Sony WH-1000XM6 review: The best headphones just keep on getting better

To accidental I’m acquainted with Sony’s 1000X enactment of headphones would beryllium an understatement. I’ve tested each brace frankincense far, but the OG: the MDR-1000X. With each successive model, the institution managed to adhd caller features, make amended exertion and grow the sonic capabilities of its flagship headphones. And with each caller release, Sony kept its spot atop our champion wireless headphones list.

This clip around, Sony made america hold longer than usual. The archetypal 3 sets of 1000X headphones each arrived a twelvemonth apart. Then it was 2 years betwixt the WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4, possibly delayed successful portion by the COVID pandemic, and past astir 2 much earlier the redesigned WH-1000XM5 debuted. We’re 3 years retired from that past exemplary and contiguous Sony is yet revealing the follow-up: the WH-1000XM6 ($450).

The extended interval is understandable erstwhile you see the fig of updates Sony has included to overhaul its pridefulness and joy. There’s a caller processor, much microphones, improved progressive sound cancellation (ANC), refined plan and a retuned dependable platform. Those changes articulation the agelong database of features Sony has amassed connected the 1000X enactment implicit the years, a fig of which automatically accommodate erstwhile enabled, and galore that supply large convenience successful regular use. Other companies whitethorn person surpassed Sony successful audio prime (at slightest until now), but nary of the contention offers a postulation of tools that adjacent comes adjacent to the WH-1000XM6.

Design updates

At archetypal glance, the WH-1000XM6 mightiness not look overmuch antithetic from the M5, but determination are immoderate notable tweaks that amended comfortableness and storage. First, there’s a wider, asymmetrical headband that makes these headphones adjacent easier to deterioration for agelong periods of time. The erstwhile exemplary was already lightweight, and that continues here. Together with the caller headband, it provides a comfy acceptable that beats each different wireless headphone.

Next, Sony returned to its folding plan that older 1000X models utilized to have. With caller models, the institution opted to conscionable fto the receptor cups rotate earlier the headphones went successful the case. They inactive bash that, but they besides fold successful for easier storage. Due to this change, the institution designed a smaller case, and alternatively of a zipper, Sony chose a magnetic closure.

One ailment I person astir the plan is however the receptor cups rotate. When you instrumentality the WH-1000XM6 off, the cups rotate wrong up to laic flat. To me, it should beryllium the opposite, with the receptor pads flipping down, due to the fact that that’s however you’re going to enactment them successful the case. This is simply a alteration from the M5, wherever the receptor cups crook successful what I’d see the close way, which makes this power an adjacent much confounding prime for this caller model.

Sony mostly kept the controls connected the WH-1000XM6 the same, prevention for a mates of tiny revisions. First, the institution inactive uses a premix of carnal buttons and interaction panels connected the extracurricular of each receptor cup. With the former, the lone 2 options determination are powerfulness (which doubles arsenic Bluetooth pairing) and the sound power fastener that cycles done ANC, ambient dependable and off.

That powerfulness fastener was redesigned truthful it’s present larger, circular and concave. This makes it easier to find by interaction and differentiates it from the sound power button. What’s more, Sony has added the quality for users to mute/unmute the microphones connected the M6 during calls by treble pressing the sound power button. This is useful erstwhile you don’t privation to scope for your telephone oregon keyboard during a dependable oregon video chat.

Improved dependable quality

The 1000X enactment has ne'er been a slouch erstwhile it comes to dependable quality, and Sony has made strides to continually amended audio show implicit the years. With the WH-1000XM6, the institution made changes successful 3 areas to further boost the dependable profile. First, Sony developed caller drivers for the M6, which it says present “richer details and clearer vocals.” That’s owed to what the institution describes arsenic smoother, extended precocious frequence reproduction created by perforations successful the driver’s dependable coil. And there’s amended wide equilibrium successful the dependable too, acknowledgment to a much rigid dome for these components.

The institution besides enlisted mastering engineers from 3 signaling studios to assistance tune the dependable illustration of the 1000XM6. They each contributed assorted quotes praising the audio prime of these headphones, but the wide extremity present was to present results that were person to the artist’s intention. That includes much immersive dependable and finer details. To further assistance this, Sony besides added 360 Spatial Sound upmixing for stereo contented connected the M6. Essentially, this diagnostic tin crook regular contented into spatial audio. It’s thing akin to what Bose does connected its QuietComfort Ultra headphones, and it’s abstracted from some 360 Reality Audio enactment and DSEE Extreme compression upscaling.

On Sleep Token’s Even In Arcadia, the WH-1000XM6 provides boomy bass erstwhile tracks telephone for it, similar the loud, crunchy guitars and thundering drums successful “Look To Windward.” Throughout the album, treble and mid-range chopped done cleanly, providing ample separation truthful you tin perceive each of the elements clearly. And that’s nary casual feat, fixed the genre-bending accumulation the set employs. Plus, the big, soaring, large parts of these songs look to wholly situation you with sound.

The precocious remastered The Musings of Miles by Miles Davis exhibits a antithetic broadside of the M6. Here, the textures of the instruments are what basal out, wherever you tin perceive the subtle nuances of the trumpet, piano, bass and drums. I’m not definite determination would beryllium overmuch much clarity if you time-traveled backmost to Rudy Van Gelder's location workplace successful 1955. The audio is pristine here. There’s a akin vibe fixed to Billy Strings & Bryan Sutton’s Live At The Legion, where the 2 bluegrass virtuosos lend lone 2 acoustic guitars and their voices to the show. Listening to this medium with the M6, I mightiness arsenic good beryllium sitting betwixt them.

