Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST experience with the Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Sony WH-1000XM5 and tell you which is better, after personally owning both products. I have thoroughly tested each of these headphones for hundreds of hours, and aim to offer a critical opinion from the perspective of an audiophile and professional music producer.
I’ll be comparing these two head to head on categories like price, comfort, features, battery life, noise cancelling performance, and sound quality.
Then at the end, I’ll share which is the best overall value for the money, and my overall recommendation on which you should buy.
I’ve also conducted a separate in-depth Sony WH-1000XM4 review and Sony WH-1000XM5 review, for those who are interested in reading more detailed thoughts about each headphone after. (Links open in a new tab.)
Key Takeaways
- Sony WH-1000XM5 has slightly better comfort, and overall sound quality, but only after EQ.
- Sony WH-1000XM4 has better build quality, sounds better out of the box without EQ, and is equal in noise cancelling performance.
- Depending on current market prices, the XM4 is a slightly better value for money due to being a previous generation model but still competitive.
Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Price Compared
At the time of this writing, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is around $80 cheaper than the Sony WH-1000XM5 at current market prices for brand new. They can be much closer in price depending on current sales, and whether you’re buying new, renewed, or used.
Sony WH-1000XM4 Prices
- Retail: $348
- New: $248
- Renewed: $150 (save up to $98!)
Sony WH-1000XM5 Prices
- Retail: $399.99
- New: $328
- Renewed: $253 (save up to $75!)
Order Here for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
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Comfort
When it comes to comfort, both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and XM4 are some of the lightest full-sized headphones I’ve tested.
On my scale, the Sony XM5 is 5.5 grams lighter than the newer XM5:
- Sony WH-1000XM4 weight: 251.6 grams
- Sony WH-1000XM5 weight: 246.1 grams
The only other headphone in this class that can match the XM5’s light weight and all-day comfort is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra.
My only knock on the XM5 is that the earcup interior is quite shallow, and my ears press against the fabric inside. My ears feel a little more free inside the Momentum 4, but it’s close.
The XM5 practically feels like wearing nothing, not only due to its weight, but minimal clamping force and top-of-head pressure from the headband. Also the cushioning on the headband and earpads is fairly plush.
On the other hand, the older XM4 is very comfortable as well, and some may even find it equal to the XM5, if not better.
Personally, I “notice” the XM5 less when worn, while the XM4 is just slightly more apparent with its clamping force and bulkier feel. A 5 gram difference shouldn’t be noticeable, but the XM4 actually does feel slightly bigger and bulkier back-to-back.
Sony WH-1000XM4 Comfort: 4.5 out of 5
Sony WH-1000XM5 Comfort: 5 out of 5
Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5
Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling
Features
Despite the XM4 being older, these two share the same modern features like active noise cancelling, transparency mode, and built-in microphones for calls.
If there’s one new feature missing from the XM4, it’s Spatial Audio that is featured on the newer XM5.
Both use the same Sony official companion app to adjust the 20+ noise cancelling settings and a customizable EQ.
Both also include pretty decent hard shell cases and stereo cables, pictured above.
One difference is that the XM4 earcups can actually fold down to fit more compactly in a smaller case.
Build Quality
When it comes to build quality, Sony took a step backwards going from the XM4 to the XM5.
The XM4 is pretty much designed like Bose’s QuietComfort series headphones, with an extremely similar swivel hinge design that has virtually no clearance between the earcups and headband.
Overall, the XM4 just feels fairly solid and sturdy.
The most egregious offense that hurts the Sony WH-1000XM5 is its notoriously poor hinge design.
There are quite a few reports online of broken hinges for the XM5, and I’m not at all surprised, considering how seemingly fragile it feels.
If you’re extra careful with handling the XM5, and always use the included hardshell case, then you should be fine. But this design flaw should be considered before investing $300+ into a pair.
For the weak hinge design, I will be docking 0.5 points from the Sony XM5 in this category.
Looks
Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of the XM5’s blocky, bulky earcups, especially when contrasted with probably the smallest headband I’ve ever seen.
These just look a little disproportionate when worn on head, even in black and with the minimalist design.
So I prefer the more proportionate, yet pretty basic look of the XM4.
Neither headphone is much of a fashion statement compared to the likes of Apple AirPods Max, Bose’s newer QuietComfort 2023, or Beats Studio Pro.
Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Battery Life Compared
Sony rates both headphones as having equal battery life:
- Sony WH-1000XM4 Battery Life: Up to 30 hours
- Sony WH-1000XM5 Battery Life: Up to 30 hours
In my testing, I found both of these manufacturer’s battery ratings to be accurate.
It’s important to note that the battery life varies based on your settings, whether you have noise cancelling turned ON, DSEE extreme audio quality, etc.
Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Cancelling: Which is better?
Upgrading from the older XM4 to the XM5, I was naturally expecting the noise cancelling technology to be improved.
To my surprise, the XM4’s noise cancelling still holds up quite well today, even against the newer XM5.
One interesting difference is that the XM4 has a “Noise Canceling Optimizer” featured on the Sony app, whereas this seems to be missing from the XM5.
In some cases, I actually found the XM4’s noise cancelling performance to be slightly more effective than the XM5, perhaps due to this feature.
However, they’re pretty much tied in most environments, that is to say it’s world-class noise cancelling.
I’d say only the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and QuietComfort 2023 give these Sony’s a run for their money.
