WF-1000XM5 The Best Truly Wireless Bluetooth Noise Canceling Earbuds & in-Ear Headphones with Alexa Built-in, Black

There’s a bit of possible Sony hate going on in some reviews, like others I got burned on a pair of WF-10004XM refurbished and one of the batteries started failing after a year. Wasn’t worth the cost of repair. Have others from QCY and Soundcore that were surprisingly good for less cost. Also had trouble with refurbished headphones WH-1000XM4, luckily had added insurance. Cut to buying a new pair that have been flawless. Got the Sony WF-C700N a couple months ago to scratch my earbud itch. Very good for the price. If you’re not ready to throw down $300 for the XM5 they’re a great alternative. Not quite as musical, but no gripes anyway. You can get picky about the throwback buttons but oh well. One comment before I get more specific on the XM5. I fully agree with another review that calls out Sony for how complicated their Sony Connect app has become. It could be simplified for people who don’t want to get into the tech so much. Now, how do they sound? I’m impressed and I’m not using them to their full potential. Using with iPhone so Bluetooth SBC codec is the most basic and lowest quality solution (after digging into the codec question a bit more it does appear that the iPhone has the AAC codec also). However, with the help of Sony’s equalizer and DSEE function I’m very happy with the sound. I almost don’t want to try them with a better codec and then have to go back. (Still applies with AAC, DSE does improve sound) I need treble boost for my old ears and having played bass no surprise I like a lot of bass. These don’t disappoint. I did an A-B comparison with the XM4 headphones and they didn’t have quite the low end but good and punchy with good definition between bass and drums.both can become nice and “growly” on the low end. Noise cancellation is very good, not as good as the headphones but after only a couple days I have been quite satisfied so far. Comfort level is better than the XM4 buds, but I’m so pissed I wasted the money now I don’t want to dig them out to compare audio! I think Sony really improved the fit and design to be lighter, more comfortable, and have impressive sound. Let’s just hope they found a better battery. Used overnight and had battery left in the morning but playing audiobook on timer so i couldn’t say how long continuous playback. I’ll update after I’ve had them longer. (Update) battery life seems to be very similar to the XM4. Sometimes I have battery left in the morning sometimes it comes up short. Another follow up, comes with 4 sets of tips but apparently I have very large ear canals as I’m unable to get a complete seal with the included buds. The large felt good at first but when I used the connect app to check for airtight seals I could not get them to seal. Fortunately I have many tips I’ve saved over the years and by mixing, matching, and testing I have a couple that seal. I even tried ordering extra large tips from a couple vendors and they didn’t work either. Nice that Sony is including extra small but what about us with extra large needs! I do have a possible solution on the way, find a video on YouTube that shows how to use Sugro glue rolled up and inserted in the mushroom part of the tip. Press in the ear to get a fit and then allow to cure over night. Hoping it works, I have a few tips I’d like to try this on. Was even investigating custom molded tips but for $150 plus I’ll try the Sugro hack… 8/5/23 tried the Sugro hack yesterday. Still have to work to get an airtight fit but it definitely helped. My opinion on the sound has not diminished. Excellent with what I listen too. A lot of classic rock but also new material from Elle King and others. Listening to Lourdes “Royals” a very deep bass which presents low, solid, and clear. You can easily distinguish the bass and drums. The low rumbling bass of Pink Floyd “Welcome to the Machine” couldn’t be much better in any buds. Almost like I could feel it. I’m now using the WF-C700n as my workout and dog walking buds. Sound signature is very similar but the bass is not quite as good. One thing they are lacking is the airtight fit check in the app. I had to use other tips and the Sugro mold hack to get a good consistent fit in both. The included tips are worthless to me and my big ears. I see a lot of criticism of the noise cancellation for the XM5. I have no way to measure so it’s pretty subjective but I’m not disappointed. At least as good as the XM4. But with any ANC earbuds the airtight seal is critical. If you’re not ready to throw down $300 the WF-C700n are a very good alternative, but are not touch controlled, a single button on each side. Not quite as good on the low end but not disappointing either. In direct comparison you can hear the difference. I still think these are 5 star worthy. I’d take off half a star because of the somewhat complex app but if you like to tinker with the sound and features, give it back. People who are not “technical minded” may find it intimidating. I find it useful but jammed with some features I wouldn’t normally use, like automatically changing settings depending on location as an example. Some might find it useful but not me. The equalizer and clear bass functions are excellent. DSEE function makes a noticeable difference in sound quality. Happier with these than I was with the XM4. Just hope the batteries last, I would hope Sony changed from the $70 replacement cost batteries (not including labor) used in the XM4 as apparently so many people had problems with them dying out after a few months. 