Sony - WF-1000XM5 True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds - Black

I have used the Bose QC ultra and enjoyed them but lost them and decided to give these a try. The sound quality feels more clear with vocals and the multi point is the best feature I didn't know I needed. I can watch YouTube on my Samsung phone and simply pause the video/music and start playing something on my iPad and it switches seamlessly. I am fairly new to wireless earbuds as I have mostly only used Sennheiser and beyerdynamic. These are so convenient to carry around and they have been very comfortable to me. I worry about them falling out more than the Bose but they have been pretty snug. The battery life is incredible. I have fallen asleep with these and have woken up 8 hours later with them still charged (Nothing playing with ANC on). this is a big advantage over the Bose. I feel like the ANC is not as good but it's really hard to tell. They are quite similar enough to me that it doesn't matter. Just a note on the apps between the two. The Bose app almost always fails to connect and requires re-pairing the buds or at least 20+ tries to get the app working to change settings or EQ but the Sony app works flawless and is always ready to go to make adjustments or EQ. The only issue I have had with these is the touch controls. I wish I could remap them to whatever I want but you can only set them between a couple of predefined profiles(Bose is the same if I am remembering right). Overall I am really enjoying the Sony XM5 buds

I've enjoyed Sony's over-ear headphones for a while. I like their bass-heavy sound signature, it can be boomy while still clear. They have ANC that competes with other companies and is always in the top 5. However, I've never liked their earbuds. The WF-1000XM3 never stayed in my ears and had terrible connectivity issues that made them completely unusable. The WF-1000XM4 stayed in my ears but hurt after a while and were too big. I stayed away from Sony and went through so many other companies. Each and every time I would conclude that "these are my new earbuds!" only to be disappointed a few weeks later with either ANC performance, fit, connectivity, bugs, or other issues that caused me to either exchange or return the earbuds. I finally tried the WF-1000XM5, which I'm just going to call the XM5 from now on (Sony's naming scheme needs work). These are, without a doubt, the best true wireless earbuds I have listened to. Sony cut down the size of the XM5 by quite a bit compared to the XM4 earbuds. Sony claims they're 25% smaller and I agree with that. There's no longer a large notch resting up against your outer ear and the rounded top fits within the pinna of the ear. These are so small, albeit still larger than the AirPods Pro 2, that I can comfortably sleep with them in. Sony still relies on foam ear tips to achieve their sound and ANC. The ear tips are now a hybrid foam/rubber and more comfortable than the tips that came with the XM4. You don't need to squeeze the ear tips before inserting them in your ears. Just put them in and twist like normal earbuds. The XM5 still rely on the textured ear tips for staying in your ears, they aren't like the LinkBuds S where they use both the ear tips and earbuds to stay pinned in your ear. That's fine though, these haven't budged on me one bit after using them for multiple days for 6-8 hour each day. Sony advertises 8 hours of battery life with ANC and the XM5 are able to reach that without issues. I've been able to hit the 8-hour mark and still have a 4-5% left in each earbud. The case provides 2 more charges allowing for 24 hours of use. A quick 2-minute charge will give you 1 hour of use. ANC is top notch. I still they think fall behind the Bose QC Ultra earbuds and it's clear Sony is relying on the foam ear tips for more passive noise isolation to aid the ANC. But these are still great, better than the AirPods Pro 2, Jabra Elite 10, and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds. I can't much of anything when music or content is playing. Even sitting here now typing on a mechanical keyboard with music paused, the loud clicks of the keys are dull thuds. These have no issues on flights, blocking out the rumble of engines and HVAC systems, and various other sounds. Turn on music and the world is silenced. Transparency mode is fine. It's not Bose or Apple-level, but it's still good enough. There's even a mode to amplify voices and block out other noises. One area Sony drastically improved is with microphones. Their processor effectively filters out background noise and isolates your voice for call. It might be more muted than the AirPods Pro 2, but they do a much better job of removing background noise. I've had no complaints taking phone calls next to busy roads, in the wind, and next to an external boiler for an HVAC system. Controls are limited to simple touches that you can adjust. Single, double, triple, and quadruple taps along with a tap and hold can all do something. I left the default controls since it allows for volume control. Quadruple tap on the right earbud to increase volume, do the same on the left do decrease it. I much prefer having swipe controls for that, I have a feeling Sony will add those to the WF-1000XM6 next year. The earbuds feature wear detection and will automatically pause and resume content when you remove one (or both) earbuds and put them back in. The case features for USB-C and Qi charging. Sony rates the earbuds as being IPX4 water-resistant. I haven't tested that outside of wearing these while profusely sweating from mowing the lawn. I'm not sure I would exercise with these, there are better earbuds for that with wing/fin tips. I also have a feeling that the foam ear tips would deteriorate after a while. With all that said, how do they sound? Great. I didn't like the default sound profile. It's fine. Instead, I switched it to Excited in the app and bumped the Clear Bass up to +10 instead of +8. Yeah, some people would call that EQ an abomination, but I don't care. The bass is clear and boomy, mids still come across and aren't covered by the low, and the highs are details. The sound stage is wide for earbuds. I think the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 are wider, but these are still good for closed-back earbuds. I don't have any complaints about the sound stage or instrument separation. Atmos music in Apple Music offers a nice listening experience. You don't get head tracking. I hate having to look straight forward for a balanced audio experience so I turned that off when I had the AirPods Pro 2 and Beats Fit Pro. Overall, these are fantastic earbuds. I know some people are concerned with their battery longevity. The XM4 earbuds are known to be problematic. I haven't had any issues with these and I'm sure they'll be fine. Otherwise Sony's warranty will cover battery repairs by the time I'm ready to upgrade (the WF-1000XM6 are due about a year from now). I highly recommend these if the XM3 and XM4 earbuds didn't fit your ears. They're smaller, sound quality is great, ANC is still top notch, and they're an overall improvement over older models. Connectivity has been great with no skipping or audible issues. You can't go wrong with these.

