Sony WF-1000XM5 review: The buds to beat

The best headphones to beat are the Sony WF-1000XM5.

Sony wf-1000XM5

Great earbuds have great audio, great ANC, and great battery life.

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For years, Sony's premium earphones have been hailed as the industry's best. With enhancements like bigger drivers that can push more bass and a smaller, more ergonomic design, the WF-1000XM5 lives up to the history, adding on the virtues of the previous-gen XM4 — superb audio quality, top-notch ANC, and marathon battery life. The $300 super-premium pricing tag leaves little room for error. Thankfully, Sony did it again: based on my experience with them, the WF-1000XM5 are the greatest earbuds available right now.

9/10 for Sony WF-1000XM5.

The WF-1000XM5 earbuds from Sony are the company's best ANC headphones to date because to their superior audio quality, lengthy battery life, and some of the best ANC available. The XM5 are expensive, but they're hard to beat if you're looking for a pair of premium, all-purpose earbuds.

a battery's life(ANC on for 8 hours; ANC off for 12 hours)Noise reductionYes, very high price

A glossy coating can be quite slippery.

Controls might be more programmable.

Pricing and accessibility

The Sony WF-1000XM5 are available for the steep price of $300 from all the usual suspects for premium earbuds, including Sony directly as well as Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, and others. The earphones are available in silver or black.

Hardware and design

In comparison to the WF-1000XM4 of the previous generation, Sony's XM5 earbuds are a little bit smaller and have a more streamlined appearance. Along with their more slimline appearance, the earbuds also have a shiny texture that makes them a little more challenging to grasp onto. It's difficult to just grasp the earbuds and drag them out of their charging case like you would with any other earpiece. Each earbud needs to be sort of pushed into the side to push it aside, then raise yourself. The WF-1000XM5 take a little getting used to, but once you do, they're no more difficult to use than any other pair of little earbuds.

Thankfully, the charging case for the earbuds has a lovely satin texture rather than being glossy. It fits neatly into small pockets because to its modest size and rounded edges. A significant improvement over the XM4, which required you to insert both earbuds and hold your fingers on them as if you were closing your ears, is the presence of a USB-C port and a dedicated pairing button. Although the small surface area means you have to be careful positioning the case on a charging pad, the bottom edge of the case also contains a charging coil for wireless charging. 

I once left the earbuds on a wireless charger overnight only to discover the next morning they hadn't actually been charging. The WF-1000XM5 comes in a plain paperboard box with a short USB-A to C cable and four pairs of foam ear tips: a medium pair that's already installed, as well as small, large, and extra-small sizes labeled "SS" (the WF-1000XM4 only came with three sizes of tips, so the added flexibility here is somewhat of an upgrade). You might need to try a little more than usual to find a decent fit because the foam Sony employs in its ear tips is harder than the silicone you'll find on most buds. However, I haven't observed the WF-1000XM5's earbuds gradually falling loose the way a lot of pairs do, even wearing them. Sony's foam tips seem to assist the WF-1000XM5 stay in place better than other earbuds with comparable shapes. out running.

out runningANC and audio

It shouldn't be a surprise that the WF-1000XM5 are some of the best-sounding earbuds I've ever heard given Sony's reputation in the industry. Rather than the 6mm drivers used in the XM4 from the previous generation, they are powered by new 8.4mm drivers. Even in intricate arrangements, the audio is clear and audible, with discernible detail. The XM5's default tuning results in bass that is noticeably warm and rich, and highs that are bright and spacious. If you value clinical accuracy in your earphones, it might not be exactly what you're looking for, but it has a mass market-friendly sound profile that I believe most people would really enjoy. There are a few EQ presets and the possibility to create your own if you feel otherwise the use of a five-band equalization.

The WF-1000XM5's noise-canceling is exceptional for earbuds, competing well with certain high-end over-ear headphones by virtually removing low-pitched, irregular sounds like HVAC and greatly reducing higher-pitched sounds like conversation. It's nice enough that I don't think I would feel bad about leaving my over-ear headphones at home and taking the XM5 on a lengthy journey.

It's not quite the greatest ANC you'll find in any earbuds, in my opinion; Sony is beaten out by Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds II. In comparison, the Bose earbuds allowed me to hear my media without having to turn up the volume as loudly when I was using gas-powered tools to mow the lawn or working on my laptop in a crowded coffee shop. However, Sony's ANC comes very close to being as effective, and the XM5 has many advantages over the QuietComfort II.

