Sony WH-1000XM5 Review: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back! 

The sound design in this video is absolutely beautiful. I hope this trend continues in your future headphone review videos.

I’m still rocking the Mark 3s and love them, not enough improvement to justify upgrading yet! 🎧

I actually love the fact that they won't fold. Folding make them weaker and they rattle a lot.

I think not being foldable will eventually be better for durability in the long term

I absolutely adore my XM4’s - wear them for up to 8 hours a day with absolutely no discomfort. One of the best technology investments I’ve ever made, hands down!

Alternative Title - Sony WH-1000XM5 Review: Four Microphones Forward, Two Folds Back!

Honestly as someone that only uses them at home, I prefer the new design. They look and feel way more premium and in-place for such a high price range. The older designs were much more prone to break due to the folding mechanics. I do however agree that the naming is completely wrong. I feel like they should just have 2 design lines. The classic XM-Line with a focus on travel and the ability to carry it around easily, and a more premium line focused on maximizing comfort, sturdiness and design.

I can't speak on the travel aspect as I have yet to travel with them. My main use for them is for work. So that aside, I love them. They're super comfortable, the noise cancellation is top notch, and i'm not a sound engineer but I really enjoy the sound quality.

My Sony WH-1000XM4 don’t jiggle jiggle, it folds

I've had the xm3's for years, they're so freaking good, and even after heavy use for years the battery lasts for days

Just got the XM4's earlier this year and I was amazed, it felt better than bose, at least for me. Now that I see the XM5's I feel proud to have at least one of, if not the best noice canceling headphones on the market right now, especially for the price. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Not for airpods max or even bose. The design, convenience, and audio is incredible. I'm super happy with them.

These are my first pair of NC headphones - they have changed my relationship with music. I'm sure the M4s would have been as good - but the M5s look as good as they sound IMO. Excellent review for those looking to buy

Considering that the XM4's are great already, the XM5's are small incremental upgrade that definitely already hit mark. You are actually fine with either one of these even if you have unlimited budget.

Literally bought the XM4s less then a week ago and when I saw this video my heart dropped because I thought I made a mistake. After watching it though I realize the XM4s are the correct pair for me. Thanks for all your reviews

I've had the XM2s for six (?) years now. The case lasted two. Since then, I've just thrown them into my bag and they're still brilliant. I even like the worn look they got since then.

I picked up a pair. I like them more each day. The light weight, the comfort, the very good noise canceling, the way I can have it paired to my laptop and my phone simultaneously and it'll switch back and forth on the fly depending on which device is outputting sound to it (fairly useful during the workday). But know the best part? The touch to the side to place it into transparency mode and how it immediately returns to noise canceling once you remove your hand. Extremely useful when you work from home and the kids get home from school. Runner up is how it can be set to automatically go into transparency mode when it detects you beginning to talk. Also useful for the same scenario. The best $400 I've spent on tech in years.

I’ve been daily driving the WH-1000XM3‘s and they’ve lasted great and are still really good for daily use and I still find it’s noise canceling really good 2/3 years later

M3 and M4 weakest points were the folding hinges, you can find a tone of sets on the used market with broken hinges. Sony had to fix this and their solution was to remove the folding hinges entirely. I don't blame them for that

I brought the XM4 recently for $400 and I must say that I don't regret buying it at all. In terms of noise cancellation, yes it does work effectively at cancelling out noises - I don't have any complaints about it and Im soo glad its foldable.

This is such a terrific video, very professional, very informative and I like your straight-forward plain-spoken style. Subscribed!

Have the XM4s, don't plan on upgrading. That being said, I do love this series of headphones; I use them cross platform (windows desktop, macbook, and linux office computer) and it's really convenient that they work more or less identically across all devices.

I have XM4s, and what I would really need to see to upgrade is: - Be able to use them while charging. - Dual-band bluetooth (i.e. use headset in music mode and headset mode at the same time, for gaming), theres no reason I should need to keep an entire extra dongle or microphone around when the hardware has more than enough bandwidth for hi-res audio and a hi-res audio stream.

The perspective you bring in these reviews ticks all of my boxes. Thanks for saving me hours of research time.

I will take the more comfortable design all day over the smaller compact mx4s. To me I don’t care how good a headphone sounds if it’s uncomfortable it’s a dealbreaker. Looking forward to getting these now, after watching your review on the mx5s. Thank you!

I’ve had the XM3’s for a few years now and love ‘‘em to death. These won’t be worth an upgrade for me, but I’m still astonished to see noise cancellation technology becoming even better. Can’t wait to see where noise cancellation will be when I need to buy a new pair. Sony will have a good mark in my books. pun intended.

