WH-1000XM6 The Best Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones Midnight Blue | HD NC Processor QN3, 12 Microphones, Adaptive NC Optimizer, Mastered by Engineers, Studio-Quality, Up to 30 Hrs of Battery

I owned the Sony WH-1000XM4 for over five years and absolutely loved them. The only reason I upgraded was because they eventually developed a high-pitched ANC issue in the right ear. Otherwise, I would probably still be using them. Before replacing them, I bought both the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Generation) to compare side by side. I also considered the latest Apple AirPods Max 2, but I use my headphones for mowing, vacuuming, long podcast sessions, and travel. Weight was important to me, and both the Sony and Bose are much lighter than the AirPods Max, so I decided not to test the heavier option. After several days of testing, I decided to keep the XM6. I actually found them more comfortable, even though the Bose often gets more praise for comfort. The Bose earcups touched the lower part of my ears just enough to become distracting, while the Sony completely surrounded my ears. I also have to give Bose credit for the design. In my opinion, the QuietComfort Ultra looks more premium, upscale, and stylish than the XM6. Sound quality is excellent on both. The Bose has a smooth, natural, cinematic presentation, and there were a few songs where I thought it sounded fantastic. However, I realized I prefer a more forward, energetic sound. The XM6 has more bite, vocals feel closer, and the music feels more alive and engaging. The Bose sometimes made the music sound like it was being presented from farther away. The deciding factor for me was active noise cancellation. While mowing my lawn and vacuuming, the XM6 blocked noticeably more noise than the Bose, which made a real difference in everyday use. Both are outstanding headphones, and I don’t think you can go wrong with either. If you prefer a smooth, cinematic presentation and a more upscale design, the Bose is an excellent choice. If you prefer a lighter, energetic sound with forward vocals, stronger ANC, and outstanding comfort, I think the Sony WH-1000XM6 is the better choice. One final note: I purchased the Like New option, which was advertised as new in the box, and that’s exactly what I received. The headphones arrived factory new, and the only imperfection was two very small indentations on the outside of the box. I saved a significant amount compared to buying new, so I’d definitely choose the Like New option again. It was also originally estimated to arrive on Monday, but it showed up on Saturday instead, so shipping was even faster than expected.

These are easily the best headphones I've ever used. I've been using these headphones for almost a year. To level set I'm not an audiophile. I'm interested in a products that fill a need are easy to use and works every time. There are a lot more qualified people than me to review the sound quality, I can only say that I have no issues or concerns there are tons of features in the app that I I've never felt the need to use. If you're interested in that level of detail there are plenty of YouTube videos that give you tutorials on those features. The things I do care about are how easily can I connect to my devices. And the multi point connection on theses are the best implementation of this type of feature I've ever used, it can easily switch between my phone, tablet, personal computer and my work computer. Call quality is great, background noise canceling during calls is excellent it rejects wind noise on calls when outside. There's a quick and easy microphone mute feature while on calls that I frequently use while on teams calls. When listening to music the noise canceling is excellent. The noise pass through feature makes it as though you're not wearing headphones. I'm a huge fan of real tactile buttons so I was concerned about these headphones having a touch sensitive pad but I have had zero issues using it. The Bluetooth connection is rock solid, the battery life is long enough that I can use it on and off for about a week before charging, mind you your mileage may vary depending on how much you use it. I was impressed enough with these headphones that I also purchased the new Sony xm6 earbuds, however that is a different story for another review. While it was challenging to overcome the initial purchase price, I have been extremely pleased with the value these headphones provide. For anyone in the market for a high-end set of headphones these should absolutely be considered, even if they are above your initial budget. I would highly recommend.

