Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones, Smoky Pink | Auto NC Optimizer, Up to 30 Hrs of Battery, Carrying Case, Crystal Clear Calls, Touch Control, Multipoint Connection
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Availability:
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Wednesday, Jul 29
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Color: Smoky Pink
Features
- PREMIUM NOISE CANCELLATION: Two processors control 8 microphones for unprecedented noise cancellation. With Auto NC Optimizer, noise canceling is automatically optimized based on your wearing conditions and environment.
- MAGNIFICENT SOUND: Engineered to perfection with the new Integrated Processor V1
- CRYSTAL CLEAR HANDS-FREE CALLING: 4 beamforming microphones, precise voice pickup, and advanced audio signal processing.
- LONG BATTERY LIFE: Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging (3 min charge for 3 hours of playback).(USB Type-C Cable included)
- ULTRA-COMFORTABLE: Lightweight design with soft fit leather.
- MULTIPOINT CONNECTION: Quickly switch between devices.
- CARRY CASE INCLUDED: Carry your headphones effortlessly in the redesigned case.
- INTUTIVE TOUCH CONTROLS: Pause play skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls.
- SPEAK-TO-CHAT: Automatically pauses music when you speak, letting sound in so you can conduct your conversation.
- INSTANT PAUSE/INSTANT PLAY: Music automatically pauses when headphones are taken off and starts again when they are put back on.
Description
The WH-1000XM5 headphones rewrite the rules for distraction-free listening. The WH1000XM5 has two processors that control 8 microphones for unprecedented noise cancellation and exceptional call quality. With a newly developed driver, DSEE – Extreme and Hires audio support the WH-1000XM5 headphones provide awe-inspiring audio quality.
Brand: Sony
Color: Smoky Pink
Ear Placement: Over Ear
Form Factor: Over Ear
Impedance: 48 ohm
Brand Name: Sony
Model Number: WH-1000XM5/P
Model Name: WH-1000XM5
Built-In Media: Headphone cable (approx. 1.2 m (47.25 in.)), Headphones, Protective Case, USB Type-C cable (USB-A to USB-C) (approx. 20 cm (7.88 in.))
Age Range Description: Adult
Warranty Description: 1 year
Customer Package Type: FFP
Number of Items: 1
Series Number: 5
UPC: 027242931510
Manufacturer: Sony
Headphone Jack: 3.5 mm Jack
Connectivity Technology: Wireless
Wireless Technology: Bluetooth
Bluetooth Range: 10 meters
Bluetooth Version: 5.2
Control Type: Voice Control
Control Method: Voice
Item Weight: 8.82 ounces
Carrying Case Weight: 2 ounces
Unit Count: 1 Count
Impedance: 48 ohm
Noise Control: Active Noise Cancellation
Frequency Response: 2.4 GHz
Sensitivity: 102 db
Audio Driver Type: Dynamic Driver
Audio Latency: 150 milliseconds
Audio Driver Size: 30 millimeters
Frequency Range: 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz
Enclosure Material: Faux Leather
Specific Uses For Product: Business, Entertainment, Travel
Antenna Location: Exercising, Office Meetings
Compatible Devices: Cellphones, Desktops, Gaming Consoles, Portable Media Player, Smart Speaker, Tablets
Cable Features: Detachable
Water Resistance Level: Not Water Resistant
Additional Features: Adjustable Headband, Auto Noise Canceling Optimizer, Carrying Case, Detachable Cable, Lightweight, Microphone Included, Multipoint Pairing, Multipoint connection, Noise Cancellation, Rechargeable Battery, Touch Control, Volume Control, Wearing Detection
Headphones Ear Placement: Over Ear
Headphone Folding Features: Over Ear
Earpiece Shape: Oval
Color: Smoky Pink
Style Name: Headphones
Carrying Case Color: Smoky Pink
Theme: Video Game
Battery Charge Time: 3 minutes
Battery Average Life: 30 hours
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Wednesday, Jul 29
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
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Top Amazon Reviews
Color: Black
I thoroughly enjoy what Sony has to offer in their product line. I have the PlayStation 5, a Sony Bravia 4K TV and several other Sony products. Yes although I have owned a few of their product line I will not try to be biased here with the review. What got me into Sony products was really their earphones dating back to 2011! They have the best earphones you could get for $20 back at the time in 2011 and now the quality they still continue to put out never disappoints! Here's the pros and cons of the Sony WH-1000XM5. Update: I also picked up the XM4 Earbuds from Sony and take note that those are on a different level for listening to music compared to the XM5 Over the Ear headphones. Shares the same features like the XM5, not the same sound like over the ear obviously but also more