Wireless Headphones
Sony WH-1000XM5
Wireless noise-cancelling for everywhere except the desk — the upgrade from the XM3 that lasted seven years.
Seven years on, the XM3 finally handed off to the XM5 this year. The 2025 refresh is the version that earned it — same headphones as the original XM5, soft carrying bag instead of the rigid case, lower price for dropping a case that mostly stays in a closet anyway. Wireless noise-cancelling has been the category benchmark for two generations now, and the 2025 model is what's been on the shoulders since.
The XM5 is what's worn anywhere except the desk. Travel, walks, focus work in cafes, long train rides — the noise cancellation genuinely changes what's listenable in environments the open ear can't filter. At the desk the DT 770 Pro takes over because wired closed-back is the right tool there; everywhere else, wireless is.
What it always has been for this line: the build is plastic, the hinge is a known long-term wear point, and the XM3 lasted long enough that the XM5 has a high bar to clear on durability. Time will tell whether the move to the smoother all-plastic shell holds up the way the older models did.