Sony WF-1000XM6

Last year, Sony’s WH-1000XM6 ($459.99) over-ear headphones arrived to critical acclaim, thanks to their category-defining noise cancellation and accurate audio response. Sony has now employed that same methodology in developing its WF-1000XM6 earphones ($329.…

Last year, Sony's WH-1000XM6 ($459.99) over-ear headphones arrived to critical acclaim, thanks to their category-defining noise cancellation and accurate audio response. Sony has now employed that same methodology in developing its WF-1000XM6 earphones ($329.99, reviewed here), which feature a brand-new design, new audio drivers, and the same noise-cancelling engine from Sony's headphones. The XM6 buds deliver outstanding sound, long battery life, a user-adjustable EQ, and top Bluetooth codec support.

But they fall a little short in design and in cancelling noise. If you place sound quality at the top of your must-have list, they're excellent. iPhone owners will prefer the Editors' Choice Apple AirPods Pro 3 ($249) with superb all-around performance and tight iPhone integration, and those who prioritize silencing the outside world should opt for the Editors' Choice $299 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).

Sony redesigned both the earbuds and the charging case for the XM6, and I'm not sure either is an improvement. The buds stick with Sony's classic stem-free, bud-style shape, and they ship in two colors—black (the pair I've been testing) and light gray. According to Sony, the goal with the new design was to better match the natural contours of your ear. The buds are visibly bigger than the WF-1000XM5 ($299.99), though, and look more bulbous.

I found the previous generation buds a little more polished aesthetically, and I prefer the glossy black plastic of the XM5 to the all-matte design of the XM6. Fit is hit-or-miss, at least in my ears. Comfort is generally decent, but the larger body means the buds don't nestle in quite as deeply or securely as I'd like, especially if I'm moving around. I personally gravitate toward stem-based earbuds for fit, and while you can definitely get the WF-1000XM6 seated well, it takes some fiddling—particularly given the foam tips.

I found the smaller bud size of the WF-1000XM5 earbuds to make for a more stable and comfortable fit. Controls are mostly logical, though I still strongly prefer the stem-based approach you get with something like the AirPods Pro. With a bud-style design, interacting with the earphones means tapping their surfaces, which can push them further into your ear canal. It's not always comfortable, and the tapping sound can be loud.

Out of the box, a single tap on the left bud cycles through noise modes, while double- and triple-taps are unassigned. A long-press on the left activates Quick Attention, a temporary Ambient Mode that stays on only while you're holding it for quick conversations, such as when ordering a coffee. Repeated taps on the left bud lower the volume. On the right side, a single-tap is for play/pause, a double-tap skips forward, a triple-tap skips back a track, and a long press activates your preferred voice assistant.

Repeated taps on the right turn the volume up. You can customize these actions to a small degree via the companion app. Water resistance sits at IPX4, unchanged from the previous generation. They are not protected from dust, but can handle sweat and light rain. It's disappointing that Sony hasn't added an IP rating to the charging case, which some buds have. The QuietComfort Ultras have the same IPX4 rating, but Apple's AirPods Pro 3 are more protected against dust and water with an IP57 rating.

For connectivity, you get Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint support for two simultaneous connections. Codec coverage includes AAC, SBC, LDAC, and LC3—all the expected options. The latter two allow Android users to enjoy high-quality sound. Sony did not disclose the drivers' size or their frequency response, though it said they are standard dynamic drivers. The case design is bigger and blockier than before, which is a step backward as far as I am concerned.

I like the smoother, more pocketable river-rock shape of the XM5 case. The new case isn't huge, but it feels like a change for the sake of it rather than progress. The case feels less refined, and its sharper edges are unpleasant in your pants pocket. Sony includes the charging case, four pairs of eartips, and a short USB-A-to-USB-C charging cable with the buds. I wish it had switched to a USB-C-to-USB-C cable and made it longer than a couple of inches while they were at it.

Sony says you can expect about 8 hours of continuous playback with ANC on, and a bit more with it off. The case holds two more full charges, allowing you to listen for up to 24 hours in total with ANC on. These are the same battery life numbers as the XM5, which is disappointing. I was hoping to see an increase in the new generation, particularly given the larger case. Sony doesn't provide guidance on how quickly the buds recharge.

Apple improved the AirPods Pro 3's battery life from 8 to 10 hours per charge compared with the AirPods Pro 2. At least Sony is ahead of Bose, which still advertises 6 hours of battery life per charge with the second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The WF-1000XM6 buds pair with Sony's Sound Connect app, the same companion app that works across Sony's entire audio lineup. I generally like it.

