Bose and Sony are two titans of consumer audio, and they’ve been trading spots for the best noise-canceling headphones almost every year. Who wins in their games of one-upmanship? The music fan who wants awesome audio quality in a cocoon of silence, and who’s willing to pay good money for it.
The BestReviews Testing Lab has tested the flagship wireless noise-canceling headphones from both Bose and Sony head-to-head. Our results show that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra noise-canceling headphones take the crown for best active noise cancellation, but we think the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are the better pair of headphones overall.
Sony is a legendary entertainment brand that was founded on audio excellence. Bose pioneered active noise cancellation in both aviation and the consumer market and is known for its sonic innovation.
There’s no getting around the fact that the top Bose and Sony headphones cost several hundred dollars. We also noted some flaws, quirks and issues during our testing.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra, released in late 2023, and the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 from 2019 are the two most recent flagship noise-canceling headphones from the company. They’ve both been our top picks for noise cancellation after testing, raising the bar each release year in their turn.
Product specifications
Battery life: 28 hr (tested) | Noise cancellation type: Active | Bluetooth version: 5.3 | Driver size: 35 mm | Wired or wireless: Wireless
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones had the best active noise cancellation of any headphones we tested, reducing unwanted external sounds in four of our five test scenarios. They almost eliminated single voices in a quiet room, they reduced the noise of traffic on a busy street, they quieted the engine and brake noise of a city bus, and they reduced the roar in a simulated plane cabin by more than 20 decibels.
Product specifications
Battery life: 20 hr | Noise cancellation type: Active | Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Driver size: 40 mm | Wired or wireless: Wireless
Released in 2019, the Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones 700 dropped the QuietComfort moniker and compact foldability for a simple elegant design that we wished could fold more compactly. We liked its sound quality, which we found crisp and vibrant, with the kind of audio expected from Bose products. We also noted its 11 separate noise-canceling levels. We were most impressed by the comfort of these headphones while wearing them, although we were always anxious we might break the headband and arms. Bose discontinued the 700 Headphones in 2024.
Sony’s WH-1000X series represents its top wireless noise-canceling consumer headphones. We tested the WH-1000XM5, noting its winning combination of noise cancelation, sound quality, build quality and features. We think it’s the best overall headphones among all the models we’ve tested. The WH-1000XM4, which preceded them, are still available and might have the edge in sound quality.
Product specifications
Battery life: 34.5 hr (tested) | Noise cancellation type: Active | Bluetooth version: 5.2 | Driver size: 30 mm | Wired or wireless: Wireless
The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones combine excellent sound quality, excellent ANC and great overall features to be the best headphones we’ve tested. We liked their bright high end and powerful bass, and with some EQ tuning we fleshed out their somewhat reticent mids. We found their noise cancellation effective in most tested scenarios, doing noticeably well with traffic noise on a busy street and the whirr of a powerful ventilation fan indoors. We got 34.5 hours of battery life with ANC on, a good result, and despite their price, found them a fair value considering their comprehensive excellence.
Product specifications
Battery life: 30 hr | Noise cancellation type: Active | Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Driver size: 40 mm | Wired or wireless: Wireless
The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones preceded the XM5 models as Sony’s flagship noise-canceling headphones and are still being manufactured. They’ve got a more compact design than the XM5s, and their larger drivers provide fuller mids than the newer model. Their ANC is notably good at handling low-frequency noise, such as the roar of plane engines from inside the cabin. The WH-1000XM4s are still being manufactured and are a great alternative to the XM5s.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are the respective top wireless noise-canceling models from Bose and Sony. Both feature plush ear pads, slim arms and matte surfaces, but the Bose headphones both swivel and fold, while the Sonys only swivel. The Sonys also have thicker earcups than the Bose headphones, which are noticeably shallow against the ears.
The Bose headphones edge the Sonys in noise cancellation, while the Sonys had more exciting sound quality. The Sonys also had several hours more battery life than the Bose headphones. We think the Bose headphones are particularly suited for plane travel, while the Sonys are a more all-around pair of premium headphones for the home and office.
In comparing the Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones 700 to the Sony WH-1000XM4, we found that the Bose 700s are less compact than the Sonys, not being able to fold up tightly and having more delicate-looking arms and headband. We found the sound of the Bose 700s to be enjoyable, but note that the Sonys are also known for excellent audio quality. The Sony XM4s have also been shown to handle airplane noise particularly well. In this scenario, it’s the Sonys that would do best for travel, commuting and plane flights, and the Bose headphones that are more suitable for home or office listening.
Let’s delve into our test results and observations for Bose and Sony headphones. Sound quality, noise cancellation, connectivity, design and battery life are some of the categories we tested.
