Hi guys, I'm trying to decide between the above - I. Can get the bose (non ultra) for $199nz (about $115US) at the moment or the sony xm5 for $250nz (about $145US). Both specials end soon and I'm not going to be able to get to a shop to listen, so after advice on which you'd go for ?

Cheers

Edit - I've been informed that the sony xm4 is potentially better than the xm5 - so in that case if I could get xm4 second hand at the same price as bose quietcomfort Brand new ... what should I do ??

Hi, So I have been using both the headphones for a while. I think black Friday sale is going to start soon. So I want to share my thoughts.

Portability:

• Bose QC Ultra: They fold and have a smaller case compared to sony.

• Sony XM5: They don't fold and the case is big. When in bag, They occupy more space compared to Bose. But I do think all the reviewers are exaggerating the size of the case.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

Comfort:

• Bose QC Ultra: Bose QC Ultra takes the clear win here. The earpads are soft, breathable, deep. I can wear them all day.

• Sony XM5: XM5 has shallow ear cushions. It is comfortable for a short while. If you have large ears, your ears will be touching the drivers mesh which makes them very uncomfortable for long listening sessions as pressure builds up. Also heat builds up a lot more compared to Bose. I don't know why most reviewers on youtube don't talk about comfort issue on these XM5s.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

Build Quality:

• Bose QC Ultra: Build quality feels premium and durable compared to Sony.

• Sony XM5: XM5 feels cheap. There are lot of reports of broken hinges and are not covered under warranty. Fortunately, I have not been a victim of this doom of hinge * yet *.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

ANC:

• Bose QC Ultra: QC Ultra cancels out more noise in day to day use. The low frequency sounds are completely canceled out like road noise etc. But some high frequency noises are let in. There is no option to turn of ANC but I don't mind that. There is a wind block mode that adds a static noise but I found it to be gimmicky.

• Sony XM5: Sony cancels out more high frequency noises (but they are not completely gone). It also has auto/Adaptive ANC which adjusts the amount of ANC based on the surrounding noise. So, when it is quiet like if only ac/fan is running, the Sony decides that the surrounding noise is "low" and reduces the ANC and I can hear even the fan sound. This is such a bad implementation. Sony also has atmospheric pressure sensors, so on the plane (high altitudes) These gets activated and cancels out even more noise compared to Bose.

• Winner: Tie

Ambient Sound/Aware mode:

• Bose QC Ultra: The aware mode is so good on Bose. It feels like there is nothing on my head. The outside sounds feels natural.

• Sony XM5: Sony has weird white noise when Ambient sound mode is on and the voices sound a bit robotic.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

Sound Quality:

Bose QC Ultra: The sound through Bose has a warm tone. It is very subjective and I personally like it. But the bass is a lot more and it lasts longer so other frequencies sound a bit muffled.

• Supported Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, APTX ADAPTIVE (Need an Android with greater then Snapdragon 8+ gen 1 chip inside for aptx lossless, also Samsung/Mediatek/Google phones do not support this codec)

• Bits per audio sample: 24bits

• Sample frequency rate: 48khz

• Bitrate: 479kbps (max)

• Imaging: The instrument separation is very good.

• Sound stage (stereo mode): Wide in general but not as wide as XM5

• Detail retrieval: Bass lasts longer and as a result, other frequencies sound muffled.

Sony XM5: The sound with default eq sounds so muddy and feels like using cheap headphones. But with proper EQ, they sound balanced and detailed compared to Bose QC ultra.

• Supported Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC (lossless)

• Bits per audio sample: 32bits

• Sample frequency rate: 96khz

• Bitrate: 990kbps (max)

• Imaging: It is perfect. The instrument separation is excellent.

• Soundstage: Wider than bose qc ultra

• Detail Retrieval: With proper EQ, the clarity you can achieve through these headphones is amazing considering these are not wired headphones.

Winner: Sony XM5

Mic Quality:

• Bose QC Ultra: The Mic quality on these is awful. It is good in quiet environments but if there is some noise around you, the other person on the call cannot hear anything you say. These pick up everything around you. The noise isolation is non-existent.

• Sony XM5: These are complete opposite to Bose. They are perfect in quiet environments but even in high traffic, the mics on this do miracles, the traffic sounds will be completely isolated. A lot of times, people on calls with me asked me whether I'm in office because its so quiet around me, but I was actually struck in traffic on a bus with huge crowd. I'm completely blown away.

• Winner: Sony XM5

Battery Life:

• Bose QC Ultra: It is good, After a typical 10AM to 7PM workday, I end up with around 60%.

• Sony XM5: It is little better compared to bose. After a typical workday, I end up with 70%.

• Winner: Sony XM5

Controls:

• Bose QC Ultra: The volume slider on these is wonky. Also to quickly switch to aware mode, have to hold the multi-functional button, then cycle through all the modes to reach aware mode or need to take off headphones when someone comes to you to have a quick convo. This cycling through modes takes time and this creates an awkward moment or the person will become visibly annoyed. There is actually a shortcut option that can be used by holding on to volume slider in the app but we cannot add the aware mode to that option which is a shame.

• Sony XM5: Controls on Sony are a more reliable compared to Bose. They are also customizable. There is a dedicated button to switch noise cancelling modes. This is useful to switch to ambient sound mode. Also you can switch to Ambient sound mode by holding the right earcup.