marketed to those who goes to the gym and likes something more compact. Pros: Comfortable and lightweight! I don't ever have a complaint with what they have to offer when it comes to comfort. These are better than BOSE in regards as to comfort. I think the one thing that makes them comfortable also is that they are light. They weigh only about 0.56 pounds! People tend to have problems with headphones if they are heavy in my opinion! I also assume they use a low density memory foam for cushioning which is great but will eventually need to be replaced or tended to if left compressed or squished for too long. Unique features Noise Cancelling is top notch but not much different than their previous lines in my opinion! It is a standard these days to get noise cancelling and the headphones are great for drowning out noise if need be. They also tend to those who need to be aware of their surroundings by implementing a ambient mode like previous models. Works great and works like a charm by either taking the headphones off or covering the touch control panel. Also the Speak to Pause Music feature is insanely nice to have! Helps when your hands are busy and or you just don't want to adjust your headphones having to speak. Superb sound! The sound quality out of these are amazing! Does really well in all areas of music genres. Particularly really in low frequencies for bass! I get to enjoy these at a great volume and it pairs amazingly with my PS5 as a gaming headset! (Will mention the headphones does not come with a microphone for gaming when using a headphone jack.) As a pair of noise cancelling headphones, you can expect to hear a positively good detail in music, movies, gaming or even a phone call! They are clear and surprisingly really balanced. The microphone on these headphones for phone calls are great. Better than the previous versions. Fast charging! The charging rate of these headphones is incredible! I never knew how fast charging can be with this! There's times I have left this powered on overnight as I'm at work for my 10 hour job and it was drained by the time I wanted to use it again. In those times I left it charging and goodness greatness these were ready to go in a about 10-15 minutes! I enjoy these so much that I'm actually glad they have a 24-30 hour battery life. Cons: Cost. Its expensive! If you can get these on sale, it's worthwhile! If it's in your budget go for it! You pay for what you get in my opinion and these are worth their weight in gold! Fitment. They don't exactly fit around my short wide neck whenever I need to take it off and be present in a conversation or in my surroundings. Not exactly a big matter or deal breaker. More so it's a personal perspective. My neck size is 15 ¾ inches in circumference and that's pretty average I believe. I have to extend these in order to keep them around my neck without compromise. They also do not fold inward like the previous Sony headphone models but again never a issue. Cushion. Yes the ear cup cushions are comfortable but again when I place them around my neck it compresses the cushion to a point where it feels awkward after putting it back on. I'm looking at other options to replace their soft fit leather design. Update: There is different earcups that you can replace the OEM cups with but it comes at a cost of I believe $60 which is worth noting. Conclusion. Worthiness of $350+ (price as of 12/07/2022) during the holidays? Yes! Personal opinionated review: Sony WH-1000XM5 or other leading competition? Sony, easily Sony. I've never been unhappy about this purchase and I tell people that Sony is industrial leading company that continues to impress people when it comes to their headphones. Beats by Dre(Apple), Apple and Bose has always been great by popularity but Sony gets appraised by quality! I will update this review as I go until they put a new model out.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2022 by Richard Huynh
Color: Midnight Blue
Greetings, Good headphones for the price. I used to use Samsung Buds 1 as wireless earphones. For me this was a major update from Samsung earphones, I guess. + Bluetooth works well. Sometimes in crowded spaces, like an office, earbuds used to disconnect randomly due to radio band congestion. These are working well, haven't experienced any disconnects for a month since I bought them. + The battery life is much much longer comparing to my buds. I can charge them once in 2 weeks and use them for ~5 hrs 5 days a week. + Weight is also good. I used to have some older Sony wireless headphones, don't remember the exact model, but it was from 2020. That sony was heavy, these are light. Not as light as my Dekoni Blue, but pretty