WH-1000XM6 The Best Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones, HD NC Processor QN3, 12 Microphones, Adaptive NC Optimizer, Mastered by Engineers, Studio-Quality, 30-Hour Battery, Black

I have a headphone problem, or so my wife says. I’ve owned the Apple AirPods Max, the Sony XM5’s, the Bose QC and QC Ultra the QC 45’s and 35’s both I and II, the Sonos Ace, and the Beats Studio Pro. Going into my XM6 purchase, my favorite are/were the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. I bought the QuietComfort Ultra during Prime Day for an unbelievable $329! I have found that they offer the best combination of comfort, sound and ANC for the price. So, how does the XM6 compare? The ANC is second to none. I augment our central air with a window unit, which sits right behind my head, and I can completely eliminate its sound. But static sounds are pretty easily muffled by most of newer ANC headphones, so how about dynamic sounds like a tv or normal conversation? The XM6 excel there, too. Put simply, they offer the best ANC of any of the aforementioned headphones. They are also pretty comfortable and clamp down relatively tight, though I haven’t found anything to be as comfortable as either the QC or QC Ultra. The XM6 are designed to be over ear headphones, yet my ear doesn’t seem to fit inside the cup like other over ear headphones. This, in my opinion, makes them less-comfortable then they could/should be. However, the memory foam is a nice touch and does help. The sound is well-balanced and pretty good right out of the box, though I had to make use of the ten-band EQ to get them to sound just a tad better than my QC. With my current EQ settings, I would say they offer the clarity of the Apple AirPods Max, but with the bottom end of my Bose QuietComfort. The bass isn’t overpowering, it’s actually pretty accurate (after EQ tinkering). In the final analysis, the XM6 offer the best sound of any of the headphones I mentioned, but not by much. Furthermore, the ANC is superior to everything else I’ve owned, but not by a staggering amount. So, which should you buy? If you’re like me and in search of the best possible sound, and won’t settle for anything less than the best ANC, then get the XM6. If, however, you prioritize comfort and value, and don’t mind making some very minor concessions regarding sound and ANC, then get the Bose QuietComfort or the QC Ultra (wait until you catch them on sale, which is pretty often). I hope that helps. Happy listening! Update: “6/02/2025: Intermittent crackling in left speaker. Had to return them. I have replaced them, though. Update 06/07/25: I received the replacement pair and everything seems great. I neglected to mention in my previous review how great the Sony app is and how customizable the XM6 are. First, you get a ten band EQ, instead of the Bose three bands. Additionally, there are some awesome (optional) features that are missing from Bose. Sony has speak to chat, which mutes your music and puts your headphones in aware mode when you speak. Also, there is an option to accept or reject calls by simply nodding or shaking your head, which is very cool. If you’re into features like that and general customization, then the Sony XM6 are for you. UPDATE 06/17/2025. Started hearing crackling again in the right speaker this time. This time I did a Google search to see if others were having the same problem, and it seems like turning on DSEE Extreme could be the culprit at high volumes. The DSEE Extreme setting is supposed to upscale compressed files. I turned off the setting and no more crackling. I replayed the same part of the same song with and without it engaged, it it’s definitely the DSEE Extreme. Consequently, I’ve turned off that setting and now everything seems fine.

Had only tried the beats studio pros before this and have to say these are better all around. They are quite comfortable and the active noise cancelling feature is amazing. Battery life is unbeatable and love the magnetic case it comes in. App is user friendly and sound is customizeable. Very happy with my purchase at this price point.