9/22/23 Used these today instead of the WF-C700n for my indoor cycling and to walk the dog. Usually I do those activities with the cheaper buds as for $300 I want to take every precaution to protect them. So…more feedback on the ANC. Definitely a difference on the bike with 2 pretty loud blower fans on. The WF-C700n does a very good job in the same situation but I could definitely tell a difference. Could hardly hear the fans at all and the WF-1000XM5 does have the superior sound performance. Note these blowers are loud enough that if I have my Apple Watch to close to them I get the over 90db warning. They’re not 90db from the bike but they are loud. These cancelled almost all the noise. With volume on my music I don’t hear the fans at all.

I bought these because I had a gift card to spend, and in hopes that I could completely separate from my Airpod Pro’s (1rst gen). I wanted to get rid of my Airpod pro’s because I have become so completely fed up with popping them in my ears and having only one earbud connect. That happens about 25% of the time I use them, and of course it’s always right when I’m in a hurry and need them now. I have to reset them every time it happens and frankly I’m fed up with it – unacceptable reliability. So, it’s only been a little more than a week but I haven’t had this happen once. Nor has it ever happened on any of my other true wireless earbuds (Soundcore Liberty 4 NC’s and some cheap no-name sports hook-style earbuds). The Sony’s have had stellar reviews, but my one reservation was that I’m in a full Apple ecosphere, and I had read that if you’re in the Apple ecosphere, you’ll want the Airpod Pro series II. Using anything else would mean missing out on that typical Apple integration – things work great together. Well, I’ve never tried the Airpod Pro II’s, but I couldn’t get myself to reward Apple by ordering another pair of headphones from them after my dissatisfaction with the AirPod Pro I’s. So, how are the Sony’s? Absolutely fantastic and boy, am I glad I went with them! First of all, in terms of integration/functionality with my Apple world, best I can tell so far its flawless. Transitions between my iPhone 15 and iPad Pro are just as smooth as my AirPods were. I can send/receive calls just as easily, and the Sony has one feature I don’t think AirPods have – you can just nod your head to answer calls! I also find the touch sensor vastly superior to Apple’s squeeze surface (or whatever it’s called). Much more intuitive to me, and it works every time on the first try. Another big advantage the Sony’s have over the Airpod Pro I’s is battery life. One reason I picked the Sony’s was better sleep. My wife makes quite a racket sleeping at night and I had read that these were great for sleeping. My Airpod Pro’s were also quite good at that, but they wouldn’t last through the night – only about 4.5 hours (w/NC on). Not sure how long the Sony can last, but I’ve gone over 8 hours (w/NC on) – and they still had some battery left! As for the noise cancelling, I’d say it’s slightly disappointing. I also own the over-ear WH-1000XM5’s, and they have AWESOME noise cancelling! I’d say the WF-1000XM5’s are nowhere near that level – I’d say they are about the same as my Airpod Pro I’s. Good enough to attenuate my wife’s snoring (at least enough that I can sleep), but not completely block it (so I hear nothing at all) as on the WH-1000XM5’s. But of course, the WH-1000MX5’s are way too big to sleep with (full size over-ear headphones). Another minor disappointment is no “find my earbud” functionality, which makes me a little paranoid about losing them, but hopefully not a big deal. Saving the best for last is the sound quality. I bought the big-brother WH-1000XM5’s a year ago and was quite surprised at their sound quality. Same thing here – these sound fantastic! I’m a fairly serious audiophile and have quite a collection of high-end headphones, including one pair of earbuds that are more than triple the cost of these Sony’s (JH Audio J13 v2’s). And all the electronics to go with it (DAP’s, DAC’s, amps, cables, etc.). They took a while to break in properly (maybe 30-50 hours) but they are really wonderful. They are among the most natural sounding earbuds I’ve heard and I’m a bit stumped how that could be possible since it uses crappy