Over-Ear Headphones · owner-verdict comparison

ATH-R70xa vs Sony WH-1000XM5: what real owners say

Real owners rate these about evenly: 63% of 27 ATH-R70xa owners recommend it, vs 60% of 359 for the Sony WH-1000XM5.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

ATH-R70xa

63%of 27 owners recommend
63% recommend · 30% neutral · 7% don't
Full owner report →

Sony WH-1000XM5

60%of 359 owners recommend
60% recommend · 15% neutral · 25% don't
Owners praise
  • Class-leading noise cancellation
  • Comfortable and lightweight for long wear
  • Excellent, well-rounded sound quality
Owners complain about
  • Hinges crack or break, often within a year
  • Sound underwhelming or muddy for the price
  • Headband presses painfully on top of head
Full owner report →

What ATH-R70xa owners say

“I listened to a bunch of highly rated headphones at the last CanJam in NYC and none of them made me want to upgrade from the R70xa.”
— this_is_me_drunk on Reddit
“I got the r70xa as well, but had to get a new amp to give it more juice to make it sing. But man, being so light i hardly reach for my other cans now and using these as daily drivers.”
— Waste_Search2125 on Reddit
“it has this really arfticial, unnatural sound to it that's neither analytic nor is it a smooth, rich entertaining sound”
— Overall-Cupcake7073 on Reddit

What Sony WH-1000XM5 owners say

“I actually love the fact that they won't fold. Folding make them weaker and they rattle a lot.”
— @LLANTALOBOTOMIK on YouTube
“I think not being foldable will eventually be better for durability in the long term”
— @RaedVS on YouTube
“Wow the sound quality sounds just like my phone speakers”
— @Gpinky765 on YouTube