I've had the Mk. 3 for several years now and they were some of the best money I've ever spent on anything ever. I've worn them for an hour or two a day on average and they've shown virtually no wear other than ear cups (which are replaceable). Sony can sure make a pair of headphones.

Listening impressions: - Best sounding headset I've purchased to date and sound MILES better than my Sennheiser HD 596 (but to be fair, those sounded ridiculously unnatural and just all-around terrible). - Plenty of "thump" by default, but definitely dropping off significantly below 50Hz or so, which is exactly what I like to have present in my mix. You can see I've put a HUGE boost in the low lows on my EQ curve to make things like low synths, bass drops, and sub-harmonics sound even with the rest of the sound stage. Even still, the sub-bass that is there still sounds a bit thin and artificial like they're using some processing trickery to make it sound like it's playing lower than it is (there are a few ways to do this, but they're never as authentic as just reproducing the frequency properly). - Little bit "dark" sounding, so a slight bump in the high mids as well as a 10k+ shelf bump really helped brighten up the sound stage. - Imaging is ok but definitely not spectacular. It's only got a single 30mm driver per ear, so that one driver is covering EVERYTHING from 20Hz to 40kHz. As such, it's expected that imaging won't be super detailed, so no surprise there. I was really hoping to see at least 2 drivers per ear. By contrast, my CCA C12 in-ear-monitors (IEM's) that I use when playing on stage are about $50 and have 6 drivers PER EAR each playing a different frequency range. Needless to say, the imaging, and extension on those IEM's is a LOT better than these headphones that cost 7x the price. Due to their small form factor, IEM's can use armature drivers where 'can' style headphones like this can't use armature drivers (not loud enough), but I would still like to see 2 dynamic drivers in these just to allow one driver to focus on the highs and the other to focus on the lows rather than having the one driver trying to play the whole shebang. - Minimal, but still present, "pressure" sensation when noise cancelling is on, but it's not intrusive like a lot of other ANC headphones I've tried and effectively disappears when music is playing. Having a set of ANC headphones with "pressure" that grabs my attention is an absolute deal-breaker for me regardless of price point. Overall, these are going to be my go-to headphone for the office. They sound good enough (especially with some EQ), and are comfy enough, to have some background music playing for hours at a time while also cancelling out loud office talkers.

I never fold my WH-1000XM2. When I travel I wear them around my neck when not in use. Also make good ear muffs in cold climates.

I bought the XM4 about 2 months ago, just before the XM5 was released. I was almost disappointed that I hadn't waited a few more weeks, but thank you for showing me that the XM4 is perfect for me and the changes would actually have been worse for me personally. Thanks!

i just bought these 2 days ago and they sound amazing. i really don’t care about them not folding as long as they sound amazing and the noise cancellation is top notch!

I'm even more impressed by the quality of your videos than the actual products ^^, and the way you are criticizing finding every little pro and con is pure gold!

I have been watching videos for checking headphones. I was confused seeing the product whether it really folds with this design, but actually none of the videos(other 4-5) was giving me the information which I needed. Then I came to see your video which clearly says that. This is why I love your contents. Absolutely amazing job.

I have the M4 version and I love them. Honestly the larger footprint from the lack of folding is a dealbreaker for me. My backpack is jammed full when I travel and being able to get the M4 folded up small is something I won't look over again.

It's crazy, I still have my Mark 1... (5 year+) Used it almost every day for many hours. Still amazing piece of engineering

I got those like a month a go I just love them it’s very comfortable to wear for long hours and I really needed them to muffle the sounds around me they sound great and the battery life is fantastic I would really recommend these i tried the M4 wasn’t as great to be honest but the best part you can try them both in the store and choose which is better for you, MKBHD as always great video 👍🏻

The microphone isolation from XM3 to XM4 was drastic. A lot less background noise for taking calls in busy areas/offices. Not noticeably different based on your recording. And the fact that they take up more space makes this a pass for me.

I've had the Mk. 3 for several years now and they were some of the best money I've ever spent on anything ever. I've worn them for an hour or two a day on average and they've shown virtually no wear other than ear cups (which are replaceable). Sony can sure make a pair of headphones. mazing representation for the sound Marques.. totally love it ❤ The best reviewer gives you the whole experience of the product 🔥 Thanks for the video and keep it up 😊 I’m still rocking the Mark 3s and love them, not enough improvement to justify upgrading yet! 🎧

SONY needs to be appreciated more, their tech is always inspiring!