Bluetooth. My high-end headphones are fed almost exclusively high-rez files. Bluetooth AAC (can’t use LDAC on an iPhone) is the best I can run, which of course are only a small fraction the bitrate resolution of true high-rez files. But somehow these sound absolutely wonderful – just a natural “rightness” that’s hard to describe. BY FAR the best bass I’ve ever heard from an earbud. They have a confidence, an “assertiveness” (yes, that’s a new audio metaphor) – not aggressiveness - that I just love. I’m not saying that they are flat-out better than my high-end earbuds (my Shure M535’s are my favorite), but I will say they are at least in the same ballpark. I can pop these in and really enjoy listening for hours – and not feel like I’m missing out in not using my much more expensive earbuds. Very high compliment indeed! So, great job Sony! BTW, I read that Sony bought Audeze (high-end true audiophile headphone brand), which means I can’t wait to see what they come out with in the future – if these are as good as they are, I can’t wait to find out what the XM6’s or XM7’s will sound like! Update 4/16/24: Just wanted to mention one more remarkable thing about these. I am an avid cyclist and I’ve been on a long search to find the best earbuds for cycling - which for me, is mostly about reducing WIND NOISE. That is by far my biggest goal for cycling headphones. These are downright spooky in their ability to hugely reduce wind noise - BY FAR the most effective I’ve ever tried, and I’ve tried quite a few (AirPod Pro’s, Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, etc…). So now I face an interesting dilemma - do i dare use a $300 pair of earbuds for cycling? The problem with using them for cycling is that cycling is of course brutal on earbuds (constant sweat). So I’ll have to decide if I dare to do that long term, but I can say that these are by far the best headphones I have ever used in terms of wind blocking. So these really are amazing - fantastic sound, powerful noise cancelling, long battery life and the best wind noise blocking I’ve ever heard…

I've used WF1000XM4s for a while before upgrading to these in July of 2023. In fact, I ordered 2 of them so that when 1 pair died, I'd have another pair to use. Excessive, but effective. However, much like the XM4s, I think there are some quality control problems. By February, the first pair (XM5s) I ordered started acting up. It was having issues with voice calls where people would say they could not hear me at all no matter what I did, I went through all the troubleshooting steps with Sony and they told me to send the faulty pair to them. Which is okay, this stuff happens, but I also had problems with the XM4s that made me also go back to Sony support as well. the problems with my XM4s were that they would not charge and drained too quickly, as well as have problems where one of the buds would stop playing sound completely. So, I wanted to try the XM5s to see if all these issues were fixed. To be fair, they were fixed. The battery drain isn't quick, the sound quality is better, battery life overall and uneven draining is improved. They are a step up from the XM4s and I can confirm that. However, there are some issues with the XM5s currently. First of all, the call quality seems to be bugged out as my second pair has started to have issues just like the first. I’ve been using these comply tips and it could be the tips themselves but for whatever reason, there is a significant muting of sounds when the headphones are in vs when are out which didn’t seem to be the case before. It seems that these headphones have a problem with longevity and the quality control is pretty consistently not up to par with the price. It's a shame that in my review of headphones, it took this long to get to the sound quality of the headphones themselves. The EQ settings have been improved and you get some more curation based on your preferences. I think for BT, they sound great, Early into getting the pair, there were moments where it was so clear, I had to pop a bud out to make sure the sounds weren’t coming from somewhere else. The multipoint connections are still a little buggy. I would have them connected to my phone and desktop and I’d get spammed by a message asking me to go back to my last used device. Only way to remedy this issue was to block that notification. For these reasons and issues, I just can’t recommend paying for these headphones unless they’re under a hefty discount. I don’t think you can justify the price while having all these glaring issues. The quality control and reliability of these headphones is extremely subpar and this has persisted through the XM4s and continues, unfortunately into the lifecycle of the XM5s. Update: mic issue has persisted and cannot get them to work anymore. I am constantly plagued by issues with the headphones that I favor the EAH-AZ80s over them as they are much more reliable. I do not recommend these headphones at all.

