Sony - WF-1000XM5
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
116
28
"way better at blocking out noise—total game-changer if you’re commuting or stuck in loud places."
"noise cancelling headphones are such a blessing for me. i've always been sensitive to noise and i get overstimulated easy when out in public. they give me silence and privacy when I need it. worth every cent!"
"The noise cancelling is insane"
101
21
"Re sound quality, the Sony is much better. ... But I would never ever reach for them to listen to music."
"The sound is perfect for me. There's lots of detail and it's a wide soundstage and more than enough bass."
"The eq works very well, thank god lol I’m not a fan of the stock sound (but excited preset is great)."
46
44
"they stay in place ... I run a lot ... For a mix of workouts and daily use"
"the tips just never get accidentally out of my ears"
"super comfy"
18
21
"I have had zero complaints from people I talk to."
"better call quality"
"their mic does a great job eliminating background noise, and my voice sounds natural to the other party."
22
4
"No battery problems, still getting me through nearly 10 to 12 hours with ANC or Transparency. ... A full charge is usually enough to get me through the day, including that quick charge. ... on one full charge, you should expect around 7 to 8 hours of playback with ANC or AAC nonetheless."
"My battery lasts about 6-7 hrs of continuous usage ... I use them all day as i work, I also use them when I go to the gym and just streaming stuff and havent had issues."
"battery life is double ... Xm5s easy 8hrs."
Disliked most:
82
17
"very lackluster ANC in my opinion. ... I could barely hear any difference between ANC on or off."
"ANC didn't work at all. ... Non-existent ANC (I head everything the same way with ANC on and taking ot the earbuds, tested it in different scenario)."
"I used them in the gym and the ANC was non existent. ... I could still hear people talking."
4
24
"left side depletes battery faster (and I mean _very_ fast) than the right by a lot, essentially making them useless. ... It's very annoying and a known manufacturing issue they just have never resolved."
"miniscule batteries that undergoe insane number of charging cycles if used regularly within a short period. ... its very easy for those tiny batteries to not last longer enough after reasonable usage, making the earpods not practical."
"the batteries will become un-chargeable in about 18 months. Happened to mine and my wife's."
13
20
"Wfxm5 mic quality is garbage"
"XM5 have terrible mic quality if you talk outdoors. ... Mic is awful."
"I had the Sonys and they were the worst that I tried in terms of microphone quality."
6
32
"avoid the wf1000xm5s at all costs because you're gonna have to spend so much money to keep buying foam tips. ... Speaking from personal experience."
"The amount of foam tips I have to buy is stupid ... I have like 10 in a little satchel for then my current ones inevitably rip open."
"the fit was unbearable. ... Some of the most uncomfortable earbuds I've ever owned."
18
16
"they never bastard stayed in."
"the tips of the buds aren't as long as the XM4, so I just couldn't get them to fit my ears."
"XM5’s I can due to how they a designed, they don’t hold inside my ear."
6baglowchert5slump 1.0I have owned both the Bose quietcomfort ultra earbuds, and the Sony 1000XM5 earbuds for over a year now. I prefer the Bose over the Sony for work. I pour and finish large slabs as a commercial concrete finisher, and these earbuds allow me to block out the noise from my coworkers, as well as machines. Whether I’m finishing an elevated deck with iron workers a level above me smashing steel, or if I’m tired of listening to my pendejo amigos, I just pop in my quiet-comfort ultras and my day becomes much better
9sim9 1.0Surprisingly well worth the money but only if you buy something exceptional like the Sony brand, after owning a sony pair of earbuds everything else sounds like a cheap pair even the expensive ones...
The WF-1000XM4 or WF-1000XM5 they are the top end of the sony range but have heard good things about the mid range sonys as well.
aa21238 1.0I just went FROM the XM5s to the Buds 3 Pro and honestly, I should've done it before. The Sony never sat well and had to really really push them hard in to the ear canal to get proper ANC. For me as a user who mainly wear during flights/trains and on the go work calls - the Samsung so far is breeze and I like the pinch and swipe functions. Your mileage will vary but totally find the XM5 in ears to be too hyped.
Abject-Classroom-784 1.0The way I see it. If you want the best build and sound quality get wired iems. Not to mention most iems have detachable cables so longevity isn't as much of a concern. So obviously when you look at it this way expensive bluetooth earbuds seem useless and they kind of are. Most people don't buy bluetooth earbuds for quality alone there buying a brand Apple, Samsung, Bose, Sony etcetera. I'm even an example of that I've had Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro, and Sony WF-1000XM5. The most important features for bluetooth earbuds imo are comfort, convenience, and Ambeient/ANC. Because sound quality shouldn't be as much of a concern imo because most situations when you would use a bluetooth earbud sound quality wouldn't matter as much such as working, exercising, or travel. I feel like in all of those instances the three things I mentioned are more important. So in conclusion expensive bluetooth earbuds aren't worth it but if you know why you want a certain model such as Sony or Bose for anc such as for myself. It just comes down to if you're willing to sacrifice longevity for convenience.
absurdherowaw 1.0I don’t know, I use iOS and Sony’s WF-XM5 earbuds sounds way more detailed and lively compared to AirPods, both from Qobuz and Apple Music.
abyde 1.0I have the Sony WF-1000XM5 and DNB sounds great on them.
Academic-Bug-9654 1.0I usually pair it with the wf-1000xm5.
According_Reality117 1.0Bass and AirPods do not go together. Sony XM5s tick all the boxes. Including bass
JBL Tour, Bose QC, Sony XM4 and XM5, Liberty NC4... They all sound better but like I said, AirPods Pro 2 truly shine with their seamless integration into the Apple Ecosystem, transparent mode, ANC and call quality. You can basically put them on and forget they're there
The ANC and features on the AirPods are going to be the best.. especially if you have an iPhone. The sound quality is good, but nothing to brag about. In that price range you ou could also get Sony XM5s as they sound amazing and have amazing ANC
acheyneck 1.0In my music grab bag: Sennheiser ie900 (daily driver) Sony xm5 earbuds (noisy travel anc backup) Ibasso dx180 (bit heavy and sharp edged for me) Qudelix5k (intro’d me to peq) DD Hifi TC19CC OTG (great connector) 3.5 / 4.4 mm balanced cables Anker 20k power bank Apple air tag BTR19 joining this week
My music grab bag: + Sennheiser ie900 (daily driver) + Sony xm5 earbuds (anc for noisy travel) + DdHifi TC19cc OTG (great connector) + Qudelix5k (intro’d me to peq) + 2.5 / 3.5 / 4.4mm balanced cables + ibasso dx180 (bit heavy and sharp edged) + anker 20k power bank (also a bit heavy) (Fiio BTR 19 joining this week, Qudelix 5k being passed on.)
acidx0013 1.0I'll throw out there that there are literally dozens of different kinds of tips you can get for whatever you buy. I see that someone mentioned custom fit iems, this won't be that good. But it is possible to find good tips for things. I have the newest sony buds, I believe the 5, and they are magnificent.