The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are still less than $200 following October Prime Day

Save 50%: As of Oct.

8, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are on sale for $198 at Amazon, knocking $201.99 off their $399.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-1000XM5 $198 at Amazon $399.99 Save $201.99 Get Deal Just one month ago, Sony launched a pair of mid-tier headphones targeted toward the more budget conscious consumer who didn't want to sacrifice quality.

Who knew that 30 days later, Sony would be offering a deal on its former flagship headphones that offered an even better value? As of Oct.

8, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are on sale for $198, bringing them down to their lowest price ever, and slashing $201.99 off their total price of $399.99.

At first glance, this already looks like a pretty great deal.

The context behind it, however, makes it even better.

Let's start with how these headphones compare to the current flagship model, the WH-1000XM6 headphones .

While the XM6s come with some minor upgrades, including improvements in sound and folding ear cups, in my head-to-head comparison , I didn't find any wild discrepancies between the two headphones.

They're visually very similar and have the same exact battery life.

While the XM6's eke out as a slightly better pair overall, they also retail for $459.99 at full price (and are currently on sale for $378 ).

In other words, even on sale they're $180 more — expensive enough that you could nearly buy the XM5s on sale twice over.

SEE ALSO: The 13 best headphones of 2026: We tested the top contenders from Sony, Apple, Bose, and Beats That's not all.

The new WH-1000XM4C from Sony were designed for people who didn't need the best of the best, but still wanted a solid-performing pair of headphones that could stand the test of time.