good, considering the battery life and wireless feature. Also, surprisingly for closed headphones, it's not that hot in Texas summer, I comfortably wear them outdoors, a bit sweaty, but ain't a sweat river. + Touch pad is cool, I also like that if you suddenly need to take them off for a moment, they will pause the media. Nobody will hear that you are listening to Merzbow. + It seems that people are not very eager to by a blue colored headphones, but I like it. It looks beautiful to me. Blue like blueberries. I like blueberries. A little bit darker than blueberries, but hey, you know what? My left eye gives me less brightness than my right eye. I don't remember which eye did I use to evaluate the color though... It's blue! + Range is good as well, for sure it's enough for an apartment or 1 storey cave. + Noise cancellation is good. it's not perfect, I can still hear a bit of chit-chatting on the background but it's definitely less distracting than the buds. Sharp sound like mech keyboard I can still hear though muffled. + The super duper major upgrade for me is a mic. Damn, I don't know how to describe how bad Samsung Buds 1 mic was. People on a call hear everything around me birds, cars, THE WIND, oh that damn wind... but not my voice. Sony did a good job. Of course it's not perfect, but it works and it makes me happy. + Well, now, the least important thing, sound quality, right? It's good. I ain't Ludwig van Beethoven, but to me, they sound good. Ambient, DnB, folk, metal, darkthrone, everything sounds good. TLDR 9/10 because only Richard Stallman deserves 10/10.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2026 by Nick
Color: Black
I am almost 65 years old SO, I DO NOT have the ears of a 18 year old. That said, I consider these to be good for these reasons: A: Exceptional battery life. B: Call quality that was considered good UNTIL I did a direct comparison to my Blueparrott B450-XT’s - NO WHERE NEAR the quality of the Blue 450’s, BUT the Blues are made specifically for calls in noisey environments. . Blues are in my opionion the defacto standard by which all other ANC phone calls should be judged. My "demo" for people is to run my upright vacuum cleaner whilst on a call. People on the other end cannot hear it AT ALL – REALLY!, I hear them, and they hear me perfectly! TRULY amazing! I did the same test with these and alas they failed miserably in comparison. I expected that. I was told they sound like I am in a room away from the microphone, a bit fishtank like, and muddy. SO, they’ll do in a call but not as a primary phone call device in noise. I heard a sample of the BOSE 700’s and they were terrible, which is what prompted me to get the Sony’s. C: One unconventional thing they do great at: A Sleep Aid. Yup, they drown out all the extraneous noises like people talking, Air conditioners, fans, Water coolers, hums, etc. ALL gone with nothing playing through them! I bought them primarily for playing on my PS5, and watching TV late at night. They do both quite well. D: Amazingly, my ears do not sweat much in these even after prolonged use. I’ve ordered those Dekoni Suede Earpads for them as well just for added comfort. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4T3X62?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) (5/16/23 - Returned The earpads: they claim they are suede when in fact they are 2/3 suede. The inner part inside the cup is something else, not leather so NOT durable. Considering this, $49 seems FAR too expensive.) E: They are long-term comfortable unless you have ears like a B-52 in which case you will probably be stuffing bits. As for music, I find them to be more flat without pronounced highs or bass - which I prefer. The EQ on the app is a nice feature. The ANC works very well listening to music and will be adequate to the task in both quiet and noisey settings. Again, I remind you, I’m not 18. ;-) Pricewise, they ARE a bit expensive but the build quality seems better than most. If you have the time, I would HIGHLY recommend you test several brands and models at a store simply because sound quality is subjective and EVERYONE has their preference. UPDATE: 5/23/23 - Returning (REPLACING) Headphones - Why? They started acting "Funky". By that, I mean that if you turn them off, they will not turn on unless you do not hit any buttons for about 15 sec. NOT normal. ALSO, they started to exhibit Connection issues that were NOT there initially. I STILL, at this point consider them excelllent. Now, if the NEW pair goes weird, THEN I would have to re-evaluate. UPDATE 6-3-23: New pair are working as they should no connection issues or on/off bttun problems. UPDATE 2-16-24: Still working perfectly and I use them nearly every night to sleep. UPDATE 7-31-25: Still working great and I still use them as silencers.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2023 by Waydavis
