Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones
Industry Leading noise cancellation-two processors control 8 microphones for unprecedented noise cancellation. With Auto NC Optimizer, noise canceling is automatically optimized based on your wearing conditions and environment. Magnificent Sound, engineered to perfection with the new Integrated Processor V1 Crystal clear hands-free calling with 4 beamforming microphones, precise voice pickup, and advanced audio signal processing. Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging (3 min charge for 3 hours of playback) Ultra-comfortable, lightweight design with soft fit leather Multipoint connection allows you to quickly switch between devices Carry your headphones effortlessly in the redesigned case. Intuitive touch control settings to pause play skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls. For everyday convenience, just Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention mode stop your music and let in ambient sound With instant pause/instant play music automatically pauses when headphones are taken off and starts again when they are put back on.
Industry Leading noise cancellation-two processors control 8 microphones for unprecedented noise cancellation. With Auto NC Optimizer, noise canceling is automatically optimized based on your wearing conditions and environment. Magnificent Sound, engineered to perfection with the new Integrated Processor V1 Crystal clear hands-free calling with 4 beamforming microphones, precise voice pickup, and advanced audio signal processing. Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging (3 min charge for 3 hours of playback) Ultra-comfortable, lightweight design with soft fit leather Multipoint connection allows you to quickly switch between devices Carry your headphones effortlessly in the redesigned case. Intuitive touch control settings to pause play skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls. For everyday convenience, just Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention mode stop your music and let in ambient sound With instant pause/instant play music automatically pauses when headphones are taken off and starts again when they are put back on.
Industry Leading noise cancellation-two processors control 8 microphones for unprecedented noise cancellation. With Auto NC Optimizer, noise canceling is automatically optimized based on your wearing conditions and environment. Magnificent Sound, engineered to perfection with the new Integrated Processor V1 Crystal clear hands-free calling with 4 beamforming microphones, precise voice pickup, and advanced audio signal processing. Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging (3 min charge for 3 hours of playback) Ultra-comfortable, lightweight design with soft fit leather Multipoint connection allows you to quickly switch between devices Carry your headphones effortlessly in the redesigned case. Intuitive touch control settings to pause play skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls. For everyday convenience, just Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention mode stop your music and let in ambient sound With instant pause/instant play music automatically pauses when headphones are taken off and starts again when they are put back on.
Industry Leading noise cancellation-two processors control 8 microphones for unprecedented noise cancellation. With Auto NC Optimizer, noise canceling is automatically optimized based on your wearing conditions and environment. Magnificent Sound, engineered to perfection with the new Integrated Processor V1 Crystal clear hands-free calling with 4 beamforming microphones, precise voice pickup, and advanced audio signal processing. Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging (3 min charge for 3 hours of playback) Ultra-comfortable, lightweight design with soft fit leather Multipoint connection allows you to quickly switch between devices Carry your headphones effortlessly in the redesigned case. Intuitive touch control settings to pause play skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls. For everyday convenience, just Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention mode stop your music and let in ambient sound With instant pause/instant play music automatically pauses when headphones are taken off and starts again when they are put back on.
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The lowest price for Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones right now is $370.00 at eBay.com.au, compared across 17 retailers.
The all-time low was $48.00 on 7 June 2026 — today's price is 671% above the lowest ever. It has been notably cheaper before — worth setting a price alert.
Prices last updated 6 Sept 2026.
