Sony·earbuds
Sony WF-1000XM5
Based on 35 credible posts from YouTube, Hacker News & Bluesky. 101 filtered out as bot-like or off-topic.
Medium confidenceA solid sample; expect small shifts as more owners post. How we score
Scored November 11, 2026
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Owner reviews
Overall owner mood
Owners are split: 31% of 35 reviews are positive, 17% negative, and the rest mixed or neutral. Praise centers on sound and noise cancelling. Owners are divided on battery & charging and price & value. Owners with 6+ months of use are less positive (20%), which suggests it wears on people over time.
What owners like
Sound praised by 8 owners (1 disagree)
“Sony have the best sound for me.”
Noise cancelling praised by 5 owners (1 disagree)
“Putting these on was like night and day in terms of comfort and the noise cancelling feature doesn’t give me weird headaches.”
What owners complain about
Nothing two or more owners agree on yet.
Owners are split on
- Battery & charging 4 like it · 5 don't
- Price & value 2 like it · 3 don't
- Comfort & size 3 like it · 2 don't
Worth reading the reviews on these if they matter to you.
What owners talk about
- Battery & charging4 praise · 5 complain
- Sound8 praise · 1 complain
- Noise cancelling5 praise · 1 complain
- Price & value2 praise · 3 complain
- Comfort & size3 praise · 2 complain
- Software & AI1 praise · 1 complain
Built from the reviews themselves — every quote links to the owner who wrote it.
Every credible owner review, most detailed first. Bots, off-topic comments, and ones that say nothing about using it are left out.
[...] Battery and sound quality are excellent, and they are really comfortable. I use them 6-8 hours every day, without realising that they are in my ears. [...]
I've been rocking Sony WF-1000XM 4's for 2 years now having previously used Pixel Buds, and wired Sure SE 215's. I use them several hours per day, every day, and they are a joy. Glad to hear the XM 5's are also good and even improve on some areas, will definitely consider them when the time comes to buy the next headphones.
I've been using the XM4's for 3 years now and they are by far the best earbuds I've ever used. I did buy them for the noise cancelling which works sooooo gooood. [...]
Don't get Sony earphones. I've had 3 pairs and every one has had horrible issues. Great sound quality, but terrible bugs and sound issues (And I don't even count the batteries being unable to hold a charge after a year and a half)
Bought this ones 6 month ago, amazing pair of earbuds, atm in having an issue can't use the voice calls with whatsap, dont jnoe why, Auudo it's crazy good!! And the anc is the best I ever hesr in earbuds
Ive had my buds live since the S21 ultra came out and i purchased, many years now... battery still 100%, case working great, audio still 100% and sound fantastic features work reliably daily all this time through hell. [...] taking them back, the noise cancelling is fantastic but all other features suck; THERES LITERALLY NO BASS
Absolutely not at their current price! [...] Until the batteries gave up the ghost 1 year in. [...] If the batteries weren't such a concern and/or the price made up for the risk I'd try them again for sure.
For real quality improvement which is 48kHz stereo + mic, you'll also need GMAP(Gaming Audio Profile) support both on BLE adapter and headset. I've tried multiple combinations with my WH-1000XM6 and WF-1000XM5, but nothing works stable on Windows. [...] Just thinking about fact we cannot use duplex wireless audio in 2025 pisses me off so much tbh.
182 / 5.000 I bought my wf1000xm5 last year and I have no intention of changing it. They are light, comfortable, and have good battery life. [...]
[...] Sony have the best sound for me. Now I'm at the 3th day of using wf-1000xm5 and I can say, Sony it's the top of sound quality. The sound it's so bright and even you put the volume louder, the quality remain the same.
[...] I bought a pair of Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds from an authorized reseller, advertised as "New, Open Box". It was cheaper than their Refurbished. Got them for an AMAZING price. [...]
I bought em second hand off of eBay. [...] For the $150 I paid for them, I bought a second pair and gotta say I’m pleased.
[...] I've tried a lot of different brands of earbuds including Apple, Beats, Sony, JBL, and others, and always find that the right side bud always falls out after about 6 minutes of wearing. [...]
I started working overnight like 5 years ago at first I had some jbl ear buds maybe like $60 it was awesome they sounded great and they'd have a 32 hour charge. They lasted me a good year then I bought some skull candy ear buds those lasted me a good year also except charging box wasn't doing it job anymore and then my brother bought me some apple beats ear buds the basic like $100$130 those things were GREAT they lasted me like 2 years I can't tell you how many times I. [...]
I bought them in Dec 2024, and I've been horribly disappointed by the god awful connectivity, even when I off all other connections and prioritise stable connection, the bloody buds always cut out, and for the price, it's a joke. Sony I've been supporting you for quite a while, but never again, gfys
Noise cancellation is amazing. Sound is top notch. [...] Also when the case battery is low you can’t use them until you charge it. [...]
I'm going with this pair of buds, since I have had 2 pairs of the Galaxy Buds2 pro break on me in 2 months, they sound great and work well, but have terrible quality control. First pair one earphone stopped registering that it was in my ear so I couldn't use ANC or touch controls, second pair after a month started getting mic feed back so using ANC caused this horrific feedback screech. It's a shame, since I have had my Galaxy Buds+ and the only reason I upgraded is because the charging pins are starting to play up, and they don't always charge when being put back in the case.
Not worth it at full price. I bought some off ebay refurbished for 150. They work and sound just fine. They are very comfortable. [...] Also, the case feels weak and flimsy and am sure will break easily if dropped so get a case for them.
