Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones, Bluetooth, Clear Call Quality, Hi-Res, Up to 30hr Battery Life, Quick Charge, Alexa & Google Assistant, iOS & Android - Black

These Sony XM5s are constructed beautifully. I am not an audiophile, but I appreciate good sounds, and these deliver strongly. The basses in mid-range are deep and clear, and the treble gives a defined sound that is usually hard to pinpoint in other brands. Battery life is very good, quoted approximately 30 hours. Charge times are also very quick, with a quick charge function where you get around 10 hours for a 15-20 minute charge. The noise cancelling is active, and I took these on board a plane, full of people, long haul, and it cut out at least 70% of the noise. Granted, it doesn't cut out everything, but the drone from the engines and people talking were more or less subdued to a point where it was comfortable enabling peaceful rest and sleep. It's constructed well. The ear muffs give enough space so your ears are breathable, and the headband is comfortable enough so that you can wear it for long sessions without major discomfort. My head is average size, and I can wear these for hours each stretch without issues. The headphones come with a well made carrying case, great for travelling, and it's not too heavy. Pairing is very straightforward. You press the power button, and you keep the button depressed for approximately 5 seconds to be in Bluetooth mode. It connected to my Android phone very easily, and without any hiccups. You download the Sony app, and from there you can tweak the equaliser settings. I usually increase the bass to around plus 5, and I go max on the treble. With that set, the sound is amazing. The clarity is crisp, and the music sounds amazing. All in all, these headphones are superb value compared to others in the market just now. The active noise cancelling is perhaps the best offered by Sony. Do I recommend these headphones? 100% yes. Although I would advise waiting for special deals as these often come down in price, for example during Black Friday. Highly recommended.

One of the most comfortable premium headsets available at the moment. It does not fold away like its predecessors but still manages to sound and feel amazing.The Sony WH-1000XM5s are a fantastic pair of headphones that offer exceptional noise cancellation, impressive sound quality, and all-day comfort.What I love:* Noise Cancellation: The noise cancellation on these headphones is top-notch. It effectively blocks out ambient noise, making them perfect for working from home, traveling, or simply enjoying your music without distractions.* Sound Quality: The sound quality is excellent, with clear highs, rich midtones, and deep bass. Whether you're listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks, you'll be impressed with the audio experience.* Comfort: The XM5s are incredibly comfortable to wear for extended periods. The soft ear cushions and lightweight design make them a pleasure to use.* Battery Life: The battery life is impressive, providing up to 30 hours of playback on a single charge.What to consider:* Bulkiness: While comfortable, the XM5s are a bit bulkier than some other headphones on the market.* Price: They are a premium product, and the price tag reflects that. Apart from arguably the Bowers and Wilkins PX8, there few headsets that will provide more satisfaction and listening pleasure.Overall, the Sony WH-1000XM5s are an excellent choice for anyone looking for high-quality noise-canceling headphones. They offer a great balance of comfort, sound quality, and noise cancellation.

I read and watched a lot of reviews about ANC headphones and the Sony XM5s kept coming up as one of the top picks. Even though I was tempted by cheaper, but still highly rated headphones this seemed to be the best.Now that I have used it for a couple of weeks I can say I am really happy with my choice.COMFORT *****This is one I can wear all day - the soft headphone cups are very comfortable and I do not feel the strap at all and I have very short hair. The headset is adjustable and it even comes with a tutorial in the app that shows you how to set it. If you don't follow this I can see how some people could squeeze it on and feel it's too tight or sore on the headband but just following in the instructions there is nearly no weight on the headphone strap and it is padded well enough.SOUND *****The sound quality is excellent. Out of the box it sounds good but with the app provided fine tuning the EQ it is exceptional. For music you really can hear the detail in songs. The base is super clean with no distortion and plenty of depth and mids are clear and full, not the hollow scooped out sound you get from some other headphones. The highs are crystal clear without being tinny.Movies are great to listen to. Even without APTX low latency it has no problems with delays or lip sync on anything I have tested on Phone (Android) or desktop (Windows). Movies with great sound design like A quiet place 2 are incredible. Note I am using the Alternative A2DP Driver from bluetooth goodies on Windows so that I can use LDAC codec for higher bandwidth and quality and Tidal for high quality music but it works very well with spotify and standard windows bluetooth connection.Gaming - if you really look for it you can notice a slight delay but nothing that affects gameplay for me. Explosions, atmospheric music, dialogue all sound fantastic from Single player story driven games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake to competitive multiplayer like Naraka Bladepoint or Apex legends.Connectivity ****With support for Bluetooth 5 and LDAC connection should be solid. Never had cutouts or distortion when within the advertised range even through walls. It support multi device which allows you to connect to your tablet or PC while still controlling EQ, ANC and switch between devices from your phone which works well. Sadly if you use multidevice it prevents using LDAC so I leave this feature turned off as it is still really quick and easy to switch between devices - as soon as you hit connect on a paired device it takes over the connection, you get the ding and it's ready to go. It also remembers which of the devices it was last connected to when you turn it on.ANC *****The Active Noise cancelling is S tier - it really does work well. Cancelling out much more background noise than expected making it a dream to use in a noisy office or café. The way they have implemented pass through is really good so you can just hold you hand to the right ear to lower the volume of your music and have the 8 mics pass the outside sound to you and amplify it so you can quickly talk to someone. I don't use the automatic pass through when you start talking feature but I could see it being useful for some people. It also has good noise cancelling for the mic so making a voice/video call in a noisy area still sounds great for both you and the person you are calling.NegativesOf course there are some negatives but thankfully they are relatively minor.Firstly, they do not fold down as compact as other headphones. You're not going to fit this into your pocket or even want to throw it into a bag but it does come with a nice case and so constatly wearing it or take a big enough bag for it in the case.The other is that although the soft touch material on the cups feels way better than plastic or metal and transfers a lot less sound if something rubs against it like a hood or your hand it does leave unsightly greasy marks. I am experimenting with skins for it from xtreme skins as you can see in one of the photos which solves the problem but I didn't find the skins a good fit for the curved sides but your mileage may vary. I probably will put up with the greasy look to avoid the extra weight and faff of the stickers.The battery life would fall into this category as while very good it is not as long as some cheaper models offer. I can still run it all day with no issues of comfort or battery but I do find I am topping it up every other day instead of once a week as I have done with previous headsets. It's understandable with the relatively light weight and constantly on HQ ANC or pass through (I never use ANC off completely).Not really a negative as I didn't expect this from it but this is not a headset to wear while working out, jogging or in the rain. It has no water resistance. For those purposes I prefer to use earbuds anyway and find the Pixel Buds do the job just fine but of course the sound quality and lack of ANC mean it does not compare when you have the option of the Sony XM5s.Overall an excellent headset if you can appreciate great sound quality even if not an audiophile, with top notch noise cancelling and comfort.