Another great 👍 video thanks Marques! Just curious are the XM5's any smaller than the XM4's when not extended? I've had a pair of XM4's before but returned them because they'd just slide around on the top of my head.

I just got the XM5 and they changed my life! Great video.

I use the XM3 (bought them 2 years ago) best headphones I've ever had. Having 30~ hrs of battery life and fast charging is amazing.

Rocking the XM3 for a few years now. Not being able to fold this new design would be a major downgrade for me, as you said their main use is for travel so the smaller the can be folded the better. Hope they one day bring a folding design with the new upgrades. I mainly miss multi device support on my XM3 so would consider getting a new one.

Awesome review. You definitely pushed me over the edge, I just bought the xm5 after watching this. Thanks

I'd love to upgrade, but my XM3's are still absolutely great even after years of daily heavy use they still look and sound like they just came off the shelves brand new. If you're in the market for new headphones I'd say you can't go wrong with any of these Sony headphones.

Have the XM4 and am quite happy with them, the XM5 look good too. Either way: I have _noise cancelling_ headphones not really for traveling but mainly for home office usage - having sat in a bunch of loud offices in the last 15 years or so, I was always really happy to have noise cancelling (when I did)

Loved the way you edited this video and its sound, I am currently wearing the XM4s to watch the video, and the bits where you muffled the sound and cancelled the ambient noise felt like an interactive experience. Kudos to you for amazing editing!

A bigger case is worth it when compared to folding headphones to place them properly into smaller cases. Also appreciate the magnetic space for holding wires.

Thank you for your review! Your review actually made it clear these are the headphones for me. I primarily use them to drown out noises that give me flashbacks so noise cancellation is #1 and comfort #2 as that makes it possible for me to use them longer. So far the headphones feel a lot less intuitive than my old Bose 700 though, still gotta figure them out.

I have been using the XM4s since over a year now. I use them for more than 10+ hours a day on most days and the battery always lasts 2-3 days. They charge up very very quickly, i can plug them in for 10 minutes and they will last me the whole day. Absolutely amazing purchase. And to the people who cry about it being bass heavy or not very flat, there's literally an application where you can customize the sound signature according to your liking, so stop whining about that and enjoy the headphones!

I have my XM2s for good 4 years now. During those years I used them quite frequently and they still sound perfect and ANC is still very powerful. Battery life came down to about 20 hours, which is still fine with me. Even after these years, the foldable hinges work just fine. And long charge time through Micro USB port is not a big deal for me, therefore after 4 years I am still very much enjoying them and I am not planning to replace these. Only thing I had ti replace were the ear cushions, but that applies to all over ear headphones with long-term use. Therefore if you consider buying mark 5, 4 or even 3, just go for it, they won't let you down.

Tried the XM4 vs XM5 in the store. The XM5 fit my head, the XM4 headband can't be set small/short enough. Just dismissed the XM4 because of that. I liked how the latency/sync was good enough to enjoy videos on the XM5, unlike a lot of bluetooth headphones.

The folding orientation on the neck is meant that way so that moisture can evaporate when the headphones are not being used. This has been an issue on the last generation: in hot weather the ears get sweaty and after a few hours the moisture can interfere with the ANC as it happened to many users, including myself

Still really happy with my mk4, and do not feel the need to upgrade at all. The fold and rotation of the cups is crucial for traveling (even to uni/work and back) and the sound quality and noise cancellation is so impressive already. The quality upgrade per model isn't that shocking it seems, very minor improvements. And I wonder if the thinner headband will become less comfy after wearing it for a while.

Wow, I didn’t realize how long it’s been since the XM4s dropped.

Got the XM4's for about half the cost of the XM5's during black friday. Translating my currency to USD it was a $187.52 USD for the 4s. I'm happy with the purchase, I do travel a lot so hopefully I'll enjoy them.

I've had the xm4's for almost 3 years now. Very very happy with them! My main complaint is the touch control that's sensitive to wind and rain. When it's windy, it litterally keeps pausing and playing every 5-10 seconds which ruins the listening experience completely. Hope the next version (xm6) will be more compact again and have actual PHYSICAL buttons instead of the touch panel.

Sony tech is just amazing. XM4s are already great on its own, and hard to imagine that they can go above and beyond…

Thanks Marques for the review! I like that you present the important features.

I did a lot of reading of user reviews, and tested both for noise cancelling in the shop. I decided to buy the XM4s. A LOT of users are saying the XM5 noise cancelling is too clever, so at times there are lags of strength and changes. When the XM5s are in the ideal situation, they do have the best cancellation, but when things are changing people prefer the constant amount of blocking on the XM4. The XM4 partially uses white noise, which I personally like. I had to choose between the XM4 and BOSE QC45s in the end, and it was a really hard decision. The QC45 have excellent basic buttons, are lighter, and very comfortable. For people with smaller heads the QC45 may feeel a bit loose. But in the end I felt the noise cancelling in an average office/shop environment was a tiny bit better on the XM4s, but it was a 50/50 call to choose between these two. Again, many users really like the XM4s.

