Still worth buying?! - Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra

[@namedkenn]

IMPORTANT UPDATE: the Sony DOES support continuous volume up by sliding up and hold, apologize for any inconvenience caused! (I tried to confirm that before but it didn’t work somehow, but it’s just me finding an excuse haha)

[@akoswertmuller]

Bose Volume slider is better because it’s faster and there’s only feedback sound when hitting minimum or maximum volume. ANC is stronger, the low frequencies of cars become silent. There’s a noticable white noise in quiet environments that makes low volume listening lose detail. Minimum volume is not low enough. Charge time is slow. Breathable, ears stay cool. Sony Charges fast. Volume slider is worse, it’s easy to accidentally skip song by not swiping vertical enough, there’s a feedback sound after every swipe, swipe and hold is slow. No white noise, but car rumbles don’t get canceled out as well. Minimum volume is lower. Ears get sweaty and hot.

[@salg3014]

@@akoswertmuller thank you!

[@ea1070]

Thanks!

[@jwolfewinz]

I own both and usually go for my Bose Qc Ultras. I think they sound much better and they are very comfortable..

[@ahmet_10]

How do you rate it? Sound quality and ANC?

[@jwolfewinz]

@ahmet_10 sound quality 8/10 and anc is a 9/10 . Sound and anc are amazing for this price range of headphones.

[@ahmet_10]

@@jwolfewinz thanks

[@sphinx7600]

@jwolfewinz does the hinge squeak

[@jwolfewinz]

@ not at all!

[@myooyoke]

BOSE BUYERS BEWARE I have been a die hard Bose fan over the last decade and the Quiet comfort ultra Are my latest addition to my headphone family. HOWEVER.... YOU CAN'T USE YOUR AUX CORD TO LISTEN WITH YOUR HEADPHONES ON A DEAD BATTERY...... MOST tech reviewers never talk about this which is a massive set back.

[@aIysssa]

@@myooyoke Bose headphones have been this way for like 15 years+. They always use 2.5mm aux not the standard size

[@sebster6031]

@@myooyoke but how is the sound quality though when wired?

[@MeatieBanana]

Charge your battery?

[@dl22345]

@@myooyoke this is a massive set back? Charge your headphones lol

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

you can use sony headphones while they are charging lol

[@Blu3_777]

I love how you have a dedicated transparency mode segment, which is the most important feature to me

[@J0nathanNZ]

Interesting... Is it more important than sound quality for you? If so, why?

[@Blu3_777]

@@J0nathanNZ because I use them at work and though out the day. I like to be able to hear my surroundings. But overall I feel so secluded if I use regular earbuds, that's why I prefer even open or half in-ear buds. I have a huge expensive collection of earbuds but I rarely use them because of this factor. I mostly use half in-ear buds like the JBL live flex or or the goated, Samsung buds live. With the exception of the Airpods pro 2 because they're the only earbuds with natural sounding transparency; the rest sound digital and robotic

[@Dsquare4Animation]

I have tried my cousin's Bose headphones, and what I don't like about the controls is that they always mess with my volume when I try to move the headphones. The controls are less effortless compared to my new Sony XM5. FYI, the Sony touch controls also continuously increase or decrease the volume if you swipe and hold. You can double-tap and hold for the Google Assistant, which I find conveniently easy for searching songs without opening my phone. You can press the power button for the battery level and double-tap the touch controls for the time and notifications. I can adjust the headphones on my head without messing with the volume or having to cautiously adjust them to avoid touching the volume control. Mine don't have a clicking sound when I press the button controls, maybe because they are still new.

[@SuperMario127.]

The real world battery life tests for the Bose QC Ultra headphones average about 30 hours, and just over 20 with immersive audio.

[@SuperMario127.]

When you touch and hold the volume strip, you can activate a shortcut-with Hear Battery Level a voice prompt announcing the battery percentage can be heard: “Battery full” or “Battery XX%”.

[@namedkenn]

Yep you can 🤣

[@anjeu67]

Feels illegal to be this early. 😅 Anyway, I love my XM5! Hope I can try other brands in the future.

[@namedkenn]

Haha thank you for coming so early man! 😆 the Sony really surprised me with its mic quality

[@SuperMario127.]

I feel like 25 hours of battery from Bose is more than enough for most people. It’s not the best-but I feel like it’s still plenty.

[@juliolovestacos]

The price we pay for comfort

[@SuperMario127.]

@ also it doesn’t announce the battery in hours anymore (e.g. 17 hours).

