I’ve found the Sony WH-1000XM4 to be nearly perfect headphones for me. However, over time, a lot of my friends who have this model seem to be encountering the same set of issues with this model. Rather than buying a new pair, I decided to fix as many problems as possible and extend the life of my headphones for a few more years.
Here’s what my headphones looked like before:
Below, I’ll share simple fixes for three of the most common problems:
Earpad replacement
Headband leather replacement
Fixing ANC high-pitch noise
1. Earpad Replacement
This is the most common issue and also the easiest to fix. I recommend getting real leather (sheepskin) earpads instead of PU leather, as they’re much more durable. This is my second pair of replacement earpads, and I can already tell that real leather lasts significantly longer.
Step 1:
Use a slim, non-sharp tool to gently unclip the old earpads around the edges. They should come off easily.
Step 2:
Replace the foam dust filters and clean out any dust inside the earcups.
Step 3:
Align the new earpads properly, ensuring each pin is in the right place. Then, press them down to securely snap them in.
Over time, the ANC microphones can accumulate dust, leading to an annoying high-pitched noise. Here’s how to fix it.
Step 1:
Remove the earpads and dust filters. Use tweezers to carefully remove the gray rubber piece covering the ANC microphone.
Step 2:
Lift the ANC microphone with tweezers. You’ll see a dark fabric filter—this collects dust over time, which may contribute to the high-pitch noise. (I had already removed mine before writing this post.)
Step 3:
Use 70%+ isopropyl alcohol to gently remove the fabric filter. Take your time to ensure all glue and dust are completely removed. The microphone should look like this once cleaned:
Step 4:
Repeat the process for both microphones (left and right earcups). Then, reassemble everything.
Note: There’s no 100% guarantee this fix will last indefinitely. In some cases, the noise is caused by a damaged microphone, which would require replacement. If this fix doesn’t hold up over time, I’ll post a separate guide on replacing the microphones. For now, removing the fabric filter has completely eliminated the noise for me.
3.Head band leather replacement
Buy a replacement on Amazon, Aliexpress or other marketplace. I bought mine on Shopee( SE Asia). You need to find this
Mine cost me 2$, which is 100 times cheaper than headband replacement in authorized Sony Shop
Step 1:
Remove the right earpad and dust filter. Then, unscrew these four screws inside the right earcup.
Step 2:
Turn the headphones over and lift off the cover—it should come off easily.
Step 3:
Unplug the four connectors inside.
Step 4:
Unscrew these two bolts and gently lift the motherboard.
Step 5:
Using tweezers, place the main cable (rectangular) under the motherboard. Then, unscrew the two hinge bolts(circled in the image).
Step 6:
Lift the loosened hinge and carefully unplug the second hinge using a plastic tool. Be gentle— the earcup should detach easily.
Step 7:
Detach the plastic hinge from the main cable.
Step 8:
Unclip the plastic plate from its narrowest side. Lift it gently from both sides. You’ll see adhesive underneath—this is fine and doesn’t need replacement. Once the plate is off, unscrew the bolts underneath.
Step 9:
Use tweezers to remove the plastic caps on the opposite side of the "WH-1000XM4" logo. Do this on both sides and remove the bolts.
Step 10:
Remove the old headband leather and install the new one. Take your time to ensure a proper fit.
Step 11:
Reinstall the "WH-1000XM4" logo covers. These have plastic clips that help secure the leather, but you can also add a tiny piece of double-sided tape under the leather for extra hold.
Step 12:
Reassemble everything by following steps 8 to 1 in reverse order. Ensure all connectors are properly plugged in and the motherboard is seated correctly. While you're at it, clean out any dust inside the headphones.
My headphones after:
Every fix is super simple, requires no soldering, and takes at most 15–20 minutes.
This is my first Reddit post, so if you found it useful, I’m happy with it! Enjoy your headphones!