Update 5/2/25 Honestly, I'm happy with the sound and features. Two things to update on 1)Battery life is so so. Not the best not the worst. I can see somebody who uses these at least 10-12 hrs would get two days, maybe out of a fully charged case and buds. 2) They're very very very slippery. I seriously cannot count the times they have slipped from between my fingers. If you sweat or get your hands slightly moist or wet, forget it, these buds will turn into projectiles. I'm. Sure one of these days I'm going to damage them. Even the case itself is slick. For this reason, I cannot recommend them anymore and will not be purchasing a new pair. I seriously doubt that in QC and testing they didn't notice this. This actually sad because the sound and features and really great. The best for this price segment. Here's the short version : Sound is as good as it's gonna get without you shelling out $500+ for studio quality IEMs. Keep in mind the sound is 50% hardware and 50% Track quality, meaning if you're interested in getting the most out of the earbuds you have to play tracks at 16-24 bit of between 1121 kbps and 9923 kbps playing at 44.1 khz to 192 khz Flac files. Otherwise you're wasting your money. Call quality : Mid, sometimes people tell me I sound a bit far or tinny. This happens with both an iPhone and my Pixel, the Pixel is TMo and the iPhone on Verizon. So network or phone model aren't the issue. Features :Great you can control volumes with the master volume on the app. Change tap presets set up active and passive cancelation (using active microphones to listen when someone or you start speaking) and 360 sound. Battery life: Mid, if you use the earbuds all day with noise or active cancelation on you will definitely need to use the case to charge the earbuds at least twice during a 10 hr period or three times after 15 hours. After which you will need to charge the case. You'll get roughly three charges from 20% battery life on earbuds to 100%. Charging takes some time, at least 2-3, hours as it seems to not fast charge. Compatibility : They have no issues pairing with my iPhone 12Pro or my Pixel 7 Pro. But you can notice a n audio performance difference from the iPhone and the Pixel. As one only uses AAC (iPhone) and one can use any format (Pixel). You also have more control over audio quality vs connectivity quality on Android. They also have no issue pairing with my tablet (Samsung) or my PC (Asus). Would not recommend using these for gaming as the microphones are really sensitive. Personal dislikes : Both the case and earbuds are incredibly slippery. Especially the earbuds. Theyre like wet ice cubes. I don't know who thought that would be a great idea, but they should be given a few roundhouse kicks to the noggin. This is a serious gripe with these. The amount of times they have slipped from between my fingers...... Not good. Although they are able to be added to find my device on Android, it's no where near as usable as airpods finding feature. Would definitely recommend using a BT tracker. These have a knack for slipping around and getting lost. The foam tips are great for passive noise cancelation. But they wear out quick and tend to get dirty easily. They should at least send one replacement pair of each for the price. So I would recommend getting silicone tips on here. They can function as great IEMs to use when outdoors like at most a brisk walk or the office. Just not for active outdoor tasks, Gym or anything that requires a lot of physical movement. I think if you're using for just noise cancelation, there are better ones out there. I would recommend these for Audiophiles that need a daily driver when out and about. The price is bit high, they're more expensive than airpods Pro. So I would the value for the money depends on who and what they're using it for. For the audiophile it's a good value, for the regular Doe and Joe they're not.