Color: Black
EDIT AFTER 1 YEAR OF USE: One of the most frustrating device I've EVER used. I've tested this on 3 separate PC's! If you want to wirelessly connect this to your PC via Bluetooth, hope whatever you're doing is worth stopping! 7 out of 10 times it just connects for a few seconds (no sound), then disconnects, and repeats forever till you LITERALLY RESET YOUR PC and hope it works this time. There's no way around it. I've tried unpairing it from the PC, resetting the headphones, updating the firmware of both devices. NOT ONLY THESE ISSUES but at COMPLETE random it'll decide to turn on "Speak to Chat" without ANY input or button presses from me. Having this option on means every time you speak, grunt, or hum, it'll drastically turn down the volume of the sound in your headphones for about 5 seconds, forcing you to stay as quiet as possible. The only way to turn this off is to go into the app and turn it off, EVERY time." I no longer recommend this device. Sure, it works pretty well, but with all it's issues, if I had another choice that was equal, I'd pick something else. Edit after 5 months of use: Disconnects are more frequent, and at times it would suddenly lower the audio quality. The only way to fix it is to stop everything you're doing, turn it off, turn it on, and hope it reconnects. If I could, I'd get a refund. Either I have a defective model or it happens to everyone just not as frequent. **Edit after a month of use: Using Multi-device connection is very spotty, 3 out of 10 times the headphones will completely turn off without warning, even with a full battery. Noise cancelling is still very annoying, I'll hear all the sound around me till it decides to kick in and block some of it. With no way to adjust the amount of Noise Cancellation happening, the M3's I've been using has better blocking on some occasions. The issue with the band on the top is still just as bad, it genuinely hurts after long amounts of use. The only improvement from the M3 that I see is I can KIND OF sleep on my side with these on and they stay on my head better without sliding down. I still do no recommend this unless you plan on wearing it for short periods and in a quiet environment.** So this review is coming from someone who's worn the M3 Headset for over 4 years and I have to say, it's awful. I live in a place where there's sound in every direction. Dogs barking, kids screaming, everything you can think of, and ANC is a requirement for getting any work done. So the good: - Ear cups are comfortable, doesn't crush your head after long periods of time. - Sound is good, not absolutely amazing, but good. You need to download the Sony app to alter the sound to allow any bass to work, otherwise it'll sound static-y. - ANC is awesome but it's adaptive, which I don't like, but can be a plus for some. When it worked it blocked out almost every single sound. - The case design is cool, it has a little compartment inside that holds the charger cable and headphone jack. The bad: - I'm used to my M3's cancelling noise constantly, this device would adapt to the sound around you, letting sound bleed through before blocking it out after. Example: I was listening to a song at moderate volume, I could make any sound I want and I couldn't hear it. When the music had a break in volume, I could hear a LOT outside the headphones. - The head band that goes over your head is PAINFUL! It legit hurt after only an hour of use, it has almost NO padding and it was a thin plastic. - THE COLLAPSABLE CASE IS TERRIBLE! I unzipped the case to take the headphones out, I used them for a good 2 hours, put them back into the case, and when I went to open it again the zipper got stuck and it's IMPOSSIBLE to open now. Trust me, I got three separate people to try and open the case, they can't. I've been looking forward to a new ANC headphone brand, and I'm disappointed Sony didn't have someone wear these for more than an hour or try zipping and unzipping the bag more than a few times before going "yep, let's send them out.". Sadly, I do no recommend these unless they are on sale and you DIY a comfortable way of wearing them for the top of your head. If they update the ANC and you want to work on making it not hurt the top of your head, they are decent, but not 400$ plus tax decent. The red circle on the picture shows a hole in the zipper, making it impossible to fully open.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2022 by Bunny
Color: Midnight Blue