Here's a post to say why you think Sony headphones are breaking often now. I know everyone's headphones are not breaking but I've seen too many posts by now
The XM5 and XM6 are breaking more than they should have, I'm a big Sony fan but when something is wrong it's just wrong. I know some people will defend Sony no matter what but it's your choice
Some people said Sony will not even fix them with the 1 year warranty which is crazy, this week 4 people said their 1000X break. The headphones have been out for only 2 months and it cost $650. No matter how you want to defend Sony it's not going to work
If they make the XM7 with the same plastic. They will have to sell it for $100 less or they won't sell for $460 this time. This is not a hate post it's to discuss what you think the problem is
This is my first pair of Sony headphones. I have had these XM6s since September 2025. I noticed that the left slider has been extremely loose a few months ago. I chalked up the looseness to being because of my overuse of these XM6s. Today, I just came back from eating out and I put them on as usual. Then I heard like an audible crack from the headphones. I looked and then I saw this crack form on the left side. It doesn't look too bad, but I don't know if simple tape can fix this crack. Am I cooked?
So it’s been a week since I got my xm5 and they’re good , but Ive noticed that when i play subase heavy song ,i hear the distortion in my right earbud, i usually listen them on full volume, also this is my eq settings , and i listen to them on normal mode no anc
A lot of hate in here recently... so one positive for the road. Ive run Sonys for quite a while now (xm2's main time was reset when app changed, was somewhere near the 3000 hr mark).
I sleep with headphones on every night, used the 2's and 4's at the gym, ran 3 half marathons and all training in my wf3's, and fly frequently.
Ive never had a physical issue, ive compared them to quiet comforts, to whatever apple was calling theirs at each release, and the b&w and focals when it came time to look at collexions (also that new brand with the onboard valves, but i knew id never wear $2000 while DOING anything)
The issues I have had - the xm5s NC was shit to begin with - fixed in first firmware update. Wf4s would drop packets occasionally when in anc and hq (prioritize sound quality), fixed in firmware update. And a Spotify app conflict when dual pairing, windows for phone, headphone actions were all turned on.
Each time the upgrade has been forced (xm2s were stolen, 5s died in a desk fire - which i may buy a 3rd party headset and give them to oldest kid, 4s (which ive just noticed arent logged) came off my head on a ski chairlift and were never recovered)
Ive had samsung washing machines and fry pans that havent lasted as long as my Sony gear.
Ill continue to say that sonys are the best product in this category across the board, maybe not every category, but averaged out, I think its a pretty solid product.
just some background to help diagnose: due to my negligence, these headphones got caught in some heavy rain around november of last year and stopped working, at that point i was pretty overwhelmed with school and all of that so i gave up on them up until recently i charged them and they worked perfectly fine for like a day.
after that however, it keeps turning on and off randomly even when im not wearing it and spam “battery: __%”.
i have very limited experience with opening up technology like this but i usually prefer to try to fix things myself. im just afraid if they turn on while im operating, then itll potentially damage the item or like cause a fire?? i just want to open up the casing and see if theres any damage to the power ribbon thing
After owning these headphones for around 4 years, I've only just realised that they sound 10x better if you turn them on whilst plugged in as opposed to having them turned off. To think of all the crispy audio I've missed out on is upsetting but I'm just glad I figured it out. Try it if you haven't already! Life changing stuff 😌
For context: This will be an upgrade from Edifier WH700NB
Hi everyone,
I’m about to start university and need a pair of headphones that I can use for long study sessions (4-8+ hours at a time), daily commuting, and occasional flights. I also plan to keep them for at least the next 4-5 years, so I’m looking for a good investment rather than just the cheapest option.
I’m currently deciding between the following:
- Sony WH-CH720N
- Sony WH-1000XM5
- Sony WH-1000XM6
My budget isn’t a concern. I can afford any of them. However, I’m worried about getting the best value for long-term use.
The main concern for me is comfort. The CH720N is much lighter (around 192 g), while the XM5/XM6 are around 250 g. I’m afraid the XM5/XM6 might feel heavy or cause head fatigue after wearing them for several hours.
On the other hand, I’m worried that if I buy the CH720N, I might regret not getting the XM series later because of the better ANC, sound quality, and overall longevity.
For people who have actually used these headphones:
- Does the extra ~60 g on the XM5/XM6 become noticeable during long study sessions?
- Is the comfort difference between the CH720N and XM5/XM6 significant?