• Winner: Sony XM5

Immersive/360 Audio:

• Bose QC Ultra: Bose has its own spatial audio implementation. I feel that spatial audio is a gimmicky overprocessed shit, but the implementation of Bose is as good as it gets. Don't get me wrong, It's still overprocessed, takes a hit on details, but its better than Sony's native head tracking.

• Sony XM5: These support Android's native head tracking spatial audio. It is not good. Also it is not supported on all the androids.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

App Support and Additional Features:

• Bose QC Ultra: The app UI feels more polished compared to sony. But it has connection issues. Sometimes even though the Ultras are connected, the app shows them as not connected. There is a 3 band eq which is more straightforward but we cannot save custom EQ.

• Sony XM5: The UI of the Sound Connect app feels like it is designed in 2014. But it has a lot of features, both useful and useless. But the good thing is it has 5 band eq and we can save custom EQs.

• Winner: Sony XM5

Issues:

To sum up the issues,

Bose QC Ultra:

• Thud noise - When there are vibrations around your head, they make this noise (can be noticeable while travelling by the bus or walking barefoot). I think this is because of ANC mics placement. It becomes unusable for me because of this on bus as my ears hurts.

• Sidetone not working in calls: This is a known issue and a big deal for me. Basically, you cannot hear your own voice properly when you are on call. This made me shout multiple times in cafes because the bad mic quality and sidetone issue is like a combo, if I talk slow in the cafe, due to noise, the other person cannot hear me.

• Mic quality is bad.

• Volume slider is a hit or miss.

• You cannot use them wired without powering them on. This makes them useless when their battery is dead.

• Not able to switch to aware mode quickly

I have spoken to Bose rep recently regarding these issues and they said they will improve in these areas but I don't think the thud noise can be fixed as it seems to be a hardware limitation due to ANC mics placement. But when the headphones are turned off the sound disappears so hope Bose provides update to turn off ANC. I don't bet on it. But I have the transcript of the chat and I will continue to bug them every couple of months on these as long as I have these with me.

Sony WH-1000XM5:

• Comfort, If you have large ears. Please try them on in your local store before ordering.

• The build quality feels delicate. There are a lot of posts online related to broken hinges after an year or so. If you have a big head, then it could be an issue as the earcups will be stretching far. (Sony doesn't cover it in warranty btw)

• Auto ANC

• Ambient sound / Aware mode is not as good as Bose

• Technicalities are better in Sony but ldac codec drains more battery from your phone compared to aptx adaptive.

• Sony's support staff is clueless. They don't even know their own product features and functionality.

• P. S: If you do end up getting Sony, while wearing them or taking them off, do not pull the earcups as that is an instance when hinges break. Pull above the earcups hinge at the end of the headband.

Bottom Line:

• If you want better comfort, better build quality, better transparency mode, better after sales support, prefer warmer sound, don't use these for calls, get the Bose QC Ultras.

• If you want better controls, better mic quality, better battery, more features, prefer balanced and detailed sound (with EQ), don't have a big head (hinge doom), get the Sony WH-1000XM5

I bought Bose first and then when I tried them on the mic was very bad, so I got Sony thinking I will return Bose, But the comfort on Sony is somewhat less compared to Bose. But the mics on the Sony blew me away so I kept both of them - Bose for comfort, Sonys for mic quality.

I use Bose when I'm at home and use Sony when I'm travelling or in office or for calls. And if the mic and sidetone issues are fixed in Bose, I will probably not use Sony. But considering Bose's history, I don't see that happening :(

I had Sony WH-1000XM5 for 6 months. After that, unfortunately, right earcup stopped working. I was compensated the money and decided to buy a Bose QuietComfort Ultra as I thought it'd be an upgrade. I used Bose QC Ultra for 2 days which was enough for me to make a comparison between them.

Sony

Pros:

• Good sound.

• Good ANC, no white noise at all.

• Great buttons: easy to alter sound level (it changes sound by the same small rate I change it using laptop keyboard keys which is great for me), switch between ANC and ambient mode (no need to press and hold, just press).

• Fast charging: 30 minutes to full charge. If you need it quick, 3 minutes charging gives you several hours of headphones working.

• Decent ambient mode, fast to enter. It feels a little muffled, but it's still great. There is absolutely no hiss.

• Almost 0 (0.4 ms) latency on wired connection.

• Can work wired without turning the headphones on (this saves battery). Though in that case ANC doesn't work and I personally don't see use cases for this. ANC is great during playing games - it blocks fans, neighbours and other noises which disrupt gaming experience.

• Pleasant voice assistant: it's only a bit loud which is not a problem. Music when turning on/off and changing ANC on / ANC off / ambient mode is great and not loud at all.

• Astonishing call quality. In noisy enironments, you're gonna be heard clearly and loud enough, blocking the noises around.

Cons:

• Terrible headband: top of my head is aching bad after long sessions because the headband is too narrow. This is a well-known issue for a lot of people which keep them from buying these headphones. This was the only reason I wanted to change to Bose QC Ultra.

• Terrible grip: the headphones are not sitting tight, every head turn makes them shift their position. When you move, the headphones are shifting a bit. Also, it makes ANC to recalibrate, as a result you hear surrounding noises better. But overall it's not that bad and won't give you much trouble.

• Multi-connection is not working the best: when I'm playing games on a laptop and want to switch to listen to memes on the phone, the sound moves to phone for a couple of seconds and then gets back to the computer even though I still listen to the phone. Music is playing on both laptop and phone, so the headhones might not understand which device to prioritise and maybe just sticks to the laptop as a default behaviour implemented in them. So perhaps it's not a drawback. However, Bose sticks to the phone when I turn it on and then gets back to the laptop when I turn the phone off - this is the behaviour I'd expect to see.

