Review: Sony’s XM5 headphones are excellent

Reputation among premium headphone brands is hard won and easily lost, and Sony’s latest pair of premium over-the-ear headphones is an example of how to prove the admiration is deserved.

The WH-1000XM5 model, which Sony provided for me to review, is kind of like the Shakespeare of headphones – sure, they aren’t doing anything totally new, but they have absolutely nailed the delivery.

With the brand power of dedicated audio companies like Bose, or influencer appeal like Beats, it can be difficult for a jack-of-all-trades tech brand to hold onto a reputation for excellence in the constant arms race that is consumer tech.

Retailing at $612 on Sony’s own website, the XM5s are the kind of headphones that people refer to as “an investment”. They certainly wouldn't be judged a winner in the "best budget" category, but they would have a damn good shot at winning in every other category.

The XM5’s design is clean and simple – great for business, casual or as a jazzy cocktail accessory. (Image: BusinessDesk)

Aesthetics are very subjective and no one will ever make a universally loved anything, but what you can do is make something that is very hard to dislike.

The XM5s are beautifully unassuming.

While some premium headphones try to look premium, the XM5s let the simplicity of the design do the talking. The clean flat outer of the earcups offsets the roundedness of the band to fantastic effect.

They are the kind of thing that might not take first place in a beauty contest, but they wouldn’t be laughed off the stage.

The ear cushions are super soft. (Image: BusinessDesk)

The moment you touch them, any doubt that they are a premium product will evaporate. The vegan leatherette earcups are divinely soft, and with the same fabric wrapping lining the headband, these bad boys are ultra comfy.

The only question would be around the durability of the fabric; there is nothing worse, for example, than cushions that start flaking after a year. As the headphones have only just been released, that’s a wait-and-see kind of issue.

It doesn’t seem to be a worry with the previous XM4 model, so there’s no reason it should be for the 5s.

Speaking of the headband, the friction rod adjustability is great. It sticks where you set it and even fits comfortable on my weirdly small head.

When I put the XM5s on after a few minutes of wearing a $200-range pair of headphones, it is like sliding into a freshly made bed after a long day.

Even the case has that same low-key but good-quality design, with a nice small footprint for secure, safe and easy portability.

 Buyers will find the headphones are really comfortable. (Image: Sony)

Sound and silence

Let’s get this out of the way: The rumours are true, the XM5s have bonkers good noise cancelling.

I will often just put on noise-cancelling headphones with nothing playing behind them when I need to focus on something, and the XM5s make the world nearly disappear.

There is a little bit of the strange pressure that comes with noise cancelling, but it is not enough to be uncomfortable, like in the early days of the tech.

The linked app can gather data on the ambient noise levels of the places you frequent and then use GPS to adjust the noise cancelling on the fly, which is pretty neat.

The case has a great little magnetic flap for holding the 3.5mm cable and the USB cable. (Image: BusinessDesk)

The sound is gorgeous. Rich, not overly bassy or even the slightest bit tinny, it has amazing balance and delivers on range, too.

I compared the XM5s to a $200-range pair of headphones and the difference in the differentiation between tones and frequencies was really noticeable.

In other words, they made each sound come through clearly for the song I was listening to (Partition, by Beyoncé, for the curious), while the comparison headphones made everything sound a little more crammed together.

Could an audiophile find some fault with them? Probably – it’s what such people are good at, after all – but for an audio enthusiast like me, it is very difficult to find fault.

The microphone was also surprisingly good. In the new age of video calls, I took an entire Teams interview with the XM5s and the recording quality was amazing, easily outstripping many proper headsets with those little arm mics.

The XM5 fits snugly into its case, which is just the right size for chucking into the backpack for your travels. (Image: BusinessDesk)

Usability

The aforementioned flat surface of the ear cups works as a touch-based interface and is another shining star in the XM5's cap.

Double tap the cup to pause, swipe up or down for volume control and left or right for skipping forward or back a track.

Place your palm flat against the cup to deactivate the noise cancelling and lower the volume until you lift your hand off again.

Turn on speak-to-chat mode and it will pause the music the moment you start talking.

You can connect to two devices at once and switch to using the mobile app – a great touch for those wanting to swap between their laptop and their phone.

DSEE mode is kind of like upscaling, using “AI technology to reproduce with high accuracy the frequency responses of the original sound source lost during compression”, as Sony says.

The app isn’t overly complicated, though it is a little bit clumsy at times, relying on browser-based pop-ups for certain things, I’ve certainly used far worse.

Another minor gripe: You can't charge and listen wirelessly, but you can use the 3.5mm cable to listen if the battery dies.

But at up to 30 hours (!!!) with noise cancelling on, that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Final thoughts

The Sony WH-1000XM5 over-the-ear headphones are, hands down, the best wireless headphones I’ve ever used. I love them.

If you personally don’t like the design, then by all means check out some of the competition.

But if you are like me and want something that is compact, unassuming, works well, has incredible sound and impressive utility, then I 100% recommend them.