Sony WF-1000XM5 Review

Given the stellar reputation of Sony's WF-1000XM5 earbuds, we were excited to test them, diving right in to benchmark them against the other top options on the market. Unfortunately, while their sound quality is okay but far from the best sound mix out there. They do excel in two categories, though — comfort and battery life. They'll easily get you through a full day without having to recharge or give your ears a break.

Sound Quality

To test and rank sound quality, our audio experts listened to an extensive playlist ranging from banjo laden country tracks to bass-heavy hip hop and pop's treble-happy vocals. We found the out-of-box equalization of the WF-1000XM5 pleasant, if a little flat. When we tallied the results, these earbuds settled into the middle of the pack, falling short compared to other options at a similar price point.

Sony's neutral sound mix works well for atmospheric pop like Miki Fiki's “Just Fine” and the folksy feels in “I Am California” by John Craigie. But, the low-end bass frequencies lack power and warmth, which is especially noticeable when listening to EDM or hip hop. Music that relies more on rhythm and melody, like “You Don't Know” by Leon Bridges, fares better, with the disco beat clean and distinct but not overpowering.

The middle frequencies are full, warm, and punchy in rhythm and blues songs like “Blue Mesas” by Leon Bridges and classic pop-rock like “As Long as You Follow” by Fleetwood Mac. They sound clear and accurate without feeling overly sculpted.

High treble tones are similarly crisp and well-developed — the cleanest frequency range for these earbuds. When you listen to “If It Feels Good (then It Must Be)” by Leon Bridges, the high percussive clink throughout the track sounds distinct, not sharp or thin.

At high volumes, the bass remains clear without muddying, while the treble avoids any overly sharp sounds. I found that I needed to keep the volume a notch or two higher on these earbuds than on other models. If I wore them to the gym or store without the ANC turned on, I could barely hear the music.

Soundstage

Due to their small, in-ear design, earbuds typically create an internalized audio experience. Recent innovations, however, have allowed some earbuds to produce a more expansive sound that feels like it's emanating from beyond the buds themselves. This perception of where your music seems to be coming from in the space around you is known as an earbud's soundstage.

I found that the WF-1000XM5 earbuds create a focused soundstage rather than an expansive one. The smaller stage creates a cluttered soundscape at times. These earbuds lack the full, clean, powerful sound that the best earbuds provide. Though these earbuds don't create the stunning immersive soundscapes we've come to expect, they maintain clarity and definition in the vocals and instrumentals at all levels.

When listening to atmospheric songs like “Impatient” by Sebastian Paul and “Kiss City” by Blondshell in active noise cancelling mode, the music feels immediate and clear without causing the stuffy, on-an-airplane feeling that some earbuds carry.

While these earbuds failed to wow us, the frequency response curve we generated from SoundCheck calculations aligns well with our preferred curve. The comparison chart above shows the relative loudness of each frequency for the WF-1000XM5 in its factory settings compared to our idealized curve. They are strikingly similar, with the Sony earbuds emphasizing the middle and treble frequencies a bit more.

User Experience

Over a dozen people with different shapes and sized ears tested these earbuds, and they all agree that these are some of the most comfortable earbuds we've tried. Lightweight, secure, with a great seal and a user-friendly app, they're a pleasure to use at work, the gym, and during daily commutes.

Comfort

These Sony earbuds manage to be more comfortable than the rest by replacing silicone tips with moldable foam and providing four size options. The malleable foam, similar to protective earplugs, contours to your ear, avoiding common pressure points and ensuring a good fit for everyone regardless of their ear size.

The downside is that foam isn't as durable as silicone. After smashing them into my ears a few dozen times, I noticed some wear and tear. That's frustrating for a pair of premium, high-priced earbuds.

Stability

The snug foam tips also ensure a secure fit. These earbuds remained firmly in place despite rigorous (okay, ridiculous) attempts to dislodge them. Our tests included running, walking, climbing, pulling hoodies on and off, long office days, headstands, and headbanging to metal music. Nothing could dislodge them, not even a full day of route setting at the climbing gym. Luckily, they don't mind a little sweat, either. With an IP, or ingress protection rating, of X4, they can withstand splashes of water from any direction, though there's no rating for dust protection.

Customization

The earbuds' intuitive app pairs easily with any device, Apple and Android included. You must have your case with you to pair them, which adds a reassuring level of security. The case is sleek, secure, and clearly defines the slots for the left and right earbuds.

The app includes a bevy of useful features, including an ear fit test to optimize the listening experience, adjustable equalization settings for bass, mid, and treble tones, and the ability to turn active noise cancellation on or off, let in ambient sound, and use voice commands via “Ok Google” or “Alexa.”

