So with the Sony ULT Wear I feel that this is a preview of what to expect from Sony’s future headphones. Now the Sony ULT Wear are the successors to the Sony ULT Wear’s which are Sony’s mid tier ANC headphones. But today we’re going to break down Sony’s ANC headphones line for mid 2024 which now consists of the Sony WH-CH720N, Sony ULT Wear, Sony 1000XM4 and Sony 1000XM5’s. So if you’re in the market for a pair of ANC headphones, lets see which ones are right for you.
Regarding pricing, the entry level Sony WH-CH720N have a retail price of $150 but they like to go on sale for $120 and on major shopping holidays they can go on sale for as low as $100. Then there are the mid tier Sony ULT wear and these have a retail price of $200 but they can now be found on sale for $180, then there are the Sony 1000XM4’s and these have a retail price of $350 but they like to go on sale for $300 and on major holidays they can go for $250 and finally there are the Sony 1000XM5’s and these retail for $400 but they can be found on sale for $330. Nonetheless if you want to pick any of these headphones up they’ll be linked down below or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button.
Now first, lets address the carrying cases that come included with these headphones. Unfortunately the WH-CH720N’s still don’t come included with a case at all, which is a disappointment all around cause other entry level headphones do. But then there are the ULT Wear’s and 1000XM4’s which both come included with decently small hard shell cases and part of the reason why these cases are so small is cause both of these headphones are fully collapsable… where as the XM5’s, these have a lay flat design, so their case does have a noticeably larger footprint than these other two headphones. But also, the XM5’s case is noticeably thicker than these other two cases as well. So if you plan on constantly traveling with your headphones, the XM5’s wouldn’t be my first choice cause traveling with their case is a hassle especially when compared to these other two headphones and even the rest of the competition.
Now with the cases out of the way, lets focus on the headphones themselves. From a materials standpoint, all of these headphones have a mostly plastic body and they all have leatherette on their headband and earpads. Now all of these headphones are using recycled plastics except for the XM4’s. Now the recycled plastics found on these headphones doesn’t feel as dense as the new plastic found on the XM4’s… however from a durability standpoint I have had no issues with cracks or fractures on either the XM5’s or WH-CH720N’s which are both over a year old now. But also, the leatherette on all of these headphones are very different. The leatherette on the XM4’s is okay, but it does feel very plasitc-y. Then there’s the leatherette on the ULT Wear and WH-CH720N’s which feel much more supple and there’s even a slight grain to it. The leatherette on the ULT Wear has bose vibes to it, but its not as good. And finally there are the XM5’s which have all new leatherette to it… the leatherette on the XM5’s feels like silicon but with less friction to it. Overall, I prefer the leatherette on the XM5’s over the XM4’s… but I think the ULT Wear’s have the best feeling leatherette here and the WH-CH720N’s aren’t far behind.
But now lets talk about fit. Now all of these headphones are relatively light weight when compared to the rest of the competition. The ULT Wear weigh in at 255 grams, The 1000XM4’s weigh in at 254 grams, and the 1000XM5’s weigh in at 250 grams. But then there are the WH-CH720N’s which weigh in at 192 grams. Now all of these headphones are light weight and they are all very easy to forget that you have on when you’re sitting at your desk or while in bed, and you barely notice any of these headphones shifting around on your head when you’re walking around with them on… however, the WH-CH720N’s are just even less noticeable cause they weigh in at 192 grams.
Now when it comes to clamping force, all of these headphones are big head approved cause they have a neutral amount of clamping force, as in they aren’t to tight and they aren’t too loose. However, the XM5’s do have the firmest fit here. But that’s the least of the XM5’s worries cause in general, these are the least comfortable headphones here. One of my main problems with the XM5’s is their very thin and minimally padded headband. I’ve found that at the one hour mark, this headband does like to create a hot spot on the top of my head, so I just have to take them off and take a break. Where as hot spots aren’t a problem for any of these other headphones cause all of these headbands have a decent amount of padding. But then there are the Ear pads. The earpads on the XM5 have a very wide diameter to them… however, they are shallow. So I've found that even if you have average sized ears, these shallow ear pads can press down on your cartilage, which does get uncomfortable after awhile. Where as with all of these other headphones… their earpads are a lot more spacious and they should all have no problem fitting most average sized ears… and even if you have very large ears or ears that stick out a lot… they should still have you covered. So overall when it comes to fit, the WH-CH720N are the most comfortable headphones here cause they are super light weight, and they have very spacious earpads. The 1000XM4’s should fit most people just fine… the ULT Wear fit very similarly to the 1000XM4’s but their ear pads are even more spacious, and finally there are the XM5’s which fit okay, but I do have my reservations about them because of their thin and minimally padded headband and shallow earpads.