Sony WH-1000XM4 Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 4.5 out of 5
Sony WH-1000XM5 Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 4.5 out of 5
Winner: Tie
Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Sound Quality Comparison
Before we dive into the sound quality comparison, I have to make a very important note here:
The stock tuning on the Sony WH-1000XM5 is pretty bad. Out of the box, I actually prefer the sound of the older XM4.
But luckily, this can be greatly improved by using Sony’s official free companion app and applying the EQ settings shared below.
I’ll be reviewing the sound quality WITH these EQ settings applied to get the most out of the XM5.
If I was judging this based on the stock XM5 sound, they would lose quite a few points here and definitely be rated lower than the stock XM4’s sound quality.
With EQ however, things get a LOT more interesting…
Although I did try to EQ the XM4 (settings below), I felt it was just a slight improvement, and it’s most significant flaws sadly can’t be fixed via the basic Sony graphic EQ.
Best Sony WH-1000XM4 EQ settings
- 400: -1
- 1k: +2
- 2.5k: +5
- 6.3k: -3
- 16k: +1
- Clear Bass: 0
Result: Much less muddiness, more clarity and detail in the mids, less sibilance. Overall more balanced, with the mids much more present.
Best Sony WH-1000XM5 EQ settings
- 400: -2
- 1k: -2
- 2.5k: +4
- 6.3k: +2
- 16k: +2
- Clear Bass: 0
After testing a bunch of EQ settings I found online, I decided to dial in my own preference that aims to be more balanced and less “hyped”, while still opening the XM5 up and reducing the stock muddiness.
Result: Less muddiness, much more clarity, detail, airiness, and dynamics. A fun, clear, energetic, “in your face” sound signature that is consumer-friendly.
Comparing Sound Quality AFTER EQ…
After EQ’ing the XM5, it became clear to my ears that the XM5 has better overall sound quality.
The XM4 actually sounds better than the XM5 right out of the box, but this is more due to the XM5 having relatively bad stock tuning that hamstrings its potential.
The biggest flaw to the XM4 is a peaky sibilance in the treble that can’t be tuned out via the Sony app’s EQ. Attempting to reduce this peak will also lead to less detail in the treble and a “veiled” sound.
On the other hand, the XM5 has smoothened out that sibilant peak from the factory, and this makes it much more friendly to EQ.
There are times when the XM4 sounds genuinely fantastic, but it’s not as strong of an all-arounder or as versatile as the XM5 across all genres.
From an audiophile perspective, neither headphone has a large or open soundstage. I find both to sound quite narrow and compressed.
After EQ, the XM5 wins on separation, resolution, and detail. The XM4’s sibilant treble really limits its potential here to push further via EQ.
The advantage in clarity doesn’t just apply to the treble however, as I prefer the bass on the XM5 due to being cleaner and more focused.
The XM4 bass can be enjoyable too, but it’s a bit too muddy for my taste.
Neither has particularly good timbre, there’s an artificial quality to both headphones, especially in the treble.
Overall, the EQ’d XM5 is the more “audiophile-friendly” headphone of the two.
Sony WH-1000XM4 Sound Quality: 7.9 out of 10
Sony WH-1000XM5 Sound Quality: 8.3 out of 10 (after EQ)
Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5
Value
At the time of this writing, the older XM4 is about $80 cheaper than the XM5 for a brand new pair.
Honestly, the XM5 is a better overall headphone, but the XM4 is a better value dollar-for-dollar.
That said, I personally would spend the extra $80 for the improvement in sound quality alone, but I’m pretty particular about audio (if you couldn’t tell by now).
The XM4 has arguably equal noise cancelling performance and comfort, and better build quality due to the XM5’s weak hinges.
Where things get really interesting is “Renewed” pairs of XM4 in Excellent condition as low as $150.
For just $150, I can’t think of a better overall package.
Sony WH-1000XM4 Value: 4.5 out of 5
Sony WH-1000XM5 Value: 4.0 out of 5
Winner: Sony WH-1000XM4
Sony WH-1000XM4 Overall Rating
- Excellent noise cancelling performance
- Very comfortable
- Good sound quality
- 30 hours battery life
- Great value due to being older model
- Slightly muddy upper bass & lower mids
- Needs more sub-bass extension
- Veiled treble, lacks sparkle and airiness
- Intimate soundstage lacks width and depth
Sony WH-1000XM5 Overall Rating
- Fun, excellent sound quality (after EQ)
- All-day comfort and lightweight
- Elite noise cancelling performance
- Stock sound without EQ is mediocre
- Poor build quality on hinges
- Expensive
Overall Winner: Sony WH-1000XM5
This comparison was uncomfortably close for the newer Sony WH-1000XM5 versus its predecessor, the WH-1000XM4, but it still manages to come out on top due to its superior sound quality (after EQ).
Comparing these two back-to-back today, I have a newfound appreciation for the older XM4, which is nearly equal in terms of noise cancelling performance and comfort, with better build quality to boot!
Factor in the discounted price, and the XM4 is actually a better value for money, and especially Renewed versions.
That said, the XM4’s flaws in sound quality are enough reason for me to justify upgrading to the XM5 or other competitor’s available today. But if sound quality isn’t your #1 priority, you (and your wallet) may be happier with the XM4.
Some extremely strong alternatives in this class of noise cancelling headphones and price range are the Bose QuietComfort 2023, Sennheiser Momentum 4, Beats Studio Pro, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and Apple AirPods Max. I recommend you check those out next!
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that, plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order Here for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Want to save up to an additional $98?
Want to save up to an additional $75?
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in orde
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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Apple AirPods Max vs Sony WH-1000XM5
Sennheiser Momentum 4 vs Sony WH 1000XM4