Hey, just wanted to say that you do some really great reviews. The way you present is engaging and interesting. The way you cover the topics is really nice and I really liked that you demonstrated the voice quality in a real-world scenario as that is what I'll be using them for. Keep up the good work. I have never seen your stuff before and I'm going through it now and you do a great job.

I got the XM4s right after they came out, they were my first pair of nice headphones and I havent regretted buying them. Seeing that these came out I expected to come away jealous of the new model, but honestly if I were in the market today I would probably still buy the XM4s, especially because they are frequently on sale for like $280 and are better for traveling.

Thanks for this video. Very helpful.

I believe the problem with the folding is defaintly one that types of people could have problems with but with me i always have headphones on my neck when travelling and obviously when i eventually put them into an oversized case it does getting annoying with space but its defaintly a problem that most people could have with them

I’ve had the xm4s for a year now. I love them! I started this video thinking I was gonna be jealous, but I’m good lol. I mean the upgrades look nice but I like the folding feature and the hard case of the xm4s better. One thing I would like to see upgraded is the call quality. It does the trick when I’m indoors, not so great at times when out & about. Other than that tho thumbs up 👍

4:17 That sound effect immediately reminded me of GTA San Andreas. I've heard that menu screen so many times.

Really great review, thanks! I have the XM3s and considering which pair to upgrade to. The same things bum me out about the XM5s that you’ve highlighted, although I’ve been longing for the same soundstage quality but with better noise cancelling abilities than the XM3s. Still slightly torn, but decision soon.

Been using the Mk2s for around 6 years now and they are still so so good, battery is amazing, sound is very crisp and they still haven't broken

Bought my XM3s about 3 years ago on the recommendation and a quick listening experience from my friend Sekwah. Immediately got blown away, purchased them and have used them for music, calls in work, podcasts. They are still absolutely perfect, even after heavy use, and some abuse from occasional gym sessions if I’ve forgot my in ears…. Would highly recommend this series of headphones, especially if you can pick the 3s or 4s up on the cheap! Hands down the best I’ve ever had.

I absolutely love how thorough and how honest your test videos are.

I own the Bose 700s and honestly, the noise cancelling is not the best, that's for sure. However, one of the best features in comparison to the XM4s is the sound isolation of the mic. I use them for work calls in open space offices and I am literally the only one able to conduct meetings without participants being annoyed about other meetings taking place right next to me... because they simply don't hear any of it. For me, that has become one of the KEY features and I think I might not be the only one. Maybe just an idea for an additional test when you do the mic test. ;) Great video, amazing editing as always, just a delight to watch. Keep it up!

Purchased a new set of XM4 for $180 and a refurb set of XM5 for $220. Can't decide which one to keep. The refurbs look brand new and come with a 2 year warranty, the XM4s are new so they are also perfect, I think Sony warranty is 1 year. Both sound great to me, I've been testing both at work.

Still rocking my mark 2's and loving them, might be time for the 4's though!

Marques: “What do you get noise-cancelling headphones for?” Me: “Family and co-workers.” Marques: “Travel. You get them for travel.” Me: “Oh, yeah. That too, I guess.”

Thanks for the honest review. I have the xm4 and are the best headphones I've ever used. I wear mine in a factory and the noise canceling is great while music is playing. I've had mine for a year now. Was considering upgrading but now I think I will just buy another pair of xm4's.

I just got one yesterday and I'm loving it!!!

I still use my XM3s and was wondering when the 5s were gonna come out to potentially upgrade. I actually mostly use mine at home, and when I travel with them I don't really take them off for long periods of time anyway, so the size doesn't matter and I'm pumped about this new design!

Got the XM3s for 190 on amazon last year. 1 yr later, still holding up perfectly - best pair of headphones I've ever used! Won't need upgrading until the xm7's ;)

Thank you for the review. You covered everything well. I hope these connect to my work laptop better than the Bose NC700. The NC700 would crackle unless the Bose Link USB dongle is used.

Dear Marques. Great vid. Would you recommend these headphones for working out? Best regards

Excellent review Marques. I'll be sticking with my XM3s since they still work great and battery lasts my whole day. I might get the M4s if I see them on sale but the XM5s not being foldable is a deal breaker for me.