Each new version of the Sony WH1000 series Wireless Noice canceling headphones has improved over the last version and the WH1000-XM6 is no exception. This is their best headphone yet for sure. The sound is much improved and comes very close in quality to the much more expensive headphones I own like the Dali I-O8, the Focal Bathys and the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100. The noise canceling is also improved. It still does not block 100% of noise, but no headphones do and it comes closest to that (i saw a test that showed the XM5 blocked 84% and the new XM6 blocks 87% of noise which seems right to me. I love that they listened to their customers and brought back the folding design but did it in an entirely new way rather than fo back to the standard old design. I initially bought the Midnight Blue because of the reported anti-fingerprint coating but was disappointed in it as it still shows off finger smudges (although perhaps not as bad as the previous versions). Due to that I also purchased the Platinum Silver and I love the matte finish on this color which looks so much cleaner and feels more premium, in my opinion. The headphones are comfortable for me with just the right amount of clamping force so that they sit firmly on my head without being uncomfortable. There is a weird sensor on the inside of the ear cups which protrudes out a bit and could be an issue for some although I haven’t had a problem with it. The headband is wider and this adds to comfort level over the previous XM5’s, but not by a large margin. Still, it is better. Also they have added new features which I appreciate such as gestures (nodding up and down to answer a call or side to side to decline a all), voice commands (“headphones turn up the volume, skip this track”, etc. and you can call up your device assistant such as Siri for iPhone by saying “assistant”) and a ten-band equalizer to control the sound as you like it. The case is almost the best part, with the new magnetic enclosure its a snap to open and close. One thing is they added the ability to listen to the headphones while charging, which would be great except the cord provided for charging is so short this isn’t feasible and also there is no USB-C audio which should be a feature as most headphones currently do offer this and is becoming standard issue. I wish they could improve the battery life but 30 hours is fine and certainly serviceable. The other audio modes are mostly useless to me (Background music, Cinema) so i have only tried them once, but I have yet to watch a movie with them so its possible Cinema would work well with that as that is the intention of it after all. I am disappointed they removed the ability to a toggle the Speaker-to-chat on/off by a two-fingered press on the touch pad, now you can only do this in the app. Not sure why they removed it as I found it most handy in the XM5’s. There are enough added and improved features that I feel the increased price is justified and also was inevitable with the Trump tariffs. I think they are worth the cost and have always believed the saying “you get what you pay for”. If out of your price range the XM5 and XM4 are both excellent options for a lower price, but I still recommend the XM6 as the best Sony has to offer!

I’ve been using the Sony WH-1000XM6 for over seven months now, and overall I’m very impressed — with one important comfort caveat. Sound quality is excellent right out of the box, with deep bass, clear mids, and crisp highs. Battery life is also outstanding and easily lasts through long listening sessions without constantly needing a recharge. One feature I really appreciate is that you can keep the charging cable plugged in and continue using the headphones, which is incredibly convenient at a desk setup. Noise cancelling is top tier. It blocks out ambient sound extremely well. Fun fact: I was vacuuming the other day with the noise cancelling fully engaged. My wife came home, walked in, and immediately started laughing at me. Turns out the vacuum had come unplugged at some point… and I had “vacuumed” most of the apartment in total silence without realizing it. That’s how effective the noise cancelling is — I was out here deep-cleaning imaginary dirt like a dedicated professional. That said, comfort is where these may not work for everyone. The over-ear fit is snug enough to help block outside noise, but it’s a bit too tight for me. After extended use, my jaw and ears start to ache. This is something I never experienced with the XM5. If you’re sensitive to clamp force or wear headphones for many hours at a time, this could be a deciding factor. Another comfort factor is the ear cup material itself. Sony uses a synthetic protein leather outer layer over memory foam cushioning. It creates a great seal for noise cancelling, but it also traps heat. During mild exercise or long listening sessions, my ears get noticeably sweaty, and I’ve experienced some moisture buildup in the ear canal after prolonged use. On the plus side, that same insulation works well in colder weather and helps keep my ears warm. The case material is also a fingerprint magnet and shows oils and smudges very easily. However, one big improvement over the XM5 is durability. The XM5 swivel mechanism was a weak point and prone to failure. The XM6 uses a metal swivel design, which feels far more robust and has held up well so far. Overall, these are premium headphones with excellent performance and build quality, but comfort may vary depending on head shape, clamp tolerance, and heat sensitivity.

These Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones have Outstanding noise canceling properties which are demonstrably better than my WF-1000XM5 Earbuds. Their volume controls which are Genius in Hardware add to the durability of the design. The audio is extremely clean and clear without any artifacts due to their use of the LDAC audio Codec. They support an audio precision of 32-bit sample size at a sample rate of 96 kHz with a total bit rate of 960 kbps. Although extremely light and very comfortable to wear, I find them to be quite durable. Another impressive feature is their ability to fold compactly into the light and compact case that comes with the headphones. This is a great feature for traveling. The Sony app which controls the use of the many features this product has is well-designed and intuitive to make the XM6's perform up to its capabilities. Additionally, the headphones are easy to use during phone calls and for providing audio during video conference calls. The touch controls are very easy to use without having to use the app. All-in-all I'm extremely happy with my purchase of these high-quality headphones and I recommend them to anyone looking for audio performance at a reasonable price point.

I had Bose before I got these, and I was ready to buy more Bose until I researched headphones. The WH-1000XM6 are recommended pretty much across the board for wireless headphones, and I understand why now. Songs I thought I knew note for note sound completely new. I hear things in the background that I never knew were there. Music is a totally different experience with these headphones. To a non-expert, they seem perfectly balanced right out of the box-no tinny sounds, no muffled sounds-just crisp and clear and perfect. It also seems to maintain its Bluetooth connection better than my Bose set did. With those, they would randomly lose connection and I would have to restart them to get my connection back. The Sony headphones haven’t done that once, and I didn’t even realize it was an issue with the Bose until I experienced not having the issue. These headphones also have several “modes” for noise cancellation, and I’ve been appreciating that. You can go full cancellation or no cancellation like usual, or you can do in-between modes that dim background noise but still keep it audible, or mix background with music 50/50 like you’re listening to a speaker in the room. One thing I love about the way it cancels noise is I can hear my voice singing but I hear my voice outside of my skull. Nothing irritates me more than hearing my internal vibrations when I’m trying to sing. The controls are touch and haven’t been annoying yet. They don’t activate Willy nilly and I also haven’t had issues activating them. Battery life seems to be great as well- only one charge needed so far. One opportunity is there is no way to use these for console game chat- so you can use it for gaming but you can’t talk through them. They are so amazing in all other ways that I don’t care.

I watched a ton of impressions and reviews of these and I had waited a couple of years for them to be released. I received them today. Being a Sony TV fanboy, I was so looking forward to these for audio. I have 3 priorities with noise cancellation headsets. They have to be comfortable, have good sound, and above average noise cancellation. Unfortunately, only 2 of the 3 worked out for me and at this price point, all 3 need to. Maybe I'm spoiled by the feather like feel of my gaming headset, the Turtle Beach Atlas Air, or my current Bose Quiet Comfort 35s, maybe its because of the shape of my completely shaved head, I don't know......but the band on top was causing me within 15 minutes discomfort. I tried adjusting them in every way possible, trying didn't parts of my head, trying to raise them up a little, lower them a little, no matter what I did, they were causing me discomfort. The top band is just too thin with not enough cushion for a head shape like mine. Again, I have no issues with the Bose or Turtle Beach, so I'm devastated that I have to return these....because.... the sound is excellent. I agree with some reviews that the Cinema is over hyped, as well as the beta gaming latency mode, but the overall sound and the ability to make EQ adjustments is 5 out of 5 for me. Also, the noise cancellation, though not leaps and bounds above my much older Quiet Comfort 35s, is excellent. As others have stated in reviews, don't expect any headset to block out all sounds, but with everything I've tried, this was the best. I never tried Apple's because I already know that is just too heavy for me, so those would be ruled out as well. I also like the app a lot. It has pretty much any adjustment most would want, it was easy to get them paired to my cell, my gaming laptop, and my iPad mini, multipoint worked great. Whether it was playing RPG games like Kingdom Come Deliverance, watching Netflix, YouTube, or YouTube Music, sound quality is excellent, better than my Bose Quiet Comfort, not as good for gaming obviously as an open back wireless headset like my Turtle Beach Atlas Air, but good enough for those who aren't picky. Latency wasn't horrible. Anyway, I have to deduct stars because only 2/3 of this device met my requirements, but others with different shaped heads might not, which seems to be the case based on reviews I've read and watched.

Great headphones. Terrible shipping. FedEx is a nightmare! The Sony XM6 has a great battery life lasting all day as long as I charge it at night. The volume controls can be a bit fiddly and hard to get used to, but it's nice to have a dedicated ANC button. The passthrough mode is crystal clear it's almost as if I don't have the headphones on at all, and changing the setting can give you "super hearing". They are decently comfortable, although I find the inside pressing in my ears more than I'd like which means I have to adjust it quite a bit to keep my ears from aching. The top of the headband easily bends forward and backwards which means they don't stay in place very well. The design is alright, although I think it could use some flare. They are a bit bulky but I wish the ear separator foam was quite a bit thicker. Having both LDAC high qualityand lc3 low latency codecs are nice bonuses. Although I can't personally tell the difference between LDAC and the normal codec, I'm sure audiophiles will be happy with it. Now for the most important part for me, the active noise canceling. It works very well turning the humbub of a busy diner or a museum into a very low din. While still barely audible with nothing playing, some very low level music completely drowns it out. Wind doesn't affect the ANC in any meaningful way, unlike other headphones which sound like blowing into a microphone when there's any wind.