Sony WH1000XM5: Painfully Honest Review

I call the colour stone. I think it looks way better than black.

I bought these purely for air travel, to block noise for sleeping as well as the on flight entertainment. They are really good, no complaints at all.

I know Sony spends a lot on marketing but to anyone who never listened to them: XM5s are really bad headphones. Very, very bad. Muffled bass, overwhelming bass everywhere, no voice uplifting, very bad instrument separation, non-existent imaging and sound stage. They are basically thrash sound-vise. Even cheap HD 560S beat the shit out of them sound-vise. ANC is great, probably the best on the market right now, we have to give them that.

Stuck with the XM4's for the portability aka the fold!

Your choice of words is very good in differentiating the 3 headphones. Guess that’s so fundamental but often overlooked by others.

Over a minute in and all buddy has done is self promotion.
All this dude does is play at acting, and failing at trying to be cool.
Lost interest.

Thanks! I'm in the market for some new headphones. These new Sony M5s have been getting great reviews.

I chose the Sennheiser Momentum 4 over the Sony XM5s because if you do a quick google search of "XM5 Broken Hinge," you'll see that they are made of notoriously cheap plastic that breaks within months. Also, their customer service will NOT reimburse or replace them for you, no matter what.

Hi. Is there some sound quality difference (listening music) between bluetooth and cable connection or listening music via cable while when the headphones are turned on and off?

Just got the Sony's today. Sound in cancellation is impressive but there is a bit of a learning curve.

Where I live, the XM5 are half the price of Airpods Max, but no matter how much I tried to like them, they just feel way too cheap even for that price. Same connectivity quirks as with any Sony products, and to my ears, the sound wasn't that great either (I enjoyed more Bose 700 or Momentum 4 that I've listened to recently).

My Take ForYour Consideration . . .
The XM5 just look so cheap and are upon examination very cheaply built .
Sony abandoned the unrivaled fit of the XM3 XM4 Which is better than any headphones in my collection .
I feel like a peasant wearing the XM5s And Sony Felt It A Good Thing To Up The Price By $50.00 .
I Bought & Returned 2 Pairs Of XM5s Months Apart Trying To Give XM5 A Second Chance To See The Value In Them And Other Than The ANC Their Is No Value I Could Find In The XM5s .
The Headband Is Ultra Thin And Hurts the Top Of my Head Which Has Never Happened With My XM3 Or XM4 .
My SoundCore Q35 & Q45 Have Better Sound Quality And Look Much Nicer Than Sony XM5 Especially The Q45 .
MAYBE SEE MY ULTIMATE COMPARISON VIDEO Q35 VS Q45.

What about the microphone quality and specifically the noise reduction?

DON'T BUY SONY BUDS! My WF-1000XM4 have NEVER given more than an hour of listening. I typically accept any glitches that occur are on my end. But also expect professional, helpful support for WELL RATED, BUT EXPENSIVE product. I own working products - Walkman, an old point n shoot, two Vaios. BUT THESE BUDS AND SUPPORT HAVE BEEN HORRIFIC. I'm not a technophile, I always blame my unfamiliarity, not the product. BUT after a half dozen calls over a year, I threw in the towel.  Over months I spoke with lovely off-shore customer service. But, when I finally threw in the towel, and asked to send for check-up OR get a U.S. Rep to call me, ROADBLOCKS.

First, SONY won't send anything to our business U.S.P.S. Box! We're in a rural community and boxes typically get damaged or picked. Yet, a) SONY will not allow communication with U.S. reps - only Central Amer or Phillipines. Lovely folk, but claim unable to enable U.S. contacts. HOURS wasted. Just followed their Chat tutorial and R bud battery dead after 20 minutes - after "100% charged; Left went ten minutes later. DO NOT BUY.

Your ac/dc t-shirt and guitar right next to you made me trust your opinion about the xm5 and changed my mind about getting the xm4. Thanks

Your ac/dc t-shirt and guitar right next to you made me trust your opinion about the xm5 and changed my mind about getting the xm4. Thanks

How close is the xm5 with a good eq compared to the sennheiser momentum 4 in terms of sound quality

If I enjoy bass and want decent sound quality, are the xm4's a good option for me? I can get them for $200 and I heard they are more comfortable than the xm5's. Apparently they get painful after a bit due to thin padding all around.