[...] Got a pair of FiiO earbuds - works after 5 years Got a pair of Skullcandy earbuds - failed within a month Got a pair of Sony WF-1000XM5 - failed within a year Got a pair of AirPod Pro2 - works after 2 years Got a pair of Beat Fit Pro - failed within a year Got a pair of Moondrop Blessing 2 - works after 2 years I can keep going for a while. [...]
I had them for about 6 months and my right earbuds is going out already. I plan to exchange them in to Sony. Other than that I really like them.
Anyone have or had Sony WF-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds? My buds have finally given up the ghost after several years solid service
The WF-1000XM5 beta Bluetooth is pretty good in the latest firmware update. Even though it is listed as beta I use it all the time. And they are pretty decently priced at the moment
I'm facing major battery issue with wf1000xm5 My left earbud is draining fast and as well the case is not charging earbuds more that 1.5X....i bought it in December 2023 Idk how much will it cost to fix this issue in India
Omg Sony what did you brought us... [...]
Why would Sony name its product, so nobody could remember it? 😁 Well, I love mine, close to IEM in sound quality, and 100x more convenient to use
[...] I have no problem with the airpods pro 2, finding them super comfortable. I like Sony but the xmf4 wasn't comfortable. [...] Also, you can get the battery on the Airpods pro 2 changed.
I got these because as much as I like the airpods pro for the ease of use, my ears just hurts so much. Putting these on was like night and day in terms of comfort and the noise cancelling feature doesn’t give me weird headaches.
Speak-to-chat also lowers the volume when you laugh or even giggle. That got old really quickly for me, because I like to listen to stand-up on the go :)
Fortunately, after a lot of hassle I got my money back. I never could get the NC to work, even after trying expensive third party tips. I suspect there will people who are not able to get a proper seal making them ineffective.
Yeah, my experience has been that bunch of features just don't work when LE is used. E.g. on my WF-1000XM5, I can't use multipoint connection, lose per-headphone/case battery status, Voice Assistant support and some other details.
[...] Sony audio quality is great and I still have my wh-1000xm3s
I got a pair but the fit sucks, I saw that the Technics Az80 Tips will work on these so I've order a pair as they are silicone tips, those foam tips are not for me. They hurt my ears after 30 minutes. I hope the silicone tips will solve this issue as the MX5 features are the best.
I've had these for a while and they su K. Music sounds good but with dropouts and the mic may as well not work. Just bought new Samsung buds today.
Instead of taking them out of your ear and putting them in the case and closing it and all that tried double tapping the budget isn't seeming like it's on. I've always had that problem with the XM4s and I've had it happen once or twice with the XM5 and if you just double tap it it seems like it just wakes it up and sometimes the sensor that sits against your skin to know when they're in your ear maybe a little dirty just try wiping it off.
Sony WF-1000XM5 long-term: how it holds up
Satisfaction drops 58 points among owners who've had it 1 year or more.
- 6–12 months100% recommend · 3 owners
- 1 year or more42% recommend · 6 owners
When problems show up
- Battery & chargingtypically around 7 months · 2 reports
The claims, and the evidence
What the brand claims
- Industry-leading noise cancellationOwners agreeNoise cancelling: 5 of 6 positive
- Integrated Processor V2 and HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN2eOwners agreeNoise cancelling: 5 of 6 positive
- 8.4mm Dynamic Driver XOwners agreeSound: 8 of 9 positive
- About 25% smaller and 20% lighter than WF-1000XM4MixedComfort & size: 3 of 5 positive
- Up to 8 hours of battery life (24 hours with case)MixedBattery & charging: 4 of 9 positive
- Hi-Res Audio Wireless with LDACOwners agreeSound: 8 of 9 positive
- Bone conduction sensor for clearer callsFew owner reports
- Multipoint connectionFew owner reports
- IPX4 water resistanceFew owner reports
What owners report
“[...] Battery and sound quality are excellent, and they are really comfortable. I use them 6-8 hours every day, without realising that they are in my ears. [...]”
after 6 monthsView on YouTube“I've been rocking Sony WF-1000XM 4's for 2 years now having previously used Pixel Buds, and wired Sure SE 215's. I use them several hours per day, every day, and they are a joy. Glad to hear the XM 5's are also good and even improve on some areas, will definitely consider them when the time comes to buy the next headphones.”
after 2 yearsView on YouTube“I've been using the XM4's for 3 years now and they are by far the best earbuds I've ever used. I did buy them for the noise cancelling which works sooooo gooood. [...]”
after 3 yearsView on YouTube“Don't get Sony earphones. I've had 3 pairs and every one has had horrible issues. Great sound quality, but terrible bugs and sound issues (And I don't even count the batteries being unable to hold a charge after a year and a half)”
after 1 yearView on YouTube
Common Sony WF-1000XM5 problems
Problems most owners who mention them agree on, plus ones owners are split on.
- Battery & chargingOwners split: 5 complain, 4 happyView on YouTube
“I'm facing major battery issue with wf1000xm5 My left earbud is draining fast and as well the case is not charging earbuds more that 1.5X....i bought it in December 2023 Idk how much will it cost to fix this issue in India”
- Price & valueOwners split: 3 complain, 2 happyView on YouTube
“I bought them in Dec 2024, and I've been horribly disappointed by the god awful connectivity, even when I off all other connections and prioritise stable connection, the bloody buds always cut out, and for the price, it's a joke.”
- Comfort & sizeOwners split: 2 complain, 3 happyView on YouTube
“I've tried a lot of different brands of earbuds including Apple, Beats, Sony, JBL, and others, and always find that the right side bud always falls out after about 6 minutes of wearing.”