• A couple of times the headphones turned off during playing games (interesting thing that it only happened during playing Alan Wake (official, not a pirate version) and once playing Overwatch. It's weird. Yet it happened only like 5 times in general in 6 months).

• It takes much space to carry them as they are big and don't fold.

Bose

Pros:

• The headphones fold, so they take smaller amount of space.

• ANC blocks external noises well.

• Good switching between devices (multi connection).

• Pretty comfortable, wider headband and bigger earcups.

• Good sound quality (unless you hear white noise during listening, as it completely nullifies this pro).

• Immersive audio.

Cons:

• Constant hiss (background white noise) from ANC (and it doesn't help to further attenuate noises meaning you hear noises, which ANC cannot block completely, as if without the hiss. But the thing is that it makes noise even when you are in a quiet environment which is strange as you come to ANC for the purpose of being in quietness, so hissing ANC in a quiet room is questionable. It's ANC, it shouldn't give noise to cancel other noise).

• When you listen to music in a normal sound level (not high) or a low one, background hiss is audible, especially when you're in a quiet room. It undermines the experience as you hear noise added to music and don't hear its details.

• Ambient mode adds more hiss to already terrible white noise from ANC.

• Not the best ANC (I still hear noises I wouldn't expect to hear). QC Ultra is said to have the best ANC. I don't have appropriate conditions to fully test it. But according to rtings, it only has 1 - 3 dB difference in noise attenuation (for example, Mid range (people talking): Sony: -28.25 dB, Bose: -29.81 dB). So ANC is pretty much the same as Sony's regarding noise attenuation, but Sony doesn't have hiss at all. You really want to hear constant hissing all the time even when being in a quiet environment for this extra 3 dB attenuation at max?

• Buttons are not really convenient: you cannot adjust sound gradually (only by big chunks), you have to press and hold a button to turn ambient mode on which is not OK when someone starts to talk to you and with Sony you can engage in a conversation right away (because of a quick button press) whereas for Bose you have to hold the button and wait for the headphones to react. Also clicking a button has its own noise (clicking noise, not from the headphones) which some people may find irritating. Also, double-press and triple-press don't really seem convenient nowadays to skip a song or return to the previous one.

• The headphones are too loud for my laptop. I have to make all sounds (in all applications) lower but even after that, the overall sound is at 6 max (out of 100!). The only solution people found on the internet is to turn down frequencies using ANC. I don't need to say this will result in a worse sound, right? And this is for the premium so-called the best headphones where you expect to get the best sound possible for that amount of money, yet you have to sacrifice it for being able to control sound level. For Sony, I had sound at 16. If I wanted music to be really quiet, I set it at 8.

• When you walk, with every footstep you hear unpleasant thud due to ANC recalibrating and trying to block the footsteps. This one really drives me crazy. Sony recalibrates as well but without that sound of knocking at all.

• Terrible sound of turning on and off (I really hate it!). Also it's too loud and no way to change it.

• No fast charging - you need to spend several hours charging the headphones.

• When you use mic in noisy environments, noise around you will be blocked, but so is your voice - it will be quiet and you won't be heard clearly.

• It has 35 ms latency on wired connection. For a casual user, this is ok, I believe (though I don't really play online games and not sure whether it's appalling). But for a professional who works with sound editing, this is a deal breaker.

• In order to work wired, the headphones must be turned on. Have a meeting but your headphones are dead? Poor you. This is generally not something that is very useful, yet in some situations you may encounter issues because of Murphy's law and the fact they don't have fast charging. BTW, there is no way to turn ANC off. So when you can plug Sony in while they're off and they'd work normally but without ANC (the battery would not drain in that case), Bose is not gonna work like this. You're gonna experience ANC with its hiss all the time even in complete quietness.

• App problems: I was logged out of Bose app 2 times in 2 days. Maybe some unlucky coincidence, but it was super annoying and I've never had such an issue with Sony.

• Price is bigger than for Sony. Why it costs more than Sony, given it comes behind in a lot of regards?

Sony and Bose:

• Sony has smaller latency both wired and via Bluetooth (from specs, though not noticeable for me as a laymen).

• Sony charge takes 30 min (because of quick charge support), Bose takes 3 hours to charge.

• Sony changes sound level by a small amount (for my laptop, it's by 2 points out of 100). Bose - strange pretty big amounts (for my laptop it's by 7 points; I set Bose headphones at 6-th level out of 100 due to their loudness and changing sound for 7 points is huge and not practical).

• Bose have deeper earcups. Though I didn't have any issue with Sony whatsoever.

• Bose case for headphones is 1.5 times smaller than Sony. I should say that Sony headphones require quite much space.

• Bose has immersive audio which I didn't find revolutionary but it's interesting anyway. Sony has 360 Reality Audio but I happened to never have used it. I suspect it's available from the app directly. If that so, Bose and Sony may be the same in this regard.

Summing up:

Bose QC Ultra: expensive headphones that have a lot of drawbacks which are not told on the Internet but obvious from the beginning when you get them. They are more portable due to smaller case, its ANC blocks external noises well, multi-connection works perfectly. They also seem to be comfortable (that's a known advantage of Bose in general as I understand) as they have wider headband than Sony does, but I didn't have opportunity to check because I was absolutely shocked by the constant hiss which prevented me from wanting to use them. I love quietness and I absolutely don't understand that everlasting noise from ANC when I'm in a peaceful environment, especially given that Sony eliminates noise by the same amount without giving its own noise. Furthermore, be ready to experience thuds when walking.

