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
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Apr 22, 2025 03:59 PM
Searching
Finding storeTested using Methodology v1.8
Updated May 27, 2025 08:03 PM
Searching
Finding store
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountVery Emphasized (6 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountSlightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- WH-1000XM5 (Black)
- WH-1000XM5 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM5 (Silver)
- WH-1000XM5 (Smoky Pink)
- WH-1000XM4 (Black)
- WH-1000XM4 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM4 (Silver)
Our Verdict
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
The Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless are the next generation of the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless. There have been a couple of changes in design and performance. As a result, the XM5 have a better microphone performance, and the ANC system attenuates noise slightly differently; you can still expect significant ambient sound isolation from either pair of headphones. However, the XM5's build isn't as solid as the previous generation, and the ANC has a harder time blocking out the low rumble of bus engines. Additionally, their automatic adaptive ANC system can't be disabled.
Check Price
Black
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeBlack
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeSilver
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeSilver
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeSmoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.4
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,350 Hz
400 Hz
Bass Amount
5.1 dB
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (6 dB)
Treble Amount
-0.4 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
7.5
8.2
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.99 dB
0.35 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.5
7.6
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.4 dB
5.2 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
4.71 dB
4.49 dB
Mid Bass
5.33 dB
5.5 dB
High Bass
6.32 dB
5.6 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
8.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.1 dB
1.58 dB
Low Mid
2.79 dB
1.24 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.71 dB
-0.07 dB
High Mid
-0.4 dB
-1.15 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
9.9
7.3
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.43 dB
3.01 dB
Low Treble
0.49 dB
-1.71 dB
Mid Treble
-0.11 dB
1.38 dB
High Treble
-5.56 dB
-2.88 dB
Peaks/Dips
8.1
7.9
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1 dB
1.2 dB
Dips
1.66 dB
1.46 dB
Stereo Mismatch
7.5
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.3 dB
0.79
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.5 dB
2.07
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.7°
4.36
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
4.8
3.5
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
3.68 dB
3.11 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
7.72 dB
8.34 dB
PRTF Distance
6.74 dB
1.8 dB
Openness
0.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.4
Harmonic Distortion
9.1
Harmonics Levels
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.07%
0.265
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.23%
0.130
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
2.3.1
2.6.0
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Off
Off
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Imaging
8.6
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.16
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.7°
4.36
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.3 dB
0.79
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.5 dB
2.07
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.7
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.07%
0.265
WHD @ 100
0.23%
0.130
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-Ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.0
8.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.55 lbs
0.6 lbs
Clamping Force
0.8 lbs
1 lbs
Controls
7.6
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
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
Breathability
5.4
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
8.2 °C
Portability
6.0
6.1
Portability Picture
L
8.1" (20.5 cm)
7.4" (18.8 cm)
W
6.9" (17.6 cm)
6.1" (15.5 cm)
H
1.8" (4.5 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)
Volume
99.08 in³ (1,623.60 cm³)
90.00 in³ (1,474.83 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
9.3" (23.6 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)
W
8.0" (20.2 cm)
6.6" (16.8 cm)
H
2.3" (5.9 cm)
2.3" (5.8 cm)
Volume
171.64 in³ (2,812.60 cm³)
126.00 in³ (2,064.76 cm³)
Build Quality
7.5
8.0
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
9.4
9.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-25.81 dB
-27.13 dB
Bass
-17.63 dB
-24.80 dB
Mid
-28.25 dB
-25.37 dB
Treble
-33.04 dB
-31.92 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.1
9.7
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-21.43 dB
-23.51 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-19.38 dB
-22.93 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-24.28 dB
-26.02 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
7.7
7.1
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
35.69 dB
39.28 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.7
6.1
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
236.29 Hz
269.09 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.43 dB
2.11 dB
HFE
7,240.77 Hz
3,726.47 Hz
Weighted THD
N/A
65.861
Gain
-13.92 dB
11.46 dB
Noise Handling
8.3
5.6
SpNR
7.61 dB
11.47 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
8.5
6.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
8.0
5.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.5
8.7
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
27 hrs
37.7 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
27 hrs
37.7 hrs
Charge Time
3 hrs
2.3 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
Sony Sound Connect
Sony| Headphones 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
9.8
9.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
4.04 ft (1.23 m)
4.00 ft (1.22 m)
Connector
1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.4 ms
0.3 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.7
8.6
Bluetooth Version
5.2
5.010
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
330.71 ft (100.80 m)
299.00 ft (91.14 m)
Latency - SBC
241 ms
245 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
233 ms
237 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
Black
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeBlack
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeSilver
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding storeSilver
WH-1000XM4
Searching
Finding storeSmoky Pink
WH-1000XM5
Searching
Finding store
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless
Comments
Sony WH-1000XM4 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.