Last updated at 06/09/2026 06:00:43
Sony WH-1000XM5 Industry Leading Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones, Hi-Res Audio, Best Phone Call Quality, 30 Hours Battery Life, Wearing Detection
Free delivery
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Sony Wh-1000xm5 Headphones Sony Sand Pink Premium
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Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones, Smoky Pink
Delivery between 11–16 Sept $8.95
SONY WH-1000XM5 Headphones - Premium Over-Ear Experience Smokey Pink
Free delivery between 9–14 Sept
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones - Pink
Delivery between 10–16 Sept $19
Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones (Smoky Pink)
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Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones - Smoky Pink (4 Months Amazon Music Subscription Included)
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Sony Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones (Smoky Pink) WH1000XM5P
Free delivery between 8–15 Sept
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones - Pink
Delivery between 9–16 Sept $7.95
Sony Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Pink) | Retravision
Delivery between 8–16 Sept $11.66
originally posted on sony.co.uk
I bought these as an upgrade to my ageing WH1000 XM3’s. I’ve worn my XM3’s pretty much every day for the last nearly 6 years (Oct 2018 - July 2024) and they’re starting to play up (noise cancelling is being weird, and the ear cups are deteriorating along with the headband), but when they work they’re still the best headphones I’ve ever owned. They’ve got great sounding audio and incredible noise cancelling, along with being very well built and so comfortable. I often wear my XM3’s for 8 hours a day at work, along with while I’m walking my dogs, cutting the grass, washing the car - they’ve just been awesome. That’s why I decided to get some XM5’s in the Prime Day sales, and I’m so glad I did. The XM5’s not only sound better, but the noise cancelling is also improved. ... MoreI bought these as an upgrade to my ageing WH1000 XM3’s. I’ve worn my XM3’s pretty much every day for the last nearly 6 years (Oct 2018 - July 2024) and they’re starting to play up (noise cancelling is being weird, and the ear cups are deteriorating along with the headband), but when they work they’re still the best headphones I’ve ever owned. They’ve got great sounding audio and incredible noise cancelling, along with being very well built and so comfortable. I often wear my XM3’s for 8 hours a day at work, along with while I’m walking my dogs, cutting the grass, washing the car - they’ve just been awesome. That’s why I decided to get some XM5’s in the Prime Day sales, and I’m so glad I did. The XM5’s not only sound better, but the noise cancelling is also improved. I don’t find the head band quite as comfortable as the XM3’s, but I’ve maybe just not dialled them in yet. They feel arguably better built, though they’ve lost the folding feature - no huge loss though, just a larger footprint when not in use. I truly am blown away by the improvements in sound and noise cancelling, along with the QoL improvements like being able to connect to 2 devices and audio pausing when you take them off. I bought them in the hope they’d be as good as my XM3’s, and in the hope they’d be better, but they’ve surpassed my expectations. The carry case is larger than the XM3’s due to the loss of folding ear cups, but feels just as sturdy, great for travelling. My XM3’s have had over 10,000 hours of use over nearly 6 years and are still going, fingers crossed the XM5’s do just as well.
originally posted on sony.co.uk
Tried demo model versus the comparable high end Bose version in John Lewis. The Sony had noticably better noise reduction and the ear cups were larger, giving more space around the ear, which means little contact to the ears, which would have irritated my skin. The cushions are very soft and do not push hard on the skill. I wear them for hours watching TV in great comfort. Ears do get a little moist due to it being a sealed cup but it's unavoidable with over ear headphones.I would prefer if they were a little firmer in sealing as this improves the Noise reduction but then comfort might be compromised.Updating software was straightforward and with their app one can use the equaliser to adjust frequencies.They do not cancel all external noise, if your hoping ... MoreTried demo model versus the comparable high end Bose version in John Lewis. The Sony had noticably better noise reduction and the ear cups were larger, giving more space around the ear, which means little contact to the ears, which would have irritated my skin. The cushions are very soft and do not push hard on the skill. I wear them for hours watching TV in great comfort. Ears do get a little moist due to it being a sealed cup but it's unavoidable with over ear headphones.I would prefer if they were a little firmer in sealing as this improves the Noise reduction but then comfort might be compromised.Updating software was straightforward and with their app one can use the equaliser to adjust frequencies.They do not cancel all external noise, if your hoping they will, as I was. They are good though and better reduction than an equivalent prized Bose model ( can't remember model). Sony's noise reduction is about 30-33db, I use 37db ear defenders for work and the Sony are a little less than them. However, 37 db is the highest available for ear defenders, I d hoped noise cancelling was just that.Sounds very nice out of the box. I have not used them on blue tooth only plug in lead.They will work on a lead with no power or powered off but sound is obviously more basic. They can be used just to remove most background noise with no music at all, if you just want to son out in a noisy place/office.I think they would be to roomy and not tight enough for people with smaller heads. Mine is a good size, quite what's in it is debatable.
