Excellent Noise-Canceling and Audio Quality

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Few releases in the audio world are as hotly anticipated as a new pair of headphones in Sony’s 1000X series, which has garnered the kind of buzz typically reserved for Marvel trailers circa the early 2010s. And now, following swirling rumors and a handful of leaks, the WH-1000XM6 headphones are actually here.

After making a big design departure with the XM5 over 2020’s XM4 headphones, Sony unsurprisingly made more subtle upgrades this time: these look a lot like the XM5s. And of course, Sony’s commitment to its clunky naming scheme has endured, too. 

First, the basics. The XM6 headphones cost $449.99, a $50 jump over the list price for the XM5 headphones. They’re now available to buy online in black, silver, and midnight blue, and they will hit physical shelves later in the summer. 

Are they worth upgrading to? That depends. But these are an excellent pair of headphones with enough small — but important — upgrades that make them a worthwhile successor in the series. 

Sony WH-1000XM6: Design and Construction

Sony completely revamped the look of the XM series with the XM5, so it’s not surprising that they didn’t make any drastic changes this time. The XM6 shares the bulbous, seamless design of the XM5, but Sony took a few steps to improve comfort and portability. 

The thin headband has been slightly beefed up for a more comfortable fit, though I could do with some extra padding in the headband and earcups. The biggest physical design change is the double-hinged design; the earcups fold in and rotate, a feature last seen on Sony’s XM4 headphones. 

That means Sony was able to shrink the carrying case substantially compared to the last generation, a welcome change. Sony also replaced the zipper on the carrying case with a magnetic clasp, a handy touch that makes it easier to quickly access the headphones. The oversized case was one of my biggest gripes with the XM5 headphones, particularly given that travelers and commuters are the target demographic for headphones like these. 

The all-plastic construction arguably feels less high-end than the metal accents on similarly priced headphones from Apple and Bose, and certainly less so than a brand like Bowers & Wilkins. But the advantage is that they’re lightweight without feeling flimsy. Admittedly, it’s hard to evaluate long-term durability at this stage. 

Sony WH-1000XM6: Controls and Features 

The controls of these headphones are essentially unchanged from the XM5, and that’s a good thing. They’re intuitive and reliable. Swiping up or down on the right earcup controls the volume, swiping back or forth skips back or ahead on the track, and double-tapping plays or pauses.

You can also cover the right earcup to pause music and switch to ambient mode, which is handy if you’re listening for a gate change at the airport. Like last generation, these headphones also have a neat Speak-to-Chat feature that pauses the music and switches to ambient when you start talking (if you’re the type to sing along, you’ll want to turn this feature off). The headphones also auto-play and pause when you remove them. These features are adjustable in the Sound Connect app.

The left earcup has a multifunction button that switches between ANC and Ambient modes and a power/pairing button. The only tweak here is that the power button is now rounded and recessed, making it easier to tell the two buttons apart while wearing the headphones. 

The Sound Connect app has plenty of features, including a custom EQ and controls, and the ability to set location-based ANC modes or Quick Access modes for your preferred music streaming service. The Sound Connect app is overly cluttered, in my opinion, with too many submenus to go through, but it works reliably overall. 

The battery life is unchanged, with up to 30 hours with ANC on or 40 hours off, and a three-minute charge adds three hours of listening time, outperforming the Bose QuietComforts and the Apple AirPods Max. You can also charge the headphones while using them, a feature not included on the XM5.

Sony WH-1000XM6: Sound Quality and ANC

Sony made a decent number of changes under the hood, including the inclusion of 12 mics, compared to the XM5’s eight mics, a new processor that Sony claims is seven times faster, and new driver units. There are six beamforming mics for voice calling, and Sony says it used AI to separate voices from background noise.

As for call quality, I found that the addition of two extra mics was a small improvement, with greater clarity when I recorded my voice using the mics in quiet environments. On a phone call, my recipient noted that the XM6 had less background noise, but didn’t notice a huge difference in overall quality.

Sony also added spatial audio technology for an immersive experience, though I rarely use those features, even though they’ve become de rigueur at this point. As for active noise-canceling, it shouldn’t be surprising that these are among the best, capably cutting out a variety of noises.

You can switch between ANC and ambient, and while the ANC strength isn’t adjustable, there is a workaround. You can adjust the ambient level in the app with up to 20 levels, controlling how much sound gets let in. Or, you can let the headphones do the work for you with the adaptive ambient mode. There are also location-based settings that adjust the mode based on where you are, although not everyone will want to give location permission for that purpose.

The sound quality is excellent, with impressive detail and spacious sound across genres. It’s balanced and not overly bass-forward, but if you prefer a little “Mo’ Bounce to the Ounce,” you can play with the EQ settings. Sony uses its proprietary LDAC codec for high-resolution audio over Bluetooth, although LDAC is not supported on iOS. Overall, the headphones deliver superb audio quality, and unlike some options, there’s minimal tradeoff whether ANC is on or off.

Sony WH-1000XM6: Verdict

Sony didn’t reinvent the wheel with the XM6 headphones, but they didn’t need to. These still have some of the best ANC on the market, excellent and intuitive controls, and engaging audio quality. 

The big question, then, is: are these worth the upgrade? If you already have the XM5 headphones, the answer is probably not — the improvements matter here, but four and a half Benjamins is a healthy chunk of change to drop on headphones that aren’t radically different. 

But if you’re in need of new headphones and are willing to splurge, then these are certainly worth it; they strike the right balance of performance and ease of use for music enthusiasts and casual listeners alike. Upgrades like folding earcups and improved call quality are solid improvements as well. Sony’s 1000X series has had a lot of hits, and the WH-1000XM6 headphones are another winner.