Get the Sony WH-1000XM5 for the price of the XM4
Black Friday 2022 is (unofficially) upon us: we’ve been seeing holiday-themed sales for weeks at this point. There have been a number of great bargains on all kinds of tech already, but among audio deals, this one’s special. Right now, Sony’s top-of-the-line WH-1000XM5 ANC headphones are going for $348, a full $50 under MSRP and a match for what the company’s last-gen XM4 go for at retail. Still too ritzy? The XM4 are on sale too.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony’s been making some of the best headphones on the market for decades, and its WH-1000 series is especially well regarded. The newest XM5 offer fantastic audio quality with tight highs and mids, plus low-end response that’s refreshingly restrained, resulting in clear, accurate sound. They also offer the absolute best active noise cancelation you can get in consumer-grade headphones right now.
Source:Sony
Sony WH-1000XM5
The reigning champ of active noise cancellation is in no hurry to relinquish the crown. Sony’s most recent over-ear headphones, the WH-1000XM5, bring back that top-of-the-line ANC that many have tried, and failed, to match. The headphones also offer fantastic sound quality that isn’t too hyped or colored, so you can enjoy your favorite concerto or 98 Degrees track the way it was meant to be heard.
Sony WH-1000XM4
But say you don’t want to drop $350 on a pair of headphones, no matter how good — an entirely understandable position. In that case, you’ll be pleased to learn that the previous generation Sony WH-1000XM4, which typically retail for the same $350 the newer XM5 cost on sale right now, are also discounted for Black Friday, down to a positively palatable $228.
Sony WH-1000XM4
They may have been displaced as Sony’s top headphones by the XM5s, but the WH-1000XM4 headphones are still amazing and built to last you years to come. In addition to offering nearly as competent ANC as the newer, more expensive XM5, the XM4 also fold down for convenient travel — something Sony’s current top headphones can’t do.
Compared to the newer XM5, you’re not missing out on a whole lot by going with the previous-gen XM4. The noise canceling here isn’t quite at the same level as Sony’s current top headphones, but audio quality is similar and battery life is the same at up to 30 hours with ANC. Plus, as previously mentioned, the newer Sony WH-1000XM5 don’t fold up for a smaller footprint in a bag — the XM4 do. That could make them a better pair of headphones for those who prefer to travel light.