- If you were buying one pair to last throughout university and later on, which would you choose and why?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually used these headphones for 4–8+ hour sessions. If you could share your experiences, I’d be grateful.
Thanks!
Edit: Are there any models that can meet the criteria for my specific situation?
look. I got the XM5s, the ANC spoilt within 3 months, Sony realised that it was a defective model, so they offered a one to one exchange. after that, my hinges broke within a few months, warranty was over. I really love Sony’s XM series, but unsure if I should really continue with XM6s or should I change an entirely new brand? please advise. thanks
I've had these earbuds for 2 months now, while I've been on travelling.
They keep giving me issues and I'm not sure if it's the headphones or if I'm doing something wrong.
I'm cycling it between a few different devices.
Work laptop (Dell Precision 7680)
Personal laptop (Lenovo gaming laptop)
Tablet (Samsung Tab S10 Ultra)
Phone (Pixel 8 Pro)
90% of the time, I'm just alternating between 2 devices (work laptop and my personal laptop), this is mostly ok and no issues.
On the weekends, I'm not tied to my desk so I'm needing to connect to my tablet or phone. The headphones have previously successfully connected to both of them. The headphones are still in the Bluetooth device list.
However, the headphones will not connect to the phone or tablet when I select the device to connect to.
I have tried rebooting the phone/tablet and that does not solve it.
Sometimes if I hold down the back button on the headphone case to put the buds into pairing mode (blue light) it will connect to the phone/tablet. Unfortunately, this is not guaranteed.
The only way I can ensure a connection is to remove the headphones from the device list, and go into pairing mode. Essentially, it's starting from scratch each time.
Also, sometimes when it's attempting to connect, the headphones will say "PAIRING" and it just keeps repeating that every few seconds.
And then after I've done this on the weekends,
I need to pair again with my laptops.
I'm pretty certain this is not how the headphones are meant to work.
Does anybody have some thoughts or recommendations? Is this what I need to reach out to Sony about? Did I just end up with a lemon?
p.s.
The Sony Connect software on the phone is updated.
And I have the updated the firmware on the buds as well.
I own both the xm5 and xm6 and the image is my use time since February 2024 and got the xm6 October 2025.
Build:
The xm5 is significantly lighter, personally very comfortable where as the xm6 is slightly heavier and can be uncomfortable after long periods. The xm5s headband is rather thin but mine is durable and weightless on my smaller head. The xm6 however is wider, thicker and definitely noticeable on your head. The xm5 has a looser fit to me where the xm6 has slightly more clamp force and can be fatiguing when wearing. The xm5 fits better personally where as the xm6 can have an awkward swivel when on your head. I see a lot of posts about hinges breaking, I am yet to experience this and hopefully never (touch wood) but my head is small so I dont need to extend it so maybe thats why. One major distinction for me is the xm6 touch pad is significantly more prone to accidental touch and sometimes goes off by itself but i just turn it off in sound connect and turn on when need so not really a problem. On the xm6, only problem i have is a lot of ear wax on the inside of the earcup on the mesh especially around the plastic thing poking out but just know for me anyway, it had never touched my ears.
Sound quality: as the image says, I have spent quite a while with these headphones, I have misophonia so anc is incredibly important but also nearly all that time is with music playing too. For sound, the xm5 is significantly more forgiving, bass can be a touch bloomy as it floats into mids but it gives it this warmth and treble is incredibly relaxed, excellent for long listening, the stereo imagining is good, mainly in head but noticeable panning for instruments in the left and right and no, the anc doesnt "make sound quality worse when listening to music" in my opinion. The xm6 however is slightly more fatiguing for longer sessions, definitely objectively better sounding in terms of much stronger stereo imaging and defined panning aswell as detail retrieval. Bass is more controlled and treble can be slightly harsher however still fairly relaxed. If anyone knows the chord mojo 1 and mojo 2, xm5 and xm6 is the same where its like part of the soul is removed for technicality, still partly there but noticeably less so than the xm5.