But now lets talk about tech specs… and there aren’t any major differences here. The ULT Wear, XM4, and XM5’s are all good for up to 30 hours with their active noise cancellation turned on, where as the WH-CH720N’s are good for up to 35 hours… and in general, these headphones have above average battery life. And if you were to use these headphones with their ANC turned off the WH-CH720N can go for as long as 50 hours, both XM5’s and ULT wear can go for as long as 40 hours and the XM4’s can go for as long as 38 hours.
And when it comes to charging these headphones, they all charge via a USB C port as they should. However, these USB C ports are strictly used for charging, you cant use any of these USB C ports as a wired connection like you can with some other headphones out there. However, all of these headphones do have a 3.5 millimeter audio jack and they come included with an audio cable. Now I know this sounds very basic but I do have to point this out cause some companies are removing the audio jacks on their headphones as a cost cutting measure or they sell you the audio cable separately. And I feel that being able to use your headphones with a wired connection is still super important either if you’re a frequent flyer, content creator, or if you simply want to use your headphones passively cause they ran out of battery.
Now when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity, all of these headphones can be connected to any two devices at the same time regardless of eco system, which is good if you’re a power user with a PC and an iPhone. And when it comes to overall performance, all of these headphones have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone whter you’re using an iPhone or an android device. But when it comes to audio codecs, the WH-CH720N only have support for SBC and AAC where as all of these other headphones have support fro SBC, AAC and LDAC which is Sonys own in house high res audio codec.
However, if you want to use LDAC you do have to be an android user cause iPhones top at AAC… but also if you do decide to use LDAC that is going to take an additional toll on the battery life. Cause these headphones have an advertised battery life of 30 hours with their ANC turned on… but if they are also using LDAC then they’re going to go down to 25 hours.
But now, lets talk about actually listening to music with these headphones cause all of these headphones sound different from one another. Now first off, with all of these headphones, they connect to Sony’s app and you can customize their EQ to your liking. So if you want a bass heavy EQ, and of these headphones can do that and if you want a neutral EQ, then these headphones can also do that. And this is a big deal this time around, cause this is a feature that wasn’t found on the WH-CH720N’s predecessors.
However, from a performance standpoint, the WH-CH720N and 1000XM4… Both of these headphones sound good enough to get the job done. But when it comes to instrument separation, these headphones can sound a little narrow when compared to other headphones, and their instrumentals can get lost cause they don’t have the best instrument separation. These headphones are mostly bass and vocals. But they still sound good enough to get the job done. Now, when it comes to actually feeling your bass, the WH-CH720N’s will be able to deliver. However, with the XM4’s, these do have noticeably have more kick in their bass.
But then there are the Sony 1000XM5’s and Sony ULT Wear and these headphones sound and perform very differently. Now with the Sony 1000XM5’s, these have improved instrument separation and and improved clarity from the XM4’s. However, these have a little less physicality in their bass than the XM4’s. The XM5’s still sound good and they should be able to satiate most people, but if you like more kick in your bass than you’ll want to go with the XM4’s. But then there are the ULT Wear… now the ULT Wear also have great instrument separation like the XM5’s… but these also have a lot more bass than all of these other headphone. However the bass on the ULT Wear is very different from the bass from its predecessors. The bass on the ULT Wear is now mostly on the audible side meaning that you’re really going to hear that bass… but you’re not going to get as much of a kick out of it like you did with its predecessors. However if you have these headphones set to ULT 2 and if you have the clear bass slider turned up to ten, you are going to get a lot more kick out of the bass on the ULT wear than you would with these other headphones. Overall, I do feel that the ULT wear are the best sounding and most fun headphones to listen to music with here. The XM5’s also sound good cause of their improved instrument separation, but have less kick in their bass than the XM4… and with both the XM4’s and WH-CH720N’s these headphones sound good enough.
