Between the HD 660S2 and WH-1000XM5, the HD 660S2 comes out ahead in driver size, while the WH-1000XM5 wins on weight and active noise cancellation. Overall, the HD 660S2 scores 64.2 and the WH-1000XM5 scores 60.5 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The HD 660S2 edges ahead on the Mars Score (64.2 vs 60.5), but the 3.7-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the HD 660S2 if you care most about driver size. The biggest gaps in its favor are driver size.
Pick the WH-1000XM5 if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. Its strongest claims are weight, active noise cancellation, spatial audio, among others.
Both ship with comparable water resistance, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Sennheiser - HD 660S2 wins
- ▲Driver size — 40.00% more. 42 mm vs 30 mm.
Why Sony - WH-1000XM5 wins
- ▲Weight — 10.00 g less. 250 vs 260.
- ▲Has Active noise cancellation.
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
- ▲Has Multipoint.
- ▲Has LDAC.
- ▲Battery life: 30 h vs 0 h.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Sennheiser - HD 660S2 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 260 g | 250 glead |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Sennheiser - HD 660S2 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 42 mmlead | 30 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 300 Ωlead | 48 Ω |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 104 dBlead | 102 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | false | truelead |
| Transparency mode | false | truelead |
| Spatial audioⓘ | false | truelead |
Battery
| Spec | Sennheiser - HD 660S2 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 0 h | 30 hlead |
| Fast chargeⓘ | false | truelead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Sennheiser - HD 660S2 | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 0 | 5.2lead |
| Multipointⓘ | false | truelead |
| 3.5mm jack | true | true |
| LDACⓘ | false | truelead |
| aptX HDⓘ | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, HD 660S2 or WH-1000XM5?+
WH-1000XM5 lasts 30 hours vs 0 hours.
Do HD 660S2 or WH-1000XM5 have active noise cancellation?+
WH-1000XM5 has ANC; HD 660S2 does not.
Which supports LDAC, HD 660S2 or WH-1000XM5?+
WH-1000XM5 supports LDAC; HD 660S2 does not.
Spec-level deep dives
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