Customer Ratings & Reviews

Comfortable, light, amazing sound quality, excelent noise canceling.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is probably the most well rounded noise canceling headphones on the market. It makes top marks in noise canceling, sound quality, call quality, and comfort. All top marks for me when deciding what to buy. Noise Canceling – The specs will tell you about the 8 microphones and the two noise canceling processors. What it really means is that it works really well. I don’t travel often but I do work almost all day with headphones on. I recently wore them on a 2-hour road trip (legal in my state) and tested the noise canceling for a few miles just to see how well it drowned out the roar of the road and hum of the air conditioning. It was shocking at how quiet things got when I turned on the noise canceling. It really helps you dial in on whatever you’re listening to, whether it’s music or a podcast. I did still hear a slight hum from the road but it was buried in the background of the music and I barely noticed it. I’ve used several different noise canceling headphones and earbuds and these are as good or better than the ones I’ve used. Sound Quality – Sony seems like they continue to refine and improve their sound profile on the WH-1000XM series of headphones. The XM3’s had good bass but sometimes it could sound a bit muddled when there was a lot of highs and lows mixed together. I didn’t get a chance to listen to the XM4’s but everything comes through loud and clear on the XM5’s. I appreciate being given the ability to customize the sound with the EQ in the Sony headphones app and adapt the sound to my personal taste. I like to have clear vocals with prominent bass but the bass isn’t obtrusive to the rest of the instruments and vocals. With the best in class noise canceling coupled with the crisp sound from the headphones it becomes a premium listening experience. It’s also worth noting that call quality comes in clear. I made a call to my mother and she said it sounded like I was standing next to her. Comfort – I can easily go a few hours with these headphones without having to make any adjustments for comfort. The only discomfort I’ve felt is after a few hours it gets a bit uncomfortable on the headband. I think this is mostly due to Sony’s decision to thin the headband, concentrating the weight distribution a bit more on the top of my head. Usually, I just adjust it forward or back a little to alleviate the pressure point without any detrimental effect to the sound or comfort. The ear muff material is a soft leather material and like anything that sits against your skin for a prolonged period of time, it will get warm. Usually after wearing them a few hours non-stop, a 20-30 minute break is enough to alleviate the building sweat forming under the leather. I think a slightly wider headband would have increased the time until discomfort threshold but making a small adjustment after hours of wearing them isn’t such an inconvenience that would deter me from these headphones. As for those with small narrow head shapes, you may want to try these first before buying. My wife found that on the smallest adjustment, it still set low on her ears and she wished they were a bit higher on her head, but just couldn’t get there because of the default smallest size. Design – I’m perfectly content with the design change for this generation of headphones. They’ve opted to abandon the folding design of the previous XM models, which in my opinion, only introduced two additional failure points being the hinges on the headband. Folding did make it, ever so slightly, more portable, but I think the slim case included with the XM5’s fits perfectly in my backpack. The headphones have a straight band design and the ear cups slide up and down for adjustment. I do like how the headphones fit around the neck and can fold out so the speakers face outwards. The Headphones themselves are very light and have a slight rubberized texture to the feel of them. The sliding motion to adjust the headphones feel smooth and easy to adjust. I do wonder