Though only a few grams lighter than their predecessors at 250g, the difference between the two models felt more pronounced than that – these are headphones you can wear for hours on end. It's time to once again transform Sony’s excellent wireless noise-cancelling headphones. Treat yourself and add an extra layer of protection to those award winning headphones and fully customise them without compromising the stylish look and feel of the Sony WH1000XM4. The WH-1000XM5 never missed a beat in terms of registering my actions. As soon as I got up and started moving around, my settings would switch from staying to walking and the same proved true when moving between different registered locations. The technology functioned brilliantly on both the WH-1000XM4 and WF-1000XM5 and works equally well here.

Complementing that excellent noise cancellation is first-rate sonic delivery. The move to the new 30mm drivers has certainly had a positive effect, allowing the WH-1000XM5 to produce a broader soundstage and extract even more detail from source material than their predecessors. The headphones come with a standard 3.5mm headphones cable that can be used when the headphones are turned on or off. The microphone cannot be used over the 3.5mm cable, however. They are not neutral, with a default sound that is more mid-bass heavy than some competitors, but they produce well-controlled, deep and full bass, warm mids and sparkling high notes. Unlike many rivals, they have a full equaliser in the app to customise the sound to your liking, as well as music enhancement systems such as Sony’s DSEE Extreme upscale audio to revive tones lost because of compression at the expense of battery life.Sequoia Canvas Camera Bag Shoulder Crossbody Bag Case Compatible with Canon Camera, Nikon, Sony SLR/DSLR Travel Cameras Lenses Shoulder Bag One tap on the NFC spot is all that is needed to pair and connect compatible Android smartphones. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The Headphones Connect app for Android and iOS handles various settings and updates, including switching connected devices, noise-cancelling modes and sound options. The power button triggers pairing mode when held for several seconds from off. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Bluetooth connectivity now comes courtesy of version 5.2 with codec support extending to SBC, AAC and Sony LDAC. The latter provides access to Hi-Res streaming quality on most Android devices but can’t be used if you’re connected to two devices via Bluetooth Multipoint.