The design is solid, and there's a ton of functionality packed in, though it can occasionally feel a bit overwhelming given how much Sony has stuffed in. The home screen gives you a look at battery level, your current noise mode, and the active EQ setting, and jumping into controls and other settings is straightforward from there. The EQ is good overall. There's a solid selection of presets, plus a custom EQ with 10 bands spanning 31Hz to 16kHz.

That's flexible enough, and better than what most competitors offer. For the vast majority of people, Sony's EQ will be more than enough. Apple doesn't provide a user-adjustable EQ at all, and Bose offers only a simplistic three-band EQ. Sony's excellent WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones beat the competition at cancelling noise. Do the WF-1000XM6 earbuds deliver the same Bose-beating ANC? Well, not quite.

Noise cancellation is good, but it doesn't take the top spot. Fit is part of the problem. Ear seal quality matters a lot for ANC. Apple changed the shape of the AirPods Pro 3 to better fit in your ear and improved the eartips fit for a good seal. The result is top-notch ANC. Similarly, Bose's earbuds sit more securely and comfortably in my ears, create a strong seal, and deliver outstanding noise cancellation.

Even when I dial in a solid fit with the Sony buds, the Bose earphones outperform them at cancelling noise. Bose lowers ambient sound volume more effectively and better targets the specific frequencies that impact your listening experience. The AirPods Pro 3 outperform the Sony buds in ANC, too. The Sony buds do a good job taming plane engine noise. The XM6s handle low-end rumble well, but more mid frequencies leak through compared with the Bose.

Plane noise is louder with the Sony earbuds than with either Apple or Bose. On a busy city bus, things play out similarly. The Sony buds knock out most noise effectively, especially the low-end grinding of the engine, but higher-pitched squeaks and unpredictable sounds come through more than they do with the competition. In a crowded cafe, the Sony buds handle distant noise and lower frequencies well, but again let more of the higher-frequency chatter and clinking slip through.

Sony's Ambient Mode is good—better than most other earbuds—but not as good as the AirPods Pro 3. The XM6 earphones don't handle high frequencies as effectively, making things sound a little muffled or processed. They do very well, but Apple does better. It's worth mentioning that Sony doesn't offer a distinct adaptive ANC mode. Instead, the earbuds offer a new Adaptive NC Optimizer, but it’s not something you can enable or disable—it’s simply built into the standard mode.

Thanks to increasing the number of microphones from six to eight, the XM6s deliver better ANC than the outgoing XM5 buds, but don't equal the improvement we saw with Sony's over-ear headphones. As noted, an inconsistent fit, more than anything else, seems to be holding the XM6 back. Apple and Bose are a step ahead in cancelling noise. Sound quality is where Sony's new earbuds make a better case for themselves.

They produce simply outstanding audio. On The Knife's "Silent Shout," the music shimmers richly and deeply. The bass is smooth and present without overwhelming the mix, and the highs are detailed, balancing things out. Instrument separation is strong, and the sub-bass has a roundness feel that gives the whole track satisfying depth. Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty" demonstrates how capable the earbuds are at delivering deep bass.

The earbuds are able to reproduce all of the track's sub-bass, though the very lowest notes have a slight rumbly character rather than the punch of the others. The XM6s outperform the vast majority of wireless earbuds here. Sontt's default tuning leans a little toward the high-mid, but not in an unpleasant way. The tuning gives the track some extra energy, and you can dial it back with EQ if you want.

"Drover" by Bill Callahan sounds warm, natural, and crisp. Callahan's deep vocal projects fully, the kick drum keeps the track moving with weight, and the percussion has a detailed crispness. The earbuds don't add any noticeable coloration to the recording, which means you can enjoy an accurate presentation. The opening scene of John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary reveals the buds' solid frequency response.

Instruments sound reasonably natural and are clearly separated. The brass shines through brightly and with presence. The overall character leans slightly warm rather than crisp, but a lot of listeners may prefer that. Dialing in some high-end sparkle via the EQ is easy enough. Across the board, the WF-1000XM6s deliver excellent audio performance. They're well-tuned and detailed, and they handle a wide range of genres.

They’re a little more dynamic and exciting than the excellent WF-1000XM5s, and while the AirPods Pro 3 have stronger bass, the XM6 sound is more neutral, more customizable, and perhaps more accurate. On the microphone side, quality is pretty solid. Sony said it has a new processing engine to handle your voice and strip out background noise for the clearest possible calls. The mics capture decent depth and clarity.

They aren't the strongest with higher frequencies, but they outperform most earphones I've tested. When I recorded my voice using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone, everything came through clearly and was easy to understand. The Sony WF-1000XM6 noise-cancelling earbuds deliver outstanding audio with robust customization options and long battery life.

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