Short answer: the Sony WH-1000XM5, though neither ranks well in its class. It ranks #195 of 231 over-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 2.6/5, at $186.12. The Sony ULT Wear ranks #227, rated 1.0/5, at $129.95, $56.17 cheaper, not enough of a saving to outweigh the sound-quality gap. Both are rated below 3.0/5 among the 231 over-ear headphones, and the Sennheiser HD 550, ranked #6 at $199.95, is a better place to start if sound quality matters.
What the Sony ULT Wear does well: Active noise cancelling, up to 30 hours of battery with ANC on and 50 with it off, LDAC and AAC support, and a wired option make it a practical travel headphone. The tradeoff: The preference score is just 8, with a very uneven response; a 12 dB dip near 9.7 kHz beside a 5.6 dB peak at 11.2 kHz, plus a presence region more than 4 dB low, buries vocals and detail under the bass.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 is the better-sounding pick. It offers active noise cancelling, Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC, AAC and LDAC for high-resolution streaming, a built-in microphone, and about 30 hours of battery life. The tradeoff: Bass sits about 7 dB over target and sub-bass about 6 dB over, with the low mids another 3 dB over, so the sound is bloated and bass-heavy for anyone wanting a balanced presentation.
Buy the Sony WH-1000XM5. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the $56.17 saving on the Sony ULT Wear is not enough to make up the difference.
Want more options? Browse the full Headphones rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Sony ULT Wear | Sony WH-1000XM5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $129.95 | $186.12 |
| Ranked | #227 of 231 in Over-Ear Headphones | #195 of 231 in Over-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | Over-ear | Over-ear |
| Harman Preference Score | 8 (median of 2 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 50 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 5.04 dB standard deviation | 3.33 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -2.89 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -1.47 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+6.8 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+4.3 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wireless and wired | Wireless and wired |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 40mm dynamic | 1 x 30mm dynamic |
| Impedance | 32 ohms | 48 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 100 dB/mW | 102 dB/mW |
| Weight | 0.6 lbs (255 g) | 0.6 lbs (250 g) |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 4Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life | 30 hours (50 with ANC off, Manufacturer specified) | 30 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| IP Rating | - | None |
Related Headphone Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Sony WH-1000XM5:
- Beats Studio3 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X
- Sony WH-1000XM5 vs AKG K271 MKII
- Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
- Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Sony WH-1000XM6
Prices on this page were last checked October 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Headphones In Full
Sony ULT Wear: $129.95 Wireless Amazon $129.95 eBay
Pros: Active noise cancelling, up to 30 hours of battery with ANC on and 50 with it off, LDAC and AAC support, and a wired option make it a practical travel headphone. Listeners who want maximum bass get it: in squig.link measurements the 60 to 200 Hz range sits nearly 9 dB above target and sub-bass about 7.6 dB above.
Cons: The preference score is just 8, with a very uneven response; a 12 dB dip near 9.7 kHz beside a 5.6 dB peak at 11.2 kHz, plus a presence region more than 4 dB low, buries vocals and detail under the bass. The Sennheiser HD 569 rates higher at a similar price.
Full Sony ULT Wear review and specifications →
| Released | Apr 2024 (2 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Active Noise Cancelling | Yes |
| Back | Closed |
| Battery Life | 30 hours (50 with ANC off, Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Connection | Wireless and wired |
| Deviation From Target | 5.04 dB standard deviation |
| Driver Type | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 40mm dynamic |
| Form Factor | Over-ear |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Harman Preference Score | 8 (median of 2 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Impedance | 32 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 100 dB/mW |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+6.8 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Tonal Tilt | -2.89 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Weight | 0.6 lbs (255 g) |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
Sony WH-1000XM5: $186.12 Wireless Amazon $186.12 eBay
Pros: It offers active noise cancelling, Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC, AAC and LDAC for high-resolution streaming, a built-in microphone, and about 30 hours of battery life. At 250 g it is lighter than the other wireless over-ears at its level. Presence and treble are within about 3 dB of target, and the largest deviation in the upper range is a modest 4.6 dB peak near 6.2 kHz, so the top end is relatively smooth.
Cons: Bass sits about 7 dB over target and sub-bass about 6 dB over, with the low mids another 3 dB over, so the sound is bloated and bass-heavy for anyone wanting a balanced presentation. A 3.6 dB dip near 2.3 kHz pulls back vocals slightly, while air above 10 kHz is about 2 dB low. It has no IP rating for water or dust protection. The Beats Studio3 Wireless has a higher rating.
Full Sony WH-1000XM5 review and specifications →
| Released | May 2022 (4 years ago) |
|---|---|
| Active Noise Cancelling | Yes |
| Back | Closed |
| Battery Life | 30 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Connection | Wireless and wired |
| Deviation From Target | 3.33 dB standard deviation |
| Driver Type | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 30mm dynamic |
| Form Factor | Over-ear |
| Frequency Response | 4Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Harman Preference Score | 50 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ) |
| IP Rating | None |
| Impedance | 48 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 102 dB/mW |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+4.3 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Tonal Tilt | -1.47 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Weight | 0.6 lbs (250 g) |
EQ preset to match the Harman target
Set a preamp of -6.2 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response.
| Filter | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | -3.2 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 2,448 Hz | +6.9 dB | 2.46 |
| Peak | 173 Hz | -5.6 dB | 0.96 |
| Peak | 3,028 Hz | -5.4 dB | 2.03 |
| Peak | 1,327 Hz | +3.3 dB | 0.58 |
| High shelf | 10,000 Hz | +4.9 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 6,110 Hz | -2.3 dB | 5.81 |
| Peak | 875 Hz | -1.2 dB | 4.07 |
| Peak | 1,197 Hz | +1.0 dB | 3.28 |
| Peak | 63 Hz | +0.4 dB | 2.13 |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons