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.

I have a headphone problem, or so my wife says. I’ve owned the Apple AirPods Max, the Sony XM5’s, the Bose QC and QC Ultra the QC 45’s and 35’s both I and II, the Sonos Ace, and the Beats Studio Pro. Going into my XM6 purchase, my favorite are/were the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. I bought the QuietComfort Ultra during Prime Day for an unbelievable $329! I have found that they offer the best combination of comfort, sound and ANC for the price. So, how does the XM6 compare? The ANC is second to none. I augment our central air with a window unit, which sits right behind my head, and I can completely eliminate its sound. But static sounds are pretty easily muffled by most of newer ANC headphones, so how about dynamic sounds like a tv or normal conversation? The XM6 excel there, too. Put simply, they offer the best ANC of any of the aforementioned headphones. They are also pretty comfortable and clamp down relatively tight, though I haven’t found anything to be as comfortable as either the QC or QC Ultra. The XM6 are designed to be over ear headphones, yet my ear doesn’t seem to fit inside the cup like other over ear headphones. This, in my opinion, makes them less-comfortable then they could/should be. However, the memory foam is a nice touch and does help.

The sound is well-balanced and pretty good right out of the box, though I had to make use of the ten-band EQ to get them to sound just a tad better than my QC. With my current EQ settings, I would say they offer the clarity of the Apple AirPods Max, but with the bottom end of my Bose QuietComfort. The bass isn’t overpowering, it’s actually pretty accurate (after EQ tinkering).

In the final analysis, the XM6 offer the best sound of any of the headphones I mentioned, but not by much. Furthermore, the ANC is superior to everything else I’ve owned, but not by a staggering amount.

So, which should you buy? If you’re like me and in search of the best possible sound, and won’t settle for anything less than the best ANC, then get the XM6. If, however, you prioritize comfort and value, and don’t mind making some very minor concessions regarding sound and ANC, then get the Bose QuietComfort or the QC Ultra (wait until you catch them on sale, which is pretty often). I hope that helps. Happy listening!

Update: “6/02/2025: Intermittent crackling in left speaker. Had to return them. I have replaced them, though.

Update 06/07/25: I received the replacement pair and everything seems great.

I neglected to mention in my previous review how great the Sony app is and how customizable the XM6 are. First, you get a ten band EQ, instead of the Bose three bands. Additionally, there are some awesome (optional) features that are missing from Bose. Sony has speak to chat, which mutes your music and puts your headphones in aware mode when you speak. Also, there is an option to accept or reject calls by simply nodding or shaking your head, which is very cool. If you’re into features like that and general customization, then the Sony XM6 are for you.

UPDATE 06/17/2025. Started hearing crackling again in the right speaker this time. This time I did a Google search to see if others were having the same problem, and it seems like turning on DSEE Extreme could be the culprit at high volumes. The DSEE Extreme setting is supposed to upscale compressed files. I turned off the setting and no more crackling. I replayed the same part of the same song with and without it engaged, it it’s definitely the DSEE Extreme. Consequently, I’ve turned off that setting and now everything seems fine.

5 stars if you didn't have the xm5. Can't provide a software or specs review, but here's what I thought about the fit and use of the headphones. I was a bit hesitant about getting the xm6 since I had the xm5, but decided to go for it and gave my xm5 to a family member.

Band width: The xm5 was the only pair of headphones I can wear for longer than 2.5 hrs without causing a headache, but even then, because of how narrow the width of the band was I still had to take it off periodically. The xm6 has a wider band so the pressure is more evenly distributed. I've successfully left it on my head for 4.5 hrs without pain.

The power button!: a significant improvement from the xm5 because it is now a different shape from the ANC button!! No more accidentally pressing the power!

The noise canceling aspect is still top notch as before. I wore this in the same room as a preschool music class learning how to play musical instruments and singing, and the sounds were so well dampened I can treat their voices as white noise. (At the same time I've also worn the xm5 next to a crying baby on a 18hr flight and I slept better than that baby did)

The foldability of the xm6 is probably the biggest difference. Personally, the xm5 never bothered me because it stays around my neck during travel. I actually keep folding it the wrong way, which is a problem for me😂. I do like that the case is magnetic as opposed to zippers because it's much easier to open/close one handedly. The position of the cups(?) are more angled than the xm5, which in my case, made it slightly more susceptible to sliding off of my head, but not enough that it becomes a problem.

I think the ambience mode is not as muted as the xm5, which I don't like, but I do love that you can always adjust your preference in the app. I wish the cord included comes in the same color as the headphones though.

Overall, on it's own, this is a good headphone, but I don't think there's enough adjustments to justify the price tag if you have the xm5. It's good if you're looking for the specific upgrades, but if you're on a budget it's not worth the extra $150-200.

I’ve been using the Sony WH-1000XM6 for over seven months now, and overall I’m very impressed — with one important comfort caveat.

Sound quality is excellent right out of the box, with deep bass, clear mids, and crisp highs. Battery life is also outstanding and easily lasts through long listening sessions without constantly needing a recharge. One feature I really appreciate is that you can keep the charging cable plugged in and continue using the headphones, which is incredibly convenient at a desk setup.

Noise cancelling is top tier. It blocks out ambient sound extremely well.

Fun fact: I was vacuuming the other day with the noise cancelling fully engaged. My wife came home, walked in, and immediately started laughing at me. Turns out the vacuum had come unplugged at some point… and I had “vacuumed” most of the apartment in total silence without realizing it. That’s how effective the noise cancelling is — I was out here deep-cleaning imaginary dirt like a dedicated professional.