At last there is someone who isn't afraid to say the xm5s sound better than the apples. Absolutely agree. Cheers man.

Hello, I have a question, I'm considering buying XM5 for running. Well, I mean "running", because I'm a wheelchair user, so not for running but for long-distance wheeling :)

The problem is that those headphones don't have any waterproof. Are they have some resistance against rain or sweat? Or should I go for other options?

Nice Review..It Worth it to buy the Sony Wh-1000XM5 please?Until Now The Sound Quality/Build Quality/Comfort/Battery Life and Charging/Features/App Still Great please?

Can someone assume most ppl have seen 6 rewiews already just want to hear about the shitty bits.

Xm5 Don't buy them... the headbands break in under 12 months and Sony won't replace their poor engineering , instead they expect you to pay another 60% on the original purchase price to get an 'upgrade' .
Not to mention the other issues like, sound and mic dropping out mid call.. unit turns off even though fully charged... changing settings randomly and can only change it back on the app... go elsewhere.. Sony has created a really expensive disposable item

I’m honest person, xm5 is good for noise canceling only but however the sound is still good but the volume is lower than xm4.

I've had the WH-XB700s for a few years now. Hope to upgrade later this year. I don't think Apple headphones work on the PlayStation console, which is ridiculous. They're headphones.

Jason. you really shouldn't say the Sony are anywhere near the expensive, heavy, sucked out, AAC only, you will upset the Apple fanboys!

Which colour looks good white vs black?

thank you for the excellent review, Im going to get mine!

Great review ! . i would like to know about the bluetooth abilities : speed of conectivity , the ability to connect to 2 devices in the same time. thank you

$450 for headphones... that's a def no from me. You can buy a pixel 7 instead

What about the microphone? Is it a headset you can use for remote working?

I have the xm3’s and they’re simply amazing. Awesome that older models drop in price a lot once a new one comes out!

I bought both the sony wh and wf xm4 and i noticed only in the wf model sounded abit rolled off on high and low frequency but the over ears sounds awesome

Thanks. Great review.

They have a sale on walmart everyone!!

The Sennheiser m4 are my favourite. These Sonys pitched my ear and still are dull sounding to me

great !!!

Tried XM3 send back years ago. One week ago tried XM5 and unfortunately sent it back as well... Shame, because liked comfort and style. They sound good, plenty of features, decent build, but something is missing in sonys sound... there's nothing special / epic compared to Bowers & Wilkins and Sennheiser

man i'm so in between

xm4's seem pretty good, and is the cheapest in my region (300 bucks translated to dollars)

bose qc45's are more expensive but not by toooo much (360 bucks translated to dollars)

meanwhile xm5's are sold (currently) for airpods max' money ((though it was like 415~dollars yesterday, now is 500 dollars))

any uhhh ideas, mr lewis?

Not being able to fold em is a dealbreaker as a student who has very little space in my backpack

I have the XM4 and the AirPods Max. The XM4s are now my travel headphones due to the fact that they fold up nicely into the very nice included case. I use the Apple headphones for audiobooks, and I like these because they lack touch sensitive controls that I accidentally hit all the time on the XM4s when listening in bed at night. I have no need for and will not be getting the XM5s.

You missed an opportunity for channeling your inner Jerry Maguire with “help me help you help yourself”. 😜

I have the XM4 and love em

I am getting rid my xm5 and get sennheiser momentum 4. These are not comfortable due to shallow ear cup.

I have the beoplay h95 i want something of a powerful sound giving this to a sibling out of town. I'm getting the Sennheiser Momentum 4 or Sony (Ldac) or PX7 S2. Should i wait or get the Sony's
Of course the Xm4 took away the sound quality my other old wireless hifi headphones won't name the brand from Sweden that lacked dynamic response and i was so impressed with the sound signature.
Thanks

I wish Jason would review one of the Sony Xperia phones if he can get one, great t-shirt.

I just picked up the XM 4s on prime day for $246. I’ve been using the Sony MDR 1AM2s as my daily drivers. I still use those for music but i needed a dependable wireless set of headphones. I have a pair of AirPods Max but i just cant wear them. They’re too heavy for me. Outstanding content as always 👍😎

This vid is why I don't talk in vids! Same with Linus' exceptionally bad review of this product.

Here Jason r u getting the zenphone 9.. has a headphone jack and lots of power.

So honest it hurts! 🔥🎧👍🏻