Amazon has dropped the price of the Sony WH-1000XM5 noise cancelling headphones to $299.99. That's $100 (25%) off the original $400 MSRP and a better deal than what we saw on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. The WH-1000XM5 is considered by many to be the best noise cancelling headphones under $400, better than the Bose QuietComfort and the Beats Studio Pro.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Cancelling Headphones for $299.99
The previous generation Sony WH-1000XM4 was already an outstanding headphone, but the XM5 is still able to improve on certain features, most notably noise cancellation. The XM5 has been fitted with a second processor and double the microphone count dedicated to filtering out ambient noise. The earcups have also been redesigned so that they fit more snugly on the ear, thus creating a better seal and as a result, more effective passive noise isolation. The noise cancelling is noticeably better than the XM4 and pretty much any other noise cancelling headset in its price range.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 has also been updated with a noticeably sleeker redesign with a different style of headband adjustment. The band is wider than before for better weight distribution and the earcup padding is now made of a luxurious synthetic leather material that's softer and more comfortable. You can easily wear these headphones for hours. One small drawback, however, is that the XM5 can no longer be folded inward, only swivelled, so it's less compact.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 retains the XM4's legendary battery life at over 30 hours on a single charge even with ANC activated. If that's not enough, the XM5 supports fast charging over USB Type-C. 3 minutes of charging will give you 3 hours of playtime.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 is easily worth the cost, especially at this price. I own a pair of these headphones as well as the Bose QuietComfort 35 and in my eyes the Sonys are way better. For an official impression, check out our Sony WH1000XM5 review. Kevin Lee labels them as "hands down the best sounding and most impressive noise-cancelling headphones."