(sigh) [The Update to the The Update: I think I'm more than a little red-faced right now, because I sorta (sorta???) jumped the gun on rant from a day or so earlier (ya think?). Turns out that my XM5 DOES have a fairly simple reset process that Sony Customer Service was kind enough to send the directions to me via email. And best of all it really worked, so the noise canceling function is back up and running again, apparently as good as before. I also found out that my headphones still were under warranty (1 year warranty coverage), so if the reset had failed I would still have about two months to get the unit back to Sony for repair or replacement. Big oops. I sincerely apologize to any Amazon customers for my indignant and hasty tirade where I threw Sony under the proverbial bus. That was very much premature on my part and I deeply apologize to all of you who rely upon these reviews for accurate and unbiased user opinions on the products that you're interested in buying. But most of all I want to apologize to Sony, because I think my rant hurt them the most. Given how well their customer service people responded and sought to take care of my problem with my XM5, I certainly truly do deserve to eat a big slice of humble pie. Revised rating: 4.5 stars instead of the original 5-star rating, because a printed owner's guide wasn't included in the original XM5 packaging.] [The Update: Well it was an extremely good 10 months. Up until today I had few if any serious complaints about the XM5. But today things are different because the noise canceling function decided to, well you know, "S" the bed. Basically the failure seems to be with the NC function button, which no longer allows me to switch the noise canceling on or off. And unfortunately for me the XM5's NC is in the OFF setting. But I think there's likely something that's a deeper problem with the NC circuitry because the auto-mute function is "working" (well at least it's making the on/off sound effects as if it's trying to work) even though it's definitely NOT in noise canceling operation. I guess this is one of those times that I wish I had opted for the Amazon extended warranty. But I didn't so that's that. Less than a year of perfectly functioning use; a bloody shame, this. What once was a product that I gave a five-star rating, but with a very key component feature now non-functioning, it's most sadly a less than one-star headset from this point going forward. Yes it still works for simple listening, whether to music or a phone call, but it's the NOISE CANCELING that made it completely worth the $300 cost (after tax) for me. And now that's dead and gone. Naturally failure is never an option that's desired and I do know that "S" happens, but I can't help but feel that this time Sony has let me down given the relatively short amount of time that this headphone has been in non-daily use since both my now ancient XM2 and dusty XM3 are still working as if they were just taken out of the box. Yeah...I'm definitely NOT happy, and not particularly inclined to take a chance with the newer XM6 that's now live. I think Sony may have just lost me as a customer, but maybe a calmer head will prevail but the way I'm feeling right now, I sorta doubt it.] My original review: I recently bought this XM5 as a perceived upgrade from my old XM3 bluetooth cans. I had held off this purchase, thinking that by now Sony would've released the XM6 by now. But no, Sony decided to continue making and selling the XM5. Tired of any further waiting for something that might not happen anytime soon, I finally caved and bought the XM5 when Amazon put the price back under $300 for the October 2024 Amazon Days. The first thing I noted was how CHEAP the packaging and the accompanying accessories were for this XM5. No stout carrying/storage case this time around. The headphone's boxed packaging might appear to be about Sony trying to be environmentally conscious and being "green", but I suspect that Sony was more about SAVING some green by cheapening up their packaging costs. Even at a discount price, the rudimentary unboxing process made me feel a bit cheated. However after charging up the XM5, I have to admit that in the end it's really only about the user experience with the headphones. And I must confess that it's pretty great, a definite step forward from the XM3 from two generations before. The XM5 is definitely more comfortable for me than the XM3, which itself wasn't all that bad to begin with. I still loathe the swipe controls on the right earpad, but at least I god used to them during my years of using the XM3. I have six plus decade old ears, so a LOT of the sonic range is now denied to my brain as my ears certainly don't perform like they used to. But I still can hear enough to