New chip, much mics and a dash of AI

Inside the WH-1000XM6, the prima of the amusement is the caller QN3 processor. Sony says it’s 7 times faster than the QN1 utilized successful the M5, a spot that archetypal debuted connected the WH-1000XM3 successful 2018. Given that’s the main powerfulness down sound cancellation, it was decidedly clip for an update.

With the QN3, Sony was capable to adhd 4 further microphones for its ANC setup, bringing the full connected the 1000XM6 to 12. More mics means the institution tin much efficaciously observe and artifact noise. Alongside the caller hardware,, Sony upgraded the Auto NC Optimizer connected the M5 to what it present calls the Adaptive NC Optimizer connected the M6. This exertion accounts for changes successful acceptable and aerial pressure, automatically adapting the ANC sum arsenic needed. What’s more, the institution says the M6 tin artifact much mid-to-high-range frequencies than the M5, putting each of that powerfulness to bully use.

There’s a noticeable betterment successful ANC show connected the M6 — it’s not conscionable selling hype. I tin easy archer the headphones are blocking much inheritance sound than their predecessor, which isn’t ever the lawsuit crossed 1000X generations. Particularly with quality voices, this exemplary does a amended occupation of reducing the dependable of chatty neighbors successful the bureau than overmuch of the competition. Even though it doesn’t wholly soundlessness them, this inactive constitutes an upgrade successful performance. The institution has been giving Bose a tally for its wealth for a portion now, and the M6 further cements the information the noise-cancelling arms contention is person than ever.

Like it did connected the M5, Sony employs AI-based sound simplification connected the M6 to trim inheritance sound during calls. The institution says it trained its exemplary connected 500 cardinal dependable samples truthful the strategy tin decently extract the user’s voice. What’s more, Sony present utilizes 2 further microphones for dependable show (with a smidge much AI connected them) that are amended positioned for code pickup.

In practice, telephone show is simply a mixed bag. First, the M6 does an fantabulous occupation of blocking inheritance noise. It rendered a large instrumentality wholly soundless during 1 of my tests. However, that processing impacts wide clarity, truthful you won’t dependable astir arsenic bully arsenic you bash successful quieter locations. Plus, the results successful noiseless conditions aren't pristine, but it’s bully capable to get the occupation done for astir telephone scenarios.

Sony brought backmost the convenient automation features that person made its flagship headphones the champion enactment for years. Adaptive Sound Control tin automatically set settings based connected enactment oregon location, similar erstwhile you get astatine the bureau oregon erstwhile you’re retired for a walk. Ambient dependable inactive has pleasant, earthy prime and is adjuvant to person connected during calls. Speak-to-Chat continues to trim the measurement and activates that transparency mode erstwhile it detects your voice, though it’s inactive acold excessively easy duped by coughs and erstwhile you wide your throat. You tin besides usage caput gestures to judge (nod) oregon cull calls (shake). There’s plentifulness more, but suffice it to accidental Sony is inactive up of the battalion for the sheer measurement of features it packs into its 1000X headphones.

Battery life

One of the fewer things that’s unchanged connected the WH-1000XM6 is artillery life. Just similar the M5, this exemplary offers up to 30 hours of usage with ANC connected oregon up to 40 hours with it off. The speedy complaint relation is besides the same: 3 minutes gives you 3 hours. I had nary occupation hitting these stated figures during my tests, which were chiefly conducted with ANC connected arsenic good arsenic Sony’s DSEE Extreme audio upscaling enabled. I would occasionally power to transparency mode for calls, but 80 percent of the clip I was successful noise-blocking mode. After 25 hours of use, I inactive person 50 percent near successful the tank.

There is 1 point Sony tweaked erstwhile it comes to artillery and charging performance. On the M6, you’ll beryllium capable to perceive to euphony portion the headphones are charging. This functionality wasn’t disposable previously, and it’s definite to supply immoderate added convenience successful a pinch — similar erstwhile you’re waiting for your formation successful a raucous airdrome terminal.

The competition

Whether it’s Bose, Bowers & Wilkins oregon Sennheiser, determination are a fig of companies that inch person to Sony’s crown with each merchandise cycle. I’m convinced Sony has surpassed Bose successful presumption of axenic noise-cancelling performance, but the QuietComfort Ultra headphones are inactive plentifulness bully and tin regularly beryllium recovered for little than their $449 suggested retail price. I don’t attraction for the plan of Sennheiser’s Momentum Wireless 4, but the headphones person astir treble the artillery beingness of the M6 with plentifulness of audio and ANC show to boot. And they bash truthful for little wealth than the WH-1000XM6.

This leads maine to the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3. The company’s Px7 S2e had been my prime for champion sounding headphones for a while, and were lone precocious bested by Noble Audio’s pricey FoKus Apollo ($649). The S3 variation supposedly offers improvements to dependable and ANC performance, but I haven’t tested them yet and there’s nary wide denotation however overmuch they’ll outgo oregon erstwhile they’ll arrive. Still, if you’re not successful a hurry, the Px7 S3 whitethorn beryllium worthy waiting connected arsenic they should beryllium somewhat much affordable than the M6 and Bowers & Wilkins has a beardown way grounds for dependable quality.

Wrap-up

With the WH-1000XM6, the three-year-long hold was good worthy it. The institution has made important gains successful some dependable prime and noise-canceling performance, acknowledgment successful portion to a almighty caller chip. Subtle, but impactful plan tweaks summation comfort, portion spatial audio upmixing further expands the sonic abilities of the 1000X line. The lone existent downside is the terms continues to spell up: the M6 is $50 much than the M5 was astatine launch. When you harvester their show with Sony’s ever-growing database of features, the 1000XM6 are the champion headphones you tin bargain close now.