Sony Releases A Stellar New High-End Version Of Its Flagship Headphones

Sony has released a new entry in its popular 1000X lineup--the WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones. Like past installments, the headphones make up for their awkward name by offering impressive features such as noise-canceling, a new ergonomic design, and custom-tuned 30mm drivers for a premium listening experience. After spending some time with the new WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones, it's clear that Sony put a lot of effort into making these its best-sounding and most comfortable pair of headphones yet.

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones

$400

Before you can take advantage of all its fancy tech, you'll need to pair them to your devices--a task made easy with Google's new Fast Pair functionality (Bluetooth), which also helps locate the headphones if they get lost. Sony gave the WH-1000XM5 a bold redesign, with a step-less slider for easy adjustments and earcups that are wrapped in synthetic leather. Inside the earcups, you'll find four beamforming microphones for crisp voice chat and eight additional microphones to optimize noise canceling. Rounding out the headphones are 30mm drivers that have been optimized for "natural sound" that remains clear and consistent. All those premium features carry a premium price tag--the WH-1000XM5 will set you back $400.

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That's a steep price for a pair of headphones, and it puts the WH-1000XM5 in direct competition with other high-end personal audio devices such as the AirPods Max and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 UC. If you're looking for something a bit more affordable (and better suited for gaming), consider checking out our lists of the best gaming headsets for PS5, Switch, Xbox, and PC.

But if you don't mind the price tag and are a discerning audiophile, then the WH-1000XM5 is a worthwhile investment. With absolutely superb acoustics and crystal clear audio clarity, the WH-100XM5 headphones are extremely impressive. They are comfortable on the ears for lengthy listening sessions and boast just about every feature you could want. Plus, you can connect them to your Nintendo Switch or mobile device for gaming.