originally posted on sony.co.uk
I'm probably not a typical owner in that I’ve become hard of hearing and struggle to hear TV dialogue, especially with so many actors adopting "grating, gravelly" voices at the bottom of their registers. I also have a lifelong interest in hifi and good quality sound so I wanted headphones that would help me listen to TV and Radio, be east to connect and disconnect via Bluetooth and have decent musical quality.So, they certainly help the TV and Radio dialogue problem. Wonderful as he is, Hugh Laurie’s accent for House as the series progress is still a challenge but, generally, I can now follow most screenplays very well. Bluetooth connectivity is excellent, especially the support for two concurrent devices and the ease of disconnecting one device to connect a ... MoreI'm probably not a typical owner in that I’ve become hard of hearing and struggle to hear TV dialogue, especially with so many actors adopting "grating, gravelly" voices at the bottom of their registers. I also have a lifelong interest in hifi and good quality sound so I wanted headphones that would help me listen to TV and Radio, be east to connect and disconnect via Bluetooth and have decent musical quality.So, they certainly help the TV and Radio dialogue problem. Wonderful as he is, Hugh Laurie’s accent for House as the series progress is still a challenge but, generally, I can now follow most screenplays very well. Bluetooth connectivity is excellent, especially the support for two concurrent devices and the ease of disconnecting one device to connect a third. Music playback is very good, too. You’d need to pay many times more to get true high fidelity but, at this price point they’re better than I expected and very good for easy listening.Downsides? There are two, for me. Cupping the right ear interrupts play to allow conversation but so does any inadvertent gesture or touch of that side. I find it a pain and would rather manually switch off when interruptied. Secondly, I find the headband uncomfortable. I wish it was a true flat band rather than the rolled thing it is. In that sense, I wish I'd bought the WH-1000XM4 but I did want the latest sound processor, wind deflection and Bluetooth….Overall, they’re excellent and a very safe purchase - if any of the qualities worry you, buy from an outlet where you can try them against competition.
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Sony WH-1000XM5 Industry Leading Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones, Hi-Res Audio, Best Phone Call Quality, 30 Hours Battery Life, Wearing Detection
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony Wh-1000xm5 Headphones Sony Sand Pink Premium
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise-Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones, Smoky Pink
Delivery between 11–16 Sept $8.95
SONY WH-1000XM5 Headphones - Premium Over-Ear Experience Smokey Pink
Free delivery between 9–14 Sept
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones - Pink
Delivery between 10–16 Sept $19
I bought these as an upgrade to my ageing WH1000 XM3’s. I’ve worn my XM3’s pretty much every day for the last nearly 6 years (Oct 2018 - July 2024) and they’re starting to play up (noise cancelling is being weird, and the ear cups are deteriorating along with the headband), but when they work they’re still the best headphones I’ve ever owned. They’ve got great sounding audio and incredible noise cancelling, along with being very well built and so comfortable. I often wear my XM3’s for 8 hours a day at work, along with while I’m walking my dogs, cutting the grass, washing the car - they’ve just been awesome. That’s why I decided to get some XM5’s in the Prime Day sales, and I’m so glad I did. The XM5’s not only sound better, but the noise cancelling is also improved. ... MoreI bought these as an upgrade to my ageing WH1000 XM3’s. I’ve worn my XM3’s pretty much every day for the last nearly 6 years (Oct 2018 - July 2024) and they’re starting to play up (noise cancelling is being weird, and the ear cups are deteriorating along with the headband), but when they work they’re still the best headphones I’ve ever owned. They’ve got great sounding audio and incredible noise cancelling, along with being very well built and so comfortable. I often wear my XM3’s for 8 hours a day at work, along with while I’m walking my dogs, cutting the grass, washing the car - they’ve just been awesome. That’s why I decided to get some XM5’s in the Prime Day sales, and I’m so glad I did. The XM5’s not only sound better, but the noise cancelling is also improved. I don’t find the head band quite as comfortable as the XM3’s, but I’ve maybe just not dialled them in yet. They feel arguably better built, though they’ve lost the folding feature - no huge loss though, just a larger footprint when not in use. I truly am blown away by the improvements in sound and noise cancelling, along with the QoL improvements like being able to connect to 2 devices and audio pausing when you take them off. I bought them in the hope they’d be as good as my XM3’s, and in the hope they’d be better, but they’ve surpassed my expectations. The carry case is larger than the XM3’s due to the loss of folding ear cups, but feels just as sturdy, great for travelling. My XM3’s have had over 10,000 hours of use over nearly 6 years and are still going, fingers crossed the XM5’s do just as well.
