Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds Review – 6 Months Later
Are the Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds worth it after 6 Months? Why would you go with the Sony buds over the AirPods Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2, and Google Pixel Buds Pro? We’ll take you who should get these buds, plus take you through their best features, and the downsides we’ve encountered while using them.
We’ll walk you through their sound quality, how their noise cancellation compares to other buds and devices, the main controls you get with the buds, their connection stability over the past 6 months, some issues and downsides we’ve had with their ecosystem integrations, extra features, mic quality, battery, design, and more!
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👉Sony WH-1000XM5: https://amzn.to/3uiSAA9
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👉Pixel Buds Pro Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8urgLV72QU8&t=8s
👉 Earbud Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wr_RweNyM0&list=PL2XWjlJjGp3s2FhxTcZVku4WTd5bilqaX
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🕰️Timestamps:
0:00 – Sound quality
0:37 – Noise cancellation
1:10 – Earbud comfort
1:42 – Tip sizes and design
2:08 – Can you sleep with them?
2:39 – Battery Life
3:24 – Bud controls
3:51 – Connection and some issues
4:27 – Mic quality
4:49 – Sony Headphones App
5:39 – Sony vs. AirPods
6:11 – Repairability downsides
7:01 – Recommendation
📜 Disclosures 📃
Any music used is licensed from artlist.io: https://artlist.io/referral/1878516/Josh
All the products seen in this video were purchased by 6 Months Later. The channel has no relationship with Sony. This video has no sponsor.
Any Amazon links we provide in our descriptions are in conjunction with our Amazon partnership. The channel receives a small percentage of revenue from any sales generated by viewers clicking the links.
#Sony
#Earbuds
#WF1000XM5
Mic :)))(((
Why would Sony name its product, so nobody could remember it? 😁 Well, I love mine, close to IEM in sound quality, and 100x more convenient to use
Hey Mate, I need to know whether or not you are being paid for this review on the WF-1000M5?
ok but do they fall from ear when making excercise? jumping the rope, bike?
Omg the first time i opened it and tried to remove one bud, it fell and i screamed like a girl! Hahaha! Cos it’s so expensive!
Its pointless to review them if you are an Apple eco system user. Literally whsts the point? And saying they are not that compatible with the Apple ecosystem is not a fair criticism as they arent made for the Apple eco system. If you are going to review a product that is obviously made primarily for the Android system then maybe review them with an Android phone?? What an utterly pointless review. Are you going to review a PC product next and criticise it for not being made to work with a PlayStation or Nintendo Switch? 🤦🤦🤷🤷
Changed batteries after 3 years on both buds and case on my XM4s… Since they are the last Sony ANC earbuds I’ll ever buy. Let’s make them last, folks…
Why would you sleep with earphones? that’s like sleeping with contacts on, brutal.
I am glad I came across this channel review of the XM5’s. I was going to pick up a set, but after reading multiple comments on this product. It seems not to be worth the money. And it seems that Sony has a lot of problems with this earbud XM5.
lol what? Earbuds have a way higher ceiling than over the ear headphones. You must be listening to some trash if these are the first buds that "get close to headphones." Tons of ear buds that aren’t even very expensive have better sound quality than 99.999% of headphones and also more expensive buds, for instance the coaxial/dual driver soundcores like the l3 and l4pro, or you can get $50 chinese iems with better sound quality than 99% of stuff that costs 10x as much, but it’s not all about sound quality, as long as the sound quality is "good enough." user experience, including features like the noise canceling, is way more important in the real world. nothing on the market compares to the user experience of airpods pro within apple’s ecosystem. You have buggy slow multipoint. I have telepathic/instant infinite point like magic. you gotta tinker with eqs in buggy slow apps. whereas mine just work and sound right every time no matter what. Just don’t connect them to any non apple device. Like yeah the coaxial/dual driver soundcore stuff has excellent sound quality and a large dynamic range, but they often require the user to mess with EQ to get good sound when switching desperate sources, like going from listening to Tchaikovsky to a podcast. whereas a seamless product like airpods pro just works and works right every single time with zero input or fiddling from the user. sure the sound quality even on the 2nd gen airpods pro isn’t quite as good but it’s more than good enough. the sound quality on the first generation airpods pro was not great lets be real. But overall they were still the best overall because of the absolutely seamless user experience.
nice review thanks.