say that acoustically the XM5 is a noticeable step forward from the old XM3. While initially the XM5 sound seemed a little colder and a bit on the sharp side, the soundstage imaging is better and more appealing to me, and detail recreation seems marginally improved over the older headphones. So far well-recorded live performances sound a bit more spatially realistic than what was possible with the XM3, and as the burn-in hours add up (roughly about 120 hours of burn-in so far), I suspect that these nuances with further blend, warm up and smooth out. I don't generally use over-ear wireless headphones for phone calls, so I can't really comment about this feature set of the XM5 when I used it with my cellphone. It does seem to work okay, and persons on the other end seem to regularly claim that they can hear me well enough. All in all I'm pleased with the XM5 so far. It sounds nicer than the retiring XM3 I had been using, and it fits my large noggin decently well. I do think that the headband is, if anything, a bit on the loose side. But that does seem to aid in making the XM5 wear as comfortably as it does for me. The XM3 was a difficult set to wear to sleep; any slight turn of my head at night often resulted in neck pain the next morning. I've not had this problem at all with the XM5. So far it's been a 5-star experience, and I'm looking forward to continuing to use these for the next few years.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2024 by monoblocks
Color: Black
I did some pretty exhaustive research to figure out what over-ear headphones I should get during Prime Day. I picked these up for about $200, and so far I feel like that was a steal. The sound is as good as my Sennheiser HD 599 SE (which is the only other premium pair of over-ears I've had) but without all the background noise of their open backs. The features are great. A quick button press or a cupped hand over my right ear, and I can hear what's going on around me. If I get up and start walking around, I can have it automatically switch to ambient audio. With the Sony headphones app, I can switch between clear, balanced audio and warm bassy sound as I please. I've only ever had ANC on earbuds before, and though some of those have been really great, this is a whole 'nother level. There are times when I think I must be blowing my eardrums out with the volume because I truly can't hear anything else — not my fan, not my PC, not the AC, not even my husband talking in the next room. But then I take a look at my phone and realize the volume is only a couple of notches up. It's just *that* good at blocking all of those things out. I can't wait to see how well this quality of ANC fares on something like an airplane. I wear thick plastic framed glasses, and though I can certainly feel them pressing against my head with these on I can still wear both all day without any real discomfort. I go seamlessly from PC to phone without having to repair or anything. And as long as I plug them in at night, the battery level is never any concern.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2026 by Jerry Binder
Color: Black
I own Sony’s WH-1000 XM4s and the Bose 700s, two of the leading models in the industry. I had AirPods Max for a minute, but I rage-sold them. To me, the Sony and Bose are both awesome headsets. So I was psyched to hear Sony was releasing XM5s. Summer’s here, and these can get a little hot on hot days outdoors. It’s like wearing earmuffs on the beach. But, if you can get past a little sweaty ears, or if you use them indoors or on airplanes, you should be a little excited. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones feature, what Sony advertises, “industry-leading noise cancellation.” And they ain’t lyin. With Bluetooth 5.2 and Sony's QN1 and V1 chips, the XM5s have DUAL processors - compared to the lonely single processor of the XM4. These two processors control 8 microphones for crazy accurate noise cancellation. Think - a little computer actually sampling noise from fans, airplane engines, air conditioners, motors, and consistent noise like that - and creates an identical but perfect opposite wave, so they kinda cancel each other out. And this time, the dual processors are capable of filtering higher frequency sounds, including some voices. It’s pretty cool tech. The first time you hear this, it’s like magic! In my video review, you can see my personal reaction. With the XM5s, noise canceling is automatically optimized based on your wearing conditions and environment. You don’t have to do anything. It knows if you’re sitting, walking, in an airplane, et cetera. No, noise reduction probably won’t completely cancel a very loud angry spouse, or a