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

I have used Bose NC700 for the past year, but saw these on sale for a great price and decided to try them. I had the XM4’s for a short time but had to return them because they were too creaky while wearing them. Luckily I have not had that same issue so far with the XM5’s. My biggest priorities for headphones is comfort, sound quality (both for music and phone calls), and noise cancellation. Comfort The XM5’s have ear cups that are slightly larger than the XM4s and they also look slightly larger than the NC700s. This helps them go over the ears better. However, the NC700s have slightly thicker padding which makes the inside of the cup a little deeper. For this reason, I would say that the NC700s are a bit more comfortable for long periods. The XM5s are very comfortable, but after a couple of hours, I definitely start to feel them more than the NC700s. But both are great. Sound Quality This is a matter of preference, but I prefer the deeper bass and fuller sound of the XM5s. I would say the NC700s have a more balanced sound, with far less low end. The XM5s really give a nice full bass, without it being over-bearing. I do prefer a bit more lower end than what the Bose provides. So for me, I prefer the sound quality of the XM5s quite a bit more than the NC700s. Call Quality I use my headphones for work calls several hours a day. Both the XM5 and the NC700 have great call quality and will work really well if you use them for phone calls or Zoom meetings a lot. I think I’d give the edge to the XM5s because they block out ambient noise slightly better than the NC700s, but the difference is negligible. Noise Cancellation I mean, these are high end headphones and both do a great job with noise cancellation. I will say, I was surprised at how much noise the XM5s can block out. They block out voices and medium pitched noises better than the NC700s. They are both great with lower pitched things like plane noise. But I think the XM5s do a better job overall. Build Quality and Design This is where the Bose NC700s are just better than the XM5s. The build of the NC700s is just beautiful. They feel substantial without being too heavy, and there isn’t a seam anywhere. I also think they just look amazing. The XM5s do have seams around the ear cups and they feel much more plasticky. The XM5s are not bad, but they just are not as good as the NC700s as far as design and build quality. Battery Life The battery on the NC700 lasts me around 13 or 14 hours. The XM5s last around 25 hours. So it’s a pretty big difference. Charging speed seems about the same with both. Odds and Ends Features of each are similar. They both offer pass through audio and it works well on both. Touch controls work equally well on both. The case of the XM5s is a little bigger than the NC700s, if that matters to you. One small difference that may make a difference to some is that if you want to use the cord to plug them into a 3.5mm headphone jack, the end the plugs into the NC700s is 2.5mm. So if you lose the included cord, you will need a specific type of aux cord to replace it (2.5mm to 3.5mm). Whereas the XM5 uses a regular 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux cord. Overall I do like these Sonys better. I just wish they had the comfort and build quality of the Bose. But because of the superior noise cancellation and sound quality, I’m going to be using the Sonys from now on.

i watched some bad reviews from youtube but wanted to try after a few years of bose fan. i still got a new bose and i love this one for my work as it gives slightly better noise cancellation.

They are very nice comfortable headphones with great sound quality but tue size is definitely too much, I love the headphones but the size gets on my nerves thats my only problem

These are wonderful. They are much better than my Bose 35’s. Recently upgraded and noticed the Bose hadn’t updated they’re product in a while and bought these. No comparison. Sony XM5 wins!

I used AirPods for so long and while I still use mine occasionally for this or that, I wouldn’t give up these headphones for anything. We’re these a necessity..no. But has my life gotten better since getting them? Yes! The noise cancellation is amazing and the sound quality is great! And in the app you can customize the audio to your liking and your surroundings. They are expensive, but how can they not be. They are great. If your looking to treat yourself, this is a good option.

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.

Coming from the XM3 headphones, I find the XM5 better in every way where it matters. For me, they are far more comfortable, with larger earcups that no longer touch my ears and somehow reduced pressure on my head overall. The headband is improved for me, though this is one area that may differ for people, so ymmv. ANC is far better than in the XM3 and the adaptive nature means that I dont have to do anything to get the benefit in different environments. With the XM3, I never made changes to the ANC settings, so this is a big improvement. Sound is superb, acoustically nuanced with great sound separation, spaciousness, and tight response. You may want to adjust the EQ to your specific preferences, though it is balanced and brighter than the XM3 enough that is makes the former headset sound muddy after listening to the XM5 headset. I know most reviewers have complained about the case and Im bewildered by that response. Its not that much larger than the prior case in height and width, is a bit thinner with a taper from the cup at the bottom to the band at the top and stays more securely in place in my laptop bag as a result. Perhaps this is an issue for smaller bags if there isnt and extra room, though in my case, this was an improvement for my travel needs along with no longer having to bother folding and unfolding the headphones every time I use them. All around, I love all the improvements made and highly recommend the upgrade, especially if coming from the XM3.

i loved the previous editions of these headphones, and would have kept using them but they were dropped on accident and were no longer functional. i then bought the newest version thinking they’d be even better. (was disappointed :( ) these headphones shut off randomly when using them, the app has been wildly problematic, settings are constantly reset, the battery doesn’t last as long. really disappointed as i would wear and use the others every single day and have no issues. would not recommend these headphones.

These Sony XM5 headphones are a great buy & worth the money. They have good noise cancellation and ambient modes and are comfortable for medium periods of listening. However, Apples AirPods Max has superior Noise cancellation, ambient modes and music reproduction in my experience. Apple AirPods Max are heavy and after 45 minutes become uncomfortable on my large head. I have tested both playing Apple Lossless Music through a DAC and Apple still shines but is over $100 more at $479. The Sony has a better battery life, is lighter and is more comfortable for medium periods of use. I have a big head and even the Sony headphones get uncomfortable after a straight hour of use and cause my ears to get hot. I recently got Technics EAH-A800 headphones for a little less than (@$347) the Sony XM5. The EAH-A800 are better at noise cancellation & ambient modes and have great sound reproduction & best of all I can wear them for hours with no discomfort. If I were buying headphones in the $350 to $400 range I would buy the Technics EAH-800 for better value. Yes Sony does a lot of advertising but the Technics are made by Panasonic and they have a great history in reproducing quality sound.

You can not go wrong with either one of these. I really wanted these to be better than the AirPods Max, but theyre not. I own both AirPods Max and the older Sony 1000XM3s and both of these headsets have their strengths. I was hoping that with all the hype the 1000XM5s would be substantially better than the AirPods Max. The biggest complaint is that when touching the ear cup on the Sonys you can easily hear it, the same action on the AirPod Max is minimal. Both headsets have excellent audio, with the Max edging out the XM5s. Controls -XM5 wins Comfort - I prefer the Max but it is more an individual choice. Case - XM5 Ease of use - Max Noise Cancelling - Tie