That said, comfort is where these may not work for everyone.

The over-ear fit is snug enough to help block outside noise, but it’s a bit too tight for me. After extended use, my jaw and ears start to ache. This is something I never experienced with the XM5. If you’re sensitive to clamp force or wear headphones for many hours at a time, this could be a deciding factor.

Another comfort factor is the ear cup material itself. Sony uses a synthetic protein leather outer layer over memory foam cushioning. It creates a great seal for noise cancelling, but it also traps heat. During mild exercise or long listening sessions, my ears get noticeably sweaty, and I’ve experienced some moisture buildup in the ear canal after prolonged use. On the plus side, that same insulation works well in colder weather and helps keep my ears warm.

The case material is also a fingerprint magnet and shows oils and smudges very easily.

However, one big improvement over the XM5 is durability. The XM5 swivel mechanism was a weak point and prone to failure. The XM6 uses a metal swivel design, which feels far more robust and has held up well so far.

Overall, these are premium headphones with excellent performance and build quality, but comfort may vary depending on head shape, clamp tolerance, and heat sensitivity.

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!

They're just good at everything and actually sound pretty good now too.

Noise cancelling works very well. Sony has always been good at reducing common noises without the feeling of being in an airplane cabin. While Apple is fine too, Bose sometimes gave me that cabin pressure feeling.

The transparency mode is much better now and on par with Apple.

Microphone is very good for meetings. It really removes all the fan noise, office environment, and lawn worker noises.

Fit and comfort works for me. I don't have giant ears, but I've always preferred headphones that don't touch my ears. These are just barely big enough for that. My head is on the smaller side, but the clamp holds the headphone up well and doesn't need a lot of pressure on the top head band to stay in place. Maybe a little more head padding or wider head band would be better but not really an issue for me. Being pretty light helps a lot here.

XM4 style folding is back. It's seriously better than the XM5s. Travels so much easier. BUT they will pinch you when unfolding if you're not paying attention.

The Sony doesn't pull out hair like some other headphones do.

Two device bluetooth that just works. Laptop, phone, apple tv, whatever.

Charges really fast.

Zipperless case is amazing! It's just so simple and easy. Also, the pouch that holds accessories, like the cable and plugs actually hold! The cables and adapters from the XM4 case were always falling out. Don't even get me started on the Apple "case".

They sound good! The XM3 and XM4 both sounded... fine. I swapped to more comfortable pads on both of those when I had them and it also helped improve the sound (less bass bloat). The Apple and Bose both sound good also, but the Sony app has a 10-band equalizer now which makes it so much easier to make it sound how you actually like it. While it's still not a fully adjustable EQ, it's good enough and makes a huge difference. I don't understand why this isn't standard for every powered headphone.

The appearance and feel is exactly what I want. These are travel and work headphones. I don't want ridiculous bling or branding. I'm not trying to make a fashion statement. I don't want a huge "steal me" sign on my head. These blend in and I'm totally happy about that. They also feel "fine" which again is perfect for when I don't really want to think about how I'm treating my daily drive headphones. I have some very nice headphones which stay home, and I treat like art. That's not what the Sony's are for. I'm not worried when I bump then into things or just set them down on a desk or toss onto a piece of furniture. I don't need a more premium look for feel.

These are great headphones and easily the best Sony XMs yet.

These headphones are pretty good at cancelling white noise. In fact they are so good at it that they drowned out everything else except the screaming child behind me on the airplane, which made it even more painful to listen to music. The older models were good at canceling white noise AND talking around me, so well that I could not even hear the person sitting next to me having a conversation, but these headphones (the 6th gen) are not that. They will only block out white noise and not conversations. So if you need them for flying or office work and are hoping to use them to drown out loud talking around you they will disappoint in that regard.

The headphones felt tight on my head which caused some headaches, which is why I will be returning them. They made the headband flatter this time, which may have contributed to that feeling of tightness. The ear cups feel smaller as well, which made my ears feel a bit cramped and hot on the 6 hour flight.

I am a big Sony fan and have owned gen 1 all the way to gen 6 of these headphones, and while I appreciate the overall refinement of this model, I still prefer my older gen headphones because they a) block out voices and b) feel roomier on my head and ears.

Some positives that I appreciate from the m6 are

- background music mode, this was cool and i could see myself using it if i decided to keep them

- bigger power button on the left ear cup

- folding design that fits into compact case

- use with two devices

- sound quality (although it does feel like you need the volume up higher to get the full effect? was kind of underwhelming at lower volumes which is generally how i use these)

- materials quality seemed nice, but mine did have some paint buildup on the headband

Overall, these are quality headphones. If you plan to use these in your room or away from other people, you will probably really like them. But If you want to use them in loud public spaces (cafes/planes/office) you may be disappointed.

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.

Sorunsuz şekilde teslimatı yapıldı. İnanılmaz bir ses kalitesi beklemeyin fakat noise cancelling mükkemmel uçakta ve farklı gürültülü mekanlarda test ettim çok güzel şekilde ses kesiyor. Uygulamasından farklı özellikleri açıp kapatabiliyorsunuz. Güzel modları ve özellikleri var. Spor için uygun değil deri pedler ter yapıyor ve rahatsız ediyor. Çantası harika, seyahatte yolculukta dinlemek için mükemmel.

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.

Amazing

The headphones are great. The noise cancellation teleports you to another world. Honestly everything is good, comfort, build, quality, sound in general. The only thing keeping me rating this 9/10 instead of 10/10 is the bass. The bass isn't that great but still good enough.

Ótimo