It's not totally surprising to see a discount on the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, since their successor, the Sony WH-1000XM6, launched in 2025. But, it is surprising to see a discount as good as this.
For just $278 at Amazon, you can grab the five-star XM5 for one of the lowest prices we've seen.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 held a steady spot amongst the best wireless headphones, only losing out to the XM6s. But, that doesn't mean they're not still five-star quality headphones.
The XM5s are excellent, especially when you consider performance-per-pound. With impressive sound quality, punchy delivery, an impressive feature set and a substantial 30 hours of battery life all packed in, you get a lot for your money, and Sony's winning formula is hard to beat.
Design-wise, a complete revamp of the series introduced a "noiseless design" for the XM5 that created a slimmer, more seamless pair of headphones that fold flat into the carry case. They don't fold into a ball though.
When it comes to comfort, however, our expert testers said they're "up there with the best and the Sonys deliver just the right amount of clamping force, so they feel secure without threatening to crush our ears".
Powered by the same Integrated Processor V1 as the XM4s, the noise-cancelling is impressive, even introducing automatic noise-cancelling optimization for the first time and upping the number of microphones from four to eight.
Plus, there's a feature set that's incredibly useful, including Speak to Chat that pauses playback when you start talking, Quick Attention that lowers the volume when you cover the right earcup, and Wearing Detection that allows them to sense when you take them off and automatically pause your audio.
Bluetooth Multipoint and LDAC Bluetooth support are also onboard alongside compatibility with Sony’s LDAC technology, which allows streaming of high-quality audio from compatible devices at bitrates higher than conventional Bluetooth.
But, how do they sound? In our full review, we said: "The WH-1000XM5 possess all the elements that have made the previous generations class-leaders at the money, including that effortlessly musical sound. But the latest generation manages to deliver even greater clarity and a more open presentation. It's actually quite a jump."
It's not entirely surprising that the XM5 are sporting a discount given the Sony WH-1000XM6 are now available, but a discount as good as this is hard to beat.
So, if you're not dead set on the latest flagship pair, the XM5 will now cost you $120 less, dropping to just $278 at Amazon. But hurry, it's only for a limited time!
MORE:
Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review
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