Tried demo model versus the comparable high end Bose version in John Lewis. The Sony had noticably better noise reduction and the ear cups were larger, giving more space around the ear, which means little contact to the ears, which would have irritated my skin. The cushions are very soft and do not push hard on the skill. I wear them for hours watching TV in great comfort. Ears do get a little moist due to it being a sealed cup but it's unavoidable with over ear headphones.I would prefer if they were a little firmer in sealing as this improves the Noise reduction but then comfort might be compromised.Updating software was straightforward and with their app one can use the equaliser to adjust frequencies.They do not cancel all external noise, if your hoping ... MoreTried demo model versus the comparable high end Bose version in John Lewis. The Sony had noticably better noise reduction and the ear cups were larger, giving more space around the ear, which means little contact to the ears, which would have irritated my skin. The cushions are very soft and do not push hard on the skill. I wear them for hours watching TV in great comfort. Ears do get a little moist due to it being a sealed cup but it's unavoidable with over ear headphones.I would prefer if they were a little firmer in sealing as this improves the Noise reduction but then comfort might be compromised.Updating software was straightforward and with their app one can use the equaliser to adjust frequencies.They do not cancel all external noise, if your hoping they will, as I was. They are good though and better reduction than an equivalent prized Bose model ( can't remember model). Sony's noise reduction is about 30-33db, I use 37db ear defenders for work and the Sony are a little less than them. However, 37 db is the highest available for ear defenders, I d hoped noise cancelling was just that.Sounds very nice out of the box. I have not used them on blue tooth only plug in lead.They will work on a lead with no power or powered off but sound is obviously more basic. They can be used just to remove most background noise with no music at all, if you just want to son out in a noisy place/office.I think they would be to roomy and not tight enough for people with smaller heads. Mine is a good size, quite what's in it is debatable.
I'm probably not a typical owner in that I’ve become hard of hearing and struggle to hear TV dialogue, especially with so many actors adopting "grating, gravelly" voices at the bottom of their registers. I also have a lifelong interest in hifi and good quality sound so I wanted headphones that would help me listen to TV and Radio, be east to connect and disconnect via Bluetooth and have decent musical quality.So, they certainly help the TV and Radio dialogue problem. Wonderful as he is, Hugh Laurie’s accent for House as the series progress is still a challenge but, generally, I can now follow most screenplays very well. Bluetooth connectivity is excellent, especially the support for two concurrent devices and the ease of disconnecting one device to connect a ... MoreI'm probably not a typical owner in that I’ve become hard of hearing and struggle to hear TV dialogue, especially with so many actors adopting "grating, gravelly" voices at the bottom of their registers. I also have a lifelong interest in hifi and good quality sound so I wanted headphones that would help me listen to TV and Radio, be east to connect and disconnect via Bluetooth and have decent musical quality.So, they certainly help the TV and Radio dialogue problem. Wonderful as he is, Hugh Laurie’s accent for House as the series progress is still a challenge but, generally, I can now follow most screenplays very well. Bluetooth connectivity is excellent, especially the support for two concurrent devices and the ease of disconnecting one device to connect a third. Music playback is very good, too. You’d need to pay many times more to get true high fidelity but, at this price point they’re better than I expected and very good for easy listening.Downsides? There are two, for me. Cupping the right ear interrupts play to allow conversation but so does any inadvertent gesture or touch of that side. I find it a pain and would rather manually switch off when interruptied. Secondly, I find the headband uncomfortable. I wish it was a true flat band rather than the rolled thing it is. In that sense, I wish I'd bought the WH-1000XM4 but I did want the latest sound processor, wind deflection and Bluetooth….Overall, they’re excellent and a very safe purchase - if any of the qualities worry you, buy from an outlet where you can try them against competition.
