The best noise cancelling headphones in Australia, and where to actually buy them
We compared the Sony WH-1000XM5 across every major Australian retailer. Here is how the delivered prices compare, and which seller to pick.
By Cartwise · 12 July 2026 · 5 min read
If you have spent any time looking at noise cancelling headphones, you already know the Sony WH-1000XM5 is the one everyone points at. What nobody tells you is that the price swings by about fifty dollars depending on where you buy, and the cheapest listing is not always the one you want.
So we did the boring part for you. Here is every seller we track, ranked by what it actually costs to get a pair to your door.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
| Seller | Price | Shipping | Delivery | Delivered total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
eBay AUBest value ★ 4.1Lowest priceFastestFree shippingLocal stock | $365 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $365✓ checked 23 July | Go to store |
Kogan ★ 4.0FastestFree shippingLocal stock | $379 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $379✓ checked 21 July | Go to store |
Amazon AU ★ 4.5FastestFree shippingLocal stock | $548 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $548✓ checked 31 July | Go to store |
Harvey Norman ★ 4.2FastestFree shippingLocal stock | $548 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $548✓ checked 31 July | Go to store |
JB Hi-Fi ★ 4.6FastestFree shippingLocal stockTop rated | $549 | Free shipping | 2–6 days | $549✓ checked 31 July | Go to store |
eBay AU is the best value at $365 delivered, which is $184 less than the dearest seller, and it ships in 2 to 6 days from an Australian warehouse.
Lowest of 5 sample sellers: $365 delivered. These are indicative figures showing how the comparison works, not current quotes, so check the seller's site before buying.
That table updates on its own, so whenever you are reading this, those are current prices, not what they were the day someone wrote the article.
Why the cheapest price is not always the right pick
Look closely at the list above and you will usually see the same pattern. An overseas seller sits at the top with the lowest number, and then a local retailer sits a little higher.
The overseas listing is real, and the savings are real. But you are trading three weeks of waiting for it, and if something goes wrong, you are dealing with a returns process that crosses an ocean. For a five hundred dollar pair of headphones, a lot of people would rather pay twenty dollars more and have them on Thursday.
That is the whole reason we show delivery time next to the price instead of burying it. The number on its own is not the answer.
What actually matters in this category
A few things are worth knowing before you spend the money.
The noise cancelling is genuinely the best in class. On a plane or in an open plan office, the XM5 removes the low rumble almost completely. Voices still come through faintly, which is normal, no headphone kills speech entirely.
Battery life is not a worry. Thirty hours means you charge it roughly once a week, even with heavy use. A three minute charge gets you about three hours, which has saved us more than once on the way to the airport.
They do not fold. This is the one real complaint. The older XM4 folded into a compact ball. The XM5 does not, so the case is bigger. If you live out of a backpack, this is worth thinking about.
Call quality is much better than the XM4. If you take a lot of calls, this alone is the upgrade.
Should you just buy the older XM4 instead?
Sometimes, yes. When the XM4 drops below about three hundred dollars, it is a genuinely better deal for most people. The noise cancelling is a step behind, but only a step, and it folds.
The catch is that stock is drying up, so the listings you find are increasingly grey imports or refurbished units. If you see a cheap XM4 from a seller you do not recognise, check the warranty before you get excited.
How we picked
We do not accept payment for a better ranking, and we do not run a cashback scheme. We add up the item price plus any shipping you would actually be charged, sort by that, and tell you where the trade-offs are. If a retailer we earn nothing from has the best price, they still go at the top. You can read exactly how we make money if you want the detail.
Prices move constantly, so always check the final number at checkout before you commit.