crying baby. But the over the ear closed design may help dull annoying sounds. A very small cadre of people claim they become nauseous using noise cancelling headphones, and especially the old model XM4s. I’ve never experienced this personally, but be aware it could happen. You can disable it if you need to. Some people thought the WH-1000XM4s were too snug. I thought they felt great, but they’ve improved the fit with a new lightweight design with soft-fit leather. This material fits snugly but with less pressure on your ears while still keeping out the external sounds you don’t want to hear. There were a few other design changes – the XM5s aren’t foldable like the XM4s, and there’s a redesigned case that’s collapsible to save room in your bag when you’re wearing your headphones. With up to 30 hours of battery life, you’ll have enough power to travel halfway to the moon in one of Elon Musk’s rockets. But, in case you forgot to charge and you’re in a hurry, you can get 3 hours' worth of charge after just 3 minutes with an optional AC adapter. And unfortunately, the in-flight plug adapter is not included in the supplied accessories this time. But who uses that anyway? That’s so old school! Fortunately, there still is an aux-in for you old-school holdouts. The touch controls survived, where you can pause/play/skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant, and answer phone calls. And the speak to chat lives also, where as soon as you start a conversation, Speak-to-Chat automatically stops your music and lets in ambient sound. And wear detection knows when you take them off. But – how do they sound? Sony has popped new, more rigid, 30mm carbon fiber drivers in the XM5s. They have more of an audiophile sound profile with slightly more balanced sound, better clarity, and more accurate bass. That’s important if you listen to real music, you know, with actual instruments, like rock, jazz, r and b, country, classical, and music like that. The XM4s have 40mm drivers, which will probably be better for hip-hop. The XM5s will reproduce hip-hop very accurately, meaning the way the studio producer intended you to hear it, but they probably won’t have the head-vibrating tinnitus-inducing bass many people want. TBH that's hard to find in any headphone due to physics. The XM5s support LDAC and spatial 3D audio, whatever that is, and they have also upgraded their Sony Music Studios Edge-AI music algorithm, which somehow magically guesses what musical dynamics were lost during compression and tries to replace that, so everything sounds crisp and clean without losing the bass that’s necessary in most of today’s popular music. I have heard some folks claimed the MX4s sounded “muddy” with some music. I didn’t notice that, but I’m a producer and I’m familiar with equalization. There are about 20 presets including several you can create yourself. And even without the Qualcomm APTX Low Latency chip, both my XM4s and XM5s allowed me to watch a complete movie on Netflix on my 2022 Samsung Frame television, wirelessly, from 10-plus feet away, with ZERO loss in mouth synchronization. Plus, like my XM4s, the XM5s still have dual Bluetooth pairing so you can pair them with two devices at the same time and switch back and forth between them. It's a pretty cool feature if you use them for your phone, but also want to use them to watch YouTube videos at work on your computer. But, you probably shouldn’t tell your boss about that. And the XM5s work with Google Assist, Alexa, and Siri. You can even set up Spotify playback with a few taps. Try that on your Air Pods Max. The big win seems to be a vast improvement in the sound of your voice during phone calls quality. They’re actually impressive when it comes to calling in louder rooms. I’ve made test calls on busy streets and on windy sidewalks, and my call-ee said she couldn’t tell I was actually outdoors. Apparently, the four beam-forming microphones and the dual-processor software can recognize your voice and somehow block a lot of background noise. I mean, you can still probably hear tire screeches, gunshots, and car alarms, things you’ll typically hear in the city. But a lot of the noise is just gone. Like magic! Oh – and there’s Speak to Chat. You start speaking, and the XM5s automatically adjust noise cancellation to pick up the voices of other people. No buttons, no fumbling with your phone. That’s a pretty cool feature. So are they worth the upgrade? If you have XM4s and you think your call quality is shaky, then grab some XM5s and sell your sweaty old XM4s on Craigslist. If you’re moving from Bose's Noise Canceling 700 or QuietComfort 45s, the new dual processors and 8 microphone array will provide some noticeable improvements, plus the dual Bluetooth sync, so they’re probably worth looking into. If you’re done with your Air Pods Max and prefer better compatibility with non-Apple stuff including android phones, PCs, and Sony or Samsung Smart TVs, it’s a no-brainer.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022 by Fresh and Felicia
