Best Headphones

Head to head · for music listening

Sony WH-1000XM4 vs WH-1000XM5

More people recommend the Sony WH-1000XM4 overall (133 vs 96). Only 3 of the 296 comments naming both explicitly choose one (2 for the Sony WH-1000XM4, 1 for the Sony WH-1000XM5), too few to call a winner.

Comments naming both
296
Say they own both
18
Choose the WH-1000XM4
2
Choose the WH-1000XM5
1

Counted across 37 review videos, harvested Sep 2026. A comment counts as a choice only when it says so in plain words (prefer X over Y, upgraded from Y to X); questions never count. Quotes are whole sentences of 12 words or fewer, linked to where they were said. How we count.

At a glance the better number on each row is highlighted
Sony WH-1000XM4Sony WH-1000XM5
Typical price$298cheaper$300
Overall rank#2higher#6
People who recommend it133more96
Say they own it196more149
Mentions1,148more1,124
Typewireless ANC over-earwireless ANC over-ear
Known forCommuteNoise cancellingBatteryCommuteNoise cancellingBattery
Best forDaily commuting on trains and buses when you want one headphone that does everything.The default noise-cancelling pick for planes and trains, if you can live with plastic hinges.
BuyAmazon · $298Amazon · $300Direct

People who mention both, in their own words

#2 overall

Sony WH-1000XM4

43 of the 296 comments naming both come from people who say they own this one.

What owners love

  • By far the most-recommended commuting headphone: 14 separate owners in one 2025 ResetEra thread alone
  • Strong noise cancelling, long battery, folds flat
  • Regularly on sale for $130-250, and owners say it is still the value pick over the XM5 and XM6
  • Works wired too; the XM4 is the last of the line that folds

The complaints

  • Bulky and warm on the ears; one owner found the clamp uncomfortable and the ANC weak
  • Sony's default EQ is a little V-shaped (boosted bass and treble)
  • Some units develop a faint white noise; touch controls can be fussy

In their words

#6 overall

Sony WH-1000XM5

24 of the 296 comments naming both come from people who say they own this one.

What owners love

  • Noise cancelling that owners rank at or near the top of anything they have tried
  • Comfortable, light, and the touch controls grow on people
  • Several owners bought them on a deep sale and call them the best headphone they have used

The complaints

  • The hinges and swivels: more than one owner had a pair break within a year
  • No longer folds flat, which travellers miss from the XM4
  • Bass is thick out of the box; audiophile commenters call it bloated and point at the Momentum 4
  • Ear pads are not user-replaceable; not sweat resistant

In their words

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