Sony’s flagship noise-canceling headphones have one of the most annoying names of all time, following on from the Japanese brand's insistence on word and number soup for all of its best headphones. The WH-1000XM5, however, while terribly named, are really, really good.
They’re also currently massively reduced at Amazon, saving you $70 off the full price. That’s not quite the lowest price we’ve ever seen them, but it’s an excellent saving nonetheless and one well worth picking up.
Sony WH-1000XM5 $70 off
The Sony WH-1000XM5 are a wonderful pair of noise-canceling headphones, all jokes about weird names aside. They are bassy, that’s for certain, with a tendency to emphasize the deeper parts of a track, but that just makes for a more engaging listen than some of the competition.
While they may lack the aluminum build of Apple’s AirPods Max, they’re a pretty good match in sound and noise canceling for the more expensive option as well. The Sony’s carrying case is far better, for one, and their lighter weight makes them more comfortable to wear over long periods of time.
There is a form of Spatial Audio on board, although it’s only going to work with Amazon’s Prime Music service and TiDaL. If you want the Apple Music Spatial Audio secret sauce, then you’ll need to invest the extra into Apple’s headphones. They'll still connect up to the best iPhones mind you, so you aren't stuck with AirPods if you use Apple devices.
If you use any other streaming platform, however, or you don’t want some of the heaviest headphones around, then the WH-1000XM5 are a great option — especially at this lower price.