Which headphones are better the Sony WH-1000XM5 or the Bose QuietComfort 45.
Tech is full of rivalries, in computing its Apple versus Microsoft, in gaming its Xbox versus PlayStation and in the world of headphones its Sony versus Bose. No matter how much praise one of their headphones gets, Sony and Bose audio devices always get compared to their rival’s equivalents. This brings us to the clash between their most recent offerings. For Bose, it’s the acclaimed QuietComfort 45 headphones that launched at the end of 2021; while for Sony, it’s the all-new WH-1000XM5 headphones. So let’s see how these two noise-cancelling headphones stack up against each other and help you make a decision about which one is best for you. The new Sony WH-1000XM5 will be available at the end of May for £379 / $399 / AU$649. No matter what continent you’re on you can expect to pay a decent sum to slip your ears inside a pair of these. When the Bose QuietComfort 45 hit shelves last September they would have set you back £329 / $329 / AU$499. These days you can instead expect to pay no more than £269 / $299 /AU$419 – a fair amount less than the new Sony cans. Over time we expect the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones will see a similar price drop (just as we expect night to follow day) but if you’re after a pair today then Bose has SOny beta on price. Sony’s had a bit of a redesign with the XM5 over-ear headphones, mixing things up a bit from its predecessors (the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Sony WH-1000XM4). Some will see the more minimalist abs-clad device as smooth and sophisticated, while others may find them bland and uninteresting. At 250g the Sony headphones are light and they sit comfortably in place for ages. Unlike other headphones, though they don’t fold in on themselves – the earcups have some articulation to help shrink the size of the carry case but these aren’t the most compact. The Bose QuietComfort 45 weigh in at just 238g and do fold in on themselves, which makes them an even more compelling proposition for the frequent travelers among you. We’d also describe the look of these cans as functional. While they won’t win any prizes for having a novel design, the Bose headphones are a solid competitor to Sony’s when it comes to comfort, stability, and durability.
