Musical, rich audio performance ; Impressively clean and natural noise cancellation ; Superb Ambient Mode ; Great call quality ; Less expensive than Bose

Non-foldable design ; Choppy wireless comfort in busy areas ; Not the best for ANC

Sony’s WH-1000XM5 improve over their predecessors where it counts. The rich but detailed sound impresses, the noise-cancelling is strong, the call quality is superb; and the range of features and customisation they offer is unmatched. They’re not the...

Excellent sound Very good comfort Ultra-clear call quality Best-in-class noise canceling Very good battery life Hi-res compatible (wired/wireless) Hands-free voice assistant access Classy, modern design

Fold-flat, but don’t fold up

“Sony proves once again that it's the brand to beat in noise-canceling headphones.”

Supreme comfort

More expensive than the M4

What’s more, activating DSEE Extreme doesn’t make a huge difference in the sound quality. On other Sony devices, that algorithm’s ability to recover some of the detail lost to compression makes a noticeable impact. On the M5, the results are subtle,...

Sensational sonic clarity ; Punchy delivery ; Precise, agile bass ; Nice to use

Build seems a little less premium than before ; Don’t fold away completely

It can be tricky for a manufacturer to push the sound performance of a product consistently from generation to generation; but that is what Sony has managed to do with the WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones. Not only that, it has been achieved while...

Confident, expansive, balanced sound ; Sony’s best-ever noise-cancelling ; Numerous control options, all of them good

Unblinkingly expensive ; Don't fold like earlier XM4

In the WH-1000XM5, Sony has managed to replace the best all-round wireless active noise-cancelling (ANC) over-ear headphones you can buy with, you guessed it, the best new all-round wireless ANC over-ear headphones you can buy. The XM5s don’t come...

Excellent noise-cancellation ; Wonderful sounding performance ; Smart ambient features ; An app you'll actually want to use

New design is less portable ; Still no water resistance ; More expensive than previous models ; Not a gigantic upgrade over the still-excellent WH-1000XM4

Still the best headphones in the world thanks to their class-leading noise-cancelling features and well-balanced audio, a steeper price point and similar functionality to earlier models make the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones an ever-so-slightly tougher...

Even better active noise cancellation ; More balanced, tighter sound ; Much-improved voice call quality

Design is very plasticky for $400 ; No major new features over 1000XM4 ; Bulky, awkward carrying case

Sony’s new WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones are the company’s most advanced to date — but also the most expensive at $400. For that money, you get a fresh design, upgraded sound, and even better ANC.