Sony’s flagship headphones have been among the best at blocking ambient background noise, and the latest model adds a few features to make them even better. The WH-1000XM5 has eight mics working together with two dedicated audio processing chips to continuously monitor your surroundings and remove as much background noise as possible. To make it work, these headphones have an Auto NC Optimizer feature that automatically tweaks performance based on your earbuds’ fit and your environment. They’re lightweight and have soft leather covers for comfortable extended use.
Excellent audio with comfortable ear cups for a premium experience
The best thing about the WH-1000XM5 is its noise-canceling capabilities. They do a far superior job of eliminating distractions compared to many other over-the-ear headphones at similar prices. Additionally, the Auto NC Optimizer continuously operates in the background, adjusting your active noise-cancellation curve as you move from one location to another. So, you don’t have to continually adjust the settings on the headphones themselves.
Call quality gets its own dedicated hardware setup. Four of the eight mics are beamforming, and Sony’s Precise Voice Pickup Technology, powered by advanced signal processing, isolates your voice from background noise. The result is that whoever you’re on the phone with can hear you clearly, even in a coffee shop or while walking down a windy sidewalk.
Sound quality holds up on the music side, too. A newly engineered driver unit handles high-frequency detail better than the older XM4, and the headphones support Sony’s DSEE Extreme tech along with Hi-Res audio. If you want to adjust the sound to your liking, the Sony Sound Connect app has an EQ you can tune by hand.
The battery is rated at 30 hours of playback with noise canceling on, and if you run out, 3 minutes plugged in via USB-C gets you another 3 hours of listening time. A USB-PD AC adapter isn’t included, but the cable is. You can pair the headphones with two Bluetooth devices at once, so they can switch between your phone and laptop automatically when a call comes in. Touch controls on the right earcup handle playback, volume, and voice assistant access without touching your phone, and Speak-to-Chat pauses music the second you start talking.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Canceling Headphones don’t hit $248 very often, so seeing them that far below the usual $400 is worth paying attention to if a new pair has been on your wishlist. Noise canceling, aggressive call quality that actually holds up on the other end, and a battery that lasts a full cross-country flight and then some make them a hard pick to pass up if you’ve been holding out for a real price cut.