if they will stay this smooth in the long haul. I’m curious to see if they’ll get too loose after a year of adjusting them. Time will tell. The right ear muff is all about charging and touch controls while the left is all about physical buttons and headphone jack. The controls are pretty intuitive and doesn’t take too long to get used to. Swipe forward or back to change tracks, up or down for volume. Double tap to pause or answer a call, tap and hold for voice assistant. On the left, you get ambient sound toggle and a power button. I do also like the obvious left and right indicators located on the headband just above the ear cups so you’re not guessing at which is which. I love how the case included with the headphones perfectly fits the outline of the headphones, it feels sturdy and premium and includes a small compartment for a headphone cable and charging cable. I think an industry leading product should come with or at least offer a custom fit case for protection. Features – The XM5’s come with several noise canceling features that you may find useful. First is adaptive noise canceling. This feature will listen and detect your environment and determine the perfect amount of noise canceling. For example, if there’s a lot of traffic noise, it will assume you’re a pedestrian and having your wits about you will likely help you react to any distracted drivers coming up on a red light. It’ll do this by adjusting the ambient sound so that it enhances the sound around you as if you weren’t wearing headphones. On the other hand, if you’re riding home on the bus, it may max out the noise canceling so you can focus on what you’re listening to and drown out the ambient noise. There’s also speech detection which will turn on ambient sound and pause what you’re listening to so you can engage in conversation. After a few moments, noise canceling will re-engage and your music will resume. I did find the ambient sound mode to not work quite as well as other’s I’ve tried. Not that it's bad, but I wouldn’t it’s the best. Hopefully Sony can improve this with a software update. Multi-device connection will allow you to connect to two devices and can switch between the two depending on the audio demand. The most likely scenario for this is being connected to your phone as well as your laptop so you can stream music or video from your laptop while being connected to your phone for calls. I used mine for Teams calls on my work laptop while listening to music on my phone. I was impressed at how as soon as my Teams call started, it paused my music and when the call was over, without doing any switching or pushing buttons, it started playing my music again. Other features include preset EQ settings as well as two custom profiles you can adjust to your choosing. Having the ability to fine tune your sound preferences should come standard with high end headphones and Sony delivers. Sony also has 360 audio which is their answer to Dolby Atmos surround sound. Unfortunately, I’ve not heard of most of the supported apps. Also featured is DSEE Extreme which uses AI to help restore some of the sound quality lost with audio compression. Finally, cupping the right ear muff will turn down the volume and turn on ambient sound so you can hear your surrounds. This is nice if you need to hear an announcement or want to listen to something happening around you. Last, I’ll mention this one tidbit. I found a noticeable bump on the left earpiece and I thought this to be an issue with the manufacturing process. I reached out to Sony to see if my unit was defective or if this was on all their headsets. Come to find out, this is for those visually impaired to easily and quickly identify the correct orientation of the headphones. I love it! Sony has demonstrated the ability to make excellent noise canceling headphones and they continue to be the medium in which everything else is compared to. it’s a no brainer to recommend the WH-1000XM5’s. With industry leading noise canceling, fantastic sound, lightweight design, premium materials, and a highly customizable feature set, these set the bar.

