Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones: Setup, Pairing, and Noise Canceling Explained

The Sony WH-1000XM5 are widely regarded as one of the best pairs of noise-canceling headphones on the market. They offer deep, effective noise cancellation, rich sound quality, very long battery life (up to 30 hours), and a comfortable design suitable for all-day wear. Setting them up takes only a few minutes, and once you learn the touch controls and the Sony Headphones Connect app, you will have fine-grained control over how they sound and behave.

Sony's noise cancellation technology is called HD Noise Canceling Processor QN1. Unlike the fixed noise cancellation found in budget headphones, the WH-1000XM5 automatically adjusts cancellation strength based on your environment and the shape of your ear. The result is a listening experience where external sound — airplane cabin noise, office HVAC, street traffic — is reduced to near silence.

The headphones also include a feature called Speak-to-Chat. When the headphones detect you beginning to talk, they automatically pause your music and activate ambient sound mode so you can have a conversation without removing them. When you stop talking, the music resumes after about 30 seconds. This works surprisingly well in practice and saves you from constantly pausing music manually.

The Sony Headphones Connect app (free, available for iPhone and Android) unlocks additional features: a customizable equalizer, the ability to adjust noise cancellation level manually, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling (which enhances compressed streaming audio), and the ability to create location-based rules. For example, you can set the headphones to automatically switch to ambient sound mode when you are at a specific address like your gym or workplace.

Battery life on the WH-1000XM5 is excellent. A full charge lasts about 30 hours with noise cancellation active. A 3-minute quick charge gives you about 3 hours of listening. The headphones charge via USB-C. And they can also be used with the included 3.5mm audio cable when the battery is completely dead.

The headphones come in two colors — black and platinum silver — and include a compact carrying case. The case is rigid and provides good protection when traveling.