Sony WF1000XM5

Sony's XM5 still set the bar for noise canceling, but fit is a gamble and touch controls will test your patience. Get them cheap or get comfortable rivals instead.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 are the noise-canceling earbuds everyone else is still chasing. Their ANC is absurdly good, and the sound quality is right up there with the best standalone in-ears. But here's the catch: they're finicky. Fit is a gamble, touch controls feel like they're reading your mind when you don't want them to, and the transparency mode is a step behind Apple's AirPods Pro. If you're willing to tinker with foam tips and EQ settings, these can be endgame. If not, there are more comfortable options that get you 90% of the way there.

What surprised us most is how the XM5 can sound so rich and detailed out of a driver barely bigger than a pencil eraser. The bass is deep without being bloated, and LDAC support gives you enough bandwidth to hear micro-details in Tidal or local hi-res files. But that muddy, out-of-box tuning we keep reading about? It took all of two minutes in the Sony Headphones Connect app to fix. The ANC is the real party trick. We've worn these in coffee shops, on subways, and next to a rattling AC unit and it's like hitting mute on the world. Just know that if you plan to wear them for hours straight, your ears will start to protest before the 8-hour battery does.

The $428 list price at some retailers is a hard pass. But because these show up for as little as $148 (renewed on Amazon), the value story flips. At that price, you're getting the best ANC in the game for less than half the cost of new flagships. Even around $200 it's a solid deal. Just be realistic about fit and skip the $300+ new-in-box unless you've already tried them in your ears.

If ANC is your holy grail, the only real rival is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen. Bose ekes out a tiny comfort lead and their transparency mode sounds more natural, but the Sony takes it on sheer noise-killing power and LDAC support. The Technics EAH-AZ100-K sound a smidge more balanced out of the box and feel more premium, yet their ANC doesn't quite match. For Samsung phone owners, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro offer tighter integration and better call quality, but their ANC is a tier below. Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 4 are the audiophile pick if music matters more than noise canceling.

If all-day comfort or a locked-in gym fit is a dealbreaker, skip these. Try the Bose QC Ultra for plush wearability or the Jabra Elite 10 for secure, sporty stays. And if you never want to mess with EQ, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 sound great right out of the box.

The XM5 are still the ANC king, plain and simple. If you're a frequent flyer or commuter who can get a secure fit, buy them and don't look back. But pick them up refurbished or on deep discount. Paying full price when the market has this many strong alternatives is just lighting money on fire. And if you've got small or tricky ears, at least try before you commit.