I hadn't understand why Sony was told to have the best ANC on the market. It didn't work perfectly and I still heard noises I didn't want to. When I got Bose QC Ultra, I finally got it. Sony has de-facto the best ANC that the mankind created so far and it didn't yield any noise at all. In quietness, you experience quietness, so do you with a moderate noise. In noise, it attenuates it as much as it can, producing no noise by itself as well. So it's absolutely true that Sony XM5 has the best ANC for now. I don't take Bose serious with their constant hiss.

Moveover, Ambient mode doesn't produce noise as well for Sony which is absolutely not true for Bose when the hissing is further amplified.

Sony, in my opinion, is the best ANC headphones existing at the moment. They have good sound, astonishing quiet ANC, great mic, convenient buttons, fast charging, cool ambient mode, almost 0 latency when wired (and can work wired without using its battery) and pleasant voice assistant when you press buttons.

It has only 2 drawbacks where Bose QC Ultra has an edge: comfort and case size.

Comfort. When I work from office, I wear the headphones all the day to block the noise. Though Sony XM5 cannot completely block constant people chatter (seems that QC Ultra won't be able as well). The issue is that the Sony presses on top of my head too much and it hurts quite a lot. When using them all the day everyday, this preasure is disgusting. Though it's worth mentioning that while a lot of people experience that, some people, on the contrary, say that XM5 is super comfortable. So your mileage may vary and you really should try using them in your conditions with your unique head to understand whether they're OK for you. But overall, the problem exists and top of your head is gonna hurt if you're not lucky with the head structure.

Case size. Travelling using the headphones means you need to get the case with you. Sony takes quite a lot of space due to the fact they don't fold. Meanwhile, Bose have a case which is 1.5 times smaller that will allow you to find the required space easier.

Overall, Sony, from my experience, is an almost perfect pair of headphones that have lots of advantages. It's ANC is on parity with Bose, with the latter being slightly better but noisy. It has only 2 cons: comfort and case size. Bose, on the other hand, for the higher price tag, delivers better portability, maybe cool comfort, good ANC. With these pros, there are a lot of disadvantages compared to XM5: mic quality, constant hiss, inconvenient buttons, thud noice when walking, too loud sound, terrible sound of voice assistant, lack of fast charging, underlying latency, no wired work without turning them on.

I absolutely cannot justify the price tag when comparing to features of the rivals such as Sony XM5.

Personally, I wanted to switch from XM5 to QC Ultra only for 2 reasons: comfort and ANC. I thought Bose will have a better ANC and I was terribly wrong. Noises that XM5 cannot block, QC Ultra cannot block either, yet it adds other noises like thud during walking and constant hiss. Bose seems to indeed be better regarding comfort. But all of other drawbacks cannot justify the switch for the comfort alone. Now I perfectly understand that comfort headphones which I don't want to wear is worth nothing to me. Between them two, Sony XM5 is my clear winner.

Links:

Comparing Sony XM5 and Bose QC Ultra
Bose QC Ultra White Noise / Static
Minimum volume is too loud solutions

So I've been looking for some wireless noise cancelling headphones lately and have kinda narrowed it down to these two. I've mostly used gaming headsets over the years, but I find I'm using my mic less and less these days and enjoying wireless functionality more. I would get these strictly for home use with my PC. My top priorities are the strength of noise cancellation and comfort, which can be a challenge because I have a larger head. Have always preferred over the ear, but comfort is comfort. General usage case with media, gaming, and ASMR. Any ideas which one would be better or any other suggestions in the ~$300ish price range?

Hi, So I have been using both the headphones for a while. I think black Friday sale is going to start soon. So I want to share my thoughts.

Portability:

• Bose QC Ultra: They fold and have a smaller case compared to sony.

• Sony XM5: They don't fold and the case is big. When in bag, They occupy more space compared to Bose. But I do think all the reviewers are exaggerating the size of the case.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

Comfort:

• Bose QC Ultra: Bose QC Ultra takes the clear win here. The earpads are soft, breathable, deep. I can wear them all day.

• Sony XM5: XM5 has shallow ear cushions. It is comfortable for a short while. If you have large ears, your ears will be touching the drivers mesh which makes them very uncomfortable for long listening sessions as pressure builds up. Also heat builds up a lot more compared to Bose. I don't know why most reviewers on youtube don't talk about comfort issue on these XM5s.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

Build Quality:

• Bose QC Ultra: Build quality feels premium and durable compared to Sony.

• Sony XM5: XM5 feels cheap. There are lot of reports of broken hinges and are not covered under warranty. Fortunately, I have not been a victim of this doom of hinge * yet *.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

ANC:

• Bose QC Ultra: QC Ultra cancels out more noise in day to day use. The low frequency sounds are completely canceled out like road noise etc. But some high frequency noises are let in. There is no option to turn of ANC but I don't mind that. There is a wind block mode that adds a static noise but I found it to be gimmicky.

• Sony XM5: Sony cancels out more high frequency noises (but they are not completely gone). It also has auto/Adaptive ANC which adjusts the amount of ANC based on the surrounding noise. So, when it is quiet like if only ac/fan is running, the Sony decides that the surrounding noise is "low" and reduces the ANC and I can hear even the fan sound. This is such a bad implementation. Sony also has atmospheric pressure sensors, so on the plane (high altitudes) These gets activated and cancels out even more noise compared to Bose. Cabin pressure is less in Sony compared to bose.