Disclaimer: I want to preface this with a disclaimer: I have weird ears and am VERY picky on my earbuds. 90% of the earbuds I try DO NOT fit my ears. This includes previous Sony Earbuds, and other popular models like AirPods/AirPod Pros. I have bought and returned BOTH previous models of this earbud, the WF-1000MX3 & WF-1000MX4. But that all changed when these arrived! Finally, a pair of Sony WF Earbuds that I love! Fit & Sound: The fit is amazing. I can wear these for hours without them bothering me. I love the earbud tips they come with, it’s an interesting hybrid of foam and rubber. But since they are kinda foam, you’ll want to make sure you are ‘rolling’ them on your fingers before insertion, as to smash the foam down. This allows them to expand in your ears for a proper fit. Also they sound amazing. The new bigger drivers are clearly at work here. ANC is a little better than the previous model I owned, LinkBuds S, but a little worse than the WH-1000MX5 (expected since those are full fat over-ear headphones. FIT IS ESSENTIAL HERE… POOR FIT = POOR ANC. Use all included ear tips and the Sony Headphones app which has a fit test. Some on Reddit also report good results with 3rd part EarTips but BE CAREFULL… these earbuds have no built-in mesh to stop your earwax from gumming them up, the mesh is on the EarTips… so make sure your 3rd part EarTips have mesh. Ambient sound mode is fine but has never blown me away. Can get a little windy which is annoying. I wish they would bring back the muffle wind option in the app. Battery Life: I have had great results on battery life so far. I think these could easily last a whole workday with ANC in their current state. But who knows how long that’ll last. Because of all the battery failures on the WF-1000MX4, I bought the Geek Squad protection just in-case. Other Features: Get the Sony Headphones app! They have a ton of cool features. I like the one where it tracks my weekly sound allowance and makes sure I’m not damaging my ears. You can also do stuff like spatial audio (doesn’t work on my new Samsung phone ugh) and enable stuff like nodding your head to accept/decline a call. Also you can manage sound quality settings, like using LDAC, and multipoint which allows you to connect to 2 devices at once (so awesome!). It also tracks the hours you put on the headphone if you sign into a Sony account, which I find very cool. Can’t wait to rack up 1000+ hours on these. VS LinkBuds S & Conclusion: The LinkBuds S are another pair of Sony Earbuds that surprised me with how much I loved them. I think the MX5 sound better, due to their larger drivers. Also the ANC is a tad better on the MX5. Probably just mostly due to the better fit, but Sony would have you to think its all their new fancy chips in the MX5. I’m not sure. But here’s my conclusion: if you want 80% of the advantages of these earbuds and paying less than 80% of the price, I’d get the LinkBuds S on a sale for $120. But if you just want the best there is, get these. They fit and sound slightly better, with slightly better battery life. Get the Headphones app and keep and eye on the battery! May be worth it to get Geek Squad as well.

These are everything the M4s aren't. They're small, they sound great, the ANC is top tier, the battery life is great. But they're not perfect. First off, I have huge comfort issues with the included foam eartips. They really start to hurt after about an hour or so. Second, the nozzle of the buds doesn't have any form of mesh or protection to stop earwax and moisture from entering the buds. This makes it increasingly difficult to buy silicone tips and when I did, the fit and ANC suffered greatly. Third, the ambient mode is average at best. Fourth, I absolutely HATE that I can't customize what the touch controls do. I've also never really been a fan of Sony's app. But overall, these are a great set of earbuds and I do recommend them

Last week, I traded in my old pair of WF1000XM4's for these, and much like the previous model, they are excellent noise cancelling earbuds with long battery life, and great portability. In the interest of full disclosure, I use non-standard memory foam eartips from Comply, which in my particular case improve comfort and noise isolation. Sound quality is crisp and clear, the touch controls are relatively intuitive, the earbuds themselves feel relatively light, and can sit comfortable in my ears for hours at a time. The multiple-device connection feature works pretty seamlessly too, and it's very convenient for any situation that may require you to switch back and forth between two audio sources. For anyone looking for a set of ultra-portable noise cancelling headphones, I can highly recommend these. Despite my general satisfaction, I do have a few minor gripes about this new model. The glossy plastic finish on the earbuds looks excellent, but it makes them feel a little slippery. I can't help but think it's going to lead to them getting dropped a few times. I've also run into a few bugs when using these earbuds to control Audible playback, especially when connecting to multiple devices at once. I'm hesitant to blame Sony for that, as I've definitely found Audible to be one of the most temperamental apps I use regularly when it comes to playback control, regardless of the device controlling it. Finally, while these do feel more comfortable than the outgoing model, I find it a little harder to get them in and out of my ears than the previous model due to the rounded design and glossy plastic surface. Adjusting how I hold them has helped, but it just doesn't feel as natural as it did with my old pair. Perhaps that's habit more than anything, as I had that pair for almost 3 years. All of these are minor issues, none of which would lead me to choose a different product over these, but I felt compelled to mention them nevertheless.