SonyWH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Canceling Headphones, Auto NC Optimizer, 30-Hour Battery, Alexa Voice Control, Silver

I thoroughly enjoy what Sony has to offer in their product line. I have the PlayStation 5, a Sony Bravia 4K TV and several other Sony products. Yes although I have owned a few of their product line I will not try to be biased here with the review. What got me into Sony products was really their earphones dating back to 2011! They have the best earphones you could get for $20 back at the time in 2011 and now the quality they still continue to put out never disappoints! Here's the pros and cons of the Sony WH-1000XM5.Update: I also picked up the XM4 Earbuds from Sony and take note that those are on a different level for listening to music compared to the XM5 Over the Ear headphones. Shares the same features like the XM5, not the same sound like over the ear obviously but also more marketed to those who goes to the gym and likes something more compact.Pros:Comfortable and lightweight!I don't ever have a complaint with what they have to offer when it comes to comfort. These are better than BOSE in regards as to comfort. I think the one thing that makes them comfortable also is that they are light. They weigh only about 0.56 pounds! People tend to have problems with headphones if they are heavy in my opinion! I also assume they use a low density memory foam for cushioning which is great but will eventually need to be replaced or tended to if left compressed or squished for too long.Unique featuresNoise Cancelling is top notch but not much different than their previous lines in my opinion! It is a standard these days to get noise cancelling and the headphones are great for drowning out noise if need be. They also tend to those who need to be aware of their surroundings by implementing a ambient mode like previous models. Works great and works like a charm by either taking the headphones off or covering the touch control panel. Also the Speak to Pause Music feature is insanely nice to have! Helps when your hands are busy and or you just don't want to adjust your headphones having to speak.Superb sound!The sound quality out of these are amazing! Does really well in all areas of music genres. Particularly really in low frequencies for bass! I get to enjoy these at a great volume and it pairs amazingly with my PS5 as a gaming headset! (Will mention the headphones does not come with a microphone for gaming when using a headphone jack.) As a pair of noise cancelling headphones, you can expect to hear a positively good detail in music, movies, gaming or even a phone call! They are clear and surprisingly really balanced. The microphone on these headphones for phone calls are great. Better than the previous versions.Fast charging!The charging rate of these headphones is incredible! I never knew how fast charging can be with this! There's times I have left this powered on overnight as I'm at work for my 10 hour job and it was drained by the time I wanted to use it again. In those times I left it charging and goodness greatness these were ready to go in a about 10-15 minutes! I enjoy these so much that I'm actually glad they have a 24-30 hour battery life.Cons:Cost.Its expensive! If you can get these on sale, it's worthwhile! If it's in your budget go for it! You pay for what you get in my opinion and these are worth their weight in gold!Fitment.They don't exactly fit around my short wide neck whenever I need to take it off and be present in a conversation or in my surroundings. Not exactly a big matter or deal breaker. More so it's a personal perspective. My neck size is 15 ¾ inches in circumference and that's pretty average I believe. I have to extend these in order to keep them around my neck without compromise. They also do not fold inward like the previous Sony headphone models but again never a issue.Cushion. Yes the ear cup cushions are comfortable but again when I place them around my neck it compresses the cushion to a point where it feels awkward after putting it back on. I'm looking at other options to replace their soft fit leather design.Update: There is different earcups that you can replace the OEM cups with but it comes at a cost of I believe $60 which is worth noting.Conclusion.Worthiness of $350+ (price as of 12/07/2022) during the holidays? Yes!Personal opinionated review:Sony WH-1000XM5 or other leading competition? Sony, easily Sony. I've never been unhappy about this purchase and I tell people that Sony is industrial leading company that continues to impress people when it comes to their headphones. Beats by Dre(Apple), Apple and Bose has always been great by popularity but Sony gets appraised by quality!I will update this review as I go until they put a new model out.

