Sony WH-1000XM5

Excellent comfort ; Musical, rich audio performance ; Impressively clean and natural noise cancellation ; Superb Ambient Mode ; Great call quality

Don’t fold anymore ; Connection can get choppy in busy areas ; No water resistance ; Slight jump in RRP

Sony’s WH-1000XM5 improve over their predecessors in small ways that add up. The new design assists noise-cancelling performance, but it also means the headphones are no longer foldable; the ANC makes all types of environments spookily quiet, while the...

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...

Agile, meaty and fun listen ; Very comfortable and secure earpieces ; Battery life maintained from XM4

ANC can be beaten ; Occasional connectivity issues ; On-ear volume control is a tad hit and miss

Sony has thrown everything it can into these much smaller earbuds, and given us an extra set of foam tips so they fit perfectly. LDAC, the firm's top-tier DSEE upscaler, and Bluetooth 5.3 are all here, battery life is competitive, and the sound is 100%...

Balanced, detailed and perky sound ; Thoroughly specified ; Useful, extensive and stable control app ; Small, light and comfortable design

Slightly inhibited dynamics ; Unremarkable noise-cancellation ; Unremarkable-er call quality ; Ordinary battery life

Sony was always on a hiding to nothing with the WF-1000XM5 - get it wrong and it’s a major story, get it right (yet again) and it’s no more than we all expected. But while the company hasn’t got it ‘wrong’ exactly, the WF-1000XM5 aren’t the consummate...

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...

Outstanding noise cancellation ; Excellent sound quality ; Comfortable to wear ; Packed with functions

No support for aptX ; Don't fold as small as they used to

Sony's flagship headphones remain a great choice for those who prioritise noise cancellation. These headphones are better performing than ever, with a comfortable new design - the only real downside being that they don't fold as small as they once did.

Superb sound quality ; Top-drawer noise cancelling ; Great redesign

Ever-so slightly less premium feel ; They don’t fold ; ‘Speak to chat’ only moderately useful

An unrivalled combo of great sound, noise-cancelling and comfort.