Tech · Sony · 2022
Sony WH-1000XM5
The all-round reference: strongest cancellation on the list with app control nobody else matches.
Overall
8.2
out of 10
Axis scores
Tech is scored on these 5 axes. The total is their plain average — nothing is weighted.
Average of 5 axes
8.2/10
- Performance
- 9.2
- Value
- 7.4
- Durability
- 7.6
- Ease of use
- 8.8
- Design
- 8.2
- Performance — How well it does the core job
- Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
- Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
- Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
- Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room
Specs
- Type
- Over-ear, closed
- Codecs
- SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Battery
- About 30 hrs with ANC on
- Folding
- Cups swivel, no fold
As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.
Is it for you
Buy it if
- Long-haul flights and open-plan offices in the same week
- An Android phone, where LDAC actually opens
- You want the EQ and ambient blend under your own control
Skip it if
- You need them to fold flat into a small bag
- A hinge-free plastic frame worries you for a daily commuter
The XM5 dropped the folding hinge its predecessor had, which is the one thing owners of the XM4 consistently miss. What replaced it is a quieter, lighter frame and a cancellation stage that holds up against engine drone better than anything else in this group.
The app is the underrated part. Ambient level, EQ curves, and speak-to-chat are all adjustable in ways the competition either buries or does not offer. On an iPhone you lose LDAC and a chunk of the reason to choose these over the Bose.
Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.