First off, I havent had a chance to test all functionality yet. I am coming here in hopes of helping someone else out with their frustration.If you're nervous about dropping the money, do it. The app (if you let it) will track your usage. Get them, set an alert for a day or two before the return period is up. Try them out and then check your usage when the alarm goes off. If you need/use headphones I almost guarantee youre going to find these worth it.RE: Small headsYour head might not be too small. I realized after two days of use I was fitting them more like traditional headphones and they were siting on one or two lobes very slightly.When you fit, and while you get used to putting them on, I suggest:- lengthening the headand (as app suggests)- 'scooping' your ears lobes up and inside the pads rather than under them at all- then gently fitting headbandOnce I started doing this my fit issues nearly dissappeared(hair..). Biggest issue now is the band material is not grippy at all and I have very smooth/slick hair, so it wiggles a bit. If I troubleshoot around this I will update.Of note and Re:Sensitive TemplesThese do not need to be as secure over all (other than having the suction over the ears) as you will not want these to get wet, period. These are not designed for exercise or heavy movement. They are sufficiently set for walking around or hanging out, this protects you from losing suction without significant pressure on your temples and keeps these super light headphones EXTREMELY comfortable. Which for someone like me that gets migraines with nearly ANY temple pressure has been... life changing.The suction aspect for proper noise cancelation is fairly fundamental. It's an even bigger deal with these as they'll adjust sound and I could see if suction was lost at an inopportune moment it could be...uncomfortable.RE: HairY'all, your hair is going to need to be out of the way. I have already noticed that one or two small strands will absolutely affect the seal. I won't notice it immediately but when I move around or talk I'll notice a sound change (almost like a varying level of wubba womp like entering a tunnel or in elevation changes) and at the corresponding ear I'll find hair between my ear and headphones. If you experience this in one or both ears...check for anything preventing a seal! It's annoying to navigate but as with adjusting the fit as above the more I do it, the easier it is to do upfront/as second nature.The app is fairly easy to navigate but has a small learning curve, nothing atronimical. The only other app ive used for headphones was Jabra about 2 years ago. Theyve likely updated since but compared to the 2020 Jabra app..this app is night and day better in terms of navigation and ease of use.So far my only con has been switching between my TV and my phone. This could be me, I think this may just be a learning curve I havent yet had time to solve. What it was doing: Paired to both. Switched to phone to do some Duolingo. For some reason any adjustment i made unpaused my TV and swapped where the sound was coming from. When I re-paused my TV I'd have to reselect my phone..and then it would do this again. So for now Im just leaving the TV unpaired. I mostly dont need this anyway but thought it might be nice for my neighbors late at night.Summation without even talking about its sound quality, noise cancelation and other functions (which are amazing):These headphones are worth the price tag for the lack of weight on my temples ALONE. Everything else is icing on the cake.If something changes I will absolutely return here to update.

Searching for headphones is quite difficult for me. I was a bit iffy on picking up these XM5’s as I barely knew anything of them. As of 07/11, they were on a deal. Picked them up for a little under $250.In terms of sound quality, these ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. They sound so crisp. The cushions do sit on your ear a bit deep for the noise cancelling but it’s nothing uncomfortable. They don’t bother my head when using for more than 3 hours.They’re very lightweight which is absolutely perfect for me.For my Gamers, I did try these on my ps5. I won’t tell you they’re the perfect for gaming but they absolute work amazing. I could hear everything that was going around me. Foot steps, firing, people talking. It was great. Although my main priority for these are not for gaming, these are very well such a good pair of headphones.I do love the touch features on the side of the headphones it’s very convenient. Simple to understand. You can deactivate this feature in the app so that’s a plus.Now here comes the little downer for me. The bass. I’m a huge bass person when it comes to headphones. I came from the Skullcandy crusher evo. Comparing the bass from these two, Skullcandy takes the win. The bass isn’t the heaviest on the xm5, you can tweak with the EQ in the app and get some bass, which is fine, but don’t expect nothing HEAVY. For me, it’s a little downer BUT the sound makes up for it.Other than that, these headphones are absolutely worth it. Especially if you find them on a deal, they’re definitely a grab!