They also offer a spatial or surround sound, audio feature that Sony calls 360 Reality Audio. There's a catch though. To access it, you need to subscribe to compatible streaming services, which include Amazon Music Unlimited, nugs.net, or PeerTracks, and 360 Reality Audio Live. Most of these require a monthly fee, so, while the feature is included in your purchase, it only works if you're willing to pay more money.

Sony has packed a lot of technology into these little buds. They track your head movements to optimize your listening experience and use AI to adjust your ambient sound settings and restore musical details lost to compression. While innovative, these features don't outperform other similar options in our tests.

Connectivity

Throughout the time I was testing these earbuds, I did not run into any notable connectivity issues. They were simple to connect and did not give us any trouble after pairing. Because connectivity can be affected by so many individual factors (device type and age, firmware update, physical barriers, etc.) it is one area where I find it helpful to supplement our in-house tests with crowdsourced information. To check how frequently problems come up for other Sony users, I surveyed 1-star Amazon user reviews and kept a count of the ones citing connectivity issues. I compared this number the the total number of user reviews to find the ratio of issues for each model. The WF-1000XM5 had a reported issue rate of 1.82%.

Noise Cancellation

The WF-1000XM5 earbuds offer active noise cancellation. It works well to showcase the music you're listening to but is less effective when you need them to block out the cacophony at the office, airport, or subway.

We test noise cancellation by listening to each set of earbuds with it turned on and off. We also have SoundCheck, Listen Inc.'s specialized audio software, calculate how much ambient sound actually gets past them. As you can see below, their active noise cancelling isn't as powerful as we'd like, but it does a lot to help you enjoy your music.

Since these earbuds can be quiet to begin with, our favorite songs can be hard to hear without ANC. Once activated, the listening experience is substantially improved. While it doesn't create a completely tranquil environment, it does diminish background noise, allowing the lyrics, notes, and melodies to shine.

Thankfully, these earbuds do a great job of blocking noise passively. Since active noise cancellation reacts to the environment, it's often a step behind. That's why it works best for consistent, low-frequency sounds, like the rumble of a plane's engine or the background chatter you hear in the cafe example above. Passive noise isolation is best at blocking high-frequency sounds, like clattering plates that you can hear the difference above for yourself.

Battery Life

Yes, they're comfortable, high-tech, and sound pretty good. But what we're really here to tell you, is that they last forever. We turned the earbuds on, turned the active noise cancellation off, set the volume at 75%, hit play, and walked away. A long 14 hours later, the batteries finally died.

That's two hours past the twelve hours that Sony advertises without ANC. (Sony claims that the earbuds last a workday, eight hours, with the ANC feature running.) Honestly, nothing else came close to logging in that staggering time stamp. A couple of earbuds hover around ten and eleven hours, while the overall average recorded a little less than a work day. The WF-1000XM5 earbuds clearly dominated this test, and their case provides two additional charges on the go.

If you frequently fly across oceans, listen to audio all day at work, or are a through hiker with a fondness for audiobooks, these earbuds are an excellent choice. They offer wireless charging, and Sony claims that just three minutes in the case provides an extra hour of listening time.

Call Quality

Like all earbuds, the WF-1000XM5 buds also offer noise isolation, which is how much sound the earbuds physically block from entering your ear canal. Sony has gone to great lengths to make it easy for you to call friends and be heard, even as you move through a noisy world. Unfortunately, the bone conductor sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning didn't handle our test protocol as well as other options.

Talking to friends using the WF-1000XM5 can be challenging. The AI-driven signal processors designed to separate your voice from background noise sometimes fail. When we staged a phone call with a recording of the subway in the background, all was lost. The voice audio sounded terrible and cut in and out. It was one of the worst performers in the review.

The tech worked better in our mock office setting. The voices of the male and female testers still oscillated between low and high volumes, but the Sony earbuds nearly eliminate the light office buzz underneath.

When we tested a phone call in a quiet room, the voices began by sounding clear and strong, only to fade during the recording.

Sony claims that the earbuds pick up the vibrations that travel along your bones as you speak, which helps it translate your voice. Our Bruel and Kjaer 5128-B head simulator doesn't have bones, so we repeated the process with a human tester. We found that the results were the same.

Should You Buy the Sony WF-1000XM5?

These earbuds are a great choice if you prioritize comfort and all-day battery life over top-tier sound quality, and you can tolerate some volume and phone call quirks. They are pricey, and several alternatives offer better audio and noise-cancelling quality, fit comfortably, and are similarly priced or cheaper. Some even come close to matching Sony's impressive battery life. If you need every minute of battery life you can get and love the sound of soft foam tips, we think you'll enjoy these.

What Other Earbuds Should You Consider?

If you're looking for impressive comfort and battery life, the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 is nearly as impressive as the Sony earbuds but offers better sound quality and noise cancellation. The best value Samsung Galaxy Buds2 are always worth considering if you can sacrifice battery life in exchange for a lower price tag and higher phone call quality.