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Updated January 10, 2024·
The AKG K361 is a more budget-friendly choice and is great for music listening with its high sound quality, but doesn't feature a microphone which makes it less ideal for calls or meetings. It's wired, so you won't have concerns about battery life, but it's not suitable if you prefer wireless convenience. On the other hand, the Sony WH-1000XM5 is a higher-end model with superior noise cancellation, making it excellent for travel and noisy environments. It has wireless capabilities, a long battery life, and a microphone for clear calls, but these features contribute to it being significantly more expensive than the AKG K361. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the AKG K361
Good for TV and video
Advantages of the Sony WH-1000XM5
Very good for music
Very good for air travel
Key differences
Music
7.5/10
8.2/10
The Sony WH-1000XM5 is very good for music, while the AKG K361 is good.
Gaming
6.3/10
5.6/10
The AKG K361 is only fair for gaming, while the Sony WH-1000XM5 is poor.
Phone Calls
3.2/10
5.5/10
The Sony WH-1000XM5 and AKG K361 are both poor for phone calls, though the Sony WH-1000XM5 is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.0/10
6.0/10
The Sony WH-1000XM5 is only fair for podcasts and audiobooks, while the AKG K361 is poor.
TV and Video
7.8/10
5.8/10
The AKG K361 is good for TV and video, while the Sony WH-1000XM5 is poor.
Noise Reduction
6.0/10
9.1/10
The Sony WH-1000XM5 is excellent for noise reduction, while the AKG K361 is only fair.
Battery
N/A
40.3 Hours
The AKG K361 does not have a battery. The Sony WH-1000XM5 has 40.3 hours of battery life.
Cost
$100
$398
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The AKG K361 has a price of $100 and the Sony WH-1000XM5 costs $398.
"The K361 retains much of what makes the K371 such a winner, though it has a leaner sound, and the build changes made to trim the price down are immediately apparent. Still, it’s another excellent offering from AKG, and other companies in this fight should either be very worried or quickly designing updates to their old models."
"The Sony WH-1000XM5 are the best Sony Bluetooth headphones so far and one of the most well-rounded Bluetooth headphones around. Look no further if you need class-leading ANC with a mostly inoffensive sound signature. Just be ready to pony up the price premium."
Get a great deal on the AKG K361 or the Sony WH-1000XM5
About Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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