Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Canceling Headphones

Industry-leading ANC with Auto NC Optimizer, 30-hour battery, redesigned 30mm driver for cleaner highs, and multipoint Bluetooth — the benchmark other headphones are still measured against.

The XM5 sits at the top of the over-ear ANC market for a reason — Sony refined everything that made the XM4 great and addressed its shortcomings. Eight microphones and dual noise-canceling processors do the heavy lifting, with an Auto NC Optimizer that reads your current environment and adjusts the cancellation profile on the fly. The 30mm driver is completely redesigned for tighter bass and cleaner highs. Battery life hits 30 hours, and Quick Charge means 3 hours of playback from a 3-minute plug-in — useful when he's running out the door. The headband is slimmer, the earpads plusher, and the whole thing folds flat for travel. Multipoint Bluetooth keeps it connected to two devices at once, so switching from laptop to phone is seamless. With 19,000+ Amazon ratings and 2,000+ sold per month, the XM5 is still the first name serious listeners reach for when someone asks what headphones to buy.