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

Unmatched noise cancellation. Ease of use. Works well with the app. I had meetings while there was a construction going on behind me but my coworkers claimed to hear nothing so I am guessing the mic filters out background noise pretty well.

I loved my MX3s. I still have them and when I got the MX5s I tested them. The equalizer and sound is better. The ANC, though? No. Its not great at all, and the app does not help make it any easier--like all of Sonys stuff, they overdo the app and make it hard to easily use, tiny buttons, and slow slow slow response on my iPhone 14 pro. The worst part is the case and lack of foldability. While I love how light these are, they dont fold like my MX3, making them bulky and hard to pack. I will not use the case it weighs almost as much as the headphones. Why they dont fold is beyond me and poor design. While I love the pause when you take them off, if you wear them around your neck theyll restart again immediately and the touch buttons are too sensitive and do the same thing. I was willing to live with them until I tried a friends Airpod Max. While those are way pricier, Im sold on those--way more comfy and the sound is better, plus they fold. I was hoping for much better for these, but not it. The reviews with all the audiophiles gushing over the ANC are horsehockey--simply not that great. The bulkiness and the poor app design (an ongoing reason Sony lost the phone and electronics battle) dont help, either.

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

The sound and noise cancelation is very good. I hate the volume control though, it is very finicky. I also wish the app would allow you to lock it to one device while it is connected to multiple devices. When I am listening to something on my tablet, if the sound pauses for even a microsecond it always switches over to my TV audio device. I dont want it to switch unless I tell it to. It is a major pain having to constantly reopen the app and switch it back. (hoping somebody at Sony reads this)

Ive really enjoyed these headphones and find it difficult to take them off. I was stuck on either getting the XM4s or these and ended up with these as they were basically the same price with the Prime Deal. The appearance of the XM5s ultimately made me decide to get these rather than the XM4s, but there is one important drawback I got from these: I cant wear these around my neck comfortably. They fold outward for no listed reason, so Id have the ear cups rest on my collarbone. The way around this in which I found it the most comfortable would be wearing them above my ear, which is kind of obnoxious in my eyes, but it was the most comfortable position if I didnt want them on my ears. They are super comfortable and I find myself about to fall asleep with them on. Doing activities such as school work with the active noise cancelling helped me get so much work done with little to no distractions. Using them at the gym hasnt really been a hassle, as Id wear a hoodie to protect them from sweat. The music quality is superb and I havent noticed any distortion from higher levels of music. The things that would really drift me away, especially at this hefty price point would be: The lack of any water resistance on the headphones The ear cups not being able to rotate inwards or fold into themselves Touch pad gestures should be able to be customized But other than the features listed above, they may cater towards you, but the XM4s are generally similar if not better than the XM5s.

These are sick. There’s even a app you can customize your settings and how you want specific settings for when your up and active, when someone speaks to you, or if you just sitting down studying. The volume controls are swiping either up or down vertically. To skip songs, it’s horizontal left. They are very comfortable, HOWEVER after certain times after long wear, give or take 5-6 hours they can get a little uncomfortable but I think that’s inevitable. However as a broke college student, these allow me to stay focus while also communicating with my peers. Trust me, they are worth the money.

I bought these headphones and completely fell in love with them… only until I realized how incompatible they were if you weren’t a android user—so much so, I ended up returning them because of my frustration and fatigue with its interface. If you use Apple products like I do, the headphones features like “360 audio” (which was a huge selling point for me) only works when you download an app for the headphones, and then again only works with certain apps and websites, not all audio like Apple Music or Spotify. I found this to be a huge let down and was even more annoyed I needed these myriad of apps to utilize a huge selling feature of the headphones. Besides the compatibly issue the headphones were amazing: great design, amazing audio, and great battery life yet, ultimately for me it’s overly complicated ways and hoops to jump through as an Apple user is what steered me away here. I instead bought the Apple AirPods Max, equally great sound quality, superior design, and elite performance, plus they are insanely and easily comparable with every thing Apple which was a huge selling point for me. Plus, their “spatial audio” (the same thing as “360 degree audio”) actually works seamlessly, which numerous apps, without jumping through hoops. (Also random tidbit—the Sony headphones get extremely hot and sweaty after you wear them for too long. Apples do not, insanely comfortable and breathable for hours on end).

Most people buy this to enjoy music or for the looks. I bought this to get some peace and quiet. I’m a mom of a 2 year old and every single day we have noise. My husband watches tiktok videos on the loudest volume possible while my son is dancing or singing a song. While I love days like this, I found myself over stimulated. It was getting too frustrating and I researched and these were the best noise cancelling headphones in the market. The people were right. I cannot hear a peep when I put these on and I am able to refresh and charge myself for the more hectic moments. I enjoy a little bit of ASMR every now and then and I feel much better. I’m very happy with my purchase and use them everyday. Battery life is also a plus. So I really enjoy this feature with all the other bonuses like high quality sound, aesthetically pleasing, lightweight, etc. Maybe the only con, is the sweat that gets around the headphones but I live in a hot area and just swipe it with a dry rag and I go on. It’s nothing compared to the benefits I get from it.

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.

Great headphones. I like them a lot and think they are great. A little overpriced yet worth it if you listen to music a lot. I gave it a 4 because it has a little too much bass. Better than Bose headphones though.