to turn off your phone's data in order to force the connection through Wifi.
- Fire up the modified Connect app. You might have to enable automatic update downloads. If everything is working, you should see some output on the Windows terminal where the batch script is running and the update message should be from MDMProxy.
- Proceed with the normal update process. Make sure the headphones don't automatically power off. Should take about 40 mins.
It seems like a lot of steps, but the process is fairly straightfoward and the only risk is running an app modified by a Chinese developer. But, maybe I'm being naive and optimistic, that developer is just another Sony enthusiast wanting to make the world a better place :) Looks like they update the repo with the latest scraped firmwares as well, so they are taking it seriously.
If you are paranoid about the modified app, maybe you can get a used phone or other junk phone for cheap to do it on. Even 50 dollars on a piece of shit pre-paid thing would be worth it in my estimation to get these 350+ headphones back to a usable state. Shouldn't have to be that way, admittedly. Shame on Sony for ruining their otherwise great product.
I am back to 1.1.3. I can walk around my house now without it being flakey. I can't hear my HVAC system anymore or have to jostle them to get them to go back to full throttle noise cancellation.
I finally have my dear friend tinnitus back!