Sound quality - Don’t be disappointed by the initial ‘hard’ sound, I reckon it took 15+ hours of break-in, before they eased up. The sound then becoming, punchy, sweet and nicely detailed. I have +1 clear bass, and a very slight lean into the treble, starting at 2.5kh, in the custom EQ. At this, the midrange is clear and open, low bass is tight and has texture, the upper mid and treble give excellent detail, with just a hint of brittleness at high level. For reference: source is Tidal hi-fi, and my ears are 64 y/o, so not perfect. There’s very occasional dropout, but I think the LDAC codec must be pushing the boundary of bluetooth bandwidth, especially as I have it set to ‘optimise for sound quality’.NB. Using the LDAC codec really lifts the sound if you’re using ... MoreSound quality - Don’t be disappointed by the initial ‘hard’ sound, I reckon it took 15+ hours of break-in, before they eased up. The sound then becoming, punchy, sweet and nicely detailed. I have +1 clear bass, and a very slight lean into the treble, starting at 2.5kh, in the custom EQ. At this, the midrange is clear and open, low bass is tight and has texture, the upper mid and treble give excellent detail, with just a hint of brittleness at high level. For reference: source is Tidal hi-fi, and my ears are 64 y/o, so not perfect. There’s very occasional dropout, but I think the LDAC codec must be pushing the boundary of bluetooth bandwidth, especially as I have it set to ‘optimise for sound quality’.NB. Using the LDAC codec really lifts the sound if you’re using non-lossy music, some phones may not use it by default, the switch is in ‘developer options’ on Android phones, I don’t know about i-phones.Foldability/pack away size - pretty poor, they don’t really fold up, and the protective box takes a big chunk of space out of a small cabin bag.Comfort - very good, easy to wear for extended periods, but earpieces get hot and sweaty when exercising/walking quickly (as do all over-ear H/P’s)Touch controls - all work as they should and are fairly positive in use..Noise canceling - effective, with no perceived suck-out effect, not fatiguing. The ambient sound feed-through is a good idea when out and about, to keep you aware of traffic etc. The auto-detect state, soon works out where you are, and switches between noise canceling and ambient feed through, accordingly.Speak to chat - ducks the music if you speak, or cough or make any sound at all: I’ve turned it off as it interrupts the music too often. Cupping the RH earpiece with your hand, also ducks the music and opens the mic’s, which is more practical for me.Phone calls - easy to take and to make, using (google) voice commands. Speech is clear at both ends.There’s a few other features such as DSEE, to boost sound quality on low bitrate content (I haven’t tested so can’t comment), and neat touches such as pausing the music, when you take the h/phones off your head.In the round, these are excellent sounding and very functional, wireless headphones.
Bought this in 2022 November and have daily driven it until now ( 24/02/2024). I will talk about the pros/cons and the nasty side of these headphones. Now i upgraded from beats solo 3, which btw cannot be compared with this, however they were extremely reliable and got the job done no significant features expect for being wireless(standard now lol). Now less talk about those and more on the xm5 ill start with the good side of them.I don't remeber anything going wrong with the shipping, so i assume that went smoothly. But the main things that stand out: noise cancelation, ambient mode, thin headband and not being foldable. noise cancelation is great don't expect the higher pitch noises to be cancelled aka voices but like background noise like on planes these are ... MoreBought this in 2022 November and have daily driven it until now ( 24/02/2024). I will talk about the pros/cons and the nasty side of these headphones. Now i upgraded from beats solo 3, which btw cannot be compared with this, however they were extremely reliable and got the job done no significant features expect for being wireless(standard now lol). Now less talk about those and more on the xm5 ill start with the good side of them.I don't remeber anything going wrong with the shipping, so i assume that went smoothly. But the main things that stand out: noise cancelation, ambient mode, thin headband and not being foldable. noise cancelation is great don't expect the higher pitch noises to be cancelled aka voices but like background noise like on planes these are magical haven't had any problem with that. As for ambient mode also fantastic WHEN IT WORKS (will mention later) almost as if i had them off but a little bit muffled if you actually try to compare them on and off, else you wont notice. Everyone thinks these things are one with me or something and as someone to had worn these for the majority of day time I can say that you wont notice the headband unless you actually try to but over all comfort wise 10/10. As for being not foldable coming from beats solo 3 which were i just adapted the only loss was not being able to tuck them in my jacket pocket(big) and honestly that's a W for me cause my old headphones broke after I yanked it out of the jacket pocket and broke the headband so hey at least that ain't happening again XD. battery life great if you have them on 12 hours straight with music, 25% volume expect to use 50% so basically 2 days no prob and if you use them less than 12 hours then a whole week parps. Also the ear cups are removable just need a butter knife for prying and yea it can survive multiple falls ( from chest height), i know this from experience :/ . Also audio quality? its blooming £300, what you expect it to be mid???Now onto the cons bad stuff. I am either extremely unlucky or this is normal but i have a list of these. Starting with my very first issue random touch censor beeping noises(also known as ghost touch or phantom touch), these are extremely irritating and have no solution(as far as i know) , this pretty much deems the touch censors as useless and have to be switched off in the settings as they will randomly stop/ change volume or skip songs, i believe it has to do with moisture building up in the right ear cup. speaking of moisture for some reason once removing the ear cups moisture only built up in the right ear cup (touch censor side) however once clearing the ghost touch issue still remains :( however a quick on and off usually deals with it. Now onto next issue I ran into was the ambient mode stuff, avoid moist places (shower room or any wet gassy area) cause i swear these headphones are allergic to that, ooh wait i forgot they are not water resistant... but still no moist air ambient mode in the right ear will have fuzzy sounds and sometimes it might randomly just sound clearer as if your ear unblocked when on a flight. And finally the smell, when i first got these they were fantastic great smell in the earcups(probably harmful to inhaul) anyways left ear seems to always be fine but where as right ear one day it just started to smell bad, gave it a clean (inside foam/ earcup) still didn't solve it, turns out it was the great solid foam thing in the headphone (i did not take it apart)all i did was take a cotton bud and lightly tap the grey thing and ooh god that thing 100% absorbs anything that touches it because it was horrific. however after a few more taps with the cotton bud the smell left???? idk how that works but if it works it works.AND FINALLY the conclusion. in conclusion if you live in a dry place(air wise) and want a headphone with great noise cancelling these are the one, However you live in a more moist place issues you will face: touch censor spamming the touch noises randomly, fuzzy ambient mode in the right earcup, and bad smell (just be clean should solve that) overall great headphones but would i recommend these to family/ friends/ others? probably not the touch censor randomly picking up stuff is a BIG issue extremely irritating and no one seemed to talk about it when i bought these but if your fine with that then nothing else too bad tbh, this is not a comparison review more of a review on the cons/issues (in my opinion this is extremely important when buying something you plan to use on the long run), as for spelling mistakes/ grammar i just wanted to type on my new keyboard just went ahead and typed stuff that i experienced with these. BUT if i was to go back in time with my current knowledge on these id still get the xm5s.
I bought these last year before a 9 hour flight and I'm very pleased with them. They have excellent sound quality for both audio and speech and don't bury any flaws in overwrought bass. The battery life is long (enough for a nine hour flight, five hours layover and an hour on a turboprop). The noise cancelling is superb and deals with jet and turboprop engines with ease. Tapping a small control switches the headphones to pass through so you can hear speech and cabin announcements.The UI is fine. I don't like the move to touch controls on everything but it mostly works here. The only exception is that the touch is a bit sensitive so if you doze off onto a seat it can activate the touch controls. The speak to chat function sounds good, disabling the noise ... MoreI bought these last year before a 9 hour flight and I'm very pleased with them. They have excellent sound quality for both audio and speech and don't bury any flaws in overwrought bass. The battery life is long (enough for a nine hour flight, five hours layover and an hour on a turboprop). The noise cancelling is superb and deals with jet and turboprop engines with ease. Tapping a small control switches the headphones to pass through so you can hear speech and cabin announcements.The UI is fine. I don't like the move to touch controls on everything but it mostly works here. The only exception is that the touch is a bit sensitive so if you doze off onto a seat it can activate the touch controls. The speak to chat function sounds good, disabling the noise cancellation when you speak, but it mostly isn't useful since it turns off after a while if you don't speak and cuts off your conversation partner.Software wise, the app isn't brilliant but is necessary to adjust the Bluetooth settings, which you can't do on a laptop. For the most part the iOS sound drivers do a fine job of working with them. They will occasionally get into a strange conflict state with Windows drivers for some reason and will need a factory reset to clear the faulty setting. I've also noticed they misbehave with apps like Discord, entering some sort of tin-can telephone mode when being used as a headset. I'd not use them as my primary set of PC cans but they're mostly fine.The only place I have any real hesitation is in the fit. They're very tight with limited adjustment at the cans. That improves the cancellation but along with a non-breathable pad cover it irritates my ears when I wear them for a long time. Someone with different ears to me wouldn't have an issue but try them on before buying. They also sometimes catch on glasses, compromising the noise cancelling.Overall though they're great and saved a lot of stress and sonic misery on long flights.
