I have been using Sony noise canceling earbuds for the last couple of years. I own both the XM3 and XM4 models and I have come to really love both the sound quality and the extra features Sony has packed them. Fast bear on android is amazing, it works without any effort. The first time you turn it on or if you turn it on in pairing mode a picture of the headphones will pop up on a nearby android device and you just click connect, it is as simple as connecting air pods to an iPhone. Onto these headphones, they are exceptional. Battery life is amazing, but that is to be expected from any premium wireless over your headphones. The touch controls have a bit of a learning curve, but they are for the most part very good (I have one issue with them, but I will get to that later). The noise cancelling is amazing of course, but what is more impressive is the improvements made to transparency mode. It no longer picks up background noise from fans and cars as much as it used to. Support for Spotify tap means you can launch Spotify, and have it pick up where you left off without even touching your phone. The new safe listening feature tells you if you are listening to music at unsafe levels for too long. It keeps track of how much time you listen at various decibel levels so it can tell you if you have been listening too much. Sound quality is of course very good. Also, Sony's EQ is not the best, but for most people it is more than sufficient.

No Doubt these are excellent headphones. Sony has taken an already established series and made them better. Some may not like that they don’t fold down but the case is slim and it should mean better durability in the long run so I have no issues with it at all as far as that goes. My only real complaints are that the wear sensor rarely works, really 1 out of 10 times will the headphones pause when I remove them…I don’t know if it is because of the sensor being set inside the fabric vs. outside like the M4’s, or something else. May be just my unit I suppose. I don’t absolutely need it to work especially since the touch controls work really well so I can live with that. The only other issue is for comfort. Don’t get me wrong, overall they are super light and comfortable but the light padding on the headband does cause some discomfort after awhile. A little adjustment and it is better but could be an issue for some. I also wish that Sony could do something to make the headphones power on and connect more quickly. If you have them connected to two devices it takes about 10 seconds to connect to both. However the connection is strong and I have no issues with that! And the multi point function works flawlessly!

I must admit I am loving the headphones. I was a little skeptical at first, but had to figure out how to use them. Only comparison I have is my pre QC bose. Lol I don't know how compares to nc700 for features. I really like the touch panel. Just put your palm up and it will stop so you can hear announcements or talk. And easy control for pause etc. Not sure yet about the auto noise cancel until I get a flight. But the ambient control works great for around working outside on the patio, and 20 different settings for how much ambient noise you want to heat, like walking on a street or something. The case is cool and modern.

In terms of the previous generation model, put quite simply, sound quality is more in line with a neutral profile sounding acoustically tuned pair of reference headphones. Noise cancelling and transparency modes are a night and day difference with respect to the 1000XM4s, but both are still excellent pairs of headphones. The improvements here are well justified for an upgrade. Also the sound profile of the previous generation WH-1000XM4s can be easily restored by using the "excited" EQ setting in the companion app settings.

Well done Sony. And for all those purchasing, enjoy them, they're industry leading for a reason.

The sound is beautiful - clear, open, yet warm at the same time. I've had the WH-1000XM3 headphones for a few years, and they're great - but comparing them to the XM5 now they sound muffled and closed-in!

Noise Canceling: As always, sony headphones are excellent at Canceling out noise. These headphones have 2 of the noise Canceling chips in them and double the microphones as the XM4. When listening to music the outside world is almost completely silent. Especially lower tones like the running of an engine, whether that be plane or car. Higher, fast tones slip through occasionally but not to any degree that's distracting. I find for the higher tones these headphones are much better than the XM3. Overall the noise Canceling is wonderful and definitely won't disappoint. Sound Quality: I am by no means a professional when it comes to audio. In my own experience I find that these headphones have great sound quality. Better than the XM3 infact. It feels more clear and crisp and the bass has a bit more oomph to it in my opinion. Overall it's great sound and definitely an improvement from the XM3. As said before, I can't compare to the XM4 since I've never had them. Build Quality: This is where the headphones fall a little short. The design, although incredibly comfortable, is rather plastic feeling. It's not cheap feeling plastic, but it's definitely a plastic feeling. They are quite comfortable and I wore them for several hours at a time and never got any pain from them. In addition to the plastic feeling, these headphones also don't fold in on themselves like the previous iterations did. The cups flip over so the headphones can be laid flat but that's it. Subsequently, the includ

Continues on a bit of a muddy sound like the previous models, however the noise cancelling is superb and EQ options such as the custom Wavelet profile from soundguys make this an incredible all around headphone.