Products
Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.6
Updated Sep 22, 2025 09:15 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Oct 25, 2025 07:00 AM
SEE PRICE
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
Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
The Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless and the Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless are part of Sony's top-of-the-line ANC headphones. If you're looking for the best noise isolation performance available or prefer an over-ear fit, the WH-1000XM5 have an ANC system that can block out more background noise. Their mic also offers a better overall performance. That said, the WF-1000XM4 are still worth checking out if you like an in-ear fit. They're better built, have a more stable fit, and are a lot more portable, making them a solid choice for sports.
Variants
- WF-1000XM4 (Black)
- WF-1000XM4 (Silver)
- WH-1000XM5 (Black)
- WH-1000XM5 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM5 (Silver)
- WH-1000XM5 (Smoky Pink)
Check Price
Black
WF-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Silver
WF-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Silver
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Smoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Main Differences for
Neutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
6.5
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,450 Hz
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (6 dB)
Bass Amount
0.05 dB
Treble Amount
-5.13 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
9.2
7.5
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.16 dB
0.99 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.3
7.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.12 dB
5.6 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
56.57 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
-3.97 dB
4.95 dB
Mid Bass
-1.65 dB
5.47 dB
High Bass
0.08 dB
6.37 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.2
8.3
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.43 dB
2.24 dB
Low Mid
0.02 dB
3 dB
Mid-Mid
-2.69 dB
-0.55 dB
High Mid
-3.03 dB
-0.88 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
2.9
9.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
9.62 dB
1.51 dB
Low Treble
-5.84 dB
1.25 dB
Mid Treble
-12.42 dB
0.51 dB
High Treble
-10.23 dB
-5.32 dB
Peaks/Dips
8.3
8.3
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
0.91 dB
0.9 dB
Dips
1.7 dB
1.64 dB
Stereo Mismatch
7.5
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.24
0.32 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
0.89
1.50 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
0.92
2.7°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
1.1
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
2.2
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.3
Harmonic Distortion
9.1
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.309
0.07%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.133
0.23%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
113.0 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
104.9 dB
Virtual Soundstage
4.1
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
360 Reality Audio
360 Reality Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
1.1.5
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
Off
Off
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Foam (small)
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Imaging
9.5
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.09
Weighted Phase Mismatch
0.92
2.7°
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.24
0.32 dB
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
0.89
1.50 dB
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.7
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.309
0.07%
WHD @ 100
0.133
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
7.0
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.03 lbs
0.55 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
6.3
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Good
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
9.4
6.0
Portability Picture
L
1.4" (3.6 cm)
8.1" (20.5 cm)
W
1.1" (2.8 cm)
6.9" (17.6 cm)
H
1.1" (2.7 cm)
1.8" (4.5 cm)
Volume
1.65 in³ (27.00 cm³)
99.08 in³ (1,623.60 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
7.5
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.6" (6.7 cm)
9.3" (23.6 cm)
W
1.1" (2.9 cm)
8.0" (20.2 cm)
H
1.5" (3.9 cm)
2.3" (5.9 cm)
Volume
4.64 in³ (76.00 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
7.8
9.4
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-22.5 dB
-25.81 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-13.17 dB
-17.63 dB
Mid
-20.01 dB
-28.25 dB
Treble
-34.86 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
8.0
7.7
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
33.67 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
5.2
6.7
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
201.59 Hz
236.29 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.87 dB
3.43 dB
HFE
1,317.51 Hz
7,240.77 Hz
Weighted THD
6.721
N/A
Gain
13.46 dB
-13.92 dB
Noise Handling
6.5
8.3
SpNR
SpNR
25.22 dB
7.61 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
8.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.5
8.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.0
8.5
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
10.3 hrs
27 hrs
Additional Charges
2.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
30.9 hrs
27 hrs
Charge Time
1.3 hrs
3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
No
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
Sony| Headphones Connect
Sony Sound Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
On/Off
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
Yes
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
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
N/A
0.4 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.4
8.7
Bluetooth Version
5.2
5.2
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
291.99 ft (89.00 m)
330.71 ft (100.80 m)
Latency - SBC
259 ms
241 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
258 ms
233 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
Yes
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
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
USB-C
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Black
WF-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Silver
WF-1000XM4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Silver
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Smoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
To access
and
Become an Insider
unlimited full product reviews,
product prices
other exclusive site features
Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Comments
Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.