Short version: - ANC is pretty good but the ANC is definitely better on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds - These are fine for use with a phone, but they absolutely suck at connecting to a PC - Case is nice and small, wireless charging is a nice feature, fit is good (they don't fall out of your ear), and sound quality is great Detailed version: 1) ANC If you're buying for the ANC noise cancelling then skip these and buy the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. I have both and the ANC is noticeably better on the Bose. All I care about is ANC and I couldn't tell from reviews which one was actually going to be better. Bose is better. I mainly use them during lunch in different restaurants to block out people talking and whatever music the restaurant is playing. I don't know why there's mixed reviews about this. Having tried both, Bose is clearly better. I did tons of reading and research and it's hard to get a clear answer for some reason. I don't even have the Bose QuietComfort Ultra II, I have the original ones (although I read that Bose didn't change the ANC between those models). There's 2 minor downsides to the Bose ones compared to these: A) On the Bose ones, when you're not playing any audio there is an extremely faint hum in the background. As soon as you play any audio it's gone, but these Sony ones don't have any hum when you're not playing audio. B) With the Bose ones, if you have ANC on and you get in your car and shut the door, something about the air pressure change makes the Bose ones make an annoyingly loud popping sound. These Sony ones don't do that. I tried every earbud attachment with the Sony, including the silicon ones they ship you for free when you complain the standard ones don't work. I tried both in multiple environments. In every situation Bose blocks outside noise better. 2) Connecting to a PC Connecting to your PC Bluetooth for the first time is so counterintuitive it's absurd. You won't be able to do it without looking up step by step instructions. Then once they are connected, they have all kinds of problems. Using one set of bluetooth earbuds and the battery died? Want to switch quickly to these Sony earbuds mid game or mid TV show? No. No quick switching at all. I usually have to restart my computer to get them to actually work. They'll say "connected" but I won't have any sound. Apparently Windows doesn't support whatever codec Sony uses and you can buy an alternative driver/codec thing but that's ridiculous. If you spend this kind of money on earbuds they should just seamlessly work with any modern bluetooth device. They work fine with my phone (Android) so if that's all you're using them for then you'll be fine. There's an app I downloaded to update the firmware on the earbuds but then I deleted it since the features seem pointless and I'm sure they datamine with it. 3) The sound quality is obviously very good, but that's to be expected. Between these and the Bose I don't notice much a difference, music sounds great on both. I don't use either for calls so I haven't really tested the microphone. The charging case is nice and small. Very pocket size, I liked that, and I like that it has wireless charging (the Bose case does not charge wirelessly). The fit is good, I don't notice them even after extended use. They come with 4 different sizes of earbuds that are all a kind of stiff foam. If you go in the app settings you can do a seal test where it runs some kind of test to determine if the fit and seal in your ear is good. If you get it to say the seal is not good (before running the test don't press them firmly in your ears, just have them barely not falling out then do the test) then on the screen where it says the seal isn't good there's a link you can click that takes you to an order page where you can put in your address and they'll ship you 4 more earbuds that are soft silicon instead of foam for free. Overall I'm not happy with them. For how pricey they are I shouldn't have to deal with Bluetooth connection issues with a brand new Windows 11 laptop. At this price point I should get perfection, and at the very least they should be easy to use. I've spent way too long troubleshooting the connection issues with my computer. I highly recommend Bose QuietComfort Ultra instead of these, especially if you're main reason for buying them is noise cancelling.

