So the Sony WF-1000XM5’s have a lot of upgrades to them, both on the outside and on the inside. And overall they are a pair of very impressive ANC earbuds. But today we’re going to see how they compare to both the Bose QC Earbuds 2 and the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s… earbuds that are very different from your default options like the AirPods Pro 2 or the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.
Regarding pricing, all of these earbuds are up there, the Momentum 3’s have a retail price of $250, and both the Bose QC Earbuds 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5’s have a retail price of $300. However, since both the Bose and Sennehsier are older, they like to go on sale now, the Sennehsier go on sale for $180 and the bose go on sale for $250. Nonetheless, if you want to pick any of these earbuds up they’ll be linked down below.
Now first lets talk about the cases, cause there are some very important things to point out here. Now the WF-1000XM5’s have the smallest case here and its the most convientne case here for every day carry cause its not to noticeable then its in your pocket. And I really like this new case on the Sony cause its just a little larger than the AirPods Pro 2. But then there’s Sennheiser’s case… now I will say that this case is small enough for every day carry… but this is the largest that I would say that is acceptable cause this case is pretty thick. But then there’s Bose’s case. Now bose has always struggled when it comes to their cases… now this case is an improvement from their predecessor… but I feel this case is unacceptable for every day cause it has a very large foot print when compared to these other cases. But also, Bose’s case is the only case here that doesn’t have wireless charging, something that is expected for a pair of premium ANC earbuds like these, so overall case wise, the Sony WF-1000XM5’s are easily the winners here.
But then there’s the battery life on these earbuds, now the battery life on the Sennehsier is decent but it is the worst here, the Momentum 3’s an advertised combined battery life of 28 hours, with their active noise cancelation turned off. The earbuds themselves can go for 7 hours and the case can supply 3 additional charges. And if you use these earbuds with their ANC turned off, then your combined battery life is going to be reduced.
But then there are both the Sony and Bose which both have an advertised combined battery life of 24 hours with their active noise cancelation turned on. Now the earbuds on the bose can go for as long as 6 hours and the earbuds on the sony can go for as long as 8 hours. But more importantly, I do feel that the Sony’s have the best battery life here cause they have the best battery life to case size ratio cause they have the smallest case here.
But now lets talk about the earbuds themselves. When it comes to fit, all of these earbuds fit very differently from one another. Now first off there are the momentum 3’s, now these are a pair in ear earbuds… but these go in deeper into your ear canals than lets say the linkbuds s or the galaxy buds 2. Now since the Momentum 3’s go in deep, they may feel a little intrusive, but they offer really good lockdown and they passively block out a lot of noise. But then there are the bose, now these are a pair of shallow fitting in ear earbuds similar to the AirPods Pro 2 or Galaxy Buds 2 Pro… so these dont feel as intrusive. But the common problem with shallow fitting in ear earbuds is that they can wiggle out easily. But the bose combat this buy having built in fins which helps give these earbuds more lock down. But finally there are the Sony, and these are a pair of standard fitting in ear earbuds. But the thing about these earbuds is that they come with foam ear tips. Now these foam ear tips are supposed to offer more lock down and they are supposed to passively block out more noise, and they do that. But my problem with these foam ear tips is that they can get itchy after like 20 minutes. So overall comfort wise, I can confidently say that the bose are the most comfortable earbuds here, followed by the Sennheiser, and finally there are the Sony who’s foam ear tips might not be for everyone.
But then there’s the bluetooth connectivity of these earbuds… and this is perhaps the biggest lets down for the Bose QC earbuds 2. Now the Bose QC Earbuds 2 are still using a hero and side kick set up. As in one earbud, the hero earbud, in this case the right earbud actually establishes a connection with your phone, and then it relays that connection to the left earbud. So if you just want to use one earbud at a time, you have to use the correct earbud, in this case the right earbud.
And honestly, using a hero and side kick set up in 2023 on a pair of premium ANC earbuds is a bit of a let down, cause with these other two earbuds, each earbud establishes a connection with your phone. So if you just want to use one earbud at a time you can use either one. It doesn’t matter. And this is the connection set up that we expect to see on all of our earbuds nowadays.
But overall, the Sony’s do have the best connectivity here cause these can also be simultaneously connected to any two bluetooth devices at the same time, regardless of eco system, so you can easily hot swap from one device to another, making them a great option for any power user.
But when it comes to overall performance, all of these earbuds have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone whether you’re using an iPhone or an android device, but when it comes to audio codecs, the Bose only have support for SBC and AAC, which is fine. But these other two earbuds also have support for higher quality audio codecs, the Sennehsier have support for APTX adaptive and the Sony have LDAC. Just keep in mind that if you want to take advantage of these higher quality audio codecs, you do have to be an android user cause iPhones top out at AAC.
But now lets talk about actually listening to music with these earbuds. Now first off with all of these earbuds they all have a fully customizable EQ so you can make them sound however you want. However from a performance standpoint, the Bose do like to lean towards a brighter sound signature. Now peronsally I like to use these earbuds with their bass raised by four clicks and with the mids and treble lowered a little bit so that they sound more balanced, but still their instrumentals aren’t as defined and their bass is mostly on the audible side. As in it resonates, but there’s no kick to it. Very Bose fashion. But then there are the Sony now the Sony’s have similar instrument separation as the bose… but these have a lot more bass that both resonates and kicks a little bit. But finally there are the Sennhesier Momentum 3’s and these have the best sound here. First off the bass on these earbuds resonates and kicks more than the bass on these other earbuds. But also, these earbuds sound the most open and they also have the best detail when it comes to the highs. And unlike with the highs on the Bose, they aren’t over emphasized and they dont sound nassaly. So overall when it comes the sound, the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s are the winners and this has always been their main selling point for me.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these earbuds, now I will say that the active noise cancelation on all of these earbuds is very impressive, but I do want to taper expectations here, the ANC on these earbuds is going to block out as much noise as a pair of premium ANC headphones like lets say the Sony 1000XM5, Bose QC45, AirPods Max or the Sennheiser Momentum 4.
And when it comes to overall ranking, for me the AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5’s are neck and neck for number 1, closely followed by the Bose QC Earbuds 2, below them are Sennheiser momentum 3’s, below them are the Sony WF-1000XM4’s, below them are the linkbuds S, below them are the Jabra Elite 85T’s, below them are the Galaxy buds 2 Pro and below them are the Pixel Buds Pro.
Now the reason why I say the Sony WF-1000XM5’s are neck and neck with the AirPods Pro 2 is cause with the AirPods Pro 2’s, they do a slightly better job of blocking out constant low frequency sounds like road noise, where as the XM5’s do a slightly better job of blocking out random higher frequency sounds like chatter. Overall, both of these earbuds are at the top when it comes to blocking out noise… but here you’re going to have to choose if you want to block out more road noise or if you want to block out more chatter. But regardless, the difference here is very small.
But overall, I do feel that the Bose QC Earbuds 2 are the winners here when it comes to blocking out noise… cause even though yes, the Sony’s block out more noise… they do have an advantage cause of their foam ear tips. And like I mentioned earlier the foam ear tips on the sony might not agree for everyone. So for that reason, I prefer the Bose over the sony cause the bose are more comfortable, and so are the Sennheiser.
But like I have mentioned in the past, I only use the active noise on my earbuds when I have to, and what’s really important to me is the quality of their ambient mode. Now with all of these earbuds, you can adjust their ambient mode to your liking… however, the Sony’s do have the most natural sounding ambient mode here. Where as the ambient mode on both the Bose and Sennheiser sound a little artificial by comparison.
But the key differentiating factor here is that the bose has an active ambient mode, so they will actively protect your ears from just getting blasted if you’re walking outside with the ambient mode turned on and a siren rolls by or if a dog starts barking. Where as with these other two earbuds, they’ll just let in everything.
Mic Bose Quite
But finally here’s the microphone test, now overall both of these microphones are decent enough to take phone calls with while in a quite room
Mic Sony Quite
But I do feel that the Sonys do a better job of focusing on my voice than the Bose QC Earbuds 2
Mic AirPods Quite
But in general I do feel that the microphone on both of these earbuds are lacking when compared to the AirPods Pro 2 which are the default option for any iPhone user.
Mic AirPods Road Noise
But more importantly, the AirPods Pro 2 do a much better job of dealing with noise pollution. Cause right now this microphone is doing a really imrepssive job of reducing this road noise. Because for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clealery hear alll of this road noise, but if we switch back over to the AirPods Pro 2, it is severely reduced.
Sony Road Noise
Where as with the Sony, you can hear some road noise in the back ground.
Bose Road Noise
And with the bose you can also hear the road noise in the back ground and my voice is pushed down a little bit.
Bose Chatter
And when it comes to blocking out chatter, its the same thing. You can hear chatter in the back ground and my voice is pushed down.
Sony chatter
And with the Sony’s you dont hear as much chatter but there is some interference with my voice.
AirPods Chatter
But finally here are the AirPods Pro 2 and these are doing the best job of blocking out this chatter. And again if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clealery hear all of this chatter but if we were to switch back over to the AirPods Pro 2, it is severely reduced. So overall, I do feel that the microphone on both the Bose QC Earbuds 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5’s can be better.
But with all of that being said, if you’re trying to choose between any of these three earbuds then here’s my breakdown. With the Sony WF-1000XM5’s you’re going to get the most complete package. They have the smallest case here but they also have the best case to battery life ratio. Their Bluetooth connectivity performance is what you’d expect for 2023, they block out a ton of noise and they have a really good sounding ambient mode. The thing to lookout for on these earbuds are their foam ear tips, they might not agree with everyone cause they can get itchy. But then there are the sennheiser, these are the best option if you want the best sound. Now even though they block out a lot noise, they font block out as much noise as these other earbuds and their battery life isn’t as good. And finally there are the Bose QC earbuds 2… now I really like their fit cause they’re very comfortable and I love that they have an active ambient mode. However, these earbuds have always felt old and clunky from the day they came out. They have a large case without wireless charging and they’re still using a hero and side kick set up. However, I can’t deny that I really like their fit cause they’re as comfortable as the AirPods Pro 2… but they dont wiggle out.