I reviewed the Sony WH-1000XM5, and this Prime Day deal has me tempted to buy a pair

It’s extremely rare for a Prime Day headphones deal to put me in a quandary, but that’s exactly what this offer on the five-star Sony WH-1000XM5 has done.

Limited storage space and an ever-revolving carousel of new products mean that I’m typically relieved to send headphones back to their manufacturer once I’ve finished testing them. However, I became rather attached to the XM5 and clearly still hold a flame for them.

See, for the first time in many Prime Days, I’m actively considering taking advantage of one of the headphones deals I’m writing about. Amazon currently has the WH-1000XM5 listed for £219, which is the cheapest I remember seeing them.

A bit of research suggests that they were being sold slightly cheaper than that by John Lewis before Christmas last year, but I’d either already blown my budget on extravagant presents or had one too many mulled wines to capitalise.

This time around, I’m not sure I’m willing to miss out. The WH-1000XM5 instantly became my favourite over-ear all-rounders when I tested them, and they remain right up there with the best of their breed, despite having been replaced by the equally outstanding (but significantly more expensive) Sony WH-1000XM6.

Effective noise cancellation, Sony’s wonderfully intelligent Adaptive Sound Control, excellent high-resolution audio quality, and a supremely comfortable fit mean they have just about every base covered. Rereading my review, my only complaints were very minor: the earcups can’t be folded, and the headphones have no protection against rain.

Small as those niggles may be, they might make me hesitate to pull the trigger on a £379 purchase. At £219, they’re far easier to dismiss.

It’s important to note that there is one caveat to this enticing price: the carrying case included is not the collapsible hard-shell variant that lived in my bag for a month. Instead, you get a soft case, which won’t provide quite as much protection. Oh, and they only seem to be available in black; there’s no option to buy the silver (pictured above), midnight blue or smoky pink variants with a soft case.

I’ve not seen what said case looks like, so I can’t comment on its durability, but I imagine that it’ll do the job perfectly well for all but those who treat their headphones with disdain.

Before I check my bank balance to see if I’ve got the necessary funds to splash out, let me remind you that this deal is exclusive to Amazon Prime members. The non-deal price is £379, though even those without a Prime subscription can nab the WH-1000XM5 with a hard case for £249.

If you’re not already a paid-up Amazon Prime member and want to become one, a subscription will set you back £9/mth or £95 annually. Alternatively, if you’ve not used the service for at least 12 months, you can sign up for a 30-day trial, which is well worth doing given the Prime Day sale still has another three whole days to run.

The event ends at 11.59pm on 11 July, and we’ll be bringing you as many deals as we possibly can in the meantime. Our Prime Day hub rounds up the crème de la crème of them across all the categories we cover, and we’ve also got dedicated live blogs tracking deals on coffee machines, TVs, laptops and smartphones.

Written By

Andy White

Andy was appointed Tech Editor in 2024 following four years spent putting a huge range of products through their paces. Formerly a sports journalist at Greenways Publishing, he cut his tech teeth testing laptops before taking over as the site’s TV and audio expert. He’s cast his eye over more headphones and televisions than you can shake a stick at but has also reviewed football boots, handheld game consoles and just about everything in between. As well as testing, writing and editing, Andy covers product launches and key industry events in the UK and overseas.

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