These are good headphones, but they not intuitive in control at allI bough them for to wear in a loud office and listen to music during commute: they're great in commute, but capture too much of noise when I speak compared to other cheap office headsets my colleagues have, I have to find a silent place so that others could hear me well -- I'm still not sure after few weeks of use if the problem is in the noise cancellation settings for microphone and if there are such settings at all.Sony app offers plenty of features in their app which, e.g., analyse the shape of your ears to better sound quality (?), or automatically switch noise cancellation modes which never works for me so I had to turn them off.What I could not find (and Reddit confirms it) -- there's no ... MoreThese are good headphones, but they not intuitive in control at allI bough them for to wear in a loud office and listen to music during commute: they're great in commute, but capture too much of noise when I speak compared to other cheap office headsets my colleagues have, I have to find a silent place so that others could hear me well -- I'm still not sure after few weeks of use if the problem is in the noise cancellation settings for microphone and if there are such settings at all.Sony app offers plenty of features in their app which, e.g., analyse the shape of your ears to better sound quality (?), or automatically switch noise cancellation modes which never works for me so I had to turn them off.What I could not find (and Reddit confirms it) -- there's no way to mute microphone, if you're few steps away from phone/laptop you cannot mute/unmute, which means you cannot step out of your desk in the middle of the call to enjoy wireless. Quite a basic feature I couldn't even imagine won't be there, they could do it configurable via software control, but it's just not possible currently.Volume control via sensitive panel on the ear cup doesn't work well (tap & swipe) -- you're lucky if you managed to find the right timing to activate the type & swipe, but then there's no feedback on the progress -- it moves too slow and you really don't know the volume position.As an Apple user I miss Apple Music & Siri integration, frustrating app which sometimes cannot connect headphones to a laptop so you have to restart the headphones.Not related to the headphones, but I still couldn't login to my Sony account -- there's some issue with linked old accounts in the Sony universe, where they suggest talking to their support, but they only respond during working hours...
I gave these 3 stars on the retailers website after 6 weeks of use when the headset was still causing me tremendous pain, however after 3 months they are now almost as comfortable as the XM4s. The thin headband still causes strong discomfort at times, but I sometimes think I'm wearing the XM4s and vice versa, so they are almost on a par.There are a lot of negatives when it comes to the tech, however the sound quality is for the most part so much better than the XM4s, which were already fantastic. The sound is so smooth, for the first few days I found myself rocking from side to side in enjoyment (until the pain of the headband offset this after 30 mins of listening).Most noticeable is the midrange; vocals sound so much more authentic and detailed, whilst backing ... MoreI gave these 3 stars on the retailers website after 6 weeks of use when the headset was still causing me tremendous pain, however after 3 months they are now almost as comfortable as the XM4s. The thin headband still causes strong discomfort at times, but I sometimes think I'm wearing the XM4s and vice versa, so they are almost on a par.There are a lot of negatives when it comes to the tech, however the sound quality is for the most part so much better than the XM4s, which were already fantastic. The sound is so smooth, for the first few days I found myself rocking from side to side in enjoyment (until the pain of the headband offset this after 30 mins of listening).Most noticeable is the midrange; vocals sound so much more authentic and detailed, whilst backing vocals really come to the fore, making these ideal for worship music. Most classical music benefits from these headphones as well, with violins in particular sounding natural, whilst piano notes are reproduced cleanly and with full pleasing resonance. However, I was at first concerned with energetic classical music such as Dvorak's Slavonic Dances, which just sounded incredibly flat with the XM5s but was one of the best performing pieces on the XM4s. Yet now that the headphones are burnt in, they almost match the energy of the XM4s. I think the remaining slight discrepancy is due to the greater clarity, as this often removes an artificially exaggerated sense of energetic presence. There are no issues with pace and energy in other types of music, such as rock and pop, as the bass is much tighter with the XM5s (if not as deep). There is also so much more detail revealed by the XM5s in general, which really contributes to synth music from the 80s and 90s, Duran Duran’s “Greatest” album for example being given a new lease of life with these headphones. Oddly, there is no noticeable difference from the XM4s with music by REM and U2, which must have something to do with the recording soundscapes for these artists. But the most noticeable difference I found was in music by Jack Savoretti, which with the XM4s is comparable to a glass of fine wine but with the XM5s is more like a thick glass of port, more rich and full.Now for the negatives. For the first few days I