Color: Black
I bought the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2 a couple of years ago, refurbished like new. Its sound is excellent, and its soundstage is good as they claim. However, its microphone was not as good as I had hoped. Fast-forward to 2024, the Sony WH1000MX7 was on sale for nearly 50% off the original MSRP. Of all of the Bluetooth headphones with ANC, it was consistently rated the best or runner-up. Notably, its microphone was well-regarded. I bought one, refurbished like new. I will compare these two as they were contemporaries and direct competitors. My general use cases consist of listening to music while I work, participating in a virtual meeting, and talking on the phone while I do chores around the home. Music on the Bowers and Wilkins is where the headphones shine. The Px7 S2 was reported to have a very neutral sound out of the box. I found that to be very true. Its soundstage magic and clarity of drivers gave each part of the music very good separation. I listened to the Jurassic Park theme song from years ago — don’t judge. It is orchestral with many instruments contributing to the detailed delight of sound. I use this track to sound-check every new pair of headphones I get, so this would have been the sixth or seventh pair of headphones I used to listen to that theme song. For the first time, I heard two or three instruments whereas before I thought there was only one. How did the Sony’s do? They were pristine headphones, but they couldn’t achieve that level of detail and separation. Out of the box, the Sony headphones are said to be a bit bass-heavy. However, the customization feature of the app allowed me to tune the bass to my preferences. Sony partially compensates with its app and five-channel equalizer, but it could not better B&W’s music-playing prowess. For the second challenge, the Px7 S2’s were wasted on video conferencing calls. Yes, my managers never sounded so life-like except when they were in person. My tuned Sony cans were more than capable of reproducing their sound. Sony wins this round, because my colleagues described me as sounding more loud with my Sony’s. And in the final challenge, I switched between the two headphones while taking telephone calls. For the most part, the Px7 S2’s was overqualified in sound production. Background sounds on my end were also filtered out by the mic, except on two occasions when I got ice from my ice dispenser and ripped open a package at chest height. Meanwhile, the Sony sounded just fine, but the ice dispenser was not so annoying at the other end. Other notes: The Px7 S2 has a physical button to toggle on-off. It’s a quick flip of the switch, and within seconds it is connected and ready to go. The Sony’s power button is a press-and-hold button. It’s a little more annoying, because if you hold it too long, it does something else. It takes just as long to get connected. Gone are the days I tell my conversation partner to wait while I get bluetooth connected and have to put on elevator music for them. Of the two designs, I prefer Bowers and Wilkins’s. The Sony headphones rely mostly on touch controls. Although all manner of functions can be done via touch, I can’t remember which gesture does what. The Px7 S2 uses physical buttons for volume control, play/pause, and connect and disconnect. Once more, I prefer the physical controls. Finally, the B&W headphones are noticeably heavier than the Sony ones. If you’re sitting and staying still, the extra weight doesn’t matter. On the other hand, if you’re up and about and turning your head often, the Sony’s feel much more planted on the head. The Sony’s are generally regarded as having better ANC. In my experience around the house, they’re very close. It still surprises me which sounds get through ANC and which don’t. With enough happening around you, the Sony’s seem to block more sound. You can’t go wrong with either pair of headphones. It’s very much up to your preferences. If you like strawberry — I don’t know — go with one of them. If you prefer chocolate, then go with the other one, I’d say. Ok fine. If you want a more feature-filled app or better EQ or better mic or lighter weight => Sony. Sound or materials and style => B&W. How about that?
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Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2024 by Chicken Little