I have used pretty much every credible earbud in the last few years. Sony, Apple, Beats, Bose, B&W, Samsung, Klipsch, M&D, and more. I have also used every generation of Sony buds. In terms of overall use and features, these are not a giant change from the last gen XM4 buds. However, there are significant improvements in key areas. Here is the breakdown: Sound: There are moderate sound improvements here, over the last generation Sony's, which were already close to class leading. Sony put a larger driver in here and it makes a difference. Additionally, Sony added a lot of processing horsepower here. The put in their latest chip for audio, but then added a separate chip to handle all of the ANC duties. Sony argues, that by separating the tasks here, they were able to more finely tune the audio. You can hear the difference. Bass is thumping, highs are even more crisp, and the mid vocals definitely pop more. I am no audiophile but these are really good. To me, these sound better than the latest Bose and Airpod Pro buds. You have to get into the really high-end audio companies to find sound this good. As always, you get Sony's LDAC here if you can use it for high-end audio options and the DSEE Extreme tech that upscale regular more compressed audio. The DSEE really shines here. Your Spotify or Apple music app has never sounded so good. I think most folks will be very satisfied with what Sony has done here and, at the end of the day, sound quality is a big reason to make such an investment. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): These are the best ANC buds Sony has ever made which is saying something. They were already 1b to the latest from Bose, but these have improved dramatically to me. The new dedicated chip just gets it done. These buds adjust the ANC to the noise around you. I honestly hear pretty much nothing other than my music when I have these in. The latest Quiet Comfort's from Bose are still at least as good to me in this arena, but that is pretty much the only area that Bose still is really on equal footing. At least in my opinion. Fit really determines great ANC, so while these are great, there is definitely some subjectivity that comes into play here. I think most will be very happy with the results they get here though. Form Factor: This is an area that Sony has absolutely nailed it and I am going to just say, FINALLY! Every bud Sony has made has always had an asterisk for me. "They sound so good but they just aren't that comfortable" was what I often told folks. Not anymore. Sony has made these buds significantly smaller and by adding the glossy interior, has created a bud I hardly notice in my ear. They have gone from a "yeah but" to a class leader in the fit and comfort space. I really cannot emphasize enough how good these are. These buds have an IPX4 rating so they should handle the gym with no issues. Sony has included a revised version of their hybrid foam tips from last year and they are great. They just hold the buds in snug and really help block ambient sound. Just so so good Sony. Thank you for the thoughtful redesign. I also want to give Sony a nod for the case redesign. Same battery (3 charges) but much smaller. I love it. Battery and Connectivity: The battery life is the same from last year. About 7 to 8 hours of real use. It is fine. Not class leading but not bad either. Connection here is BT 5.3 so the latest. Same as last gen. However, Sony said that these buds will be LE compatible when they finally start rolling this out over the coming year so you can expect even better sound and perhaps even battery life someday soon. This essentially future proofs these buds. Call Quality: Not much to say here other than these are about as good as it gets. Sony added bone conductive tech here and you can tell. Your calls sound great. Intangibles: There are too many features to unpack here. You really need to read all that Sony has packed into these. From the upscaling audio, to one touch audio play, to speak to pause tech to gestures and so so so much more. You can literally get lost in the app. Almost too much is going on here. Regardless, there is almost nothing that these buds can't do. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Sony has multipoint connection option here as well. It is only two devices, so there are more robust options out there, but this should be fine for most in real life application. Very good stuff. So, should you buy these? If you are an Android user, the answer is 100% yes. Apple users have to consider that Airpods are more tightly integrated into their space. Further, Apple is getting ready to launch their high end sound codec as well, which these will not support. They are still worth considering though as Sony has just made a better sounding product. To me, these might be the best all around buds I have ever tried. From sound to calls to comfort, Sony has just nailed all of it. There are companies that offer buds that do one thing better perhaps, but none are as complete as these in my opinion. So, yes, buy these. You will not regret it. I will update as I go here.

I've wanted a pair of Sony XM earbuds for years since they were always at or near the top of almost every list for best pair of wireless earbuds. I was lucky enough to grab these on sale for $198 instead of the regular $298 price. I'll say right off the bat that these earbuds sound amazing! They have a good amount of bass along with that broad sound that makes you feel like you're inside the music (and I don't mean surround sound). It sounds like the instruments are right next to you and I absolutely love that! Furthermore, these are very comfortable to wear once I took off the foam ear tips and put on silicone ones. You almost forget that you have them in. Wonderful! I also like the feature that pauses whatever you're listening to and turns on transparency mode when you start talking to someone so you can hear the other person. I did find it a little too sensative sometimes because it would often activate if I sneezed, coghed, or cleared my throat. A bit annoying but I could live with it. Now for the reason why I'm only giving these 2 starts. The sound cuts out on these XM5's even at short distances. They have even cut out a couple of times while I'm sitting at my desk with my phone right in front of me. But the sound cuts out more often when I'm at least 10 feet away from my phone, which is unacceptable. I've had 6 or 7 pairs of wireless earbuds over the years that were much cheaper than these and none of them cut out nearly as often as these do. I could walk to the other side of the house and the music would keep playing no problem. With the XM5's I can't go to the next room without it glitching. There is no excuse for this given that they retail for almost $300. This is my biggest problem with these earbuds. The other negatives include the fact that the companion app has a design that looks outdated and things aren't organized as well as you would expect from a modern app. Also, the controls on the earbuds are not very good. It takes 4 taps on the left bud to turn the volume down and 4 taps on the right one to turn the volume up and you can't change that in the app. Who came up with that? It's a terrible design. I was really frustrated with these so I also baught a pair of Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro's, which were much cheaper, to compare with the XM5's. I have none of the issues with the Liberty 4 Pro's that I have with the XM5's and the sound quality is also amazing with even deeper bass (I love deep bass). That pretty much sealed it for me. As amazing as these XM5's sound they just are not worth the $198 I paid for them much less the $300 they normally cost. I'm 90% sure I'm going to return them. The only reason it's not 100% is because the sound quality is incredible and they are very comfortable to wear so that makes me hesitate a little. I still have a few days to decide. I will definitely be keeping the Liberty 4 Pro's though.