Bose has developed a reputation, at least among audiophiles, for not prioritizing sound quality. From our experience, we think this reputation is somewhat undeserved, or at least outdated; the Bose headphone models we’ve tested have overall excellent sound, with a couple of caveats. Compared to reference or audiophile headphones, they sound more processed and a little artificial, not exactly what someone looking for clean, natural, spacious sound wants. But that’s not to say they’re not enjoyable. We did note, however, that Bose’s new Immersive Audio mode, while expanding the soundstage and adding novelty, didn’t always work right. We preferred the normal “Quiet” mode instead.
Sony’s reputation was established a long time ago as a highly respected brand for sound quality. Its wired studio monitors have been, and often remain, standards in production and recording. When it comes to consumer audio, the Sony headphones we’ve heard have a boosted bass response, ideal for pop, hip-hop and EDM, and the Sony WH-1000XM5s add a sizzle of brightness in the high end for percussion and sibilants. Generally, Sony is more well-regarded than Bose for sound quality, but the difference we heard between our test models was subtle.
When it comes to noise cancellation, Bose is hard to beat. The company points to having invented active noise cancellation, producing headsets for commercial and military pilots in the 1980s and ’90s before introducing the first QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones in 2000. With research and patents, Bose’s ANC was superior to everyone else’s for many years.
Sony claims to be the first to offer consumer noise-canceling headphones in 1992. More recently, its top wireless noise-canceling headphones in the WH-1000X series have given Bose a run for its money in ANC performance.
Our testing shows Bose currently has regained the edge for noise-cancellation, being able to reduce more different kinds of sounds to a greater extent than the tested Sony headphones. The difference, while perceptible, is not particularly great, meaning the tested Sony headphones are almost as good. Both brands’ headphones offer adaptive noise cancelation options and multiple levels of ANC, plus transparency modes. The Sony WH-1000XM5 could also set and change modes automatically depending on location.
The Bose headphones we tested have between 20 and 28 hours of tested battery life. This is longer than the longest one-way intercontinental flight currently available, so it’s doubtful any user would need to recharge them when it would be inconvenient to do so. However, the tested Sony headphones have between 30 and 35 hours of battery life on a single charge, enough for a long flight and back. These results are both with ANC on; ANC off extends battery life. Realistically, you wouldn’t run out of power with either of these brands if you top off their charge before use. All their tested headphones recharge quickly over USB-C.
All our tested Bose and Sony headphones connect wirelessly over Bluetooth. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones use Bluetooth 5.3 with support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound 3D audio and aptX high-quality wireless connections from Android phones, as well as more universal AAC and SBC. Sony’s WH-1000XM5 uses Bluetooth 5.2 with support for SBC, AAC and Sony’s own LDAC high-quality wireless audio codec. The Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones 700 both use Bluetooth 5.0. All four of these models also come with cables for wired listening, with the Sony WH-1000XM4 using easy-to-find 3.5-millimeter aux cables.
We had no issues with Bluetooth range for these headphones, although we experienced issues of interference and switching with both the Bose QC Ultras and the Sony XM5s in multi-device pairing mode.
When we tested the Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones 700, we wished we could experience more of its features without needing to download the Bose smartphone app. Since then, we’ve become used to the necessity of a smartphone app to access all the capabilities of these high-end wireless headphones, but the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM5 can be controlled to some degree without an app.
Both Sony models in this article and the Bose 700s use touch gestures, which take a moment to learn but don’t jostle the headphones physically, which could affect the noise-cancellation seal. The Bose QuietComfort Ultras have just a touch-sensitive strip to control volume, relying on physical buttons including the familiar multifunction button for everything else. The QC Ultra’s volume control strip was so sensitive that we often accidentally brushed it while accessing the multifunction button, giving us a brief nasty blast at high volume.
Build quality was comparable between both brands based on our tested models. Both Bose and Sony headphones had similar materials, including matte-finish plastics, faux leather, memory foam and aluminum and steel. All of them were generally comfortable to wear for several hours, although the Sony WH-1000XM5’s more cylindrical headband caused some pressure on the crown of the head. We were not pleased to hear a persistent creak in the left earcup of the Bose QuietComfort Ultras that appeared whenever we moved our jaw.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra and the Sony WH-1000XM4 models both swivel and fold their earcups, allowing them not just to lie flat but also fold compactly, and come with smaller, more compact travel cases that fit nicely in a backpack or other personal item. The Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones 700, on the other hand, only swivel flat, making them larger and needing bigger travel cases.
Bose and Sony make headphones at a wide variety of price ranges, even those with active noise cancellation. However, their top wireless noise-canceling models are not cheap. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones have an MSRP of $429, while the discontinued Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 originally cost $379. The Sony WH-1000XM5 costs $399 and the WH-1000XM4 costs $349. It’s preferable to wait for discounts on all of these, particularly the older-but-still-available Sony WH-1000XM4.
In a head-to-head showdown between Bose and Sony, the overall crown for headphone monarch goes to Sony, thanks to their reputation and overall excellence in multiple features and capabilities. However, Bose has rarely been beaten when it comes to active noise cancellation, and with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, it’s still top dog in ANC.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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