wanted to smash the headset against the wall and then jump up and down on it, it was causing me so much pain. A saner head had me almost returning them. Thank goodness I didn't, now that they have softened up and I have learnt to mostly ignore the pressure of the heaband. The material of the earcups was also noisy to the point of distraction if I dared to move my head or even clench my jaw at first. Out of the box, it sounded like someone was rustling sweet rappers in my ears. But these issues have now mostly gone.But the biggest issue of all has not changed one iota. The noise cancelling is adaptive, which is quite simply absolutely rubbish. Move or tilt your head with an extractor fan on, either in the kitchen or when sitting on the toilet, and the noise cancelling loses the ability to cancel the noise of the fan - I've found that if I shake my head it restores it, which is odd to say the least. Or if a motorbike goes by my house (which they very often do on the ringroad I live by), the "noise cancelling" creates a ton of windy static for about 10 seconds that is worse than the actual noise it's trying to cancel. And unlike the XM4s, where you can turn off the adaptive noise cancelling (which I did very early on), the XM5s make it mandatory. Absolutely ridiculous and very arrogant of Sony to no longer offer the choice to their customers.The rest of the tech is just bad. The touch controls, unlike the XM4s, are terrible. Most of the time they are unresponsive, which means you can no longer swiftly turn down the volume when, say, YouTube switches to noisy adverts, leaving you with deafening sound until you manage to slowly bring the volume down. I’ve never been a fan of touch controls, they cause so many issues when your arm accidentally brushes them, so hopefully Sony will incorporate physical controls on future models, as many other manufacturers have already learnt to do.The command sounds are more intrusive than the XM4s. You now get a double blip instead of a single blip when changing volume - why we need a blip at all when we can already hear the volume is changing is beyond me. At least the “low power” notification is now much shorter, so that you don't miss 5 seconds of dialogue during a film. But where it would be useful and non-intrusive to have dialogue, now there isn't any; you get the same notification sound for Bluetooth connection as you do for switching the device on or off. However I do like the soft orange charge-light compared to the red light on the XM4s (a small detail but one I appreciate).The headphone sensors are still next to useless for pausing playback when you remove the headphones, just as inconsistent as they are on the XM4s. Sometimes they pause, sometimes they don't, but if you pause before taking them off they ALWAYS start again, which means that the only effective way to pause if you're away from the sound source is to turn off the power.It would be nice if Sony could produce an audiophile's pair of headphones that strips out most of the tech and just focuses on the sound, because that's what they are brilliant at. I love the sound of these headphones and it seems to be improving all the time, I just wish the headset didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of it. So I find myself alternating between the XM4s and XM5s depending on the circumstances, which is a nice luxury to have but not ideal.
Only had them 2 days, probably spent to much time listening to them all ready. Can't believe the sound quality, the noise cancelling despite my skepticism is every bit as good as the reviews and Sony claim.To make it more clear, I've always been a Sennheiser or AKG headphones user, but a recent visit to a hifi store and with AKG being a bit useless now, prompted me to try Sony, Sennheiser's latest and Bowers and Wilkins. The sales person was kind enough to let me muck around with them all and use the apps to play with settings.As soon as I'd done the personalised EQ on the Sony app and put LDAC into highest mode, I started smiling the moment my music played using Qobuz. Within moments I was hooked, blew the competition away.Everything I listen to has been ... MoreOnly had them 2 days, probably spent to much time listening to them all ready. Can't believe the sound quality, the noise cancelling despite my skepticism is every bit as good as the reviews and Sony claim.To make it more clear, I've always been a Sennheiser or AKG headphones user, but a recent visit to a hifi store and with AKG being a bit useless now, prompted me to try Sony, Sennheiser's latest and Bowers and Wilkins. The sales person was kind enough to let me muck around with them all and use the apps to play with settings.As soon as I'd done the personalised EQ on the Sony app and put LDAC into highest mode, I started smiling the moment my music played using Qobuz. Within moments I was hooked, blew the competition away.Everything I listen to has been presented in such a beautiful musical way. Bass kicks like a mule when needed, super taut and sub bass is excellent. The kids quality makes guitars/strings sound fabulous, treble is perfect. Vocals sound so rich and perfect for male or female vocalists.The app is an absolute joy to use, very easy to intuit your way through. The ANC is incredible especially to a first time wh1000 series user, no background hiss, and completely cocoons you in to the wonderful sound these are capable of delivering, very much a convert to the series, best Bluetooth headphones I've had out of about 18 sets. Sublime!
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