Sony WH-1000XM2 vs Sony WH-1000XM5

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WH-1000XM2 compared with WH-1000XM5

	SonyWH-1000XM2	SonyWH-1000XM5
Overview
Released
Released	September 2017	May 2022
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	40 mm	30 mm
Back
Back	Closed	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC	SBC, AAC and LDAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	–	No
Chip
Chip	–	QN1
Drivers
Drivers	40 mm dome-type drivers with aluminium-coated liquid crystal polymer diaphragms, CCAW voice coils and neodymium magnets; 4 Hz to 40 kHz wired frequency response	30 mm driver unit with a carbon fibre composite dome, soft edge and neodymium magnet; 4 Hz to 40,000 Hz (JEITA, wired, switched on); sensitivity 102 dB/mW switched on, 100 dB/mW switched off; impedance 48 Ω switched on, 16 Ω switched off (1 kHz)
Chip
Chip	–	HD Noise Canceling Processor QN1 and Integrated Processor V1
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Dual Noise Sensor technology, Personal NC Optimiser and Atmospheric Pressure Optimising; Adaptive Sound Control and adjustable Ambient Sound Mode through the app; Quick Attention passes outside sound through while a hand covers the right earcup	Eight microphones for noise cancelling (four on each ear cup); Auto NC Optimizer adjusts noise cancelling to the fit and surroundings, including air pressure; Ambient Sound Mode; Quick Attention Mode; Speak-to-Chat
Audio features
Audio features	LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC over Bluetooth; DSEE HX upscaling, S-Master HX amplification, equaliser and surround modes in Sony Headphones Connect; NFC pairing	LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); Hi-Res Audio over the headphone cable; DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 30 hours	Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on or 38 hours off; up to 40 hours of standby with noise cancelling on or 200 hours off; full charge in about four hours	Up to 40 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC); with LDAC, 26 hours with noise cancelling on or 36 hours off; with SBC, 28 hours on or 38 hours off; talk time up to 24 hours (32 hours with noise cancelling off); up to 28 hours on the headphone cable with noise cancelling on (38 hours off); can't be used while charging
Fast charging
Fast charging	Ten minutes of charging gives up to 70 minutes of playback	3 minutes gives about 3 hours of playback with a USB PD adaptor (9 V/2.3 A or more), or about 1 hour with a standard 1.5 A adaptor; 10 minutes gives about 5 hours; full charge in about 3.5 hours
Design
Weight
Weight	275 g	250 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.1	5.2
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Right earcup touch panel for playback, calls and volume; separate power and noise cancelling/ambient buttons	Touch sensor control panel on the right ear cup (double-tap to play, pause or answer calls; swipe forwards or backwards to skip; swipe up or down for volume; cover with your hand for Quick Attention Mode); power and NC/AMB buttons on the left ear cup; a proximity sensor in the left unit pauses music when the headphones are taken off and switches them off after 15 minutes
Microphones
Microphones	–	Eight microphones for noise cancelling; four beamforming microphones with AI-based noise reduction for calls; MEMS, omnidirectional
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Circumaural ear cushions; swivelling earcups fold into the supplied carrying case	Closed, over-ear; Soft fit leather headband and earpads; stepless slider; ear cups swivel flat for the carrying case
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	No water resistance rating; Sony says the headphones are not waterproof
Works with
Works with	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; Sony Headphones Connect app for noise cancelling and sound controls; detachable 3.5 mm cable supports listening with the headphones switched off; Micro-USB charges the battery	Sony | Headphones Connect app (now Sony | Sound Connect) for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; the headphone cable also works with the headphones switched off, without noise cancelling
Colours
Colours	Black, Champagne Gold	Black, Platinum Silver, Midnight Blue, Smoky Pink (Sony Australia; colours vary by region)
In the box
In the box	Headphones, carrying case, 1.5 m headphone cable, USB cable and in-flight plug adaptor	Headphones, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C, about 20 cm), headphone cable (about 1.2 m, gold-plated L-shaped stereo mini plug), carrying case, documents