I would say one thing. If anyone is looking for longevity avoid ear buds (of any kind/make) at all costs. since the batery is never ever replaceable. So when the battery goes you are basically F***D !!!. On ear headphones on the other hand are bigger, therefore there is always the posibility that you yourself (as a user) can replace the battery. !!!
ANC is a total disaster with the Sony earbuds. Everybody is shouting, they are the best ANC on the market, while there isnt a big noticeable difference between ANC On/Off. The air pods pro on the other hand are technically and audibly on a other level. They sit much looser and still acively reduce humming and buzzing sounds muuuch better. Its crazy how everybody is telling me, the sony should be the best on the market, while they arent doing any good, besides good sound in general.
6 months later and your focus is on platform features.. not wear and tear :/
I bought them in Dec 2024, and I’ve been horribly disappointed by the god awful connectivity, even when I off all other connections and prioritise stable connection, the bloody buds always cut out, and for the price, it’s a joke. Sony I’ve been supporting you for quite a while, but never again, gfys
TDEFINITELY A DESIGN FLAW.. THIRD PAIR IVE HAD AND AFTER A FEW WEEKS THEY START TO CRACKLE !
I liked the video because you were pushing for replaceable batteries
I’m considering buying these earbuds since they’re on sale currently. Are they worth it? They better have good noise canceling though. That’s the main reason I’m looking to buy earbuds.
The worst headphones Ive have ever owned, sound isn’t great and stable connectivity is 1/10. BlueAnt are far better.
As someone that has come from iem’s i wanted to look at getting a pair of tws but they all look so big and bulky compared to the molded shells that iem’s have. That is a huge concern for me as looking at the sony’s here it looks like the only thing holding them into your ear is the tip itself because the shell is just a round piece of plastic thats not shaped to fit snuggly into the ear at all. I just it would be hard to fit all the tech into a shell like that but man I value the fit and comfort so highly in my priorities when it comes to anything audio I put in or on my ears.
I use the form ear tips I can’t get a good seal with any of them then I tried silicone and instantly got a good seal if it wasn’t for that I want have return them
Got them on clearance from Walmart for around 100$
FAKE review!
If only samsung would stop their "ecosystem" BS and start supporting auto mutlipoint switching with all devices…
I got these busy for 179 yesterday, seems to be a good deal
Bro… the xm4s HAD easily replaceable batteries. Sony nuked them with a firmware update to end owners replacing them and to sell the unserviceable 5s. Apple tactics 101.
I really dislike how I can’t track these like airpods on my I Phone. 😞
Air pods—no comfortable. Sony are comfy indeed.
I’ve had these for a few months now. Completely overpriced and over rated. Noise cancellation is pathetic compared to AirPod pro 1 or 2 and even switched the tips for aftermarket foam hoping it would help (OEM and aftermarket are both terrible in my opinion)
I bought these assuming I’d be able to set the volume control like I had it on the XM4, on the left earbud, one tap to raise, two taps to lower it. It turns out there’s no way to do it. Instead, you have to tap 4 times and 5 times. What bonehead at Sony thought this was a good idea? Honestly, how can someone so far up the corporate foodchain be so stupid?
I tried 3 pairs. They are not loud and the anc is much worse than 3 of my much cheaper pairs
What is your boyfriend thinking about those earbuds?
Ill give my feedback as someone who has most Sony earbuds and just purchased this one since my previous PowerBeats PRO is no longer working after 4 years. So here are my 2 cents:
– Sound> Good
– Noise cancellation> absolute garbage. I had WF SP800Ns and its much much better. Obviously overhead WH 1000XM4 or M5 are best but this one is almost non existent.
– battery, good,
– general Sony problems > presist, difficulties to connect / disconnect
– big plus is the volume control to me because not all Sonny device has
– big plus is the quality of the mic
Overall not bad but if you want it for creating a silent environment in a noisy house or office, these aint the ones you are looking for.
