Sony WH-1000XM6 Review: Better Noise Cancellation Than Bose

The WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones have a similar design to their predecessors, but Sony makes two important changes that improve the experience immeasurably. First, it brings back folding earcups. This helps the headphones fit into a slimmer carrying case, addressing one of the biggest complaints about the previous model. Second, it widens the headband that crosses the top of your head, which helps distribute the weight more evenly and improves comfort.

Sony keeps other design tweaks to a minimum, but they add up. For example, the headband connects to the earcups more asymmetrically, which makes it easier to tell which earcup is which. If you do manage to put them on the wrong way, you'll feel it. The headphones have no IP rating, so you'll want to keep them clean and dry. (This is true of most over-ear noise-cancelling headphones.) They come in black, blue, or silver.

The button layout remains the same as the previous generation, but the buttons themselves are a little different. Sony has swapped out the slim power button for an indented circular one, which makes it easier to feel the difference between the power button and the noise mode button. The audio controls are largely unchanged. The right earcup hosts capacitive touch controls that you use to manage playback and volume, with a double tap for playing and pausing, a swipe up or down for adjusting volume, and a swipe left or right for skipping forward and back tracks.

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By default, the noise mode button switches between noise cancellation and ambient modes. You can also set the button to perform an action with a double or triple press, with options such as launching Amazon Music Play Now, Endel, or Spotify Tap.

You can control some aspects of the headphones with head gestures. They are disabled by default, but when turned on, you can answer an incoming call by nodding your head or reject it by shaking your head. Sony isn't the first to do this—Apple has added similar features to its AirPods.

Sony doesn't disclose the frequency range or driver size of the headphones. They connect through Bluetooth 5.3 with support for Google Fast Pair and Bluetooth multipoint with up to two connections. They support the AAC, SBC, LC3, and LDAC codecs, as well as Auracast.

Apart from the headphones themselves, the box includes an auxiliary cable for wired listening and a USB-A-to-USB-C cable for charging. The charging cable is pretty short, and it's high time Sony switched to a USB-C-to-USB-C cable. You also get a sturdy carrying case that closes with a magnetic clasp instead of a zipper.

Sony says you can expect up to 30 hours of listening time with active noise cancellation (ANC) turned on and 40 hours with it off, which isn’t bad, but it also isn't impressive. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are estimated to last 24 hours, which is also pretty average.

On the plus side, the XM6 headphones charge quickly. Plugging them in for just three minutes delivers three hours of listening time, and you can keep listening while the headphones are charging—something older models don't offer.

For wired listening, you have to stick to the 3.5mm jack as they don't support audio via USB-C. Thankfully, the headphones still support passive listening, so they'll work with a wired connection (without noise cancelling) even if the battery is dead.

The XM6 headphones work with the same Sony Sound Connect app (available for Android and iOS) as other Sony headphones and wireless speakers. The app is relatively well-designed and easy to navigate, even for a pair of headphones with as many features as these.

When the headphones are connected, you can quickly and easily control things like noise modes, listening modes, and connected devices. You can dive through additional settings and edit the features that are available from the main screen, so you can have persistent control over only the functions that you actually use.

With a little menu diving, you can set up the voice assistant, prioritize connectivity or audio quality, and set up Spatial Sound. It's worth going through all of these settings when you first get the headphones, even if you never revisit some of these features again.

The app's adjustable EQ is pretty detailed. You get 10 bands to customize, with frequencies ranging from 31Hz to 16kHz. It's not as good as JBL's infinitely customizable EQ, but it's better than most, including what Sony offers to its cheaper headphones, which have only five bands.

Sony says it has improved the noise cancellation on the XM6 headphones by adding four additional microphones, bringing the total to 12 dotted around the two earcups. It's also added a new processor and new adaptive noise cancellation optimization tech so that it kicks in faster and cancels more frequencies. All of this translates to tangible real-world results: Generally speaking, the noise cancellation performance here is incredible, adapting to your environment to ensure that it’s cutting out the right frequencies no matter where you are.

In testing, the headphones effectively cut the noise from an airplane across all frequencies, leaving only a low background hum that doesn't distract from listening to music, podcasts, or movies. The ANC is especially good at blocking low frequencies, but excels at mid and high frequencies, too.

Bus sounds—like the doors opening and closing and the suspension—are less consistent than the steady thrum on planes and can be more challenging to block. The headphones do a fantastic job blocking out intermittent higher-frequency sounds and are as good as any I’ve tested. They are also excellent at taming the noise from a busy cafe, including voices from conversations both near and far.

It's a close call when compared directly with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. Both headphones are incredible in most situations, but I find Sony outperforms Bose in more challenging scenarios and produces slightly less background hiss.

Sony's transparency mode that lets you hear your surroundings, called Ambient Aware, is better than Bose's, too. Neither is as natural as the transparency features of the $549.99 Apple AirPods Max, but Sony is brilliant at reproducing higher frequencies, and while there is some background hiss, it's not distracting.

With the custom EQ disabled and noise cancellation off, the headphones deliver deep bass, relatively natural mids, and detailed highs. The excellent bass response is especially helpful on a track like The Knife's "Silent Shout," which relies on sub-bass content to round out the low-end sound effects and bass synths without overshadowing the higher frequencies.

The rich bass response is also impactful on Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty." On this track, the kick drum is powerful and resonant. It's even more impressive how the headphones handle the bass synth that appears throughout much of the track. They are able to accurately reproduce all but the lowest bass notes in the synth line. Unlike most headphones, they still deliver a deep rumble for the lowest notes to ensure the bass doesn't feel disjointed. The bass synth is powerful and arguably a little boosted compared with what would be strictly natural, but it doesn't overshadow the other frequencies. Lamar and Rihanna's vocals still sound rich and present, while the percussion is crisp and responsive.

Bill Callahan's “Drover” is remarkably natural-sounding. The low-frequency reproduction ensures that the driving kick drum is present throughout, but isn't overbearing or too boosted. Callahan's vocals are rich and resonant, and when coupled with the crisp and bright acoustic guitar, the track feels lively and exciting.

The excellent frequency response also lends itself well to orchestral tracks like the opening scene of John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary. Here, the good stereo separation makes a big difference and gives plenty of room for all the instruments to avoid sounding buried. I do find that the bass response makes some of the low strings sound slightly boomy, but it isn't distracting and is easy to EQ out.

Sony has updated its Spatial Sound algorithm that allows you to “up-mix” to spatial audio from a stereo track. It only works with a wireless connection, so if, for example, you're watching a movie using a plane's built-in infotainment system, you’re out of luck. You can use it with other sources, though. Through Bluetooth multipoint, I connected the headphones to my phone and Mac Studio and was able to use Spatial Sound on both.

Spatial Sound does create the sense of a larger soundstage when listening to music, but it impacts different frequencies in unexpected ways. On Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty," the bass is too accentuated and overshadows the rest of the mix. The tech is better suited to video. In the final fight scene of Avengers: Endgame, it is surprisingly effective. It can't compete with dedicated surround sound source material, but it's worth turning on. I kept using it for TV and movies, but would turn it off for music.

The headphones have six microphones for voice capture and beamforming technology to better isolate your voice. I had to use an Android phone for my test recording, as the Voice Memos app on an iPhone refused to recognize the headphones as a microphone. Still, my voice sounded full and clear in the recording.