If ever a product is there to be shot at, it’s the new Sony WH-1000XM5. Since it launched the WH-1000XM3 wireless active noise-cancelling (ANC) over-ear headphones back in 2018, and replaced them with the WH-1000XM4 in 2020, Sony has led the field in ANC cans. A combination of splendid sound quality, competitive noise-cancelling, flawless ergonomics, and straightforward desirability established them as the best all-rounders money could buy.
With the WH-1000XM5, Sony is aiming for the hat-trick. But thanks in no small part to its own successes, the premium wireless ANC over-ear headphones market has grown exponentially in the last few years – which means the XM5 faces even more accomplished opposition than its predecessors ever did. No pressure, then…
