Sony's five-star XM5 headphones dip to their lowest-ever price ahead of Black Friday thanks to this stellar deal

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Brilliant over-ears boast £179 off

A black pair of Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ear headphones on a red rucksack
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

We're starting to see Black Friday fever ramp up, and, with just over a week to go until the official start date, prices are starting to move in the right direction on some of the best wireless headphones we've tested.

This includes Sony's five-star WH-1000X5 wireless headphones, which are down to their lowest price yet of £200 over on Amazon.

Sony WH-1000XM5
Save 47% (£179)
Sony WH-1000XM5: was £379 now £200 at Amazon

The five-star Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones may have been succeeded by the XM6s, but they are still sensational performers, especially at their lowest-ever price. These Bluetooth over-ears boast great noise-cancelling, an amazingly musical sound and 30 hours of battery life. This version comes with the soft carry case.

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Sure, the XM5 have been succeeded by the superior WH-1000XM6, but at £399, we don't see the newer model getting anywhere near the price of the older pair during Black Friday.

And given their wide range of talents, we think the WH-1000XM5 still have plenty of value in them, especially at this massively discounted price.

The XM5s are still hugely competitive when it comes to sound quality, noise-cancelling and call quality, especially when you place them up against any rivals at their new discounted price. We did give them a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2024 after all.

In our Sony WH-1000XM5 review, we said the Sonys "don't miss a beat when it comes to timing” and when it came to their noise-cancelling abilities, they were, "among the class leaders when it comes to isolating us from constant drones and noises within train and underground carriages".

Besides excellent noise-cancelling, the Sonys are impressive when it comes to call quality too, keeping background noise to a minimum so you can be heard clearly.

Battery life is an impressive 30 hours with Bluetooth and ANC enabled, and this goes up to 40 hours with just Bluetooth turned on. A 10-minute charge should be good for five hours of battery life.

Comfort levels are up there with the best, thanks to the soft memory foam earpads and a nicely judged clamping force.

The headphones only fold flat, which can make them a bit tricky to store, and there's no aptX or aptX Adaptive support, but we really don't see this as a deal breaker.

I you want a pair of wireless headphones that are still hugely competitive and better than most rivals for similar money, you won't fail to be impressed when you pick up the Sony WH-1000XM5 for £200 over at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs WH-1000XM5: which wireless headphones are better?

I switched from the Sony WH-1000XM5 to the Sonos Ace and was surprised

Our pick of the best wireless headphones for all budgets

Andy Madden
Andy Madden

Andy is Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. Over the years he's also contributed to a number of other outlets, including The Sunday Times, the BBC, Stuff, and BA High Life Magazine. Premium wireless earbuds are his passion but he's also keen on car tech and in-car audio systems and can often be found cruising the countryside testing the latest set-ups. In his spare time Andy is a keen golfer and gamer.

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