• Winner: Tie

Ambient Sound/Aware mode:

• Bose QC Ultra: The aware mode is so good on Bose. It feels like there is nothing on my head. The outside sounds feels natural.

• Sony XM5: Sony has weird white noise when Ambient sound mode is on and the voices sound a bit robotic. But to be fair the static white noise is very low

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

Sound Quality:

Bose QC Ultra: The sound through Bose has a warm tone. It is very subjective and I personally like it. But the bass is a lot more and it lasts longer so other frequencies sound a bit muffled.

• Supported Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, APTX ADAPTIVE (Need an Android with greater then Snapdragon 8+ gen 1 chip inside for aptx lossless, also Samsung/Mediatek/Google phones do not support this codec)

• Bits per audio sample: 24bits

• Sample frequency rate: 48khz

• Bitrate: 479kbps (max)

• Imaging: The instrument separation is very good.

• Sound stage (stereo mode): Wide in general but not as wide as XM5

• Detail retrieval: Bass lasts longer and as a result, other frequencies sound muffled.

Sony XM5: The sound with default eq sounds so muddy and feels like using cheap headphones. But with proper EQ, they sound balanced and detailed compared to Bose QC ultra.

• Supported Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC (lossless)

• Bits per audio sample: 32bits

• Sample frequency rate: 96khz

• Bitrate: 990kbps (max)

• Imaging: It is perfect. The instrument separation is excellent.

• Soundstage: Wider than bose qc ultra

• Detail Retrieval: With proper EQ, the clarity you can achieve through these headphones is amazing considering these are not wired headphones.

Winner: Sony XM5

Mic Quality:

• Bose QC Ultra: The Mic quality on these is awful. It is good in quiet environments but if there is some noise around you, the other person on the call cannot hear anything you say. These pick up everything around you. The noise isolation is non-existent.

• Sony XM5: These are complete opposite to Bose. They are perfect in quiet environments but even in high traffic, the mics on this do miracles, the traffic sounds will be completely isolated. A lot of times, people on calls with me asked me whether I'm in office because its so quiet around me, but I was actually struck in traffic on a bus with huge crowd. I'm completely blown away.

• Winner: Sony XM5

Battery Life:

• Bose QC Ultra: It is good, After a typical 10AM to 7PM workday, I end up with around 60%.

• Sony XM5: It is little better compared to Bose. After a typical workday, I end up with 70%.

• Winner: Sony XM5

Controls:

• Bose QC Ultra: The volume slider on these is wonky. Also to quickly switch to aware mode, have to hold the multi-functional button, then cycle through all the modes to reach aware mode or need to take off headphones when someone comes to you to have a quick convo. This cycling through modes takes time and this creates an awkward moment or the person will become visibly annoyed. There is actually a shortcut option that can be used by holding on to volume slider in the app but we cannot add the aware mode to that option which is a shame.

• Sony XM5: Controls on Sony are a more reliable compared to Bose. They are also customizable. There is a dedicated button to switch noise cancelling modes. This is useful to switch to ambient sound mode. Also you can switch to Ambient sound mode by holding the right earcup.

• Winner: Sony XM5

Immersive/360 Audio:

• Bose QC Ultra: Bose has its own spatial audio implementation. I feel that spatial audio is a gimmicky overprocessed shit, but the implementation of Bose is as good as it gets. Don't get me wrong, It's still overprocessed, takes a hit on details, but its better than Sony's native head tracking.

• Sony XM5: These support Android's native head tracking spatial audio. It is not good. Also it is not supported on all the androids.

• Winner: Bose QC Ultra

App Support and Additional Features:

• Bose QC Ultra: The app UI feels more polished compared to sony. But it has connection issues. Sometimes even though the Ultras are connected, the app shows them as not connected. There is a 3 band eq which is more straightforward but we cannot save custom EQ.

• Sony XM5: The UI of the Sound Connect app feels like it is designed in 2014. But it has a lot of features, both useful and useless. But the good thing is it has 5 band eq and we can save custom EQs.

• Winner: Sony XM5

Issues:

To sum up the issues,

Bose QC Ultra:

• Thud noise - When there are vibrations around your head, they make this noise (can be noticeable while travelling by the bus or walking barefoot). I think this is because of ANC mics placement. It becomes unusable for me because of this on bus as my ears hurts.

• Sidetone not working in calls: This is a known issue and a big deal for me. Basically, you cannot hear your own voice properly when you are on call. This made me shout multiple times in cafes because the bad mic quality and sidetone issue is like a combo, if I talk slow in the cafe, due to noise, the other person cannot hear me.

• Mic quality is bad.

• Volume slider is a hit or miss.

• You cannot use them wired without powering them on. This makes them useless when their battery is dead.

• Not able to switch to aware mode quickly

I have spoken to Bose rep recently regarding these issues and they said they will improve in these areas but I don't think the thud noise can be fixed as it seems to be a hardware limitation due to ANC mics placement. But when the headphones are turned off the sound disappears so hope Bose provides update to turn off ANC. I don't bet on it. But I have the transcript of the chat and I will continue to bug them every couple of months on these as long as I have these with me.

Sony WH-1000XM5:

• Comfort, If you have large ears. Please try them on in your local store before ordering.

• The build quality feels delicate. There are a lot of posts online related to broken hinges after an year or so. (Sony doesn't cover it in warranty btw) if you have a big head, then it could be an issue as the earcups will be stretching far.

