Sony WF-1000XM5

I thought these earbuds would be fantastic but they are not. They are definitely not worth 300 dollars. They constantly fall out of my ears and as I try to readjust them I mess up the volume or accidentally pause the show Im watching. I estimate the seal over my ear at around 30%. They simply fall out. There is no way I could go for a run with… Read more

then. They are supposed to be noise cancelling but when I wear them I hear all the noise around me. I regret spending 300 dollars on them. I could have got cheaper earbuds that are firm in my ears therefore naturally cancelling out the noise. I am still paying these earbuds off so I really cant afford to buy a better pair until then.

Disappointed. I bought these as an upgrade for my XM4 when they became unusable due to their battery life. These are definitely a downgrade. The sound quality may be slightly better and the smaller form is nice but they have introduced a whole range of new problems. The battery life is not as good as the XM4, they randomly drop out for… Read more

milliseconds at a time, the general connection quality is poor as they sometimes struggle even when the device is on my person. They also seem to not seat as well in the charging case, there have been instances when I have removed them to find they hadn't charged the buds. Google Assistant is super hit and miss. It affects audio playback and probably once a week it decides to disconnect altogether. I also had an interesting encounter with "customer service". I explained the issues I was having with Google Assistant. They stated that they could replicate the fault "only occasionally" and therefore it was deemed to be normal operation. I argued that an intermittent fault is still a fault but they then changed their tune and stated that since I was the only one who was experiencing the fault they would not be investigating it further. I then mentioned that there were numerous documented instances on the internet of customers with identical issues, to which I was told the internet is just an "echo chamber". Unless they fix these issues I will be returning these headphones.

Too complicated for their own good – I had previoulsy owned a pair of Samsung Bud Pros and because I have a Samsung phone, was able to use the full suite of features available. One of the buds failed, hence my search for replacements. I read any number of reviews and have a Sony TV and I have owned any number of Sony headphones. I currently have WH-CH700N headphones. As it is… Read more

impossible to audition earbuds, I relied on previous experience and the reviews that waxed lyrical about the sound quality of the Sony buds, so I decided to give them a go despite the high price, ($350 at JB Hifi). When you open the weird cardboard box made of planet saving papier mache, the additional rubber earbud adaptors fall out and go all over the place. Despite them being colour coded, I couldn't find anything to say which one was what size. I tried them all and eventually settled on the ones that are on the buds when you open the box. I don't find them particularly comfortable, but I guess if you are exercising and want buds that wont fall out, this is the trade off. Bluetooth connection is easy as pairing mode is achieved by pressing a button on the case. Battery condition can be seen on the app, and I haven't taken notes, but I have never been caught out with flat earbuds as they seem to have excellent battery life. I downloaded the app on to my phone and was asked any number of questions, like the receipt number, which shop I bought them from etc. It took about two hours to log into my Sony account, which already exists because I own Playstations and a TV. This was a real pain and had to be repeated when I connected to my iPad. Then there was using the app. Sony has a feature called Adaptive Sound Control, which supposedly automatically adjusts to the environment around you and decides what external sounds you need to hear and which ones you don't. There is also "Speak To Chat" and "360 Reality Audio", not to mention noise cancelling. It takes time to set up each feature and afterwards, find out they need to be turned off. At least, that was my experience with Adaptive Sound Control. It kept turning the noise cancelling off and I can't be bothered with 360 Reality Audio. There is an equaliser. I had trouble hearing any appreciable difference when the controls were moved but it does have suggested audio. Long story short, you just listen to a favourite song and click on some dots until you hear the sound you like best. If you are expecting anything near the mind boggling noise cancelling capabilities of Bose headphones, you are going to be disappointed. The Sony earbuds noise cancelling is barely noticeable. I suspected that it didn't work at all, so I did a Google search and found that I'm not the only one that thinks this. It should be called noise reduction - cancelling it ain't. Sony buds can also be controlled by tapping on the side of the earbud. What the tap does depends on how many times you tap them, so good luck remembering this. I have accidentally skipped tracks, turned the noise cancelling off etc, just by trying to turn down the volume. I've given up using it. I wish the volume could be like Samsung's whereby you press your finger on the earbud and the longer you hold it, the more the volume changes. The sound quality with music is very good. The bass is well defined and noticably better than the Samsungs I had. When I use the buds for Teams meetings, I sometimes get an odd, scratchy sound coming through the left channel. Now that adaptive sound control has been turned off, I will see how that goes. To sum up, for the price, if you are looking for good sound quality for music alone, you will get it, but there are cheaper buds around. If you want noise cancelling, go elsewhere. I feel like I have paid a high price for features I don't need, an app that is far too complicated and frankly, have considered going back to Samsung buds and calling it a bad day. Overall, I'm disappointed with my purchase.

Perfect fit, the best Earpods! – Purchased these earpods as I did not like the apple airpods. I wanted a pair of pods that fit in my ears while exercising and doing daily tasks. These earpods are so comfortable and never fall out of my ears! 100% recommend! Show details

Waste of money – I have had a Bose earphone for awhile quite good in every way and I thought the technology is evolving, so this Sony which has on multiple sites stellar review will be even better as I work in a noisy environment the noise cancelling and comfort is paramount. After purchasing this Sony wf 1000xm5 for quite a lot of money I have to say, either Sony… Read more

Australia sent me a fake or faulty product, on the box has made in china print and from United Arab Emirates or the reviews about this "space technology" earphone are fully paid lies, because what I got is a good looking earphone/charging box with noise cancelling level maximum could match the 10 years old Bose Studio headphone's level, only suppress some high pitch hiss, randomly breaks connection with my phone. Can not beat any $50 worth no name earphone and I paid $350 for it...INSANE If you consider it to buy I suggest NOOOOOOO

bad quality, horrible customer service – I bought this earbuds about 2 and a half months ago from Sony web store. The price I paid at the time was $400. I own many different ear buds and did not use these earbuds a lot - just a couple of times. Recently, I have noticed that the material of the earbuds tips is falling apart. The earbud tipis a little rubber (usually) interchangeable… Read more

thing that goes into your ear and covers the speaker of the earbud. This is very important bit and companies that sell earbuds supplies different sizes with the package for perfect fit. I contacted Sony customer service asking them to send a new set of tips as the ones I have were falling apart. The answer was "this is wear and tear. you should buy a case for the earbuds." I have seen bad customer service, I have seen incompetent one, but I have rarely seen a combination of both, until now. The problems with Sony and their customer service are as follows: 1. Very expensive earbuds with tips made of low quality material that cannot last even 2 months 2. When contacted the customer service did not understand the problem, or they didn't care about. They told me this was "wear and tear" and advised me to buy a a case. The earbuds come with the case! How can 2 months be "wear and tear"? 2. Earbuds without proper tips are useless. I am not sure if it is worth buying new tips, the sound quality is not that great. But that's another story. 3. When people pay $400 they expect quality product and great customer service. I got none. 4. Customer service is not interested in understanding the issue, although I did send them pictures of the problem. It appears that they are trying to save money, or sell me more stuff that I do not need. This is the first sign that the things may not be going very well in the company. Stay clear of Sony. 5. Example of great customer service. One of my Edifier earbuds developed a fault in the left one. I contacted the company, explained the problem and they sent me new ones in a matter of days, without even asking for the old ones to be returned. This now is a great customer service. Sadly, I cannot say the same for Sony. They dropped the ball.

My advice is to stay clear of Sony products and these earbuds in particular, unless you have extra money to spend for low quality stuff. I have made a $400 mistake and I regret the purchase now.