Now when it comes to actually controlling your media the WH-CH710N’s are using physical buttons. Where as all of these other headphones are using touch pads. Now the touch pads on all of these headphones are easy enough to use and they are very accurate. Now they’re not perfect… but they aren’t problematic either like some other touch pads out there.
However, the ULT Wear’s, XM5’s and XM4’s have wear sensors, so they will automatically pause your music when you take them off, and when you put them back on they’ll start playing your music again. Now personally I don’t really care for wear sensors on my headphones, so I usually just turn that feature off… but they are there if you want them.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these headphones. Obviously as you move up in price these headphones are going to block out more noise. And thanks to the built in pressure sensors found on both the XM4’s and XM5’s, these two headphones are still the best headphones out there if ANC is very important to you, especially if you plan on flying with these headphones. But so that you can see for yourself we’re going to jump into and ANC test.
ANC Test
So like you may have just seen, as you move up Sony’s product line up… they block out more noise. Now the WH-CH720N’s block out an adequate amount of noise for a pair of entry-level ANC headphones. Now these headphones don’t block out a ton of noise and I wouldn’t recommend them for flying… but they can help out on your bus ride home. Next up there are the ULT Wear’s and these block out noticeably more noise than the WH-CH720N. They block out more road noise and they do a better job of blocking out chatter. So these can help out if you're using them in a cafeteria or at the gym. Then there are the XM4’s which block out more noise than the ULT Wear… plus they have an atmospheric pressure sensor so they are going to perform noticeably better than the ULT Wear’s if you’re in an airplane, after they have been calibrated… and finally there are the XM5’s which also have an atmospheric pressure sensor and they block out even more noise than the XM4’s. Not only do they block out more lower frequency sounds like road noise… but they also do a much better job of blocking out higher frequency sounds like chatter, which was an issue for the XM4’s. However, even though the XM5’s block out more noise than the XM4’s… they do have a little more cabin pressure. So if you’re sensitive to cabin pressure like I am, then you’ll might want to be cautious about the XM5’s… but the XM4’s, ULT Wear, and WH-CH720N are much safer bets cause they all have much less cabin pressure. But regardless, if you’re looking for a pair of headphones to constantly fly with… then the XM5’s are currently the best ANC headphones to go with cause after multiple real worlds test, the XM5’s block out the most Airplane noise. Just be warned that dealing with their carrying case can be a hassle when you’re traveling with them. Personally I still prefer to fly with the XM4’s cause of their smaller case. And even though the XM4’s are ancient in the tech world… thanks to their atmospheric pressure sensors, they actually still block out more noise than both the Bose QC Ultra and Bose QC headphones while at cruising altitude. So again, if you plan on flying a lot with your headphones you’re still better off with either the XM4 or XM5’s.
But then theres the ambient mode on these headphones, now all of these headphones have decent sounding ambient modes on them and you can adjust their ambient mode to your liking. However, the ULT wear have the best sounding ambient mode here cause it sounds the most natural. The Ambient mode on the ULT wear is super close to sounding like you’re not wearing anything. But also, the ambient mode on the XM4’s, XM5’s and ULT wear are all the active kind, meaning that they will all actively block out sudden loud sounds like a dog barking or a siren rolling by protecting your hearing from getting blasted. But let me just show you, major headphones warning.
Active ambient mode
So like you may have just seen, when the ULT wear detected that loud sound they turned off their ambient mode and when that loud sound stoped they turned their ambient mode back on. But the ULT wear have the best active ambient mode here cause its the fastest to react and its also the most sensitive. Where as with the WH-CH720N, these just let in everything.
But next up there’s speak to chat which is found on both only the XM4’s and XM5’s… and speak to chat works a little like this.
