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Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs WH-1000XM5

Reddit rates both Stay Away. The split is what you want: the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 — don’t buy it — get the Sony WH-1000XM4 instead. The WH-1000XM5 — don’t buy it — get the Sony WH-1000XM4 instead.

Bose · Audio

Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Stay Away—
44% of 459 owners recommend
~1 in 6 failure rate — ~1 in 6 long-term owner reports mention a failure, most often the bluetooth, typically inside the [0,25) month window. Reports that mention warranty mostly say it landed outside coverage.

Don’t buy it — get the Sony WH-1000XM4 instead

+ The most repeated reason owners recommend it (34 mentions).

− The single most cited complaint (23 mentions).

Full verdict →
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony · Audio

WH-1000XM5

Stay Away$248
38% of 2,486 owners recommend
~1 in 3 failure rate — ~1 in 3 long-term owner reports describe a failure, overwhelmingly the hinge, typically surfacing between 6 and 23 months in. That onset window straddles the warranty period, and warranty outcomes lean unresolved — most reports land outside coverage or go unaddressed. At 31% serious failure reports versus a category baseline of 27%, this is the 9th-worst reliability record of the 10 wireless headphones we track.

Don’t buy it — get the Sony WH-1000XM4 instead

+ Repeatedly mentioned as the reason owners keep coming back despite everything else.

− A recurring complaint — hinge cracks and breaks dominate long-term owner reports.

Full verdict →

Questions people keep asking

Which is better, the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 or the WH-1000XM5?

Reddit rates both Stay Away. The split is what you want: the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 — don’t buy it — get the Sony WH-1000XM4 instead. The WH-1000XM5 — don’t buy it — get the Sony WH-1000XM4 instead.

Is the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Stay Away. Don’t buy it — get the Sony WH-1000XM4 instead. 44% of 575 weighted mentions recommend it, across 100 ownership threads.

Is the Sony WH-1000XM5 worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Stay Away. Don’t buy it — get the Sony WH-1000XM4 instead. The XM5's ANC and sound still earn fans, but ~1 in 3 long-term reports describe a hinge failure — the worst reliability of the wireless headphones we track.