Noise canceling is definitely top tier, adding in with how light the headphones are, they are definitely a easy pick up if you can afford it or catch it on sale.

Awesome headset. Great sound, very comfortable, but stylish

Great over ear headphones! Sound quality is excellent especially for someone who listens to heavier music. Also very comfortable compared to other headphones I’ve tried. Highly recommend for casual use or heavy listening!

Excellent quality and design. The bass is pheno.enal and the headphones sit comfortably atop the head.

Just got my hands on the Sony XM5 headphones, and they're an absolute game-changer! The sound quality is insane – crisp, clear, and that bass hits just right. The noise-canceling is like stepping into a silent zone. Plus, they're comfy for long listening sessions. Battery life is solid, and the controls are super easy to navigate. Definitely worth every penny – my music has never sounded this good!

I had apple airpod pro max for a month and i hated it. It was heavy and kept sliding down ky head when i work out. I returned it and daid next headphones i get will not be heavy. These are very light on my head and they stay put. I like the sound and nosie cancellation. I also like the hold on right ear to hear. Its very sleak design and very good for every day use

Great headphones!! Just wish they folded down like last year’s model, in a more compact way for travel. Great packaging, no plastic, environmentally friendly. Comes with a great case, however this year’s upgrade on these over the ear headphones doesn’t fold down, and just turn the earcups down, so the case is just physically larger. It isn’t a huge deal, but it does take a little more space if you travel. The good news is the case is really good, and has a great little separate compartment for your cables, charger, etc. The design of this year’s XM5, seems to use some kind of synthetic leather, and feels fantastic to the touch, and seems a bit lighter than last year's XM4s. The XM5s look very modern, and radically different to last year's model, and I think they look great. The XM5s use a smaller 30mm driver, and while they do still sound good, the XM4s have stronger bass. I personally feel the XM4s sound a little bit better, however I like heavy bass in music. The XM5s still sound great, but it might not be quite as good in the bass department for some users due to the smaller 30mm driver, vs the XM4s 40mm drivers. The app on android / iOS has tons of great functionality, and a great little equalizer presets, and the ability to customize your own equalizer settings and save it to a custom preset saved to the app and headphone itself. A note on charging. The battery life on these is great!! I seem to be getting around 25 hours on a full charge or so in my use case so far with ANC turned on most of the time. And, while I feel that is great, what is even more awesome is that if I am in a rush to get somewhere, and only have a few minutes to charge, I can get about 3 hours of battery time in less than 5 minutes!!! That is great, as I sometimes forget to charge before needing to jump on a train or bus. Noise cancellation is great, as expected. It isn’t quite a huge jump in noise reduction vs the XM4s, however it is definitely better. I absolutely love the ear cups in the XM5s. The XM4s ear cups were a bit too shallow for my ears, and would eventually rub against my ears a little. There is more room in these now, and don’t touch my ears anymore. I love the speak to chat function via the app, where the XM5s can sense you talking while listening to music, and will temporarily pause, push in sound from the outside via the microphones, and you can hear who you are talking to while not removing the headphones. It works really well, and is great around my home where if I see someone in my home trying to speak to me while I have the ANC turned on, I just “speak to chat”, and can hear them. Stop talking after a short while, and it will resume playing your music or media sound from your connected device. Another great thing is that these headphones can be connected to 2 devices simultaneously. I use these with my Pixel 6, and also my Window 11 laptop, and move from taking voice calls via google voice app, and music back and forth. Works great!! I cannot ever imagine not having this in headphones. Call quality is very good, and it does seem to be a bit better than the XM4s. I think this is because the XM5s have more microphones on this year’s model. Love these headphones! Just wish they figured out a way to collapse the headphones like last years model. It isn’t a deal breaker for me, but these are just a little more difficult to fit in a tight bag. But, the sound quality is still phenomenal, ANC is the best available, and the speak to chat option is amazing (it can be disabled by the way.) Highly recommended!!!

This is the second pair I've purchased, this serving as a Christmas gift for a friend. By far, these headphones are the best consumer grade headphones that I've used. If you're the type of listener that enjoys the "fun mix" (your typical V-shaped equalization), with an emphasis on bass/low end clarity and feel, look no further. Compared to the older XM3s, the noise cancellation seems to be a little weaker in blocking out the lower end rumbling noises like on planes or buses, but excels in blocking out a lot of the nastier, higher pitched/shrilled noises you might hear in your day to day. Loud construction? These will block that. Screeching car brakes? These will block that. Yelling kids? These will block that. Nagging significant other? These will block that, at your own risk. Lastly, the comfort of these things are unmatched. I have a fairly big head. Clamping with a head like mine usually leads to ear fatigue over time. These, along with some of Sony's higher end audiophile offerings, are the only headphones I can wear all day and not experience fatigue. This thing has gone through multiple 8+ hour sessions and have not fatigued me ever. If you're looking for a pair of premium headphones that does an amazing job at blocking out noise AND offering a superb listening experience, it just doesn't get better than this. Nothing else competes.

Overall a good headphone. The ear pieces are fairly comfortable over glasses. Not as cushy as the cheaper Sony models. But they feel like they will hold up better than the cushy style. Noise canceling works well for my application-late night movie watching. The pause feature when you remove the headphones is pretty cool. Wish they could be louder, but that’s probably hearing loss from motorcycles and heavy metal. The headband portion isn’t that comfortable after a while, you have to lossen them up and shift the band or it begins to hurt. I’d take these over the cheaper Sony, but will likely look at ones that can be stupid loud and a bit more comfortable.

Great sound quality and clean bass sound. Very comfortable to wear. The spacial recognition features really come in handy. Battery life is incredily long!