[@dimamaherya3302]

Amazing video:) thanks a lot!

[@namedkenn]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jakubjohn5673]

You can swipe up and hold it there, it will slowly increase it automatically ( 8:47 )

[@ekimsg]

You can turn up the volume on the sony by sliding up and hold. You don’t need to do it multiple times.

[@namedkenn]

Yep thanks for that, I’ll put this in a pinned comment

[@MrBaskins2010]

The double headphone look was cool, you looked like an elite DJ

[@asan1050]

Kenneth Tanaka Thank you very much!

[@josegallardos4265]

I am a fan of Sony products, but I have to admit that just with the immersive audio feature Bose killed not only Sony headphones but all the competitors, at least for the.

[@icephoenix5466]

8:55 you can just hold the up or down on the touch panel. repetetive movement isnt really needed. : 3

[@namedkenn]

I actually tried before writing the script but it didn’t happen, but a lot of people say you can do it so yeah, a mistake on my part! Thanks for the info 😁

[@giovannimusumeci835]

Went to try about 20 headphones in the past 2 days… for me the choice went between PX7 See and B&O HX… I get the point of best anc on Bose and Sony but sounds quality and built cannot be compared with the B&O and B&W..

[@namedkenn]

Haha absolutely man, when you up the price point for sure there are so many better sounding headphones out there

[@RadoDani]

BTW, the word on the street, or rather within audiophile circle, is that Px7 sounds better than Px8.

[@enzomia878685]

Awesome vid, Ken! Thanks! I tested both, and it's Sony for me. I think XM5 is an overall balanced headphone in terms of sound quality and features.

[@namedkenn]

Thanks for sharing! The Sony really hits the best balance of everything I agree

[@carlopadon]

I'll add this on my list. Btw can you make a video about Anker chargers? Their products is so confusing nowadays.

[@namedkenn]

Appreciate it! I'll see what I can do since my contact with anker global these days have gone down the drain, but I'll see what I can do!

[@carlopadon]

@@namedkenn thanks! You're the best

[@Buzza235]

What sound codecs do the Bose support?

[@namedkenn]

Supports AptX Lossless!

[@MarianoCardoza]

Spec sheet only claims it has Bluetooth 5.3 Which has the LC3 codec not the LC3 plus. That's pretty much it.

[@jaymills85]

After I changed my ear cups on my Sony XB910n the ANC performance not so grate anymore! Is there anyway to get some cups that performs like factory esr cups?

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

sony sells the factory ear cups in their official store for replacement parts

[@jaymills85]

@Robbie-mw5uu no they do not have it on sony website

[@codepractices7]

Thanks for the vid! Which one do you feel would last longer in terms of build quality?

[@superreviewindonesia]

Please review haylou s30 pro headset

[@practicallyalive]

Have the Sonys, very disappointed with the sound quality, so I'm watching this video hoping that the Bose are a better alternative. The XM5 sound far worse than every other headphone I have: Sennheiser HD6XX, Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm, Audio Technica M50x, Hifiman Sundara, and even the Sony XM5 earphones sound significantly better than the Sony XM5 headphones. They're just so bloated in the mid-bass that the entire sound comes across as extremely muddy, and while the bass can mostly be fixed through the in-app EQ, no matter what I do the treble never sounds quite right. I'm not a fan of the hinges, the pads feel very unusual (though they do seal very well), and headband adjustment mechanism doesn't feel very robust. The presence of LDAC on the Sonys is good in theory, but if the sound quality of the headphones themselves isn't great, LDAC isn't going to save it.

[@zan3356]

Can I get a update with how you enjoy the bose quitecomfort ultra? I just bought them, but haven't opened them yet because I am unsure if I made a good decision buying these or another pair of headphones

[@OnionMotu]

Yeah xm5s sound feels worse than my Galaxy buds2 pro which is crazy for such expensive headphones.

[@robertdoyle8972]

Sony’s are on sale here in Alaska at Fred’s for $199.99

[@peupeuguy310]

is it true the xm5 dont fold but the xm4 do?

[@namedkenn]

Yeah the XM5 doesn’t fold

[@aarxv_s1042]

is there any latency when you use the bose wired?

[@namedkenn]

Latency will be as good as your phone! Usually around 50ms ish

[@brittanylevinson741]

Thank you. I got the Razer Opus 2020 after poring over the Rting data but the app is totally broken on iOS 18. At this point it’s worth not being frustrated so I’m going for the ones I wanted anyway.

