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Sony WH-1000XM5 Review (2025)

John Carter Doe

October 1, 2025

9.7

Excellent

Who are these for?

The bottom line, right up front.

If you're hunting for the best noise-canceling headphones this year, the Sony WH-1000XM5 are pretty much still the ones to beat. The noise cancellation is just outstanding, the sound is warm and detailed, and they're so comfortable you'll honestly forget they're on your head. Plus, all the little things—like connecting to two devices at once, a solid app, and quick charging—they just *work*. Now, they aren't the cheapest option out there, and they don't fold up. But those are pretty small trade-offs for headphones that are this good for everything from your commute to your home office. We're here to cut through the hype and tell you exactly where they're great... and where you might want to pause for a second.

Who are these for?

What really stands out

First off, the active noise cancellation (ANC) is the real deal. It just erases low rumbles like train noise or air conditioning, and it even handles office chatter really well, all without that weird ear pressure some headphones give you. The sound is just so pleasing and easy to listen to for hours—think rich bass and smooth vocals. And comfort? Believe it or not, these are all-day comfortable. The clamping force is light, the pads are plush, and the whole thing just sort of disappears on your head. Then there are the smart features that actually make a difference, like rock-solid multipoint Bluetooth for switching between your phone and laptop. Battery life is another thing you just stop thinking about—it's that good.

But here's the thing, no headphones are perfect. The biggest catch is that they don't fold down, so the carrying case is a bit bulkier than some others. Also, while call quality is fantastic indoors, a bit of wind can really give the microphones a hard time when you're outside. You should also know there's no official water or sweat resistance rating, so these are definitely not your gym headphones. And a final little nitpick for the audio nerds: they support Sony's high-quality LDAC codec, but there's no aptX support, which some Android folks might miss.