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

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.

My only challenge is navigating controller.

ok not gonna lie i only bought the sony headphones because they were popular on tiktok and way more affordable than the airpods max. but i’m very satisfied with my purchase. while i do think the design of the xm4s are nicer, i think that the xm5s were worth the price difference (which was about $50 at the time im writing this). the sound quality isn’t mindblowing at first but tweaking the equalizer in the app should fix this. i’ve never owned a pair of noise canceling headphones before, but to me the noise canceling is very solid. it makes studying in decently loud places and commuting so much more tolerable. i will say that sometimes the band feels heavy on my head, but if i loosen the headphones a little, it feels better. i would definitely recommend if you don’t have the budget for the airpods pro or if you don’t use an iphone (although they do still pair well with an iphone too!)

For so long, I yearned for a true headphones to give me the true connection to my soul when listening to my music. I have swap, switch, swing, and had a lot of one night stands with many. But nothing has made me fall in love at first sound until now. I am a firm believer there is a true sound at first ear for everyone and this is the one. I don’t know if I can yearn for anything else beyond this majestic piece of love juice. My ears melt at first touch of the soft silky pads. The girth of the the band brings amazing feeling around my head caressing me and reminding me it loves me unconditionally. As the sound pours through my ears with it soft whispers and vigor bass, I am at awe and excitement at every song, music, and instrumental I have heard before, but now it is uncharted territory for my ear pleasure. The vibration is so subtle and invigorating making me spew of oohs and ahhs. I kid you not, get these headphones and you will melt into the dimension of this love making machine. Thank you Sony ❤️

I don’t notice any exceptional sound quality with these headphones (to my disappointment). However, I do have an aggravating problem with the headphones cutting out while listening. The headphones cut out an average of every 10 or 15 minutes, which kind of ruins the whole listening experience.

*Disclaimer: I bought mine used like new or very good I bought these because theyre rated one of the best headphones on the market, I HIGHLY disagree. Are they bad headphones? No. Are they worth the money? No, not even on sale lol. I returned mine and bought the Sony WH-1000XM4, and heres why: **Noise Cancellation (6/10): This feature was ok at best. The Apple AirPods Max are still top of the line for noise cancellation - I hear nothing when I wear them. With the Sony WH-1000XM5, I can still hear a lot of sounds around me. Id say it cuts out maybe 60-70% of noise. My biggest issue here was that the noise cancellation would turn off randomly - so I would have to manually turn on/off the noise cancellation and ambient noise, which was just irritating. **Sound Quality (7/10): Sound quality was fine, it was nothing exceptional. The first day I received them, something really weird happened and the sound went completely muffled - like I was underwater. I looked up the issue and there have been similar issues for other customers who bought these headphones. The sounds went back to normal the next day, but I was already skeptical about their performance. **Comfort (9/10): I think they were really comfortable. I wear plastic framed glasses, so headphones that work with them can be a mission. The Apple AirPods Max do not work with my glasses at all, they pinch my frames and move them around - I need to wear contacts with them. With the Sony WH-1000XM5, this really isnt an issue. I needed to adjust my glasses every once in a while, but maybe once in like 3 hours. I think theyre one of the best fitting headphones for people with glasses. Also, when I went to adjust the headband portion to make them shorter/tighter, they would slip - they just would not stay adjusted to where I needed them (this could be because I bought them slightly used, so it could have just been from previous wear - but still an issue if they become loose over time). **Product Quality (6/10): The headphones themselves are cheap plastic and just feel flimsy. For almost $400, you would expect them to feel a little better or more sturdy. I was constantly worried I was going to break them. The case is nice and hard, and I personally think they store nicely and are easy to travel around with. I bought the beige ones (again, I bought them slightly used), but the case was dirty and it stains easily since its made of cloth material. The foam on the ear part is very soft, so its kind of just your preference there. I think they felt a little cheap, but I also think that they added to the comfort. **Battery Life (9/10): The battery life is fine, they last pretty long. Im studying for the Bar right now, so I used them for about 10 hours a day. They would last like a little over 10 hours for me before needing to be charged, and charging only took max 3 hours. **Connectivity (5/10): I had huge problems with connecting them to my Mac, I have no clue why. But, just so everyone knows, you need to download the app (Sony Connect) to connect it to your phone and your other devices. They just werent discoverable on my Mac. I restarted my laptop and the the headphones, downloaded the app, connected them to my iPhone, updated my Mac, etc. It took me like 2 hours to get them connected to my laptop. Im not sure if I am just technologically challenged or if they just arent compatible with Apple products, but this process alone made me feel rage that I never thought I would feel. **Aesthetic (7/10): The headphones looked ok on. The ear part was kinda too clunky for my liking. They stick out a little more than other headphones, so I kind of felt like a bear when I wore them. **Overall (7.5/10): I think the headphones are meh. I just wasnt impressed for headphones that are rated sooooo highly in every article online. I did a lot of research and was torn between Sony WH-1000XM5, Sony WH-1000XM4, and the Bose QuietComfort 45. I decided against the Bose only because you cannot turn on/off the noise cancellation with buttons. So between the XM4 and XM5, I picked the XM5 because they were rated so well in online articles, I liked the look of them more (from pictures), and I figured I would just get the most up-to-date model. I returned them mainly because of the connectivity problems, noise cancellation, and sound quality. I just dont think theyre worth the money, especially retail price. I just got the Sony WH-1000XM4 and they are SO MUCH BETTER. The sound/product quality, noise cancellation, connectivity, etc. Final Thoughts: If you want top of the line headphones and have the money to spend, get the Apple Airpods Max. If you want great headphones for a better price, Sony WH-1000XM4. The Bose are apparently SUPER comparable to the Sony WH-1000XM4 and are cheaper in price too. So, if having buttons to turn on/off noise cancellation is irrelevant to you, then get the Bose QuietComfort 45. The end.

Amazing headphones but issues with auto off, chat to speak features, they don’t work as intended so they have to be turn off, almost everyone is having issues with these features, you can do a quick google search. Hopefully we will get some updates from Sony..

I love these headphones so much. I wanted a pair of headphones for my game room but couldn’t find anything pink, noise cancelling and high quality worth the price. I found these and am very pleasantly surprised by them. They are so lightweight and have a great amount of noise cancelling. Love them!

I think the sound quality was and is much better with the 0004 version

I have zero complaints about the audio quality, but the oversensitivity of the touch pad is so f***ing infuriating that the headphones end up having less practical use than some dirt cheap $5 headphones. Itll pick up a tap when I brush past leaves and even start spazzing while Im doing NOTHING. It keeps turning on speak to chat, and even the speak to chat is so f***ing oversensitive that it picks up subway sounds and coughs as me talking. Do yourself a favor and get the XM3 instead. They got it right a long time ago. At the very least, thank goodness theres an option to turn off gestures altogether.