Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Industry Leading Headphones with Auto Noise Canceling Optimizer, Crystal Clear Hands-Free Calling, and Alexa Voice Control, Silver

Mine just had a small manufacturing issue but the next set i got elsewhere was piece!

I fly often. I use noise cancelling headphones to make my plane time more peaceful and enjoyable. I owned the M4s for a while and loved them, so when Sony brought the M5 to market, I couldnt wait. I was hesitant to pay this kind of money, of course, but I read several professional reviews that raved about them. I will say right up front, I just couldnt hear any difference in the noise cancelling from my M4s. I gave my M4s to my partnerer who travels with me most of the time, so I am able to switch with her for comparison. I just cant hear a difference. But, Im that guy who always wants the latest and the best in tech, so I thought I would be happy. Heres the thing. My new M5s are constantly shifting the noise canceling. Im sitting on the plane listening to relaxing music and it is like they shift from canceling to ambient noise. It lasts for 5-10 seconds, then they shift back. It happend every 5 minutes or so. I have tried turning off adaptive sound control, but it doesnt make a difference. Unfortunately, I went a while without traveling right after I purchased these and so didnt really start experiencing this until a while after purchasing. It is probably to late to return, but I will try. My advice would be to save the money and buy the M4s. They are certainly cheaper and in my experience, much better.

I travel often, and Sonys headphones are great for dealing with airports and airplanes. The XM5s did a near-perfect job silencing crying children on my latest flight, and the kids were inaudible once music was playing. I do wish it had its own Tile-like finder, and (not possible, but one can dream) positional audio for Apple Music and similar.

I bought these headphones because they are the most recommended bluetooth set on the internet. I guess I just disagree with everyone on the internet because these did not impress me at all. $400 is by far the most money ive ever spent on headphones and these are not even in the top 5 of best headphones ive owned. I have a $50 gaming headset (hyperXcloud) that sound better than these. My airpod pros (2nd gen) also deliver better sound quality. My Between Pros also sound better. Earbuds should not be outperforming the supposedly best headphones on the market. Pros: They are very comfortable and the ANC is among the best on the market. The connectivity and app are flawless. Phone calls are also crisp and clear both ways. Ive had 0 problems with any glitchy stuff happening. Cons: The sound, while clear, is flat and quiet. It honestly sounds like the sound coming out of your phone, just in a headphone enviroment. If you like bass then dont buy these. Im not even a huge bass guy but I like to hear bass where there is supposed to be bass. It sounds like the bass is somewhere far off in a distance. I youtubed all the EQ settings on these and got them to sound fractionally better but nowhere near where a $400 headset should. I know sound is subjective and this is merely my opinion. But after a quick google search of sony XM5s sound terrible there were plenty of others that agree. If these are in fact the best the bluetooth headset market has to offer, then im extremely unimpressed. 3 stars because the connectivity, comfort and ANC is truly top tier. However, the #1 thing a premium headset should do is sound premium. These do not. I will be returning these and looking elsewhere for a headset.

Sony does it yet again. These exceeded my expectations. The ANC is... good beyond belief. Absolutely superb. And they are so, so comfortable. 5/5 Sensational! They knocked it out of the park with these. *****

Design: I love the silver color, looks so glittery and subtle when you look closely. The design looks so much better than the previous models. Sound: Trust me when I say this, they sound way better than Sony Xm4’s. The bass is so much better than what was considered best, before. It feels to me that Mark 4’s lost so much of details in the sound quality, when you listen to this. ANC: Noise cancellation has been improved by a lot. They still cannot cancel noise to a 100%, but well, no headphones can do it yet, but it is the best of any headphone out there. (Airpods max is so close to this), close but not upto this. Transparency/Ambient mode: They sound so much better in this mode than Mark 4’s due to new improved number of mics. Still cant hear 100% of the outside world (like you still cant hear a song playing in an uber as loud as it sounds without an headphone, but still make out what you’re listening to). But I can wear these all day and listen to the world outside, it feels like its removing some useless noises of the real world and that sounds good. Cons: They sound a little better in Androids and pc/laptop with LDAC than on any iphone. But that difference is almost negligible and I still decided to keep them for the iphone because I love the sound. Overall: They’re worth $400, and they’re still cheaper than Airpods max. Lmao.

The noise canceling is unbelievable as is the comfort

Ive previously owned all generations of Sonys flagship WH-1000 headphones and have always been impressed with the sound and the noise canceling feature which is primarily what they are renowned for. I was disappointed with the fit of the previous model as they did not fully cover my ears and became uncomfortable after an hour of wearing. The 5th Gen are lighter and seem to fit better. Ive worn them constantly since buying them and they feel good. To really get the full benefit of these headphones you need to be prepared to install Sonys Headphone app which opens up more settings. The noise cancelation is exceptional. I can barely hear anything around me when its turned on full. I also dont get any vacuum sensation or high pitched frequency noise when NC is on which is a huge plus. The audio quality is really well balanced for my ears and taste in music. The bass is there, but not too dominant, mids are clear and the highs are crisp without being tinny. I love that the sensors pause audio when I remove the headphones and resumes when I wear them again. They also effortlessly switch between my Samsung phone and Samsung tablet without any hassle. The only minor gripe I have is with the new design carrying case. Its not as small or robust as previous generations and feels quite flimsy. I guess Ill see how well it holds up over the coming weeks. As before a USB type C charging cable is included along with 3.5mm jack for wired audio. All in all delighted with my upgrade to 5 and will be using these as my daily headset going forward.

I absolutely love these headphones. I cannot believe how good the noise cancelling capability is. I was in a crowded noisy coffee shop and with the click of a button drowned everything out. It was actually surreal and alarming how well it worked. Then clocking the same button I can listen to my music but also pick up whats going on in my surroundings. Theyre amazing and, while expensive, very well worth it. I have no issues or problems with them at all.

The design changes, overall comfort (including level of head pressure) and potability have all been significantly improved. I actually disagree with many of the editors reviews, its much better that it doesnt fold twice, the case is much thinner to transport. This also helps make the headphones much more durable overall. In terms of the previous generation model, put quite simply, sound quality is more in line with a neutral profile sounding acoustically tuned pair of reference headphones. Noise cancelling and transparency modes are a night and day difference with respect to the 1000XM4s, but both are still excellent pairs of headphones. The improvements here are well justified for an upgrade. Also the sound profile of the previous generation WH-1000XM4s can be easily restored by using the excited EQ setting in the companion app settings. Those carbon fiber dual drivers, 8 noise canceling mics and custom audio co-processor Sony keeps referring to in the marketing materials, are genuinely significant. If youre coming from the previous generation model, the differences are immediately noticable. The price has increased but considering theres a chip shortage and they improved literally all the right aspects of this new pair. Its justified. Well done Sony. And for all those purchasing, enjoy them, theyre industry leading for a reason.