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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.6

Updated Mar 14, 2024 07:40 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Feb 10, 2025 03:15 PM

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Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes

Variants

  • WH-1000XM3 (Black)
  • WH-1000XM3 (White)
  • WH-1000XM5 (Black)
  • WH-1000XM5 (Midnight Blue)
  • WH-1000XM5 (Silver)
  • WH-1000XM5 (Smoky Pink)

Review

See Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Review
See Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Review
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Our Verdict

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless

The Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless are a later generation of the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless. While some aspects have stayed the same, such as their battery life and companion app support, the XM3 and XM5 have different strengths. While both headphones offer a fantastic overall isolation performance, the XM3 have the edge, particularly regarding the low rumble of bus engines. They're also more comfortable and support aptX and aptX HD codecs for high audio quality via Bluetooth. In comparison, the XM5 support multi-device pairing, and they have an auto-off timer to help conserve battery life when you aren't using them.

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Black
WH-1000XM3
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Black
WH-1000XM5
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White
WH-1000XM3
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Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
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Silver
WH-1000XM5
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Smoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
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Read more

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.4
7.7

Mid Accuracy 
 

9.4
7.8

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.9
9.8

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Design Picture 2
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

8.0
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Comfort Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.6 lbs
0.55 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.8 lbs
0.8 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.6
7.6

Controls Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Controls Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless 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  

Yes
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
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

6.5

Breathability After Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5.8 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

6.0
6.0

Portability Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Portability Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Portability Picture

L  

5.6" (14.2 cm)
8.1" (20.5 cm)

W  

6.0" (15.2 cm)
6.9" (17.6 cm)

H  

3.2" (8.1 cm)
1.8" (4.5 cm)

Volume  

108.00 in³ (1,769.80 cm³)
99.08 in³ (1,623.60 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

8.0
8.0

Case Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Case Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

L  

7.1" (18.0 cm)
9.3" (23.6 cm)

W  

8.1" (20.6 cm)
8.0" (20.2 cm)

H  

2.4" (6.1 cm)
2.3" (5.9 cm)

Volume  

136.00 in³ (2,228.63 cm³)
171.64 in³ (2,812.60 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.0
7.0

Stability Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Stability Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Angled Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Side Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Front Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Rear Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Top Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless In The Box Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

1,350 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

3.25 dB
5.3 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-3.05 dB
0.2 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

8.3
8.0

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.34 dB
0.39 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.2
7.5

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

4.28 dB
5.4 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

3.82 dB
4.71 dB

Mid Bass 
 

5.09 dB
5.33 dB

High Bass 
 

4.87 dB
6.32 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.4
7.8

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

0.85 dB
2.1 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.4 dB
2.79 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.09 dB
-0.71 dB

High Mid 
 

-0.01 dB
-0.4 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.9
9.8

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.25 dB
1.43 dB

Low Treble 
 

-1.83 dB
0.49 dB

Mid Treble 
 

0.21 dB
-0.11 dB

High Treble 
 

-12.11 dB
-5.56 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
8.1

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.84 dB
1 dB

Dips 
 

0.8 dB
1.66 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

7.8
8.8

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.23
0.23

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

8.24
3.61

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.86
0.5

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.77
1.56
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

3.7
4.1

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.68 dB
3.68 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

9.23 dB
7.72 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

5.13 dB
6.74 dB

Openness 
 

0.2
1.8

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.9
2.6
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

6.4
4.1

Virtual Soundstage  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

Presets
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

360 Reality Audio
360 Reality Audio
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.3
7.9

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.380
0.285

WHD @ 100 
 

0.198
0.099
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
1.1.1

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Unknown
Bluetooth 5.2

Codec 
 

aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

TP-Link BE9300 BT 5.4

EQ 
 

Off
Off

ANC 
 

On
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

9.8
9.4

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-29.9 dB
-25.81 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-23.03 dB
-17.63 dB

Mid 
 

-27.24 dB
-28.25 dB

Treble 
 

-39.7 dB
-33.04 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.1

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

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 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show Text 

Leakage 
 

7.4
7.7

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

37.09 dB
35.69 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

6.3
6.7

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

226.27 Hz
236.29 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

3.65 dB
3.43 dB

HFE 
 

3,044.37 Hz
7,240.77 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

27.163
N/A

Gain 
 

29.6 dB
-13.92 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

6.5
8.3

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

19.65 dB
7.61 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
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  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.6
8.5

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

27 hrs
27 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

27 hrs
27 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.2 hrs
3 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

8.5
8.0

App Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless App Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless 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 
 

Yes
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
Yes

Button Mapping  

Yes
Yes

Surround Support 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.8
9.8

Cable Picture  

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Cable Picture
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

5.00 ft (1.52 m)
4.04 ft (1.23 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.4 ms
0.4 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

7.1
8.7

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
5.2

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
2 Devices

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Yes
Yes

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

185.00 ft (56.39 m)
330.71 ft (100.80 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

225 ms
241 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

201 ms
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

232 ms
233 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC
SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

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
Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

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
Show Text 

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
Show Text 

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
Show Text 

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Black
WH-1000XM3
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Black
WH-1000XM5
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White
WH-1000XM3
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Midnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
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Silver
WH-1000XM5
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Smoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
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Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless: Main Discussion

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