• Auto ANC

• Ambient sound / Aware mode is not as good as Bose

• Technicalities are better in Sony but ldac codec drains more battery from your phone compared to aptx adaptive.

• Sony's support staff is clueless. They don't even know their own product features and functionality.

P. S: If you do end up getting Sony, while wearing them or taking them off, do not pull the earcups as that is an instance when hinges break. Pull above the earcups hinge at the end of the headband. Also do not adjust the headband length by holding earcups. Take them off and adjust the length without applying pressure on the hinge. I mean like this

Gaming: Here

Bottom Line:

• If you want better comfort, better build quality, better transparency mode, better after sales support, prefer warmer sound, don't use these for calls, get the Bose QC Ultras.

• If you want better controls, better mic quality, better battery, more features, prefer balanced and detailed sound (with EQ), get the Sony WH-1000XM5

I bought Bose first and then when I tried them on the mic was very bad, so I got Sony thinking I will return Bose, But the comfort on Sony is somewhat less compared to Bose. But the mics on the Sony blew me away so I kept both of them - Bose for comfort, Sonys for mic quality.

I use Bose when I'm at home and use Sony when I'm travelling or in office or for calls. And if the mic and sidetone issues are fixed in Bose, I will probably not use Sony due to comfort.

Also if anyone owns a pair of wicked cushions or soulwits, can you please let me know if it impacts ANC performance? I'm considering getting one of those.

After spending time with both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, I'd like to share my thoughts on how they compare across various aspects.

Build Quality

For me, there's no question that the Bose has the better material quality. I appreciate the partial metal construction and the plush ear and headbands. However, this comes with a drawback - the right ear, where the metal clamps the plastic, sometimes squeaks and needs adjustment. It's not a major issue, but it can be irritating.

On the Sony side, I actually prefer the plastic they've used compared to the plastic parts on the Bose. It feels of higher quality to me.

Comfort

This is where the Bose really shines and, in my opinion, the biggest downfall for Sony. While I loved almost everything about the XM5, I found it uncomfortable at the headband area. It even gave me minor headaches after wearing for about an hour.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra, on the other hand, truly lives up to its name. For me, these are insanely comfortable, and this is the main win for Bose in my book.

Sound Quality

Interestingly, my experience differs from many reviewers. Out of the box, I found the Sony's sound to be subpar. However, after EQ customization, I actually prefer the Sony's sound. I love how crisp it is, with decent vocals, likely due to the LDAC and Hi-Res capabilities.

The Bose sound is pretty decent and bass-heavy. One thing I noticed is that the Bose seems to have tighter, more pronounced bass, especially at lower volumes. The Sony's bass felt a bit rumbly in comparison.

ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)

Both are very good, but in my very unscientific testing at home during Christmas with my kids, and in the mall and cafe, it seems that Bose is slightly better at blocking more noise. But again, both are pretty impressive in this department.

Microphones and Phone Calls

I found that both perform well, but excel in different settings. In a quiet environment, the Bose provides clearer sound quality. However, in noisy environments, Sony does a great job with noise gating and blocking external noise. The same goes for wind noise, with Sony being much better at handling it.

Transparency Mode

To be honest, I don't understand why this is such a big deal for many reviewers. Maybe I'm missing something. From my experience, Bose is significantly better, sounding as if you're not wearing anything. The Sony, in contrast, sounds a bit muffled and robotic. Personally, I don't care much about this feature as long as I can hear my surroundings.

Functionality

In my opinion, this is a home run for Sony. The touch controls work flawlessly, and I love the feature where covering the right ear lets you hear your surroundings. The voice assistant works perfectly, and I find the Sony app miles better than Bose's. The ear detection on Sony is also far superior.

Bose, on the other hand, has no quick access to Transparency mode, and I've experienced several bugs, like unexpected pausing (likely due to the on-ear detection) and issues with cycling through ANC modes.

Final Thoughts

I really loved almost everything about the Sony, but its comfort issue was a deal-breaker for me. The Bose might be mediocre in most aspects, but it excels in comfort and ANC, which was enough for me to keep it and return the Sony.

Given my misophonia and tendency for allodynia, the comfort factor is crucial. If you can wear the Sony comfortably for long periods, I believe it's the better choice overall. But for ultimate comfort, Bose wins hands down.

In the end, I chose the Bose QuietComfort Ultra for its superior comfort and slightly better ANC, despite preferring many of Sony's features and sound quality. Also the numerous posts about broken Sony hinges worried me slightly.

After spending time with both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, I'd like to share my thoughts on how they compare across various aspects.

Build Quality

For me, there's no question that the Bose has the better material quality. I appreciate the partial metal construction and the plush ear and headbands. However, this comes with a drawback - the right ear, where the metal clamps the plastic, sometimes squeaks and needs adjustment. It's not a major issue, but it can be irritating.

On the Sony side, I actually prefer the plastic they've used compared to the plastic parts on the Bose. It feels of higher quality to me.

Comfort

This is where the Bose really shines and, in my opinion, the biggest downfall for Sony. While I loved almost everything about the XM5, I found it uncomfortable at the headband area. It even gave me minor headaches after wearing for about an hour.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra, on the other hand, truly lives up to its name. For me, these are insanely comfortable, and this is the main win for Bose in my book.

Sound Quality

Interestingly, my experience differs from many reviewers. Out of the box, I found the Sony's sound to be subpar. However, after EQ customization, I actually prefer the Sony's sound. I love how crisp it is, with decent vocals, likely due to the LDAC and Hi-Res capabilities.

