Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless Bluetooth Noise Canceling Headphones - Black (Renewed)

I bought these as refurbed (excellent). I wasn’t going to sink any more money given the battery issues of the previous model - mine died after approx 2 years (rhs would die more quickly until it would only last about 20 minutes). Sony sent a direct offer on the app about a discount on the new ones only if you posted back your old buds - offer a low discount on full retail and put a hurdle on completing - no thanks Sony!!!I bought some jabra elite 10 in ears after reading all the reviews - what a huge mistake. Sound state even after adjusting was awful with tinny bass and the most woeful of buds - none of them got a seal and the dumbest bud design ever so you would have to buy very specific aftermarket buds - in short a load of crapSo I took the plunge and got the new Sony buds and glad I did - sony is night and day versus jabraThe soundstage and bass is superbNow I just hope the battery lasts longer than the previous one - still as I paid less than $160 I’m not as concerned this time

HOW TO PAIR:- place earbuds in case- open the lid of the case- hold the button on the back of the case until your device recognizes WF-1000XM5Seller:- great value for a refurbished product, earbuds appeared to be brand new- I paid $184 plus shipping from the seller "Electronics Basket"- quick shipping, arrived within 3 daysComparisons to the older WF-XM3 model:- sound and noise cancelling are similar, maybe a bit improved- the size of the case and earbuds is greatly reduced, which I find very convenient- case battery life is shorter- can be set up for location tracking if they get lost- able to connect to two devices at once. The feature has been pretty reliable, but occasionally autoplays media. I haven't found a way to disable that.Final thoughts:- one of my best purchases in a while- I like the look and convenience of the small size of these earbuds. Each bud is slightly bigger than a large thumbnail

Reading the reviews before purchasing, I was a little concerned that the refurbished version had many low reviews for missing earpieces. Well, mine came with earpieces on the headphones, plus a bag with three more pairs and a stubby USB-A to USB-C charging cable.Everything seems to be in like-new condition. The packaging was missing, so it was just some plastic bags in a generic USPS cardboard box, but that makes no difference to me. (I only mention it because the set of XM5 over ear headphones I bought refurbished even came in the Sony packaging).It's the middle of winter in WI right now, so when they were delivered, the battery was too cold to charge normally. It turns out they recommend the battery be close to 60°F to charge. But, they warmed up quickly, and I'm not going to dock points for that.On to the important parts....Sound quality is good, but not great. I'm coming from owning multiple sets of over the ear headphones, including the XM3 and XM5 Sony models, and there's really no comparison. The over the ear versions are miles better. Bass on the earbuds is lacking in both clarity and volume. I was surprised by the frequency range - one of my test tracks has prominent sub-bass, and I was still present and discernible even when it was in the background of a variety of other tones.Treble is clear enough, but the soundstage is very limited. This may be an earbud issue in general, I'm not sure.Most of my complaints about the bass can be fixed with the "Clear Bass" function, which is found under the equalizer. I'm currently running with the mid and treble sliders increased by a couple notches, and the clear bass almost all the way up.Comfort-wise, they're good so far. They seem to stay in place, even with the wrong size earpieces (I've experimented with all but the smallest, more tapered size.) I will also say, the earpieces make a significant difference in the sound quality. If they're too big, they don't fit in your ear far enough, and the sound suffers greatly.Noise reduction seems sufficient. Haven't taken them on a plane yet, though I plan to in a couple weeks, so maybe I'll update this review. The foam tips make pretty good earplugs even without the noise cancelling on.So, in short, dock one star for the sound quality and the fact that I had to spend half an hour adjusting the equalizer to get it to meet my expectations. Everything else is good!

I decided to buy the Sony WF1000XM5 earbuds to watch movies, TV, and listen to music. They were not intended to be used to place and receive phone calls.My refurbished WF1000XM5 earbuds looked new when they arrived in a bubble wrap bag. All but one small earbud tip were in the package. No problem, I have several other foam earbud tips that fit the WF1000XM5’s. Also, Bluetooth name was Eduardo, so I changed the name to WF1000XM5. They were also registered to someone else.I don’t like the small pairing button on the back of the charging case. It’s a bit awkward to access and press if you have large hands. It’s also a bit awkward getting them out of the charging case.I was unable to get the earbuds to stay in my ears no matter how many different sizes and combinations of foam tips I tried. They were snug when I twisted them into my ears, but after a few minutes the right earbud always worked its way loose and fell out. The left bud fell out after about 10 minutes. I was not inclined to spend $24 on a set of Comply earbud tips with the chance of similar results.I did lots of research on Bluetooth earbuds and fit seems to be a general problem. For example my $39 TriBit Flybuds 3 earbuds fit great, and they never fall out. I am a bit disappointed the WF1000XM5’s don’t fit, I was looking forward to using them. I think I’ll stick with my $39 Flybuds 3’s, the sound is good and the meet my needs.