[Arcturus]

Tried the XM5s multiple times and I really don't gel with the sound they make. Noise cancelling is very good, fit is fine. Construction feels a little cheaper and thin due to plastic (they remind me of wearing higher end earmuffs), but but A-B with Sennheiser 450BTs and the Sennys just sound better while being cheaper and older, with slightly more comfortable earpads! Sennys are not perfect with ANC/amp noise but still pulled ahead in music. Build quality on the Senny is better too. Same with comparing SQ to my modded IXOS DJ1002s. No comparison as they are wired but overall I was disappointed with the SQ on the XM5. My 2c of course, many love the sound, but for me they just sounded muted and lacking 'fizz' and sparkle. Like they are playing in a hallway or something, it's weird. Sound stage is also quite dead for me. Maybe it's just demo units in shops? I don't know! Not all are the wired demo types that I've tried, e.g. some are as you would buy normally. But I've used them on my own AptxHD phone with high quality sources and they were disappointing still.
I like atmosphere and liveliness in headphones and they just did not deliver there. I have some very challenging audition tracks though that many systems struggle with (Hi-Fi guy as well for nearly 2 decades), detailed Symphonic Black metal compositions really show the weakness to me. E.g. Sirius - Aeons of Magick etc.

 

[dath]

These WH headphones are SO popular now. Every second headphone I see people wearing in the train seems to be one.
I have the XB900N, an older model, which works fine. An expressively consumer tuning, with a lot of bass, and plenty of high freqs, but lacking in clarity now that I’m listening through hifi headphones lately.
Still, convenient for the commute. Thinking of switching to IEM’s though

 

[aleniola76]

I have purchased the XM5 last week and got the Momentum 4 the day after so I could make a comparison.
IMHO, XM5 outclass Sennheiser for ANC, App and they feel more solid and premium, but this is where their advantage ends.
The Sennheiser sounds better to my ears, more open. You can improve XM5 with the App EQ, which is better than the one coming with the M4, but they will remain sub par imho. Mid Bass is still muddier and treble is not extended compared to the Sennheiser.
But what really makes the difference to me is comfort. The XM5 will be painful after less than an hour. I have to constantly change their position to avoid the headband from drilling a hole in my head . This is a no go for me, I will return the XM5 and keep the M4. I can't understand why Sony designers took such a bad decision comfort wise.

 

[SparkOnShore]

I have purchased the XM5 last week and got the Momentum 4 the day after so I could make a comparison.
IMHO, XM5 outclass Sennheiser for ANC, App and they feel more solid and premium, but this is where their advantage ends.
The Sennheiser sounds better to my ears, more open. You can improve XM5 with the App EQ, which is better than the one coming with the M4, but they will remain sub par imho. Mid Bass is still muddier and treble is not extended compared to the Sennheiser.
But what really makes the difference to me is comfort. The XM5 will be painful after less than an hour. I have to constantly change their position to avoid the headband from drilling a hole in my head . This is a no go for me, I will return the XM5 and keep the M4. I can't understand why Sony designers took such a bad decision comfort wise.

To me, XM5 is the most comfortable headphone I ever had. I can wear for hours without feeling any fatigue. So to each his own...As you can see Sony designers cannot satisfy all heads!

 

[_daRK]

I have purchased the XM5 last week and got the Momentum 4 the day after so I could make a comparison.
IMHO, XM5 outclass Sennheiser for ANC, App and they feel more solid and premium, but this is where their advantage ends.
The Sennheiser sounds better to my ears, more open. You can improve XM5 with the App EQ, which is better than the one coming with the M4, but they will remain sub par imho. Mid Bass is still muddier and treble is not extended compared to the Sennheiser.
But what really makes the difference to me is comfort. The XM5 will be painful after less than an hour. I have to constantly change their position to avoid the headband from drilling a hole in my head . This is a no go for me, I will return the XM5 and keep the M4. I can't understand why Sony designers took such a bad decision comfort-wise.

