Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Which Headphones Are Better?
Products
Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Dec 02, 2025 02:58 PM
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BestBuy.com
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Oct 30, 2025 03:15 PM
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Amazon.com
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Emphasized (4 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
Our Verdict
Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless and the Sony WF-1000XM5 are flagship options from their respective manufacturers that cater to similar usages despite their different designs. The Bose are over-ears, while the Sony are buds with an in-ear fit. You might immediately gravitate towards one design over another, and both are comfortable in their own right, though the Bose's thick padding is great for long-haul flights. That said, the Sony headphones have the edge regarding portability and stability, and their lightweight design is an advantage for sports and fitness. Interestingly, they have somewhat comparable sound profiles: both are warm-sounding, with elevated bass and smooth highs. The Sony deliver audio more consistently, though, and have better-matched drivers. Otherwise, two further differentiating factors are ANC and battery life. The Bose have the edge in both regards, with a superior noise isolation performance and a longer continuous (and total) battery life. The Bose even has a better mic that renders your voice more clearly for calls.
Variants
- WF-1000XM5 (Black)
- WF-1000XM5 (Silver)
- WF-1000XM5 (Smoky Pink)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Black)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Deep Plum)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Diamond 60th Edition)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Lunar Blue)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Sandstone)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (White Smoke)
Check Price
Black
WF-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Silver
WF-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Smoky Pink
WF-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
8.1
7.4
Portability
9.4
6.4
Stability
8.0
7.0
Comfort
7.5
8.5
Bluetooth Connection
8.4
7.5
Group Delay
8.5
1.2
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,100 Hz
950 Hz
Bass Amount
Emphasized (4 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
Balanced (-1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
8.1
7.0
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.80 dB
1.09 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.1
8.9
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.2 dB
3.1 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
3.08 dB
3.49 dB
Mid Bass
4.87 dB
3.7 dB
High Bass
4.76 dB
-0.13 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.8
9.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.65 dB
1.03 dB
Low Mid
2.02 dB
0.45 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.97 dB
0.66 dB
High Mid
0.82 dB
-1.05 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
9.3
9.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.24 dB
1.59 dB
Low Treble
-0.77 dB
-0.52 dB
Mid Treble
-2.29 dB
-1.4 dB
High Treble
-6.69 dB
-6 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.9
8.1
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
0.95 dB
1.13 dB
Dips
2.44 dB
1.29 dB
Stereo Mismatch
9.1
6.9
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.05 dB
0.58 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.46 dB
1.41 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
0.6°
2.6°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
0.0
5.3
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
6.19 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
6.67 dB
PRTF Distance
N/A
9.17 dB
Harmonic Distortion
6.9
8.4
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.27%
0.15%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
1.36%
0.40%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
102.9 dB
100.3 dB
Virtual Soundstage
5.0
3.3
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
On/Off
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
On/Off
Adjustable
Virtual Surround
Spatial Audio/ 360 Reality Audio
No
Test Settings
Firmware
4.0.2
1.6.7+g6ebabd2
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Off
No EQ
ANC
On
Quiet
Tip/Pad
Foam (small)
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
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
8.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.03 lbs
0.56 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
7.7
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Decent
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
Presets
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Portability
9.4
6.4
Portability Picture
L
1.4" (3.7 cm)
7.5" (19.0 cm)
W
1.2" (3.0 cm)
5.9" (14.9 cm)
H
1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.5" (3.8 cm)
Volume
1.69 in³ (27.75 cm³)
65.65 in³ (1,075.78 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.5" (6.4 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)
W
1.0" (2.6 cm)
6.1" (15.4 cm)
H
1.6" (4.0 cm)
2.1" (5.4 cm)
Volume
4.06 in³ (66.56 cm³)
107.08 in³ (1,754.68 cm³)
Build Quality
7.5
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
8.0
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
8.8
9.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-23.37 dB
-27.00 dB
Bass
-14.43 dB
-20.79 dB
Mid
-24.82 dB
-29.81 dB
Treble
-32.63 dB
-31.42 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
8.2
9.5
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-18.81 dB
-22.12 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-18.64 dB
-21.71 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-21.56 dB
-24.15 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
9.4
7.3
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
24.97 dB
37.83 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
4.9
7.8
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
190.27 Hz
281 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
6.14 dB
2.3 dB
HFE
5,830.6 Hz
6,088.74 Hz
Weighted THD
265.475
0.055
Gain
-4.07 dB
33.39 dB
Noise Handling
7.0
6.5
SpNR
SpNR
9.51 dB
22.71 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.0
6.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
7.7
8.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
8.75 hrs
29 hrs
Additional Charges
2.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
26.25 hrs
29 hrs
Charge Time
1.4 hrs
2.3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
Sony Sound Connect
Bose Music
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
Presets
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
Yes
Playback Control
Yes
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
6.6
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
N/A
3.28 ft (1.00 m)
Connector
No Wired Option
1/16" TRS
Latency - Analog
N/A
35.0 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.4
7.5
Bluetooth Version
5.3
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
269.03 ft (82.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
226 ms
292 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
372 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
85 ms
Latency - LDAC
252 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
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-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Silver
WF-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Smoky Pink
WF-1000XM5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
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Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless: Main Discussion
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