Very comfortable. Great noise cancelling. Great for flights, buses, and train rides. Absolutely recommend

The Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are one of the best pairs of headphones I’ve used. The sound quality is incredible with deep bass, clear vocals, and great detail across different types of music. The noise cancellation is also outstanding and does a great job blocking out background noise whether I’m traveling, working, or just relaxing. The headphones are comfortable for long listening sessions, and the Sony app gives you plenty of options to customize the sound exactly how you like it. Battery life is great, and features like multipoint connection make switching between devices simple. Overall, the XM6 is a premium headphone that delivers on sound, comfort, and everyday convenience. Definitely worth considering if you’re looking for one of the best wireless noise-canceling headphones available.

I was in the market for new headphones and tried the Bose QC Ultra, as my previous pair were the QC 45s. For some reason, I could not get the Bose headphones to connect to my PC for the life of me. After lots of failed troubleshooting, I ended up returning the Bose headphones and grabbed the Sony WH-1000XM5 instead. They instantly connected to my PC with no issues whatsoever. My music, videos, and games sound great, and the color and finish on is super clean. I also really like the carrying case. In short, I definitely recommend going with Sony if you want seamless connectivity across devices.

Sony headphones have best noise canceling quality, comfort and lomg lasting. It is also not pretentious and also works with different audio codecs and Hifi audio files as well.

First and foremost, I have a passion on collecting headphones from all spectrums. In the realm of bluetooth ANC headphones ive owned the 1000 XM2 / Bose NC 700/ Sennheiser Momentum 3/ Bower & Wilkins PX/ PX7’s /Apple Airpods Max & Master & Dynamic MH65. Each brand has its pros and cons and design uniqueness. In retrospect, i love headphones and respect each companies vision for their products. In regards to the the XM5, in short these are a GREAT addition to the 1000 lineup! Remember, these are wireless consumer grade headphones. So wireless codec even though its LDAC supportive will never get even close to a wired headphone with a DAC connected to it. Bluetooth as it stands cant even compare to a CD Quality grade sound which is 16 bit 44.1 kHz. So take that info for what its worth. Proper Hi Res support is attainable via wired designated (Sennheiser HD 650/ Focal Clear/ HiFiMan) and a DAC/AmP with a proper source like Tidal/ Qobuz & Apple Music loseless. As a general consumer product its perfect. Its drivers though smaller is much more refined from the XM’s the EQ option is perfect. The noise cancelling is stronger than the XM4’s. The major upgrade are the voice mics their much clearer and crisper for yhe receiver. The design to me feels more premium from the XM4, just unfortunate that it doesnt fold. Now in terms of value, thw price is just right. Comparedto the Apple Airpods Max thats a toigh choice. If youre in the apple ecosystem definitely get the Max over the XM5 but overall i would choose the XM5 due to the app and weight of the headphones.

Super comfortable, and good sound quality. Good clarity in the bass and clean tones overall. Noise canceling works well. Really enjoy the touch pad for controlling music etc. Two buttons makes it easy to use but still have lots of control over what I want. The app is great, I usually dislike these things however it's easy to use and super customizable but not too much. Great bang for your buck.

Excellent sound quality. I don't like the construction materials, a lot of plastic, but they are very comfortable. I also want to add a complaint to BestBuy for taking away my points that I had stored in the points bank. They removed them when they made the change from storing points to only credit card customers. I contacted support and they told me they would return them to me, but this never happened and in the end they just said they couldn't return them to me. I don't know if this was because I am a foreign customer (Mexican) but I find the treatment ridiculous when I have spent more than 20,000 dollars on their website. But well, I guess I will start looking for alternatives. Another complaint is about a Christmas purchase where I bought several video games for the family. I bought them confidently because they had an extended warranty for returns but they did not validate this warranty. They told me that it was not applicable to video games when the website clearly showed that those items had that extended period of time.

Lightest headphones I've ever held or felt by far. The build and design is excellent quality. Biggest con however is not being able to listen to 3d audio unless you're subscribed to a verified app, neither of which is apple music or spotify. It also randomly disconnects sometimes. But still a fantastic pair of headphones. Overpriced.