The Bose sound is pretty decent and bass-heavy. One thing I noticed is that the Bose seems to have tighter, more pronounced bass, especially at lower volumes. The Sony's bass felt a bit rumbly in comparison.

ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)

Both are very good, but in my very unscientific testing at home during Christmas with my kids, and in the mall and cafe, it seems that Bose is slightly better at blocking more noise. But again, both are pretty impressive in this department.

Microphones and Phone Calls

I found that both perform well, but excel in different settings. In a quiet environment, the Bose provides clearer sound quality. However, in noisy environments, Sony does a great job with noise gating and blocking external noise. The same goes for wind noise, with Sony being much better at handling it.

Transparency Mode

To be honest, I don't understand why this is such a big deal for many reviewers. Maybe I'm missing something. From my experience, Bose is significantly better, sounding as if you're not wearing anything. The Sony, in contrast, sounds a bit muffled and robotic. Personally, I don't care much about this feature as long as I can hear my surroundings.

Functionality

In my opinion, this is a home run for Sony. The touch controls work flawlessly, and I love the feature where covering the right ear lets you hear your surroundings. The voice assistant works perfectly, and I find the Sony app miles better than Bose's. The ear detection on Sony is also far superior.

Bose, on the other hand, has no quick access to Transparency mode, and I've experienced several bugs, like unexpected pausing (likely due to the on-ear detection) and issues with cycling through ANC modes.

Final Thoughts

I really loved almost everything about the Sony, but its comfort issue was a deal-breaker for me. The Bose might be mediocre in most aspects, but it excels in comfort and ANC, which was enough for me to keep it and return the Sony.

Given my misophonia and tendency for allodynia, the comfort factor is crucial. If you can wear the Sony comfortably for long periods, I believe it's the better choice overall. But for ultimate comfort, Bose wins hands down.

In the end, I chose the Bose QuietComfort Ultra for its superior comfort and slightly better ANC, despite preferring many of Sony's features and sound quality. Also the numerous posts about broken Sony hinges worried me slightly.

Hi All, I am confused between purchasing either the Sony or Bose. Sony is from 2022 and this year they likely won't release a new version.

Bose has recently released the Quiet Comfort Ultra and it seems to be roomier for the ear and has Spatial Audio which it seems by reviewers actually work and ain't a gimmick. Bose also arguably has better ANC but it cannot be turned off. Has okay mic pickup. And can fold.

Sony has arguably better sound signature. And better mic pickup. And better App.. as per reviews.

So guys, please tell me your opinion especially if you got both. It will be a great help.

Overall I think its time to upgrade head phones. My main head phones are

Sony WH-XB910N Extra BASS right now. My dog chewed them lol. They still work but my hair catches on the rough part and it hurts. They would turn into workout/yardwork headphones. I got them for like $150 bucks in dec 2021 so they are very well used. I love everything about them, but they are a tad hard on the leather earmuff things.

So I want to upgrade. I am looking at Bose quiet comfort ultra or the Sony WH-1000XM5

I’ve tried both of them in store at Best Buy, and I like both of them in terms of the sound quality.

Right now, I am stuck on 2 things about the The xm5-- are not as travel friendly like the travel case takes up to whole backpack, and they keep breaking I see all over online. So I am leaning toward bose. But for the bose I am stuck on they are newer compared to the AMZING reviewis of the xm5s.

Wants:

Budget: both are in budget

Wireless Bluetooth

Noise canceling

Portable

USB C recharging

Comfy

Great sound

Durability

Safety

Uses:

Spotify on phone

Audio books on phone

Maybe for watching movies on my laptop.

I would take them with me if I travel.

Side note: I have had really bad anxiety the past few months (yes I am working on it with doctor) and so I am also looking for something I can really get lost in my music/audio books with amazing quality that would blow me away.

Hi guys, I'm trying to decide between the above - I. Can get the bose (non ultra) for $199nz (about $115US) at the moment or the sony xm5 for $250nz (about $145US). Both specials end soon and I'm not going to be able to get to a shop to listen, so after advice on which you'd go for ?

Cheers

Edit - I've been informed that the sony xm4 is potentially better than the xm5 - so in that case if I could get xm4 second hand at the same price as bose quietcomfort Brand new ... what should I do ??

What matters to me the most is audio quality (particularly bass), noise cancellation and, on some level, battery life.

I've seen Sony being talked about as a bad choice in 2024, but some sources say it's the best out of the 3. Is it just a matter of preference then? Every site I've looked has different opinions. What do you recommend for an audiophile?

(budget is 500$ btw, if you have a headphone better than these within the budget lmk and i'll look into it)

comment down below

TLDR: I am putting my Sony WH-1000XM5 up for sale as I prefer the comfort of the Bose over the Sony.

Backstory

I was initially deciding between the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, but ended up just going with the Sony due to the long shipping time for the Bose at the time. A month ago though, I had the chance of getting a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra and jumped on it to compare and live life without regrets.

Sound Quality

To set proper expectations, I rock Sennheinser HD650 and Fostex TH-X00 headphones at home. These are both headphones with fantastic audio quality, so my perception of both the Sony and Bose headphones was a big "Meh" from the start. With that said, both wireless ANC headphones sound pretty good and 99% of the people who use them would probably find them great. Out of the box, I preferred the Bose as the Sony was overly "boomy" and lost bottom end detail as a result. That said, if you take your time to EQ both headphones, it's largely a wash with the Sony maybe having a bit better imaging and more soundstage.

