Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Sound
- Design
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Apr 23, 2025 09:03 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Apr 22, 2025 03:59 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountEmphasized (3 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountSlightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountVery Emphasized (6 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountSlightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
Variants
- QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Eclipse Grey)
- QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Midnight Blue)
- QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Triple Black)
- QuietComfort SE (Triple Black)
- QuietComfort 45/QC45 (White Smoke)
- WH-1000XM5 (Black)
- WH-1000XM5 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM5 (Silver)
- WH-1000XM5 (Smoky Pink)
Our Verdict
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
The Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless and the Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless are both high-end headphones. The Bose's ANC blocks out more of the low rumble of bus and plane engines, but the Sony headphones do a better job of cutting down mid-range noise like ambient chatter and treble-range sounds like the high-pitched whirl of computer fans. Their fit is also more comfortable. That said, the Sony have a few extra features over the Bose. The Sony support LDAC for hi-res audio, and they have a virtual soundstage feature to help give you a more immersive sound, though you need to subscribe to services that support it.
Check Price
Midnight Blue
QuietComfort 45/QC45
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeEclipse Grey
QuietComfort 45/QC45
Searching
Finding storeBlack
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeTriple Black
QuietComfort 45/QC45
Searching
Finding storeSilver
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeTriple Black
QuietComfort SE
Searching
Finding storeSmoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeWhite Smoke
QuietComfort 45/QC45
Searching
Finding storeMain Differences forSports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
7.5
7.2
Comfort
8.5
7.0
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
400 Hz
1,350 Hz
Bass Amount
Emphasized (3 dB)
Very Emphasized (6 dB)
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
7.6
7.5
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.97 dB
0.99 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.5
7.5
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.2 dB
5.4 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
0.47 dB
4.71 dB
Mid Bass
2.45 dB
5.33 dB
High Bass
3.18 dB
6.32 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.5
8.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
0.94 dB
2.1 dB
Low Mid
0.27 dB
2.79 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.94 dB
-0.71 dB
High Mid
-0.31 dB
-0.4 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.6
9.9
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.63 dB
1.43 dB
Low Treble
1.25 dB
0.49 dB
Mid Treble
-2.85 dB
-0.11 dB
High Treble
-1.46 dB
-5.56 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.5
8.1
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.43 dB
1 dB
Dips
1.84 dB
1.66 dB
Stereo Mismatch
6.7
7.5
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.7 dB
0.3 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.8 dB
1.5 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.2°
2.7°
Group Delay
2.6
8.6
Weighted Group Delay
2.2 ms
0.6 ms
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
5.6
4.8
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
3.62 dB
3.68 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
6.52 dB
7.72 dB
PRTF Distance
8.49 dB
6.74 dB
Harmonic Distortion
6.3
9.1
Harmonics Levels
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.22%
0.07%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
1.99%
0.23%
Electrical Aspects
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
114.4 dB SPL
113.0 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
105.0 dB
104.9 dB
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
360 Reality Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
1.0.3-2674+ee3f55e
2.3.1
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
TP-Link BE9300 BT 5.4
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
No EQ
Off
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-Ear
Over-Ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.52 lbs
0.55 lbs
Clamping Force
0.7 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
8.1
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
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Portability
6.6
6.0
Portability Picture
L
6.8" (17.2 cm)
8.1" (20.5 cm)
W
5.5" (13.9 cm)
6.9" (17.6 cm)
H
1.5" (3.8 cm)
1.8" (4.5 cm)
Volume
55.44 in³ (908.50 cm³)
99.08 in³ (1,623.60 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
8.3" (21.1 cm)
9.3" (23.6 cm)
W
5.7" (14.5 cm)
8.0" (20.2 cm)
H
2.2" (5.6 cm)
2.3" (5.9 cm)
Volume
105.16 in³ (1,723.20 cm³)
171.64 in³ (2,812.60 cm³)
Build Quality
7.5
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.0
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
9.0
9.4
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-23.90 dB
-25.81 dB
Bass
-19.96 dB
-17.63 dB
Mid
-22.53 dB
-28.25 dB
Treble
-30.21 dB
-33.04 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.1
9.1
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-21.39 dB
-21.43 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-20.89 dB
-19.38 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-22.37 dB
-24.28 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
Leakage
6.3
7.7
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
43.53 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
7.7
6.7
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
201.59 Hz
236.29 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.6 dB
3.43 dB
HFE
6,834.38 Hz
7,240.77 Hz
Weighted THD
0.373
N/A
Gain
34.01 dB
-13.92 dB
Noise Handling
5.3
8.3
SpNR
36.73 dB
7.61 dB
Noise Gate
No
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
5.5
8.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.0
8.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.5
8.5
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
21.3 hrs
27 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
21.3 hrs
27 hrs
Charge Time
2 hrs
3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Yes
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
Bose Music
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
No
Yes
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
7.4
9.8
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
3.61 ft (1.10 m)
4.04 ft (1.23 m)
Connector
1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
16.4 ms
0.4 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.2
8.7
Bluetooth Version
5.1
5.2
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
272.31 ft (83.00 m)
330.71 ft (100.80 m)
Latency - SBC
182 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
N/A
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
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
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
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Midnight Blue
QuietComfort 45/QC45
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeEclipse Grey
QuietComfort 45/QC45
Searching
Finding storeBlack
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeTriple Black
QuietComfort 45/QC45
Searching
Finding storeSilver
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeTriple Black
QuietComfort SE
Searching
Finding storeSmoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeWhite Smoke
QuietComfort 45/QC45
Searching
Finding store
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Comments
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 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.