The quality of the calls is excellent. My voice sounded extraordinarily clear and natural when I played back recordings made on different earbuds in the same noisy environment. There was some background noise present in the recordings created with the XM5, but it was easier to hear my voice than it was in recordings made with earbuds like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II and the Google Pixel Buds Pro.

Features and software

The WF-1000XM5 is controlled through Sony's Headphones Connect app, which is incredibly functional. There are many more capabilities here than you'll find in many similar earbud apps, including firmware upgrades, ANC control, and EQ tuning in addition to the normal companion app functions.

With different configurable ANC profiles for when you're sitting, walking, or running, Headphones Connect lets you customize settings like Adaptive Sound Control (ANC), which automatically adjusts ANC based on a number of factors, including time of day, location, or even what you're doing at any given moment. As you speak, Speak-to-Chat immediately pauses your media and activates transparency mode.

In principle, I appreciate Speak-to-Chat, but it interferes with my productivity if I speak aloud while I'm working, which happens rather frequently given how much reading and writing I do for work. When you press a finger to your left earpiece, Sony's Quick Attention function, which reduces volume and activates transparency, is what I prefer.

You may check to determine if your earbuds are receiving a good seal by doing a test; this is especially useful for determining the right size ear tips. You can also select the voice assistant your earbuds use with Headphones Connect, set up head tracking and 3D audio for supported apps, prioritize audio quality or connection stability, and more.

There are many predefined control schemes to pick from, but you cannot manually specify what double- or triple-tap gestures should do. This is the only aspect of the Headphones Connect experience that is lacking. There is no method to set a double-tap on the left earbud to skip back and a double-tap on the right earpiece to skip forward, for instance which up.

However, the earbuds themselves tick all of my convenient feature boxes. Fast Pair for Android allows for simple pairing, rapid access to both Alexa and Google Assistant, and wireless charging. A function that was completely absent from the WF-1000XM3 and added to the WF-1000XM4 only through a software update, arrived with these earbuds right out of the box. (Multipoint is famously picky when it comes to Spotify, but this is not just an XM5 problem.)

Charger and battery

The WF-1000XM5 has outstanding battery life. According to Sony, the earbuds can play music for eight hours straight while using ANC, and my experience is in keeping with that claim. I have used the earbuds throughout eight-hour workdays without experiencing any discomfort.

hearing a low-battery warning, which is my standard for excellent earphone battery life. If you turn off ANC, you can obtain up to 12 hours of playback on a charge if you require undisturbed sounds for a longer period of time.

A total of around 24 hours of music with ANC (or 36 hours without) may be gotten out of the XM5's charging case before it needs to be recharged. The case can be charged wirelessly or over USB-C, though positioning its tiny charging coil correctly on a charging pad may require some trial and error.

Competition

The Sony WF-1000XM5 competes towards the top of the true wireless market with a price of $300. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II may edge out the XM5 if you're looking for the greatest ANC money can buy. The retail price of the earbuds is also $300. But even though the Bose earphones have slightly superior noise cancellation and comparable music quality,

The Sony earbuds have a longer battery life and more capabilities, like Bluetooth multipoint and wireless charging, which the Bose earbuds lack.

Similar in design to the WF-1000XM5, Samsung's $200 Galaxy Buds 2 Pro provide users with Samsung smartphones and tablets with extra features like automated device connection and better bitrate audio in apps that support it. However, the Buds 2 Pro don't sound as good, and their ANC isn't on par. Additionally, Samsung's earbuds don't last as long between charges, providing only five hours of listening with ANC as opposed to the XM5's eight.

Do you need to buy them?

The WF-1000XM5 earbuds from Sony excel in almost every category: their ANC is incredibly effective, and their audio quality is superb.

The Sony earbuds have a longer battery life and more capabilities, like Bluetooth multipoint and wireless charging, which the Bose earbuds lack.

 for earbuds, and a single charge lasts a lifetime. With support for useful technologies like Bluetooth multipoint, Fast Pair, and wireless charging, they even tick all my nice-to-have boxes.

The XM5's glossy sheen makes the earbuds somewhat more difficult to grasp than other buds of this size, and I wish the touch controls could be set up with more freedom. These are my only two minor issues. However, given all the positive aspects of these earbuds, these issues are insignificant. It's a lot to ask to spend $300 on any pair of earphones, but if you'I don't believe there is a better pair of headphones to purchase for that amount of money than the WF-1000XM5.

WF-1000XM5 by Sony 

The WF-1000XM5 earbuds from Sony are the company's best ANC headphones to date because to their superior audio quality, lengthy battery life, and some of the best ANC available. The XM5 are expensive, but they're hard to beat if you're looking for a pair of premium, all-purpose earbuds.