Sony WH-1000XM6 headphone review
Sony's latest noise-canceling flagship stands atop the rankings
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here’s an old saying in boxing that you’re not really the champ until you can successfully defend your title. Well, I've now named the wireless Sony WH-1000XM6 our “best all-around” noise-canceling headphones — a title belt the company’s legendary XM series has held for five years, despite some strong contenders.
You'll find the top-ranked Sony XM6s on our lists of best Bluetooth® headphones and best noise-canceling headphones of the year.
Stiff competition
All the top audio brands put great effort into their over-ear Bluetooth noise-cancelers. To continue the boxing analogy, this isn’t some plodding weight division where you have a puncher’s chance if you can do one thing particularly well. To stay on top of this list, Sony must remain sharp in all facets of the game.
That’s the XM6 in a nutshell. In fact, these headphones improve on their predecessors, the WH-1000XM5s and XM4s, in almost every category.
Real-time noise cancellation
Let’s start with the headline feature. The Sony XM6s cancel noise as well or better than any other headphones available. Only the Bose QC Ultra over-ears give them a run for their money.
While the noise cancellation is not leaps and bounds better than the XM5s, the slight improvement represents an impressive feat. (Pictured at the MudHouse coffeehouse in Crozet, VA.)
Working at home, the XM6s managed to silence the growl of the dryer one room over. And in the office, workplace chatter was reduced to a murmur. I was aware people were talking but couldn’t make out the words and it didn’t distract me from work.
The Sony XM6 is available in black and platinum silver.
If I needed to quickly hear someone, I could place my hand over the right earcup. This temporarily turned off the noise-canceling technology while the built-in mics picked up external sounds. I was glad to see this convenient and beloved Sony XM feature — and I found the “Ambient Sound” modes more natural than ever. (More on those a little later.)
As far as noise cancellation, it wasn’t so much that the XM6s made things significantly quieter than the already formidable XM5s. But to my perception, the always-active circuitry was less imposing on the sound. I didn’t hear it working so often, so it just felt seamless.
Bluetooth 5.3 (with multipoint)
This newer version of Bluetooth makes for a stronger, more reliable connection to most phones and devices. I could walk around my basement freely and even upstairs a bit, keeping my phone down in my home office.
Like with the XM5s, multipoint lets you connect to two devices at once. So, for example, you can switch back and forth from your phone and laptop. And these are the first headphones in the XM series that support Bluetooth LE Audio for lossless streaming with compatible devices.
The fit, feel, and fold
Earcup size and weight are similar to the previous-gen XM5s, but the headband is wider for better weight dispersion and comfort. This helped relieve the headband from pressing into the crown of the head — my one major quibble with the XM5 fit. The earcups are spacious and generously padded for an overall fit that rivals the XM4s — named one of our top five most comfortable headphones, after extensive in-house testing.
Sony used durable infused-metal hinges for the travel-friendly foldable design.
These fit a little more snugly than XM4s, but the earcups are spacious and well-padded. This keeps them from feeling too tightly clamped on my head and creates an excellent seal for noise cancellation. In fact, the noise isolation is strong even without any of the circuitry turned on.
Perhaps more notably, the XM6s fold up for travel and fit neatly into an included compact travel case. Sony used strong, infused-metal hinges that sit closer to the earcups than most, keeping the headband more form-fitting.
Quick opening/closing magnetic case
We latched on to this small, but important detail for frequent travelers. Sony revamped the case so that it's smaller, loses the zipper, and conveniently snaps open and shut with a satisfying magnetic clasp. According to a Stuff.TV interview with Sony designer Chai Yee L., the company designed it with accessibility in mind — and it can open and close with one hand.
Well-rounded sound
Without the distractions of external noise, the carbon-fiber composite 30mm drivers can really show off. Sony tweaked the design of these quick-moving drivers for a sound that's more linear across all frequencies. They also turned to the deep bench of audio engineers affiliated with Sony Music for guidance, inspiration, and feedback.
To my ears, it paid off. Clarity and texture level up, while the bass still hits hard.
Sony's app lets you fine-tune the settings
Sony's hyper-adaptive noise cancellation is taken up a notch by their Sound Connect app — a free download for Apple® and Android™. This app gives you direct control over what noises you let in or keep out. You can customize the level of noise cancellation or ambient sound based on your task, movement, or even location.
The Sony Sound Connect app lets you dial in the noise cancellation, awareness, EQ, and more.
It’s a cool idea, but I often take advantage of another handy trick that’s been a Sony XM feature going back several generations. Placing my hand over the right earcup activates Ambient mode to temporarily turn off the noise-canceling technology. Tiny built-in mics will pick up external sounds, so you can hear voices or your surroundings, then go back to noise cancellation when you remove your hand.
Or there’s the old-school tactile button on the left earcup that will toggle between noise cancellation and Ambient mode. Not as flashy as the other two, but still effective.
Sound controls
The app gives you several other controls and lets you customize the sound, too. They even have a “Background Music” mode, which gives you the effect that your music is playing from speakers like they would in a coffee shop or restaurant. Again, a neat effect but one I only used sparingly at work. (But of course my job is to listen to headphones, so this could be more useful for others.)
There are several sound presets available along with a 10-band EQ for personalized adjustments. This spoke to my inner "headphone nerd" — I rarely see apps that let you tune the sound so finely.
I took advantage. While the “out of the box” sound worked well for some songs, on bass-heavy tracks, I felt the extra energy in the mid bass was a bit much. Tuning to your taste is a balancing act — fixing one area will inevitably highlight problems in another. So, credit to @SuperReview, the excellent YouTube reviewer, for sharing his settings and giving me a good starting point to play whack-a-mole.
