Sony WH-1000XM5/B Wireless Industry Leading Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headphones (Renewed)

Why it's worth it

These are the noise-canceling headphones every major review site has ranked at or near the top for years running. RTINGS measured up to 28dB of low-frequency noise reduction, which in practice means the hallway, the HVAC and the roommate's video call all recede.

A dorm is loud in ways you forget once you've moved out. Someone's alarm goes off at 6, someone else is gaming at 1 a.m., and the library fills up during finals. A 2025 Student Monitor survey found 72% of students now use noise-canceling headphones or earbuds as their primary study accessory, up from 54% three years earlier. That's not a fashion trend. It's students solving a problem the housing office can't.

The battery is the part givers underrate. Sony rates these at 30 hours, so your student charges them on Sunday and forgets about it until the following weekend. Compare that to earbuds that need the case every day. For someone juggling class, a shift at the campus job and a study group, one less thing to plug in genuinely matters.

From our review of 8 gifts for college students

What we like

• +A dorm is loud in ways you forget once you've moved out
• +The battery is the part givers underrate
• +Multipoint pairing is the feature they'll thank you for in week three
• +We picked the certified refurbished version deliberately

What to know

• –Refurbished means a shorter safety net — 90 days of limited hardware warranty instead of a full year
• –Durability is the recurring complaint
• –A few listeners find them short on bass and not quite loud enough at max volume