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Eight microphones, thirty hours, and 250 grams on your head. We stock the version that comes with the hard case.
4.39 ratings
This is the WH-1000XM5, Sony's over-ear noise cancelling pair, and we sell it as it comes — nothing rebadged and nothing repackaged. The listing we stock is the one with the hard case in the box rather than the soft pouch, which is the difference worth knowing about before you compare prices. The noise cancelling runs on four microphones on each earcup, eight in total, and an optimiser that re-reads your surroundings rather than applying one fixed setting.
That is the part that matters on a plane or an open-plan floor, where the noise is not the same at minute forty as it was at minute one. Sound is carried over LDAC, so a phone that supports it sends more data to the headphones than standard Bluetooth allows. The drivers cover 20 Hz to 40 kHz.
Whether you hear the top of that is another question, but the range is there and the file is not being thrown away on the way over. The battery is quoted at 30 hours. Three minutes on a USB-PD charger gives about three hours of playback, though that charger is sold separately and is not in the box.
Bluetooth 5.0 holds two devices at once, so a laptop call does not mean unpairing your phone first. They weigh 250 grams, the earcups are round and faux leather, and there is no water resistance rating at all — these are for the commute, the desk and the flight, not the gym. In the box: the headphones, the collapsible hard case, a USB-C cable and the documentation.
Four microphones sit on each earcup. What the extra pair buys you is not a louder cancellation but a more accurate reading of what is around you, and the Auto NC Optimizer re-reads it as you move rather than holding one setting. On a long flight the cabin noise at hour four is not the noise at take-off, and this is the part that notices.
The quoted battery is 30 hours, which covers most people for a week of commuting before they think about it. When you do forget, three minutes on a USB-PD charger returns about three hours of playback — enough for the flight you are already late for. The USB-C cable is in the box; the USB-PD adapter is not, and Sony sells it separately.
Standard Bluetooth throws away a good deal of a high-resolution file on the way to your ears. LDAC sends more of it, provided the phone at the other end supports the codec. The driver unit covers 20 Hz to 40 kHz and is tuned for high-frequency sensitivity. Whether you can hear 40 kHz is a separate argument; the point is that the file is not being cut down before it arrives.
Bluetooth 5.0 with multipoint holds a connection to two devices at the same time, so the laptop taking your call and the phone playing your music do not have to take turns. Range is quoted at 10 metres. Precise Voice Pickup and AI-based noise reduction handle the other end of a call, isolating your voice and cutting wind noise.
Straight off the manufacturer's own sheet.
250 grams sounds like a number until you wear something heavier for four hours. The cushions do not get hot the way my old pair did. Only reason this is not five stars is that the fast charger is not included, which at this price felt a bit mean.
Elaine R. · Midnight Blue · 10 April 2026
Shopped around and most sellers list the version with the soft pouch. The case makes a real difference if these live in a rucksack. Cancellation on the train is the best I have used, and I have owned three pairs in this class. Thirty hours is not marketing either — I charge them about once a week.
Marcus D. · Smoky Pink · 20 March 2026
Laptop for calls, phone for music, and I no longer unpair anything. Call quality on the other end is the bit people notice — colleagues stopped asking me to repeat myself. The 3-minute charge has saved me twice before a flight.
Priya N. · Silver · 19 June 2026
No water resistance rating at all, and I found that out the hard way on a humid run. For the desk and the commute they are excellent and I would buy again. But if you wanted one pair to cover exercise too, these are not it, and the spec sheet does say so if you read it. Also the case is protective rather than pocketable.
Tom H. · Black · 17 January 2026
The written reviews above are sample reviews prepared for this listing.
Yes. The box contains the headphones, a collapsible protective hard case, a USB-C cable and the documentation. The listing is otherwise identical to the pouch version.
Up to 30 hours. A 3-minute charge gives roughly 3 hours of playback, but that needs a USB-PD adapter, which is sold separately and not in the box.
Yes — Bluetooth 5.0 with multipoint holds two connections at once, up to 10 metres.
We would not. They carry no water resistance rating, so sweat and rain are not covered. They are built for travel and everyday listening.
Yes, via LDAC, provided your source device supports the codec. The drivers cover 20 Hz to 40 kHz.
250 grams, over-ear, with round faux-leather cushions and an adjustable headband.
The headphones ship sealed in the manufacturer's own box with the hard case inside, tracked from dispatch. The delivery window shown at checkout is the one we work to. If they are not for you, our returns policy sets out how to send them back and how the refund is handled.
Estimated delivery: 6-9 business days