I am a big Sony fan with 6 of their top TV models, 4 cameras, and 5 pairs of head and ear phones in our family. Unfortunately, I have watched their top of the line designs (TV's and headphones in particular) change from 'cost no object quality products' to designs that are purposely simplified and cheapened to save in manufacturing costs. A good example is the change from the XM4 headphones to XM5 models with the later looking like a sub $100 pair of headphones with weak pivot points, poor folding size, large case, cheap plastic, and thin bass sound. Those headphones at least improved the mids and highs...which I cannot say for these WF-1000XM5 earbuds. It seems Sony finds some great wins, then removes those that work in the next revisions to be different and does not listen to their customers. An example is the effective voice confirmations in mode changes that now are replaced with beeps and some modes being removed. This is very helpful in flights, when there is a lot of ambient noise. These WF-1000XM5 earbuds epitomize this cheap concept in being too slippery (what happened to the nice matt finish in XM4's), awkward to handle and insert, weird fitting in the case as they rock around not making contact, and exuding a boomy cheap sound. The case seems like it was designed for a different product. To be clear, I gave them plenty of time to break in and though they improved...they plateaued way too soon. I understand cost savings are important, but these earphones are $300 and marketed as their best and these do not exude quality like their previous models and this is immediately obvious. The gloss finish is very slippery, not ideal for handling and looks cheap. The attractive bronze (rose gold?) accents from the past are all but gone. They are moderately comfortable but leak sound making you constantly guess whether or not ambient sound is on or off. Touch control seems more irregular and modes are removed. Conversely, I have found my XM4's (I have 2 pairs) to sometimes cause mild pain in my ears over long use which I did not experience with these XM5's though the XM5 for me feel like they are falling out with their more rounded shape. The soundstage is muddy and closed in and does not outperform the XM4 earphones, in my opinion. Some music with perfect recordings sounds OK, but across the board they fall short in getting the best out of the music and I listen to many types of music. Just like the WH-1000XM5 headphones (which I returned to keep XM4's), these are no better sounding than their predecessors and for me the sound quality is first and foremost. Accuracy has always been Sony's forte but I have found that has changed. I have high end audio equipment including tube amps, and a full home theater so admittingly I might be a little picky; however previous models from Sony have kept me content and not a single flight I take is without their headphones or earphones. The ANC and phone call quality are very good but as the foam does not seal well there is that sound leakage in my ears no matter which tips I tried or how I turned them...meaning many will have to buy aftermarkets right away to get that softer better conforming ear pad...which is not a requirement with many of their competitors. I truly feel like Sony's design team did not spend enough time to cross the t's and dot the i's for these headphones and the budget was too low for a high quality design. The battery life is worse than previous models and I tested them side by side with XM4 using the same settings and same volume. They are smaller...for those who need to save space but I would prefer sound quality improvements over reduction in size. They are also more efficient with less more volume from a lower setting on my S23 Ultra. I did the prepurchase for these earphones and use my others daily but unfortunately I returned them and will stick with the previous models as I try others...which is disappointing. I was surprised about the many positive professional reviews and it does make me feel like they could be a little biased.