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 got this to replace my aging Sony WH-1000XM4. I loved them so much, so I couldn't imagine getting anything other than the newer model. Positives: These headphone are probably at the top for sound quality with bluetooth connection. The software for it has good sound quality and filtering options. Additionally, the auto shut off it great at detecting inactivity, so the battery saving is more efficient than earlier models. Negatives: Very uncomfortable to first wear, and it takes a long time adjusting to it. The clamp is abnormally strong. On top of that, the head support is made to be much thinner than the XM4, decreasing the support around the top of the head, and centering the pressure into one centered location. This headphone gave me headaches for the first three months. From either the slight pain from the pressure on top of my head, and around the sides of my head where the clamp pressure was at the highest, which was usually where my glasses were being clamped into the sides of my head. (Tip I learned later: if you are getting this in the future, you can put this around something that is slightly bigger that your head when you aren't wearing it, to help adjust the clamp pressure earlier). I would say it took me about 4 months to fully adjust to it, which is a pretty long time. And I wear my headphones probably around 10-12hrs+ a day. But at least now it is super comfortable haha. Do not ask me why I stuck through it.

I just received my new Sony XM6 headphones about two hours ago. Can't remember ever writing a review this fast after getting a new toy. And I do not write reviews for most items we buy. But dude, these are sooo sweet. I have been a Bose user for at least the past two decades. I have several pairs of the QC noise canceling line. I have tried others but I find the Bose headphones work well and are easy to use and always connect; no hiccups. Two years back I bought a pair of Sony XM4 headphones when they were on sale. They are decent and they sound nice but I ended up liking my many sets of Bose headphones better so the XM4s stayed in a drawer. I wear headphones a lot when working on projects. I use the hell out of my headphones. I don't baby them. Lawn work, snow removal, chainsaw work, excermacise, gaming, house work, travel, etc. Lately I have trashed 2 pair of my Bose cans so I thought I would buy a new pair. These XM6 phones are new and sounded good so I thought I would try Sony again. Reviews are very positive thus far. Let me tell you these rock. Music sounds fantastic. The noise canceling is super good. Best I have heard (or not heard as may be). The set up was easy. You can connect with Bluetooth right away or use the Sony Connect app. I am not a fan of signing up for accounts to use my devices but the Sony app seems to be very useful. I also have never cared for the gesture control on headphones. In the past I have not used them. The new Sony's controls are way easy and work well. Up for more volume, down for less, forward for next track, backward for last track. But the main reason for the quick review is this... Laying on the sofa next to me is a sexy girl who just finished a 16 hour ICU shift and crashed. I wanted to watch FUBAR on Netflix (new season just dropped) but didn't want to wake her. I turned on Apple TV, turned on the new Sony headphones, clicked to settings/Bluetooth on TV and they connected right away. Started Netflix and the show and it sounds great. When I remove the headphones the Apple TV pauses, put them back on and the show starts up again. Set the Sonys to Heavy in EQ and the bass is super. Dialogue is clear and actions sound fantastic. I am very happy I took a chance on the new XM6. They are MUCH better than the XM4 model I have. And better than any of the Bose I have. I walked into the living room two rooms away and the connection stayed clear and connected as I walked around the house. The price is a touch high but they are new. The first time these get to $399, I will have another pair. Plan to phase out all of my old headphones and just use these. So far they are the best wireless headphones I have used. By far...

Kinda expensive but well worth the price, you cannot hear anything in them, weither that be someone screaming at you or a blowdryer going off. The sound quality is also unreal, you can bop to this all day and it still hits the next time you put it on. Also the battery life is quite good, I barley have to charge it even after 3-4 days of heavy use. A lot better then my previous Hesh ANC headphones. Also while it isn't mentioned anywhere it is quite water resistant, I wash dogs for a living and they tend to shake and get you soaked and they have'nt rusted or degraded at all, at least from what I can see. Also unlike my previous headphones it has not pulled out my hair a single time when adjusting it, but that makes sense for $500 dollar headphones, the middle section bends quite a lot to but puts little force on your head so it remains quite comfortable for different sized heads. Also unlike my previous headphones again it never interupts you music to say low battery, it only does that once at 10% and lowers your music a tad to say that then ramps the volume back up again. I will say however I kinda like the physical buttons of my previous headphones a lot more then the swipe controls, even though they do not fail as often as you might think physical buttons just, never fail, its annoying when you go to up the volume and you skip the song thats all. It is a buy for me, and I would do it again, the ANC is just to good, you feel like your in a library all the time, even if someone is leafblowing right next to you, it is actually unreal.