Sorry, not xm4’s, Sony wf 700 buds.
The previous generation (the wf-1000XM4) has replaceable batteries. All of these rechargeable batteries eventually weaken & then die. Many users have replaced the batteries in their XM4s in order to get several more years of use out of them. There are videos showing how to do this, & the replacement batteries are reasonably priced & easy to find online.
How are they for gym use?
Omg Sony what did you brought us… those buds are like magic ,the sound is so exceptional You are the best…i have other premium buds but you stand out as usual …thanks for this musical experience 🎵🎶
Have they resolved the battery problems which the WF-1000XM4 had?
One of the best all around earbuds still today.
These buds from sony are not worth the money, DO NOT BUY !!!
Sony have Fkd up big time withe these xm5’s. Sony intheir wisdom have taken away the ability to assign taps to each bud, they have their tap order and thats it. On my xm4 ‘s i could choose what presses did what on each bud, Sonys designers have taken away this option, retards.
xm5’s are also unusable in busy enviroments, other peoples bluetooth signals constantly stop music playing, it is truly awful even with the stable connection setting turned on.
If anyone buys these buds after reading all the bad reviews, they deserve the same shit experience the rest of us are getting.
My xm4 buds are far better and do not suffer with any of the problems i have with the xm5’s and are a 1/3rd the price.
Finally, Sonys designers need to be taken out back and beaten to within an inch of their lives.
I still have the Old … "XM3" 😂 and they still sound fantastic 🤩 Sony makes a great earbuds… These XM 4 and 5 look much better and sit flush along your ears … The Apple Buds they designed them to have the little sticks 😂😅
Bluetooth connection problems, very bad eartips, I regret buying these buds
For something $250+ i was quite underwhelmed buying these. I was previously using the JBL Live Pro2 of around $135 and it was a better experience.
Quite sad i switched. I do love the XM5 for it’s noise cancelling. I guess the foam tips just block out a lot of noise but the noise cancelling is really good. The Ambient mode is very far from natural sounding… Whenever i leave my desk then come back, it doesn’t automatically reconnect to my laptop (the 2nd device it’s connected to) until i go reconnect it manually (my JBL did.)
The touch controls are too sensitive. When lying down (not sleeping). Simply my bed sheet brushing across it causes it to trigger. (My JBL was not like that). I imagine wearing a hoodie on this would be hell.
Then when i walk downstairs or to the end of another room, the XM5 disconnects, the JBLs stay connected although crackling. Again, shocker for me in comparison.
I just thought for an earbuds so much more popular and pricier than the JBL buds, they would get all these things better. That was not the case.
I listen to many YouTuber about this earbuds and I decided to buy and try myself, to be honest absolutely rubbish sound and doesn’t stay on ear , and sound is very low, I can tell who want to buy this earbuds DONTTTT, total rubbish
I bought the previous generation these earbuds (WF-1000XM4) in July 2022, and by February 2025, the right earbud’s battery drains much faster than the left. During calls, it only lasts about 30 minutes. This isn’t an isolated issue – search online, and you’ll find countless complaints about the same problem. For the price I paid, I expected them to last more than 2.5 years. My Sony WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones lasted over four years and still going great!, so this isn’t just wear and tear, it’s a design flaw, and Sony doesn’t seem to care. For the others, be warned, I’m quite sure these earbuds will have a similar issue.
How are they for sleeping on the side?
Funny thing is that the name is weird, but I can easily remember them. Unlike fruit company ones.
Not sure why everyone is comparing headphones with the Samsung buds pro, they are by far the worst earbuds I have ever used.
I have these ear buds and really is the best. The sound quality is bassy and you hear stuff on it you cant hear in airpods. But their noise cancelation is insane, I can sit in a club and have these in and I wont hear anything but my music lol
You’re complaining about replaceable battery? How about if the ear buds don’t work then sony will replace the unit. Which they have! I don’t want to Crack this micro device open and replace the battery?! You’re just nit picking at this point! 😅