Speak to chat demo
But personally, I’m not a really big fan of speak to chat because it is very easy to accidentally activate. If you’re talking to yourself very quietly that can activate it, if you’re singing along to your music, that can activate it, if you start laughing that can active it, and on rare occasions loud enough outside noises can activate it. So that’s why I don’t use it.
Inperosn 22
Personally, I still prefer to use quick attention cause its a lot more intentional and you can find it on the ULT Wear, XM4’s and XM5’s. Basically when you fully cover the touch pad on these headphones they’re going to lower the volume of your music and pump in all of the ambient sound around you like this.
Quick attention demo
And then when you let go, the headphones will go back to normal. Now like I said, I prefer quick attention cause its a lot more intentional. But Sony still refuses to just lock quick attention after its been activated for a few seconds. So you gotta stay there with your hand like this the whole time you’re talk to someone. I just want Sony to change it so that you can simply let go like with other headphones that have similar feature.
Mic 24 XM4 Quite
But finally here’s the microphone test. Now sony has always struggled with their microphones for phone calls, but I feel that they are finally fixing that.
Mic 30 WH-CH720N Quite
Now I feel the XM4 have an okay sounding microphone for phone calls while in a quite room. But I feel the WH-CH720N’s sound a little better here.
Mic 31 ULT Wear Quite
However, with the ULT Wear I feel that these are doing a better job of focusing on my voice.
Mix 32 XM5 Quite
And I feel that the 1000XM5’s are doing the best job here of focusing on my voice.
Mix 33 XM5 road noise
But the really impressive thing about this microphone is the way that it deals with noise pollution. This microphone blocks out a lot of noise, cause if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone, you’re going to clearly hear all of this road noise… but if we were to switch back over to the XM5’s its severely reduced.
Mic ULT Wear Road Nosie
Where as with the ULT Wear,
Mic XM4 Road Noise
Sony 1000XM4’s
Mic WH-CH720N Road Noise
And Sony WH-CH720N, theres a lot more interferences in the back ground
Mic WH-CH720N Chatter
And its the same thing when it comes to blocking out chatter
Mic XM4 Chatter
The Sony WH-CH720N, Sony 1000XM4’s
Mic ULT wear Chatter
And Sony ULT wear all struggle when it comes to blocking out chatter
Mic XM5 Chatter
Where as there are the XM5’s which block out a lot of chatter and my voice doesn’t sound too bad. And for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone, you’re going to hear all of this chatter, and if we were to switch back over to the XM5’s it is severely reduced. So the XM5’s have the best performing and best sounding microphone here and you can take phones calls anywhere. Where as these other headphones I would only take phone calls with them while in a quiet room.
So with all the being said… here’s my break down of Sony’s current ANC headphones line up. The WH-CH720N are a great pair of entry level ANC headphones that have a lot of needed upgrades from its predecessors. These headphones now connect to Sony’s headphones app so you can customize their EQ to you liking, and in general, they sound good enough to get the job done. They have an adjustable ambient mode and they block out an adequate amount of noise for a pair entry level ANC headphones. However, what I really love about these headphones is just their fit and comfort. These things are super light weight and super comfortable. These are a great option for the gym. The main downside is that you’re going to have to buy a hardshell case. But then there are the ULT wear and these are a great upgrade over the WH-CH720N cause they block out more noise, I think that these are the best sounding headphones here and they still fit great cause they’re relatively light weight and they have the most spacious ear cups here.
And finally there are the XM4’s and XM5’s. The Sony 1000XM5’s are still the kings of active noise cancelation as of summer 2024. And thanks to their built in atmospheric pressure sensors, both the XM5’s AND XM4’s block out more noise than both of Bose’s ANC headphones while at cruising altitude. But personally I still prefer the XM4’s over the XM5’s cause the XM4’s are most comfortable to wear than the XM5’s, their case is smaller so its easy to fly with these headphones and I like that the XM4’s have more kick in their bass than the XM5’s. But if you want to block out the absolute most amount of noise, and if you want better instrument separation, then you want to go with the XM5’s even though I do feel that you will have to make some sacrifices.