Comfort

I preface this section by saying everyone has different head/ear shape and size so this my experience can wildly differentiate from yours. Comparing stock models, the Bose was significantly more comfortable than the Sony. When you first them on your head, both are equally comfortable, but that wearing the Sony's for any prolonged period of time made my ears become uncomfortably hot. The ear cups were more shallow in comparison although neither ear cups can be considered great compared to my HD650 and TH-X00. The headband of the Sony is also round which makes it feel like it digs into the scalp a bit more.

Due to my frustration with the Sony cups, I purchased suede ear cups from Dekoni which had nice, thicker memory foam. With these, the comfort gap between the Sony and Bose closed considerably but so did the price gap. With that said, due to my oddly shaped right earlobe, the Sony always felt a bit strange even with the ear cups replacement. The Bose on the other hand immediately felt and stayed comfortable the moment I wore them.

Build Quality

While I have owned neither long enough nor do I treat my headphones rough enough to make an objective assessment regarding build quality and durability, the Bose seems better built primarily due to its hinge design. The fact that the internet is littered with folks suffering broken hinges with their Sony definitely doesn't help matters either. That said, mine has held up great for 10 months now, so it clearly is at least decently built. Other than the hinge, both headphones seem pretty well built, definitely better than earlier Audeze LCD models which cost at least $1000 depending on which model you got.

Microphone

I got these headphones purely to listen to music and block noise while in the office or on a plane, so the microphone quality is near the bottom in terms of priority for me. With that said, the Sony headphones has a noticeably clearer microphone. If I was using these for virtual meetings or phone (instead of my AirPods Pro), then the Sony definitely pulls away here.

Transparency/Aware Mode

Yeah, the Bose sucks in this department, like utter trash tier. The Sony's are definitely better here and it's not even a competition between the two IMO. With that said, both are a far cry from the level of ambiance offered by my AirPods Pro. Thankfully, I got these to block OUT sounds so like with the microphone quality, not a thing I cared about too much.

Appearance

In my opinion, the Sony is the superior looking headphones. It just looks cleaner and sleeker. The Bose looks much clunkier in comparison. With that said, the Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition version for the Bose looks fantastic.

Connectivity

Connectivity for both headphones are great. I have never experienced any drops with either headphones (10 months of Sony ownership and 24 hours of international flight with the Bose). The Sonys is technically better here with its LDAC support, but when was the last time any of us ever interfaced with a device that supported LDAC? Even if you are one of the minuscule few that do, would this really be a dealbreaker between the two? To begin with, neither are audiophile level headphones so it's largely a moot point IMO.

Pet Peeve

What's with headphone companies designing headband adjustments without notches/clicks?! That both headphones lack notches just irritates me to no end. You either have to mark where it best fits your head and ears or fiddle for minutes each time getting it just right. This industry practice needs to die now!

I'd like your guys opinion on which earbud would be the best staying in the ear and better bass quality

I have seen posts about these two in the past, but I am looking for new options on the two. I'm in college and I'm looking for something that has great noise cancelation. I'm also looking for something comfortable and with good sound quality. The price doesn't really matter to me right now since they are both on discount. I was also worried that the Sony xm5 are easy to break on accident, but I also doing want the Bose to feel to cheap.

Please let me know which one will better fit my needs :)

Hello,

im currently looking for a pair of overear headphones. I currently have AirPods 3 which hurt in my ears after a long time of wearing. Therefor i want overears.

I want to use them to have teams meetings 1-2 times a day and listen to podcasts & music. I have a noisy home therefor ANC should be good.

(Also the app should be good. I have a friend with the XM5's and he showed me the app. I think its awful. Is the Bose App better? From the Pictures on the App Store its a lot better in design.)

Can anyone share their experiences?

Thanks everyone! Have a nice week!

Edit: Im also a apple user and i have 3-4 devices i switch from. My Work laptop (Macbook), private laptop (Macbook) and iphone. So it should work well on iDevices. Thx!

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I don't have a chance to test both headphones live. What is your advice based on your experience?

Overall I think its time to upgrade head phones. My main head phones are

Sony WH-XB910N Extra BASS right now. My dog chewed them lol. They still work but my hair catches on the rough part and it hurts. They would turn into workout/yardwork headphones. I got them for like $150 bucks in dec 2021 so they are very well used. I love everything about them, but they are a tad hard on the leather earmuff things.

So I want to upgrade. I am looking at Bose quiet comfort ultra or the Sony WH-1000XM5

I’ve tried both of them in store at Best Buy, and I like both of them in terms of the sound quality.

Right now, I am stuck on 2 things about the The xm5-- are not as travel friendly like the travel case takes up to whole backpack, and they keep breaking I see all over online. So I am leaning toward bose. But for the bose I am stuck on they are newer compared to the AMZING reviewis of the xm5s.

Wants:

Budget: both are in budget

Wireless Bluetooth

Noise canceling

Portable

USB C recharging

Comfy

Great sound

Durability

Safety

Uses:

Spotify on phone

Audio books on phone

Maybe for watching movies on my laptop.

I would take them with me if I travel.

Side note: I have had really bad anxiety the past few months (yes I am working on it with doctor) and so I am also looking for something I can really get lost in my music/audio books with amazing quality that would blow me away.

Looking to purchase headphones for the first time in a while, after some research I’ve narrowed it down to these two in my price range. Just wondering if anyone owns both and would recommend one over the other. I do prefer a little bit more bass so I’m leaning more towards the Bose and they seem to have a little higher build quality. I will be using these paired with a steam deck as well.