Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones Review - 6 Months Later

The Sony WH-1000XM5s are one of the best Bluetooth wireless headphones on the market, but is it a pair everyone should pick up? After spending more than 6 months with each one, we definitely have opinions on who these headphones are for and some of the shortcomings with these headphones comfort.

We'll walk you top features like battery life, hardware design, transparency mode, how good their mics and sound profile is, the EQ setting in the Sony Headphones app, their typical price, color, Atmos and spatial audio support an who should go for the WH-1000XM5s.

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0:00 - Battery Life and Noise Cancellation
1:03 - Sony Headphones App
1:32 - Sound Quality & Profile
2:31 - Hardware design & Weight
3:01 - Comfort issues
4:12 - Adaptive Sound Control
5:27 - Transparency Mode
5:49 - Mic Quality & Atheistic
6:21 - Recommendation
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#xm5
#sony
#wh1000xm5

[lesjf]

I have these and the battery life and comfort is outstanding. I have been seeking comfort in headphones for years and these are the best I've ever used. I wore these for three hours straight and experienced no discomfort at all. My ears are relatively small (as a female) so perhaps these are more perfect for me than the reviewer who has larger ears. As for battery life, after charging them to 100% and using them for 6 hours, I have 80% of battery life left.

[sunnys]

When this guy said airpod max are more comfortable than Sony XM5, I felt like I just wasted my time on hearing this review. I know sound quality can be subjective, but how can you not differentiate between bulky and lighter headphones.

[evilkidd]

I just bought a pair.. and so far they're awesome. I dont care that they dont fold.. the sound quality and nc is s tier. The case is good as well. Theyre comfortable as. Lightweight..probably the most comfortable I've ever tried. They're retailed in JBHIFI@$700.00 but i purchased mine at PBTECH for $460.00 here in NZ.

I originally wanted the xm4 model but these were the only ones available. However.. no regrets. Happy purchase. I've owned all the Beats & most of the the other headphones available but these definitely are worth the buy.

[LadislavSzolik]

Very nice review, thank you!
The ear cups size issue can be tested in a shop, but what I was not aware of is the heat. I am thinking to return mine because I can only wear them for max 30-40 minutes until my ears feel really warm (it is still spring time here, not summer).

Sound quality, ACN is far better than my in-ear Airpod Pros.

[paulz]

You have not mentioned the missing sidetone feature which is so important for taking calls (where you actually hear your own voice while speaking with someone)

[jesuscervantesj]

Well i got mines in the blue and i love my babies they are fucken amazing the comfort has been amazing the noise canceling is stellar i can wear these for hours and still have no issues

[trinityadiaz]

My Sony xm5 are amazing.
Some of the things he doesn’t like are nit picking. My wife has the Apple pro max and believe me, they are more comfortable and with Sonys eq sound to my liking. The apple pro max are heavy and that alone to me was a deal breaker

[leongliyang]

i brought it since around June. With midnight blue colour.
just did research about it today about the downside.

the sound profile is bad idea when you are travel car, it automatically turned into walking (not staying mode).
better just switch it off in the app.

ideal for people who don't wear headphone more than 2 hour, just for listen to music is great choice.

[notme]

I took my XM5 on a plane and was wearing it while touching down. I suddenly heard something popped from the inside and before I knew it the sound on the left cup went intermittent it was so annoying. Luckily it was still within warranty and I was able to exchange my faulty one with a new set.
So if you guys are planning to take this on a plane ride, you might wanna take it off and turn it off during departure and landing just to play safe.

[Msal]

I have a full Apple ecosystem and a gaming PC. I prefer XM5s over AirPods Max any day. There's no air pressure, they're light, I like the touch controls better, and in my opinion, they sound slightly better sound with a slightly better ANC than the Max although that's subjective. AirPods have way better Transparency mode and connectivity with device switching, I can wear the XM5s for hours and not feel discomfort, including at the gym.

[Gingerlion]

The extra features is something I never use. I had the xm3 for.. I believe 4 years. Still perfect! I only switched to the xm5 because the battery started to get less. Yes I could have bought the xm4, literally the xm3 but a little better.. but the price difference was so small that I would rather buy the new ones. Overall I'm happy with the xm5! But personally i like the xm3 xm4 design better.

[yrthinks]

will the price reduce on m4 on Christmas i missed out black friday

[rochelleocite]

Can you recommend any comfort headphones?

[candicewhitson]

Did you notice any issues with them? Mine randomly will just stop playing my music. Like while I’m sitting down and working. I’m definitely considering returning these.

[benny]

I'm seeing a lot of comments online saying this product has a build problem which involves the hinge rotator cuff part breaking very easily (like a month of use), is this true? I'm thinking of returning this product or exchange them for Bose Quiet Comfort since it doesnt seems too durable can anybody help me 😥😥

[sonny]

Great headphones but for the price I’m expecting much better build quality. It’s way too much plastic to justify the price.

[g.a.m.b.i]

I've had them since they came out and I still prefer the wh -1000xm4, roll on xm6

[kvernesdotten]

2 years in now, just felt like saying that I very much agree with both the "mesh" thing (which for some reason protrudes out on all Sony headphones?) that covers the drivers and the pads. The mesh I ended up taking out with a dremel because I have very stiff cartilage in my ears and that mesh becomes outright painful after an hour or two, and the pads that is made from this weird synthetic material is a bit annoying, but it turns out its absolutely necessary as its part of the ANC tuning. I pad swapped mine to something more breathable with actual good memory foam in them, and while the sound quality and comfort increased alot, the noise cancelling went down ALOT too. The ANC went from being class leading to worse than some of the cheapest, flimsiest ones Ive tried.

[Jesusandbible]

to me a volime booster is what makes headphones better, can these volume boost? Thanks!

[thisismyname]

watching this video with the xm5 is amazing 😁🙌🏻