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Ace vs WH-1000XM5

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

Sonos · Audio

Ace

Stay Away—
44% of 662 owners recommend
No recurring failure pattern found across 62 threads.

Don’t buy it

+ Repeatedly mentioned as a standout — long listening sessions without fatigue come up constantly in owner reports.

− A vocal minority finds the sound quality underwhelming or inconsistent relative to the asking price.

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 Ace or the WH-1000XM5?

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

Is the Sonos Ace worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Stay Away. Don’t buy it. Comfortable and good-sounding, but a polarizing price tag keeps the recommend rate below the category average.

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.