Black Friday can mean only one thing. Headphones deals. Lots of wireless headphones deals.
As predictable as death and taxes, the biggest sales period of the year guarantees the buying public no shortage of discounts on headphones of the wired and wireless varieties. And 2024 is no different, with some fantastic savings across brilliant budget Sony models, lowest prices ever for a couple of flagship five-star Bose pairs and a huge discount on a pair of audiophile headphones from Focal.
It’s always a great feeling spotting the lowest price ever on a current class leader and this is exactly what has happened with the Sony WH-100XM5. These fantastic over-ears have sat at the top of the class ever since they came out back in 2022. Their fantastic combination of features, comfort and performance has proved unbeatable with rival pairs all falling short when we’ve put them to the test. And you can pick a pair up for £245 / $298 over at Amazon. Not bad when you consider they cost £380 / $400 when we originally tested them back in 2022.
But when we tested them we also thought there were a couple of areas that could be improved. After all, no pair of wireless headphones is perfect, no matter how much a manufacturer might want you to believe this is the case.
For the XM5, we mentioned that we thought build quality could be slightly better and we were slightly irked by the fact that they didn’t fold up properly and weren’t quite as portable as we would have liked.
It’s ironic because we didn’t say any of this about their predecessors, the WH-1000XM4. These headphones were launched way back in 2020 and they also gained a five-star review at the hands of our test team. They carried an asking price of £350 / $350.
Now over time, it’s natural for the prices of headphones to fall, especially wireless models where there’s greater turnover of models, a serious amount of competition and in some instances a serious amount of stock that needs to be moved.
The fact the WH-1000XM4 are still seemingly in plentiful supply is quite remarkable… and more importantly, it’s great news for you and me. Unbelievably, they are now sitting on Amazon for just £175 / $198. That’s half-price in the UK and not far off in the US, which is an outstanding saving. No wonder I see so many pairs being worn during my commute to our London office.
And as much as I love and have used the XM5 I’m actually going to say something controversial. I would seriously consider skipping the pricier pair this year in favour of its cheaper sibling. That’s an extra £100 you’re saving over Sony’s flagship which could be put to use elsewhere. Maybe pair of cheap wireless earbuds for the gym?
Yes, I know the XM5 sound better, and the noise-cancelling isn’t quite as advanced and the call quality isn’t quite as good on the XM4. But remember how much cheaper they are. I would also argue that the build quality is more robust on the older pair and that their ability to fold makes them more attractive for day-to-day use and shouldn’t be underestimated.
They are also just as comfortable as the XM5 and offer similar features such as Bluetooth Multipoint, Speak-to-Chat and ‘Wearing Detection’ which means they auto-stop when you remove them from your head and start when you put them back. Battery life for both pairs is identical at 30 hours so you’re not missing out here either.
And they are still extremely entertaining to listen to. They have that Sony musicality and expressive, dynamic sound that we’ve come to know and love which keeps you thoroughly entertained all the way to the end of your favourite tracks.
I’ve used both pairs over the years and while I can appreciate all the improvements that the WH-1000XM5 bring to the party, I still have a major soft spot for the older pair. And at this price, if I was looking to make the step up from a much cheaper pair during this year’s Black Friday sales, I think Amazon's price of £175 for the WH-1000XM4 is an absolute steal and I have no hesitation recommending them.
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