Sony WH-1000XM5 review

Eight microphones, thirty hours and the best noise cancelling most people will own.

Specifications

Specifications above come from Sony's published product specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• The noise cancelling is the product. Eight microphones and dedicated processing removes the low continuous noise that makes a shared house or a library annoying rather than merely present.
• Thirty hours means charging weekly rather than daily, and the three minute quick charge covers the morning you forgot.
• Multipoint means the laptop and the phone are connected at once, so a call does not require unpairing anything.
• Comfortable enough to wear for a three hour work block, which is the actual test and the one many headphones fail.
• They work as a signal. Headphones on tells a household you are working, which is worth as much as the noise cancelling.

Where it falls short

• They are the wrong tool for meditation. Sitting practice generally goes better with the room as it is, and part of what you are practising is not needing conditions to be perfect.
• An under-$250 pair of headphones is a lot to spend on a noise problem. Earplugs cost twenty five and remove more of the high-frequency noise that headphones handle least well.
• Active noise cancelling works best on constant low-frequency sound. Voices, especially close conversation, get through far more than the marketing implies.
• Some people get a pressure sensation from strong noise cancelling. If you have not tried it, that is worth knowing before spending this much.
• Music with lyrics reduces reading comprehension for most people. Buying good headphones and then studying to podcasts is solving one problem and creating another.

What owners report

Owners consistently rate the noise cancelling as class leading and consistently note that voices still come through, which is a property of the technology rather than of Sony's implementation. Comfort over long sessions draws strong reports. The most common complaint is the case, which does not fold flat, and the second is price. People who bought them for focus rather than for music generally report the purchase paid for itself in reclaimed hours.

What you play through them matters as much as the headphones, and our guide to study music and focus covers why lyrics work against reading. If the underlying problem is the room rather than the sound, the perfect study environment is the cheaper place to start, and the Pomodoro technique plus our timer costs nothing at all.

Who it suits

• Students and remote workers in noisy shared spaces.
• Anyone doing long blocks of reading or writing.
• Frequent travellers who also want them on a plane.
• People who already know active noise cancelling suits them.

Who should skip it

• Meditation practice, where they get in the way.
• Anyone whose main noise problem is close conversation.
• Buyers who have never tried strong noise cancelling and may find the pressure uncomfortable.

Alternatives worth considering

Common questions

Are noise cancelling headphones good for studying?

For constant background noise, yes, and they are less effective against voices than people expect. Active cancelling works best on steady low-frequency sound like traffic, fans and air conditioning. A conversation in the next room will still reach you, which is why some people prefer earplugs plus quiet music.

Should you meditate with headphones on?

Generally not, for a sitting practice. Part of what you are practising is being with the conditions as they are, and equipment tends to become another thing to arrange before you can start. Headphones make sense for guided sessions where you need to hear the guidance clearly.

Does music help you study?

It depends on the task and the music. For reading and writing, music with lyrics reduces comprehension for most people, and instrumental or ambient sound is less disruptive. For repetitive or mechanical work the effect is smaller. Our study music guide covers what the research suggests and where it is uncertain.

Headphones or earplugs for focus?

Earplugs are cheaper, lighter, need no charging and are better at high-frequency noise. Headphones let you play something and are better at constant low-frequency noise. If you want silence rather than sound, earplugs are usually the better and much cheaper answer.

Keep reading

• Study music and focus
• The perfect study environment
• Deep work vs shallow work
• Soundcore Q20i review
• Loop Quiet 2 review
• BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 review

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.