I appreciate the way you displayed the effect of the transparency mode without cutting off the talking.

One thing I think you guys (and other reviewers) are missing in these reviews is repairability. As you said, this is a $400 set of headphones. I am looking to move on from my Sony XM2's and I have had to change the ear pads twice. These XM5's are the first set that cannot be done by the end user and must be sent off to Sony for new pads. That is a big deal and should be mentioned. It's a deal-killer for me as well.

Dead ass could not hear a difference in the Mic test. Great quality video as usual. Keep up the great work Marques and team

I loved my XM3s, they really were great but eventually got worn out after years upon years of hard use. I moved over to AirPod Max because the XM4 wasn’t much new but now these XM5s are making me regret it a bit.

@4:58 that was a very clever way to demonstrate your opinion of the feature!!!! Well done!

i personally LOVE that they don't fold AND that case for it is everything- this is coming from a toddler mom who travels too lol thanks for the great review!!

Just picked these up today to replace my 4 year old broken MDR 950 BT which BTW were amazing. Im impressed with my new ones!

I have the M4s and was bummed when I heard that M5s were coming out (I enjoyed having the latest and greatest haha) but honestly if I were to choose again today, I would still buy the M4s over the M5s. You make great points about how these are designed for travel and I would much rather have compactness over a redesign, slightly better noise cancelation, faster charging, and more mics

great content as always! my only question would be whether they have improved water resistance? i always reconsider wearing my xm4s when it gets rainy… would be nice to see an improvment

Dang, the way the sound gets muffled to describe how the audio passthrough works is brilliant. Attention to details !

PSA I’ve owned the MK 4s for over a year now and I love them. I will say though, one of the reasons the hinge may have changed in the MK 5 is durability. My MK 4 left hinge cracked and I had to repair it myself about 8-9 months in (keep in mind I use these headphones around 2-4 hours a day)

I loved it when you said muffled and the actual audio of the video got muffled and also with the mic testing 💯💯 you're simply the best reviewer I've ever viewed 😅 in town !

I've had the Xm3 for years, love the sound and comfort. I didn't think the change was enough to get the XM4, but with the design, I may get these. I was looking forward for your review, as always, very complete. You do not disappoint 👏. Thanks!

That was a great review; really clear with no bias or ego. I have the XM5's. The size wasn't an issue to me. To be honest, the main reason for choosing them over the XM4's was the increased number of microphones. I naively assumed this would make voice quality better. I'm a writer, so record lots of voice notes to clients while out walking. I generally leave voice notes on WhatsApp for them to listen to, while out walking my dog. What I have discovered is that these things are absolutely unusable in even a very gentle breeze. My voice notes simply can't be heard at all, with the volume of my voice changing randomly and often being completely inaudible. I hear planes, and dogs barking with beautiful clarity on my recordings, but not my voice. I believe on the XM4's there was a dedicated wind noise reduction mode. This is sadly absent on these, and I have tried every combination of modes, from one extreme of noise cancellation all the way to having no cancelling on at all; they're completely unusable. If anyone knows of a way to combat this, I would be extremely grateful.

I got the XM4s on discount after the XM5s were released. I couldn't justify another 40% spend for marginal improvements in the new model. The XM4s are exceptional, I'm really pleased

I really disagree with the non folding design being a design flaw. The durability was significantly compromised by the previous design despite its flexibility being very useful - it’s a trade off that Sony was willing to make, and that’s an active decision rather than a design flaw.

Used the Sony Mark 3 when it came out and loved the headphones. A few months after the M4 came out I got it and these are my daily drivers, use them every single day almost all day. I have really high expectations for the M5, even though I don't need them I've enjoyed the last headphones so much I can't wait to try these.

I had the m4 and it was spectacular, BUT. The folding area broke on one of my earphones and rendered it unusable until it was fixed. I caved in and bought the 5(probably not the most financially efficient) and im actually glad they don't fold. Either way, no matter which ones you pick, they are my favorite headphones without a doubt, and the long battery life is a blessing. Cheers!❤

I bought the XM5's due to the where the headband breaking on my XM3's - where they meet the earcup on one side. They were perfectly fine but I couldn't handle them being 'broken'. the sound cancelling compared to the XM3's is superb, and the call quality is in another league. I never use the carrying case - as far as I'm concerned they're packaging. I carry them as headphones. The sound quality is probably there or there-abouts compared with the XM3's but the smaller driver delivers a different bass response. I prefer the punchy and hard bass in the XM3. Overall I like these XM5's, lets see how long they last.

Great video as always. Can't wait to get my hands on these headphones and see the improvement from z Xm3