[@Portuguese_Lad]

Hi kenn! I was looking for ear buds to buy for around 30 euros (dollars works too lol). I saw your video on the moondrop space travel and I really liked them but I'm really bc some people said they weren't loud enough (I love playing music until my ears bleed LMAO. I want to prioritise sound quality over everything, idc if it has anc or not so yeah. What do you think I should go for? Awesome video as always btw!

[@mt.sefuri3909]

I don't know why but I am amongst the few to notice that on the Sony's, the bass just decreases as the volume goes up around 80% and it is a shame. I always put it above 80% if I can hear my surroundings so there is that.

[@abelanil5742]

kennyyyy noooo the thumbnail colours arent working lol

[@namedkenn]

Haha don’t worry about it I’m sacking it soon, currently running a thumbnail test

[@Zulqarnain-Chauhadry]

Tanaka , plz suggest best budget earbuds with 360 sound.

[@namedkenn]

I would actually advise against that, but there’s not much option anyway

[@visualongrid]

Is there a mic test in this video?

[@namedkenn]

Uhh I recommend you watch it 😁

[@visualongrid]

@@namedkenn Haha because I'm watching based on the sections and there is no section for mic test.

[@namedkenn]

@@visualongrid ahaha you're right, let me add that in 😁

[@columbiaautoinc.3464]

Good morning everyone. Please do not buy these headphones (Sony X5) if you plan to work out. It constantly falls off your head since the material is too soft and slippery. I bought it and had to return it the next day cause it would not stay on! But if you do not plan on working out or going on a run. It's a great headphone with a good sound system and soft material.

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

you shouldnt be using any headphones while exercising the manual says that

[@egidiuschristian6047]

Hi Ken, please help advise best budget headphone. Wireless would be great 😂

[@kurts3779]

Sony XM5 have a major design flaw. Anyone buying them should look into how common and often the hinge part is breaking

[@namedkenn]

Actually most plastic hinges can break, which is the price you pay for being lightweight

[@kurts3779]

@namedkenn For $500.00 a decent hinge should be expected. Plastic is not the issue, design is. Metal hinges can break too. Design failure.

[@namedkenn]

@@kurts3779 haha I'm not defending Sony here cause yes they should do better in terms of durability, as I myself was very heartbroken when my Beats Studio 3 snapped back in the day

[@oilalalet3181]

Não desapareça, por favor. Você está sumido. ❤

[@tiagoandrade605]

Hi Kenn, thanks for the video! Just yesterday I went to a store and checked the XM5 in person. Surprised with the extremely LOW quality of the plastic they adopted for the earcups. Mostly all units I checked were scratched, plastic was peeling off etc really bad quality for 300bucks. On the other side, Bose had a 1000 better material quality, as usual (still have mine QC2 looking like new after good 6 years). What are your impressions on this? All products I checked were the ones on the exposition so probably lots and lots of customers use everyday... this has an effect on the XM5 plastic durability but come on... I think it was too much! In your case, do you see these use marks already after 2years, or the plastic cups looks good still?

[@genshinmeta7235]

Pleaaaase f6 pro gaming test and if its better or equal to f6

[@namedkenn]

It better be better 😂 cause it’s a totally different price point

[@genshinmeta7235]

@@namedkenn Because many ppl say that f6 is just similair performance as f6 pro that is not even worth extra price for pro. And i want to know from expert like you if thats true

[@Haenseuu]

Can you review the Sony ult wear? Or make a comparison with its price point to other headphones, too.

[@strike_x1456]

i got soundcore space ones wich had the similar slideyness in the badn like the sonys and i didnt like them cuz they stretched too far or felt unequal

[@mikesmith5389]

You need to listen to the Cambridge Audio P100 Ken, it's the new King of Bluetooth headphones. I appreciate it's not easy for you to get hold of them though. If you prioritise sound quality over ANC they can't be beaten.