I did some testing myself too and I kept the XM5. The main reasons were much better ANC and comfort. Yes, the M4 was slightly better in SQ but not that much to keep it instead of the XM5. It was 3 months ago and I'm still satisfied with my decision.

 

[aleniola76]

I did some testing myself too and I kept the XM5. The main reasons were much better ANC and comfort. Yes, the M4 was slightly better in SQ but not that much to keep it instead of the XM5. It was 3 months ago and I'm still satisfied with my decision.

yes, ANC is definitely better on the XM5, no match. I guess the choice depends on the use case, as an example I don’t use te M4 for commuting, I need them for an office where the noise level is not huge, hence their ANC is more than enough.
As far as the comfort is concerned…I think every head is a different story (and shape ), but on Reddit you can find several people complaining about the XM4 headband. Probably you’d find the same thread for the M4 as well

 

[SparkOnShore]

yes, ANC is definitely better on the XM5, no match. I guess the choice depends on the use case, as an example I don’t use te M4 for commuting, I need them for an office where the noise level is not huge, hence their ANC is more than enough.
As far as the comfort is concerned…I think every head is a different story (and shape ), but on Reddit you can find several people complaining about the XM4 headband. Probably you’d find the same thread for the M4 as well

The XM4 was a different case, it was indeed uncomfortable to me as well. But the XM5 is so light and easy on the top of my head as well as on the ears that there is really no comparison to any other headphone I have used. Of course YMMV...

 

[_daRK]

yes, ANC is definitely better on the XM5, no match. I guess the choice depends on the use case, as an example I don’t use te M4 for commuting, I need them for an office where the noise level is not huge, hence their ANC is more than enough.
As far as the comfort is concerned…I think every head is a different story (and shape ), but on Reddit you can find several people complaining about the XM4 headband. Probably you’d find the same thread for the M4 as well

Exactly, different heads, different ears, different listening environments, and different tastes for what sounds good. There is no such thing as "truth" in our hobby. Enjoy your M4.

 

[audiocroissant]

Fairly comfortable for me, pads a tad shallow

 

[crispytom]

It almost seems like people prefer previous gen xm4s instead of the newer ones. Question is XM4s or Momentum 4s?

 

[aleniola76]

Question is XM4s or Momentum 4s?

I guess it is a matter of your use case. I tested both and imho M4 have a better SQ and longer battery life while XM5 offer better ANC and a more responsive app (with better EQ). I ended up keeping the Sennheiser

 

[_daRK]

It almost seems like people prefer previous gen xm4s instead of the newer ones. Question is XM4s or Momentum 4s?

I compared both of them, M4s are slightly better in SQ, but they have practically non-existent ANC. I kept XM4s.

 

[Cocosan]

Mine just arrived today - think I need to cull some wireless cans soon…. My current collection:

Technics EAH-A800, Sony XM4 / XM5, Bose NC700/QC45, Yamaha E700/L700, Shure Aonic 50, B&O Portal / H95, B&W PX7, Sennheiser Momentum 2/3, Grado GW-100, Audio Technica M50X BT2, Apple Airpod Max

If anyone wants a comparison against any of those let me know.

Hi, I like to know how does Sony XM5 compares to the Airpods Max. thanks!

 

[The1Signature]

Hi, I like to know how does Sony XM5 compares to the Airpods Max. thanks!

I recommend this video

 

[evhvis]

I recommend this video

The comparison video doesn't give you a proper idea about how they sound. The recording sounds more boomy than it is if you play it through the same headphone, lots of detail is lost and overall tonality is quite a bit off compared to the real thing. I own both the XM5 and the Bathys, but when playing the original audio part through XM5 or the Bathys you get much less boomy sound than when I played his recordings of those headphones through Focal Radiance with EQ (close to harman curve). Yes the Bathys is a bit closed in the midrange with dips which give an impression of bass boost and changes the overall tonality and lack quite a bit in the upper frequencies compared to the Radiance, but they sound downright bad in that video compared to the real thing. Similar applies to the XM5s, but they are generally darker in sound than the Bathys.