Sony's current flagships list exactly three codecs: SBC, AAC and LDAC. Sony's own help guides for the WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM5 publish the same enumeration — "the following 3 codecs for music playback via an A2DP connection: SBC, AAC, and LDAC." Nothing from the aptX family appears in the set: the XM3 generation still carried aptX and aptX HD, and the XM4 dropped them. LDAC runs at up to 990 kbps at 96 kHz, and the Headphones Connect app is where you check which codec a link is actually using.
Figures on this page were checked September 2026. Every table row carries its source and access date.
Codec support matrix
Sony publishes its codec list in the headphones' own help guides, which is the version this table records.
| Codec | WH-1000XM5 | Detail | Source / as of |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBC | Supported | Mandatory A2DP baseline; described by Sony as the coding technology all Bluetooth devices support | Sony XM5 Supported codecs, 2026-09-23 |
| AAC | Supported | Enumerated; the lane an iPhone source lands on | Sony XM5 Supported codecs + SoundGuys iPhone line, 2026-09-23 |
| LDAC | Supported | Transmission range listed to 40 000 Hz "Sampling frequency LDAC 96 kHz, 990 kbps" | Sony XM5 specifications, 2026-09-23 |
| aptX family (any) | Not in the set | The enumerated list has three codecs; no aptX entry | Sony XM5 Supported codecs, 2026-09-23 |
| LC3 / LE Audio | Not listed | No LE Audio entry in the specifications this page cites | Sony XM5 specifications, 2026-09-23 |
The XM5 specification page also lists the Bluetooth profiles — "A2DP AVRCP HFP HSP" — with codecs carried as a separate line.
The lineage: five codecs, then three
The generational story is bigger than XM4-versus-XM5. The WH-1000XM3's help guide enumerates five codecs: "The headset supports the following 5 codecs for music playback via an A2DP connection: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC." The XM4's guide runs the same sentence with three codecs — SBC, AAC and LDAC — and the XM5 repeats it. Between the XM3 and XM4 generations, Sony dropped aptX and aptX HD from the line, and the three-codec set has shipped ever since.
Qualcomm's certified list corroborates both sides. It carries a WH-1000XM3 entry with a Key aptX HD Features section, while the XM4 and XM5 appear nowhere on it. The full Sony list runs thirty entries across three pages — mostly Xperia phones and Walkman players, plus three other legacy headphones (WH-X900N, WH-XB900N EXTRA BASS and the W1-1000X wireless noise-cancelling set).
Battery by codec
Sony's help guide breaks rated playtime down by codec, one of the few places a manufacturer publishes this:
| Codec on the link | NC on | NC off | Source / as of |
|---|---|---|---|
| LDAC | Max. 26 h | Max. 36 h | Sony XM5 operating time, 2026-09-23 |
| AAC | Max. 30 h | Max. 40 h | Sony XM5 operating time, 2026-09-23 |
| SBC | Max. 28 h | Max. 38 h | Sony XM5 operating time, 2026-09-23 |
The pattern is the honest part of LDAC: the higher-rate codec costs rated hours, and Sony says so itself. The same guide notes that the Headphones Connect app can "check which codec is used for a connection" — the direct answer to "what am I actually running right now."
What this means in practice
- Android source with LDAC: the XM4 and XM5 run their top lane; our LDAC profile covers what 990 kbps does and doesn't buy, and the connection-quality setting behind the top rate.
- iPhone source: AAC, always. Apple's side of the negotiation offers AAC and SBC only, so the LDAC rating sits unused with an iPhone in hand.
- Home stereo listening: the headphones are the sink; the source decides. A receiver or transmitter on the stereo side needs its own codec support to matter — see what our receiver guide pages cover on latency before pairing expectations to marketing lines.
Sony ships its own hi-res codec, LDAC, in the XM line. Qualcomm's certified list still carries the XM3's aptX HD entry — the generation where Sony's flagships still spoke aptX. The XM4 walked away from it and the XM5 never looked back; the enumeration above is Sony's current answer.
FAQ
No. Sony's help guide enumerates the supported set as SBC, AAC and LDAC — three codecs, no aptX family member. The XM3 generation still carried aptX and aptX HD; Qualcomm's certified list keeps the XM3's entry and holds no XM4 or XM5.
AAC. iPhones negotiate AAC and SBC only, so the LDAC lane stays closed with an Apple source, exactly as on any other LDAC-rated headphones.
Sony's own battery guide notes the Headphones Connect app can "check which codec is used for a connection." The top LDAC rate is tied to the connection-quality setting on the source side — a dependency our LDAC profile covers.
Not in the published codec list. Both help guides enumerate SBC, AAC and LDAC only, with no LC3 or LE Audio entry in the specifications this page cites.
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- Sony Help Guide, WH-1000XM5 "Supported codecs": "The headset supports the following 3 codecs for music playback via an A2DP connection: SBC, AAC, and LDAC." helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wh1000xm5/v1/en/contents/TP1000534600.html, accessed 2026-09-23
- Sony Help Guide, WH-1000XM5 specifications: profiles "A2DP AVRCP HFP HSP", "Supported Codec (*3): SBC AAC LDAC", LDAC transmission range "20 Hz - 40 000 Hz (Sampling frequency LDAC 96 kHz, 990 kbps)". helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wh1000xm5/v1/en/contents/TP1000541014.html, accessed 2026-09-23
- Sony Help Guide, WH-1000XM5 available operating time, per-codec battery table and Headphones Connect codec check. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wh1000xm5/v1/en/contents/TP1000534508.html, accessed 2026-09-23
- Sony Help Guide, WH-1000XM4 "Supported codecs", same three-codec enumeration. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wh1000xm4/v1/en/contents/TP0002752840.html, accessed 2026-09-23
- Sony Help Guide, WH-1000XM3 "Supported codecs": "The headset supports the following 5 codecs for music playback via an A2DP connection: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC." helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wh1000xm3/v1/en/ (topic TP0001703175), accessed 2026-09-23
- Qualcomm aptX record for Sony: product listing at aptx.com/product-listing?brand=112 (thirty entries across three pages — Xperia phones, Walkman players, three legacy headphones) plus the WH-1000XM3 entry itself at aptx.com/node/4004, which carries a Key aptX HD Features section. Accessed 2026-09-23
- SoundGuys, Bluetooth codec support for headphones: "iPhones only support the AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs." soundguys.com/bluetooth-codec-support-headphones-61989/, accessed 2026-09-23