[@richmck007]

@@mikesmith5389 I would have thought that anyone investing in ANC headphones would put that above anything else if not they wouldn’t buy noise cancelling headphones. That’s my take on it. I have the Bose and I bought them primarily for the ANC because there is nothing better. Bose know how to do it. Yes the sound can be tweaked then you don’t need to buy Sony at the end of the day if you know how to tweak your sound, you can improve the sound but what one cannot do is improve the ANC if Bose Has the Industry Standard best noise cancelling headphones. I should say I was always a Sony fan right from day one when they invented the Walkman and since then I’ve had more than a dozen pairs of headphones most than being Sony but when it comes to ANC, I haven’t found a Sony headphone to be as good as the Bose earbuds or the 700 series so if your priority is sound I would not choose Bose or less one is prepared to tweak the sound using a graphic equaliser, which is far superior to the one which comes with the Bose app and that goes for Sony as well. What headphone companies refuse to share with the customer is how you can improve the sound if you know how …

[@MO-fg2cm]

When there are great headphones but you stay in India and pay 18.5% more as taxes for electronic items , xm4s are 260$, xm5s are 370$, qc ultra 410$

[@Jonpilo-uz1yf]

Please make a full review of soundpeats clear

[@rolins3279]

I prefer the Sony, and from my experience, the ANC between both is almost identical (your test must have been affected by the replacement pads), on the other hand, Sony are much more stable in terms of their software, but above all the quality of the microphones in phone calls in noisy environments is stellar 🤌🏽, the day Sony will manage to do the same thing on its earbuds, it's an automatic purchase for me. You don't have to swipe multiple times for volume 🎚 up-down on the Sony, just swipe and hold.

[@namedkenn]

Thanks for that, I actually did try swipe and hold but it didn’t work, I’ll try ask my brother (since I give it back to him) to see if it works But yeah absolutely the microphones win big time, which really blew my mind haha

[@sabalr1]

What should I do 304 dollars for Sony WH1000XM5 or upgrade to Bose QC headphone Ultra for 385 dollars?

[@namedkenn]

I’ll get the Sony haha won’t get bose for more than 30-50 bucks difference

[@thinkhardly]

@@namedkenn Awesome review man. I'm getting QC @ 293 and XM5 @ 263. What would you suggest I go for bro?

[@XiaoXinLie]

If i aim a good sound for music... Which one the best?

[@thinkhardly]

@@XiaoXinLieBrother: My personal opinion would be Bose. I feel Bose to be more accurate instead of Sony as Sony feels a bit bassy to me ( esp on retail sets ). Again it's my personal preference. My reference music is Rock, a bit of Jazz, Pop, R&B and lot of Hip Hop. I also have neutral Moondrop IEMs to see if the sounds are "correct" on Bose and it doesn't dissapoint. Keyword is "Personal Preference". Note: Always try at the store once! ALWAYS!!

[@ashyyyk8098]

Tried both head to head in the store, found xm5 far much detailed and quite punchy compared to bose qc ultra. Really happy with xm5s 😅

[@namedkenn]

Haha well I think both sounds good, but the Sony do offer more with their EQ capabilities

[@marto787]

Hey bro Sennheiser or bose😢?

[@Salty_Biscuitz88]

@@marto787Sennheiser

[@Danny-iz7np]

Please give a review of the new moondrop block v5.4

[@User9681e]

everyone reports decreased anc performance with earcup change so im wondering if it might be an interesting idea to test original, different styles of third party and if you need a different eq

[@namedkenn]

Haha that's a good idea, though probably not with the Sony cause my brother is taking it back to his study abroad very soon

[@jaymills85]

Yeah I found this to be true after I changed my ear cups on my Sony XB910n the ANC performance not so grate anymore!!

[@zlee2656]

xm5 got sound quality and satisfying investment for daily usage for both bluetooth and wired. dude if u want something originally bested quality provided by xm5 u need that wired , which operational without any battery charge. and what worst i have two of them both in white and both are essentially , the newer and broken angle and it wont turn on. while the older being useful by only output the sound to the left ear. , what a tech failure. lots and lots of them comlplained whixh sony wont repair them at all.sadly yeah

[@CarlWiganerUK]

Sent Sony back after last trip, noise cancellation is another level with Bose & that carrying case of Sony is awful.

[@jijojacobmathew4990]

Senheiser momentum 4 better buy

[@namedkenn]

Haha I'm keen on trying those out as well!

[@d.3671]

@@jijojacobmathew4990 I don't think so. They are uncomfortable and laggy, and the sound is overated (way too much bass)

[@HidupBossKu]

I have been using it for a year. Main gripe: ANC sucks and Bluetooth connectivity problematic.

[@ahmedboghdady1883]

What about the microphone and call quality of both !!

[@namedkenn]

Did you watch til the end? 😁

[@1Samuel1524]

What accent is that?

