Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless Bluetooth Noise Canceling Headphones - Black (Renewed)

Just got the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds. Setup took a while - you’ve got to use the app or you’re wasting your time. Once I had them setup I thought, “well, not bad but I’ve heard better (like my Sennheiser headphones). Then I came across this little hidden setup called “best connection or best sound quality” that changes the Bluetooth codec for your needs. This was a total game changer. When I changed over to best quality the sound was AMAZING! So much detail! It felt like you are on stage with the artist. You can hear each of Armik’s fingers touch the guitar strings. Nuances in each vocalist’s tone is clearly expressed. Ever felt like you were looking over Taylor’s shoulder while she was singing? Background triangles are clear and precise. Japanese drums are full, solid, and clear. Dare I say this was better than my Sennheiser headphones? I’ll just have to test them out for a couple of years to be sure.

I bought these as refurbed (excellent). I wasn’t going to sink any more money given the battery issues of the previous model - mine died after approx 2 years (rhs would die more quickly until it would only last about 20 minutes). Sony sent a direct offer on the app about a discount on the new ones only if you posted back your old buds - offer a low discount on full retail and put a hurdle on completing - no thanks Sony!!!I bought some jabra elite 10 in ears after reading all the reviews - what a huge mistake. Sound state even after adjusting was awful with tinny bass and the most woeful of buds - none of them got a seal and the dumbest bud design ever so you would have to buy very specific aftermarket buds - in short a load of crapSo I took the plunge and got the new Sony buds and glad I did - sony is night and day versus jabraThe soundstage and bass is superbNow I just hope the battery lasts longer than the previous one - still as I paid less than $160 I’m not as concerned this time

Reading the reviews before purchasing, I was a little concerned that the refurbished version had many low reviews for missing earpieces. Well, mine came with earpieces on the headphones, plus a bag with three more pairs and a stubby USB-A to USB-C charging cable.Everything seems to be in like-new condition. The packaging was missing, so it was just some plastic bags in a generic USPS cardboard box, but that makes no difference to me. (I only mention it because the set of XM5 over ear headphones I bought refurbished even came in the Sony packaging).It's the middle of winter in WI right now, so when they were delivered, the battery was too cold to charge normally. It turns out they recommend the battery be close to 60°F to charge. But, they warmed up quickly, and I'm not going to dock points for that.On to the important parts....Sound quality is good, but not great. I'm coming from owning multiple sets of over the ear headphones, including the XM3 and XM5 Sony models, and there's really no comparison. The over the ear versions are miles better. Bass on the earbuds is lacking in both clarity and volume. I was surprised by the frequency range - one of my test tracks has prominent sub-bass, and I was still present and discernible even when it was in the background of a variety of other tones.Treble is clear enough, but the soundstage is very limited. This may be an earbud issue in general, I'm not sure.Most of my complaints about the bass can be fixed with the "Clear Bass" function, which is found under the equalizer. I'm currently running with the mid and treble sliders increased by a couple notches, and the clear bass almost all the way up.Comfort-wise, they're good so far. They seem to stay in place, even with the wrong size earpieces (I've experimented with all but the smallest, more tapered size.) I will also say, the earpieces make a significant difference in the sound quality. If they're too big, they don't fit in your ear far enough, and the sound suffers greatly.Noise reduction seems sufficient. Haven't taken them on a plane yet, though I plan to in a couple weeks, so maybe I'll update this review. The foam tips make pretty good earplugs even without the noise cancelling on.So, in short, dock one star for the sound quality and the fact that I had to spend half an hour adjusting the equalizer to get it to meet my expectations. Everything else is good!

Very good quality earbuds with excellent sound. They truly do cancel out external noises.

The earbuds arrived in terrible condition — they looked used. The silicone ear tip was chewed, which is completely unacceptable. The replacement tips were also missing the rubber parts. I expected to receive a brand-new product in good condition, but instead, I got something broken and poorly packaged. I do not recommend buying this item. Very bad experience.

Microphone is terrible. Everything else is exactly as expected and works great, but very poor voice quality to otger people when calling

These headphones last all day long, like honestly surprised how comfortable they are and how great they sound. Beats anything else out there in terms of sounds design and performance, even feels great wearing for hours at a time, legit the last for almost 4-5 hours on one charge. I have smaller ears and they fit great.

These are very good noise canceling and if you try the different ear fittings they are comfortable to wear for extended periods.