Sony WH-1000XM5

I bought this set of Sony WH1000XM5 over-ear headphones some 3½ years ago for use with my iPad. Apart from the lack of documentation in the box I managed to get them bluetoothed to the ipad and found them comfortable and easy to use with good sound quality and really excellent active noise suppression. Now, out of warranty, is the issue: I picked… Read more

them up to use and the left hand earpiece literally fell off, connected only by the internal wiring in the frame. The plastic frame has just broken leaving the earpiece dangling. If these were a cheapo set from Coles I would just chuck them but at $540 they are an expensive purchase and with my careful handling, nerver-been-sat-on and used only by myself I find it disappointing that the flimsy frame gave way so soon. Verdict: good performance, but very limited lifetime.

I got this refurbished from Sony ebay store when they first launched. Great noise cancellation and the battery is amazing. They are light and I can wear them for a long time without any issues. Overall I would recommend them especially if you can get them below $350. There are a few issues, unlike the previous model they don't fold. I also… Read more

struggle with turning them off, it's not super clear when they are off or on. The mic is still a struggle, seems like people don't hear me too well in them. This has been a consistent problem with this product line (I had xm4 too).

Excellent product. I had a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3s for a few years and they were great. I've since had Sony WH-1000XM4 (partner's) and now Sony WH-1000XM5 (mine). I had a dalliance with Sennheiser's equivalent ANC headphones and it wasn't a great experience for me. Since purchasing Sony WH-1000XM5s a few weeks ago, I've really enjoyed the listening experience. If you're happy to pay a premium for good quality cans, you won't go wrong with Sony. Show details

This a review in three parts. Part 1, the headphones themselves, which I would characterise as “fit for purpose”. These are not audiophile headphones, but the sound quality is very good, and excellent for watching streaming content. The noise cancelling is notably better than the XM3 and makes for an involved and wonderfully isolated experience… Read more

in a noisy home environment. I’ve also used them on trains and planes where they do an excellent job of filtering out ambient noise. Four stars.

Part 2, the hard case supplied with the headphones. The case feels cheap and looks like it is made from compressed cardboard. And average quality cardboard at that. This is not what I expected for a $550 pair of headphones, and notably poorer quality than the case supplied with the XM3. Two stars. My case was broken when the headphones were unpacked, leading to …

Part 3, Sony Australia customer service. Which could be summarised as “appalling”. After four weeks of excuses, broken promises and ignored emails, I ended up so frustrated with “customer service” that I purchased a replacement case myself. The only positive … I’m thankful I didn’t buy something expensive like TV to discover Sony Australia’s attitude to their warranty and their customers. Zero stars.

So, in summary, the XM5 are very good headphones and worth buying, especially if you plan on using them in a noisy environment. But I would recommend saving a few $$$ and buying second hand. My personal experience with Sony Australia is that their new product “warranty” has little real-world value.

Great sound and great noise cancelling, but……. the folding mechanism is not good compared to the previous XM4 model and these XM5’s don’t fold down to a small enough size for travelling purposes. Furthermore, the XM5 head bridge is narrower than the XM4’s which results in more concentrated weight or pressure on the top of your head. I find it… Read more

induces a little pain after a while and I need to adjust the head bridge forwards or backwards for some relief. The Sony emblem on the outside doesn’t seem as nice as on the XM4’s. However the battery life is very good and can handle quite a long haul flight without problems. Other enhanced functions work quite well and the app is very good too.

Sound Great But Unreliable – Have owned these headphones for just under a year and they get daily use. They sound great and have some nice features but I’m about to return them for the second time in four months due to hardware issues. The first was for the headphones not powering on (or charging) and now Bluetooth no longer works. Hopefully you will have better luck than me but I couldn’t recommend them. Show details

The best wireless headphones I have used – The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are great to listening to music. I wear them around whilst walking or travelling and the music is crystal clear and the noise cancelling is what make these headphones so good. Downside are the subscriptions add ons after purchasing like Spotify and Nugs.net and to use the headphones I needed to apply these adds on… Read more

then after I cancelled but still got charged. I was fully reimbursed but it’s a pain. Overall very good expensive and be careful of the subscription ad ons. I just download from internet then play offline. No need for a subscription service. Also I do not like having to pay for the 360 Reality Audio. I should not have to pay for a service that should be free regardless of using a streaming service or not.