[@HidupBossKu]

Malaysian

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

sounds like hongkong

[@ocdgadgetscleaner]

the XM5 just look better on peoples heads :D the Bose ones looks like everyone have huge head

[@AmanShaikh-pz6rj]

Peoples who r saying that xm5 are better they are just satisfying themselves to buying the cheaper one xm5 is just fuckiing cheap plastic xm4 was better build i am still using xm4 from last 2 years, i got qc ultra2 months ago and it is an upgrade from every aspect , immersive audio works wonders in 80 percent of time ….. plz dont spread false biased opinion plz just because u have to got cheaper xm5.

[@Buglardons]

@@AmanShaikh-pz6rj lol they just are. And i would like to be wrong because my xm5 just died and sony support is terrible and serial number is not engrave on the headset so i cannot use my warranty so i hate sony. But the fact that the bose qc ultra have white noise in anc, cant be used wired without battery and doesnt have high quality codec is so disapointing, i guess i will judt wait the xm6 or buy the xm5 again, btw xm4s had terrible white noise with anc too. I use the headset 50% wired 50% wirelessly so the battery thing is more than a deal breaker for me but the sound is also to violent too bassy on the bose.

[@gowthamsiddareddy]

Even I felt this review is mainly bias and leaning towards Sony, but fact sony xm5 is not even competitor for Bose qc ultra.

[@reecechadwick8504]

Tried both and XM5 are definitely superior so I don't know what your smoking

[@jaypalmer3806]

@@AmanShaikh-pz6rj I totally agree

[@CreganStark123]

I think you're the one giving biased opinion here maybe u just happen to hate Sony products lol i just tested both the bose and sony at mall and i prefer xm5 sounds better than the bose although i bought sm4 instead so there's that

[@zixednatz]

You should test the ANC without glasses.

[@harunkusuma9013]

Bang, emang lo ada jual barang bekas di review jual di tokped bang? kenneth shop gitu? Benarkah bang? 🙏🏼

[@namedkenn]

Haha betul kak

[@louvendran7273]

What about Sennheiser? They are the benchmark of sound quality. Greetings from 🇳🇿

[@namedkenn]

I’ll try to check it out soon! Recently my creator friend offered to lend me one for review so without further ado 🤣 super excited tor it actually

[@ShuQ0803]

XM5 is super comfortable ever I haven’t met any other is better than XM5…

[@kurts3779]

Sony XM5 have a major design flaw. Anyone buying them should look into how common and often the hinge part is breaking. Yours will break too soon

[@ShuQ0803]

@ Well, hope I won’t find it😅 I’ve been using it for two years and no problem at all.

[@kurts3779]

@@ShuQ0803 Yet.

[@travelwilder]

1000XM5 wins for Mic.

[@namedkenn]

Hands down man

[@rons2079]

So, a question for the group here. I primarily want the best noise cancelling headphones for flying on a plane. Muting screaming kids and loud talkers. Right now Costco has both on sale…..Bose $159 vs Sony $299. I already sold myself on Bose. Given I just want to unwind and not be stressed can anyone here convince me why the Sony is worth almost double the price?

[@donnawebster359]

The Costco version is the QC SE. Not the QC Ultra. I didnt open the box as I realized they aren't the Ultras after buying them. They were a nice deal but I'm returning so I can go buy the QC Ultra.

[@petergplus6667]

I bought the WH1000XM5 for 180,- and compared it to my MDR1ADAC and some cheap Bose. The sound is worse than my MDR1ADAC and the build quality is a f.cking joke vs the 1ADAC. I am amazed not a single reviewer complains about the cheap materials. Also the the App is horrible. It took me over half an hour to start because it forced me to sign up the some crap several times which took forever and was infuriating. This is my experience as loyal Sony user. These new hp are just cheap and only different in software used. Just like any new phone that comes out. Pixel 9 is best example for this. Also the headband HURTS Iin the middle after only a few min. Consequence is since manufacturers only sell cheap crap for ridiculous prices buy as cheap as you can and never pay full price. If not for the price I paid I didn't have kept that plastic bomber.

[@bogmog]

@@petergplus6667 why do you think it was 180 bucks...

[@petergplus6667]

@@bogmog I wrote I bought it at 180 only, which is cheap and still they suck even at that price

[@zirak93-2]

@@petergplus6667They are probably fake and rip-off if that is the price you paid for new ones.

[@silverdragon0000120]

iPhone doesn’t even give those sound settings so I guess anything will sound the same for me

[@namedkenn]

Sorry but where? I use both headphones on IOS and the apps do support EQ customization