Products
Apple AirPods Pro
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Sep 22, 2025 09:19 PM
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Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Oct 25, 2025 07:00 AM
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BestBuy.com
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (6 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods Pro
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Depending on your usage, you may prefer either the Apple AirPods Pro or the Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless. The Apple are in-ears that are more portable and more stable, making them a solid choice for sports and fitness. They also have an H1 chip that allows you to seamlessly pair them with your Apple devices. However, the Sony headphones are over-ears, and you can customize their sound profile thanks to their companion app's graphic EQ and presets. Their ANC does a better job of blocking out background noise. Additionally, the Sony support multi-device pairing, so you can connect them with up to two devices simultaneously.
Variants
- AirPods Pro (White)
- WH-1000XM5 (Black)
- WH-1000XM5 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM5 (Silver)
- WH-1000XM5 (Smoky Pink)
Check Price
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
WH-1000XM5
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BestBuy.com
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
B&H
Silver
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Walmart.com
Smoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Apple.com
Main Differences for
Neutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.4
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,450 Hz
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (6 dB)
Bass Amount
-2.57 dB
Treble Amount
-1.83 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
9.3
7.5
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.14 dB
0.99 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
7.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.96 dB
5.6 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
49.67 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
-3.57 dB
4.95 dB
Mid Bass
-1.63 dB
5.47 dB
High Bass
0.36 dB
6.37 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.5
8.3
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.04 dB
2.24 dB
Low Mid
2.84 dB
3 dB
Mid-Mid
0.9 dB
-0.55 dB
High Mid
0.35 dB
-0.88 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
9.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.06 dB
1.51 dB
Low Treble
-1.01 dB
1.25 dB
Mid Treble
-1.37 dB
0.51 dB
High Treble
-2.39 dB
-5.32 dB
Peaks/Dips
8.8
8.3
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
0.85 dB
0.9 dB
Dips
0.71 dB
1.64 dB
Stereo Mismatch
7.5
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
2.11
0.32 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.38
1.50 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.86
2.7°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
1.0
4.8
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
3.68 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
7.72 dB
PRTF Distance
N/A
6.74 dB
Openness
2.0
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.1
Harmonic Distortion
9.1
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.214
0.07%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.078
0.23%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
113.0 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
104.9 dB
Virtual Soundstage
2.9
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
On/Off
No
Virtual Surround
Spatial Audio
360 Reality Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
2B584
2.3.1
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Adaptive EQ
Off
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Imaging
8.3
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.12
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.86
2.7°
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
2.11
0.32 dB
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.38
1.50 dB
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.2
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.214
0.07%
WHD @ 100
0.078
0.23%
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.01 lbs
0.55 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
6.2
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Decent
Decent
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
No
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
9.2
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.8 °C
Portability
9.6
6.0
Portability Picture
L
1.2" (3.0 cm)
8.1" (20.5 cm)
W
0.9" (2.3 cm)
6.9" (17.6 cm)
H
0.9" (2.3 cm)
1.8" (4.5 cm)
Volume
1.00 in³ (16.39 cm³)
99.08 in³ (1,623.60 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.5
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
1.8" (4.6 cm)
9.3" (23.6 cm)
W
2.4" (6.1 cm)
8.0" (20.2 cm)
H
0.9" (2.3 cm)
2.3" (5.9 cm)
Volume
3.60 in³ (58.99 cm³)
171.64 in³ (2,812.60 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
8.0
9.4
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-21.02 dB
-25.81 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-16.34 dB
-17.63 dB
Mid
-22.6 dB
-28.25 dB
Treble
-24.81 dB
-33.04 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.1
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-21.43 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-19.38 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-24.28 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
8.2
7.7
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
32.59 dB
35.69 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
5.0
6.7
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
630.82 Hz
236.29 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.63 dB
3.43 dB
HFE
7,896.12 Hz
7,240.77 Hz
Weighted THD
248.68
N/A
Gain
7.31 dB
-13.92 dB
Noise Handling
6.4
8.3
SpNR
SpNR
16.18 dB
7.61 dB
Noise Gate
No
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
8.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.5
8.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
6.9
8.5
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
5.3 hrs
27 hrs
Additional Charges
5.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
31.8 hrs
27 hrs
Charge Time
1.1 hrs
3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
No
Yes
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
5.5
8.0
App Picture
App Name
iOS Interface
Sony Sound Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
On/Off
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
9.8
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
N/A
4.04 ft (1.23 m)
Connector
No Wired Option
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.4 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
6.9
8.7
Bluetooth Version
5.0+H1 chip
5.2
Multi-Device Pairing
No
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
171.00 ft (52.12 m)
330.71 ft (100.80 m)
Latency - SBC
188 ms
241 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
233 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
49 ms
Android Latency
86 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
0.0
Type
Charging Case
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
No
Power Supply
Lightning
No Base/Dock
Check Price
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
AirPods Pro
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
B&H
Silver
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Walmart.com
Smoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
AirPods Pro
SEARCH
Apple.com
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Apple AirPods Pro
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Comments
Apple AirPods Pro vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
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Thanks for your feedback. You are correct that scoring on this is featured based. On this one, not an easy task in the immediate since at Rtings we try as much as possible to only put scores on metrics that can be objectively tested and most of those DSP based solutions are algorithms rooted on various “tricks” that are fully valid but not straight forward to measure. We just don’t want to put a score only based on perceptions, as research advance though it is definitely a field that we do have an interest in quantifying. A bit like we do for the acoustic part of it. We’ll study it, and if we can come up with something valid, yes we’ll be happy to give our reader a better evaluation. Cheers.
You really should have 2 separate scores for the virtual soundstage. Your review seems entirely on the availability of the soundstage regarding device version, etc. Not how good it actually is functionally.