Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones are the Quiet That Still Follows You

Sony spent years turning over-ear canceling into something people actually wear all day, and the WH-1000XM5, priced at $199.99 (was $400), remains the pair that made that habit stick. Eight microphones and a pair of processors hush cabin rumble, subway grind, and open-office chatter so thoroughly that music and calls sit on a darker background than most rivals managed when these launched a few years ago.

Eight listening microphones fitted on the headphones monitor both what happens outside and inside the cups. Combining them with the V1 processor and a QN1 noise chip allows the system to automatically fine-tune noise cancelation for glasses, hair, leaks around the cups, and changes in cabin pressure. First to vanish are the low hum of airline engines and the persistent drone of your office’s HVAC system. Then mid-range office chatter begins to dissipate.

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Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones, Black

• PREMIUM NOISE CANCELLATION: Two processors control 8 microphones for unprecedented noise cancellation. With Auto NC Optimizer, noise canceling is…
• MAGNIFICENT SOUND: Engineered to perfection with the new Integrated Processor V1.
• CRYSTAL CLEAR HANDS-FREE CALLING: 4 beamforming microphones, precise voice pickup, and advanced audio signal processing.

Even with the noise cancelation turned on, the battery life is 30 hours, and 40 hours when it is turned off. A USB-PD charger will provide three hours of listening for every three minutes of charging, and a full USB-C charge should take roughly three and a half hours, however real-world testers have reported matching or even exceeding those figures when using them at a moderate level.

One thing that has clearly improved is the feel, as soft fit leather pads and a smaller headband reduce clamp pressure, allowing you to wear them for hours without feeling like they’re squeezing your head. The cups now swivel to lie flat, but they no longer fold up into a little ball like they used to, so Sony had to tough up the shell to protect them. If you’ve ever jammed a pair of XM4s into a side pocket of a bag, you’ll understand what we mean.

The sound originates from new 30mm carbon fiber drivers that have been adjusted to be warmer and more even than the previous ones. The bass is still under control, the mids are clean, and if you have an Android phone that supports LDAC, you can get even more resolution out of your music. They also have a system called DSEE Extreme, which aims to restore the quality of compressed streams. The headphones include a full equalizer, 360 Reality Audio support, Adaptive Sound Control, which switches modes automatically based on what you’re doing, Speak-to-Chat, which pauses your music when you start talking, and Quick Attention, which allows you to cover a cup and hear what’s going on in the room.

Long-time testers believe they have made significant improvements in terms of call quality. Four dedicated voice mics, paired with improved processing, do an excellent job of preserving your voice’s natural tone while also eliminating background keyboard clatter and street noise. You may now connect two devices at once, and the touch swipes on the right cup handle allow you to adjust volume, tracks, and calls. A tactile button on the left cup activates and deactivates the noise cancellation and ambient settings.