His settings dialed the bass back some, boosted the midrange clarity, and then compensated to keep the highs from trending towards sharp. I ended up taking the 250 Hz band down further and bumping the sub-bass region up a bit to better preserve what I liked most about Sony’s low-end knock.
I used these specific custom EQ settings to dial in my preferred sound.
Listening impressions
On hip-hop tracks, that thump came through. Pharrell’s production on the Clipse track “So Be It” uses a guttural 808 bassline as a foundation, with a soaring string-and-chant sample that occupies the highs. Still, between those extremes, the vocals of emcees Pusha T and No Malice presented with the appropriate level of immediacy and excitement.
Push in particular has very precise, eloquent delivery that projects authority — but can invite harsh sibilance in certain headphones. Here, it was distinct and clear, yet never harsh.
Wide soundstage with solid sense of place
Whether I customized the EQ or listened on the default sound settings, the sound field expanded outside the head. It was especially noticeable with live recordings.
The 40th anniversary box-set reissue of Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms features a previously unreleased 1985 arena show from San Antonio. I streamed it on Qobuz in “CD quality” — fitting, since the Brothers album helped popularize the then-burgeoning disc platform.
The soundstage stretched out wide from left to right, but never felt spread thin.
On their classic slow-burn track “Private Investigations,” I felt like I had a prime seat as the crowd noise swelled around me, providing just enough ambiance. On stage, the synth delivered an omnipresent pulse, giving way to Mark Knopfler’s gritty baritone and startling classical guitar from dead center in front of me. Then, the keyboard and percussion extended the width of the entire presentation.
It was all on a suitably epic scale through the XM6s. The soundstage was wide left-to-right, but nothing was spread thin — each piece had satisfying presence, impact, and punch.
Head-to-head matchups with other top contenders
Now for the main event. Here are some quick notes on how the Sony XM6s compare to other wireless noise-canceling headphones.
The Sony XM6s stack up well against other wireless noise-canceling heavyweights.
Sony XM6 vs. XM5
Sony themselves described the individual changes between the WH-1000XM5 and XM6 as “evolutionary, not revolutionary.” But taken as a whole, I think it’s a big step up. I’ve talked about the upgrades in comfort, sound, and portability.
That said, while the XM6 make things perceptively quieter, the XM5s were one of the two best headphones for canceling noise up until the release date of their successor. And they are still one of the best travel and work headphones you can buy today.
So, if you find yourself at the very top of your headphone budget with the XM5s, rest assured you’re getting your money’s worth.
Sony XM6 vs. XM4
Speaking of budget, you could still consider the XM4s the “steal” in Sony’s flagship noise-canceling lineup. They have the traditional XM design, they also fold, and as mentioned, they scored extremely well in our comfort testing.
And if it comes down to comfort, it becomes your preference — the XM4s are more relaxed on the head than the snug-fitting XM6.
But we are now two generations removed from the XM4s. Some features and controls that were ahead of their time feel less snappy and responsive in 2025. Plus, the sound is more bass heavy and less balanced to my ears, without the ability to fine-tune like you can with the XM6s.
One surprising note when revisiting the XM4s, though — with all the advances we’ve had in Bluetooth the last five years, I had no issues with audio dropouts and didn’t feel restricted in the wireless range. Bluetooth 5.0 and above continues to be a good guideline for choosing wireless headphones.
Sony XM6 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra over-ear headphones
It seems like Bose and Sony have been duking it out in the noise-canceling headphones space since the beginning of time. (In fact, you can see where the two timelines collide in our history of Sony personal audio and our interview with legendary Bose engineer Dan Gauger.) Right now, I give Sony the edge in the quiet and Bose a slight edge in comfort.
These are the two headphones for canceling noise. Both are extremely effective against consistent, low-frequency rumbles like the engine of a plane. But going back and forth between the two in the office, I found the XM6s quieted a wider range of distractions.
All things being equal, I preferred the relaxed fit of the Bose QC Ultra. But as noted, Sony’s tighter grip helps so much with the noise isolation. I found the overall fit pleasant enough to live with the extra clamp force, since the XM6s cancel noise so well.
As far as sound, while I like the tuning of the QC Ultra headphones out of the box, I was able to dial in to my preference even better with the Sony EQ settings. It comes down to the authoritative low-end for me — the XM6s deliver deeper bass.
Sony XM6 vs. Focal Bathys
To my ears, there are no EQ adjustments that can make the XM6s sound as good as the high-end Focal Bathys (or super-premium Bathys MG). Sonically, Focal has developed a whole new class of wireless noise-canceling headphones with this line.
Their well-engineered drivers are made of fine materials and were originally developed for their top-flight audiophile headphones. They deliver dynamic sound with tremendous depth, realism, and texture. They are also very large, in turn making the headphones themselves bigger than most.
Still, even at their size, the Bathys were also chosen as one of our top 5 most comfortable headphones. Their weight is distributed well on the head. It’s just worth noting that if you’re choosing between the two, the XM6s sport a more traditional size and are much lighter.
And again, regardless of price, the Sony XM6 offers the best of the best noise cancellation.
Tale of the tape: Sony XM6 details
- featured in our articles: Best Bluetooth headphones for 2025 and Best noise-canceling headphones for 2025
- closed-back, over-the-ear headphones with Bluetooth 5.3 and multipoint connection
- LDAC and AAC decoding for high-quality music from compatible devices
- sophisticated, adaptive noise-canceling circuitry adjusts to the level of external sound
- new QN3 processor is seven times more powerful than on previous models
- 30 hours of battery life with noise cancellation
- 10 minute quick charge provides enough power for 3 hours of listening
- dynamic 30mm drivers with carbon-fiber composite diaphragm domes
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