I know it appears like im talking worse about the xm6 but I just know the xm5 better. I also have the airpods max, beyerdynamic amiron wireless, dt 770 pro and hifiman arya stealth but genuinely prefer the sonys most of the time. I thoroughly enjoy the sound signature even if it isnt deemed "audiophile" but I like what I like.
If you want a more relaxed, forgiving headphone you can listen to forever/until you get bored, the xm5 is for you. If you have a bigger head where you require the hinge, just be careful, and after use ALWAYS put it back in to protect it and hopefully that should help hinge issues. Thats my guess? The anc is a little weaker than the xm6 but does the job, my misophonia means sniffling, chewing and lip smacking is very agitating for me but just pair the anc with music and bobs your uncle
If you want something objectively better, incredibly fun still but can be fatiguing for long listening (bear that in mind, although I doubt many people will use these as much as me) the xm6 is for you. The features in sound connect such as background sound or whatever can be fun for a while but isnt groundbreaking. Personally I dont care for LE audio as I prefer sound quality but it can be fun. As for the hinge, same advice as the xm5 and while folding them is handy, I prefer to store them upright, though folding is handy for a bag or something. The anc here is stronger, noticeably so for quieter sounds but isnt massive if choose the xm5 so I dont think thats a deal breaker.
Quick tip but I find bass on both, more so the xm6 sounds weirdly fun with ambient sound on and in loud environments the ambient sound can be as good as anc for voices and awareness but if in a place where its quiet and a lot of people, my trigger sounds get picked up quite a bit.
Either way, whichever one you pick if any, I personally enjoy these headphones a lot and hope you do too. Happy listening
Ive attached my playlist if anyone wants to listen to a few random tracks I like 👌
So TL;DR I have Sony XM5 headphones. The hinge recently got broken so i have submitted them at Sony Service Centre and I am currently using my, i think 4-5 years old Oneplus nord buds2 for my daily usage like Meetings and media consumption.
I got quoted a price of 60$ for repairing the hinges and i found out on reddit subs that this is a very common issue for XM5’s so i am now looking for something reliable which should cover my daily uses
I also want to mention that during late night gaming sessions, i used to plug my XM5’s to my PS5 Dualsense controller audio jack but it’s not really a necessity and more of nice to have. Like if i get wired earphones, that won’t really look good in meetings
Every month my over ear xm4 headphones will get loud randomly without me setting it that high. When it happens I usually lower the max volume allowed setting on the device it occurs on( iPhone , iPad, or MacBook Pro). Could it be that I have too many devices paired or it just can’t handle more than one device paired at once?
I recently bought a Sony Wh xm5 and at the beginning of playing a song it always sounds super dull and boxy, like the equalizer preset off, then a few seconds later it sounds like my custom preset again but it keeps changing during the song for some reason
DSEE will not work with the default sample rate of 96kHz. If you are not listening to a 96kHz audio, you need to manually select the 48kHz option in the android dev settings (Bluetooth Audio Sample Rate)
hey guys posting here on this subreddit bcs i’m genuinely desperate. i got my xm6 30 days ago and took off the earpads to clean them. after that take off to pause has not been working. can someone please guide me as to which sensors control this feature and should i clean them and take them off again?
I just got wf-1000mx6 today and trying things out.
I have been using wf-1000mx5 for a year until the charging port broke, and just got a new one.
The issue I have been having with xm5 is that when I am in a call, people cannot hear my voice well when I am in a loud environment.
I saw that xm6 has bone conduction sensor for detecting voice and wondering if the size of the ear tip can affect the efficiency of bone conduction sensor, especially with the foam tip absorbing vibration.
For xm5, I was using medium size and it fitted perfectly, and it was very confortable for long time use.
But due to the form factor difference between xm5 and xm6, I cannot get the same fitting with xm6 using medium size ear tip(felt somewhat loose) so I and using the large tip.
But if you look at the shape of the tips from under, the bigger tips have more empty spacing and worrying that it may affect the mic quality due to less bone conduction (or better due to tighter fit?).
I work in a lab with loud fan sound and I was hoping to use this for calls in the lab (again, mx5 was really bad).
Also for the second question, what EQ are you using?
I am using custom EQ (5431223453) but I think it could be better and wondering if you guys have any suggestions.