The noise cancelling performs quite well, and lacks the signature subtle hiss present in other anc headphones. It is a pleasingly quieter experience. The comfort is iffy. It is strangely somewhat difficult to seat the headphones properly on the head without it moving around as the head does. Not really bad comfort, but not good. The touch controls are so frustrating to manage; misinputing is a constant affair. The most disappointing and lacklustre part is the sound tuning. By default it is some outlandish off kilter profile. The companion app does allow tuning, but to a rather limited degree, only having a few set points for a few separate frequencies to set between.

If you are considering moving from skullcandy, the difference in sound quality is negligible to me personally. Everything sounds great after messing with the equalizer/presets, but not these nor Sennheiser get close to the BOOM you get with skullcandy. Additionally both of those sound better straight out of the box. My heavy caveat is that the actual experience using them is so much better. They are integrated with YouTube and Spotify so well with the gestures that it immediately won me over. They're so much lighter, and the stock ear pads are comfortable enough that I've been wearing them for 6+ hours straight and it feels fine. People say they feel like a vice, but it's comfortably snug (as someone with a big head). I've danced around in these with no worry; as for my crushers, they've gone flying off just bobbing around to music. Sound only goes so far these days, but the experience of these is worth the price. Of course if you're moving from a casual tier headphone like Skullcandy, the noise cancellation is actually a little bit scary. As a pedestrian, no fault to sony, it might be too effective for my own good. ad. there is a default setting on these that will read the time out every hour and you will have to look up how to disable.

As someone who has owned both the XM4 and XM5 models, I can say the XM6 is the update I've been waiting for. Sony fixed the main frustrations from the previous version and made it much more practical. Easier to Pack and Carry The folding design is back. While the previous version looked great, it was bulky to pack. The new magnetic case is also a great touch, it snaps shut easily and is much handier for those of us who actually keep our headphones protected. It's perfect for travel Better Device Switching & Charging Switching between your phone and laptop is finally smooth. You can now manually choose which device is playing the sound, so you don't have to worry about the headphones getting confused between two sources. A massive improvement is the ability to charge while the headphones are on. You can charge the battery without being disconnected from your devices, which gets you back in action easily without the usual downtime. NC & Sound Quality: : It does a better job of cutting out background voices and airplane engines than the XM5. The music is clear and powerful without feeling muffled.

Great Product

App on phone was a bit of a pain to set up but works OK once they are connected. The ear pads are nice and comfortable. I personally don't think the sound quality reflects the price but that's just my own opinion.

Superb sound. Set equaliser to clear. Comfortable. Great quality build and foldability.

The headphones are amazing and 100% worth the price! Sound quality and depth is great wireless and the noise cancelling is phenomenal especially whilst travelling. I appreciate being able to have two bluetooth devices connected at the same time, as it swaps automatically between them when audio is played (for example I'll have it connected to my Switch, but when I receive a call on my phone itll move there). I appreciate having a button for quickly switching between ANC and Ambient noise - and the ambient / transparency mode is the best I've ever heard, its just as good as taking the headphones off to talk to someone, whereas on my earphones its normally better to just take them out. The touch controls take some getting used to but are good, I wish you could use both sides for navigation but only the right ear cup has the touch sensor. I have these in blue and the colour isnt as vibrant as I would like - in most lighting it looks more like a black plastic thats faded rather than a nice blue colour. I think I'd have chosen black if given the choice, for that bolder colour.