Sony WH-1000XM6: The evolution of noise-canceling excellence
Sony's WH-1000XM6 headphones redefine the standards of noise cancellation and audio quality, merging comfort with advanced technology
Kids, settle down while I tell you a story, about how one of the greatest rivalries in consumer electronics played out. For years, Bose used to be the gold standard for premium noise cancelling headphones—stemming largely from decades of doing the hard yards with pilots and aviation environments - and their QuietComfort series delivered little bubbles of silence on flights, in cafes and on daily commutes.
Over the past decade, a challenger emerged quietly from the shadows, first with the unassuming MDR-1000X in 2016 and then rather loudly with the WH-1000XM3 in 2018. With the XM3, Sony managed not only to match Bose’s comfort and calm but also edged ahead with a decidedly better sound signature and feature set, and successive generations refined the formula to the point where with the XM5 released in 2022, the contender became the standard by which all consumer noise cancelling headphones would be judged.
And that’s the rather large XM5-sized challenge that the 2025 WH-1000XM6 ( ₹39,990) is faced with—how do you, as Akash so eloquently put it all those years ago—improve upon perfection?
Design-wise
Visually, the WH-1000XM6 hasn’t messed around with the clean, minimalist and quite frankly borderline nondescript design that defined the XM5—the sort that aims to blend it, not stand out—but all that changes when you actually start using them.
The standout change is actually a walk back from a misstep in the XM5, which used to only let the ear cups rotate before the headphones went into the case—the XM6s now fold in for ease of storage. The bonus: a smaller carry case which now uses an easy-to-operate magnetic clasp instead of a zipper for quicker access. The headband is now wider and flatter than that of the previous generation—coupled with the ~250g weight and the smooth sliders, the design makes the XM6s even easier to wear for longer durations, even though the clamping force (necessary for sound isolation) has been increased a bit.
One can practically forget you’re wearing these; they’re that comfortable…except if you’re in the sun and start sweating against the pleather material of the earcups. A nice little touch I noticed—the headband is asymmetrically designed, which makes it instantly apparent which way round the headband should go instead of having to peer inside the earcups for the L-R labelling. The earcups are also user replaceable, so it’s easy to swap them out after a couple of years of serious use and getting back that minty fresh feeling.
Elsewhere, the control scheme is familiar, with a mix of physical buttons (power/pairing and ANC modes) and touch panels on the right ear cup. The latter, while well-implemented, just reminds me how much the Nothing Headphone (1) got right with its proclivity for physical controls for controlling just about anything you’d need. Physical volume buttons should be a bare minimum, Sony. And while these are not specifically targeted towards the outdoorsy sort, slightly better ingress protection would mean you wouldn’t have to worry about taking them out in the rain and getting caught.
Sound choice
The XM6s connect to your devices wirelessly over Bluetooth 5.3 and support a host of audio codecs including AAC, SBC, LC3 and the high-res LDAC, plus there’s the option of running the included 3.5mm cable to the headphone jack on your laptops. Given that the competition in the premium headphones space has added USB-C based wired audio connectivity, and many support newer Bluetooth standards, this is one part of the XM6 story that doesn’t seem to have moved forward from where they left off in 2022.
Elsewhere, the feature list is strong, with a 10-band equalizer, equalizer presets, passthrough features like speak-to-chat and head gestures, and spatial audio via the 360 Reality Audio platform, all of which are accessed through the Sound Connect app. Power users will enjoy the ability to tweak connection quality and latency, plus there’s multi-point connectivity to two devices if you’re willing to accept the lower bitrate codec playback.
But really, a pair of premium cans like these will live and die by how they sound and how well they cancel out noise, and in that regard, the XM6s don’t put a step wrong. These headphones deliver a rather detailed, dynamic and open sound, and the level of detail and performance Sony has eked out of the 30mm drivers is rather impressive, even when pit against the already stellar XM5.
While the sonic signature does favor the bass elements, there’s none of that excessive boomy bass we’ve seen on Sony’s budget and mid-range. Vocals are well emphasized and the peaks in the highs are masterfully handled to add a heightened sense of detail, and there’s ample separation so you can hear all the elements clearly. By and large, I’ve found the stock sound to work for most genres, though the 10-band equalizer comes in clutch if you want to tweak the audio to your liking.
Yet, it’s with the class-leading noise cancellation that the XM6s will well and truly silence the competition. Eight microphones on the outside of the ear cups and four inside (for a total of 12) do an excellent job of listening to what’s going on in the outside world, and when paired with the increased processing power of Sony’s QN3 chip, they create a rather eerie level of silence and the unintended effect of my 6-month old pup managing to sneak up on me when I’m working with the XM6s on.
On a flight I took with the XM6s in tow, it was rather evident how much better these have gotten at blocking out the hubbub than the XM5 and the AirPods Max I typically use. With human voices in particular, this model does a better job at reducing sounds, and the increased clamping force I mentioned earlier plays its part here, physically blocking out a really high amount of outside noise.
As with the XM5, there’s a dash of AI thrown in to reduce background noise during calls while still focusing on the user’s voice, and the beamforming mics also have a metal grille to improve wind noise reduction. And my favorite feature—Quick Attention Mode, which allows you to hear ambient sounds immediately by cupping the right earcup with your hand—is as good as ever. Perfect to listen to the steward on the flight without taking off your headphones. Battery life on the XM6 is middle of the pack, edging slightly ahead of the XM5’s 30 hours with ANC but not my much, and a splash-and-dash three-minute charge gives you three more hours of playback.
Verdict
With the WH-1000XM6, the three-year wait was worth it, if you go by the advances in both sound quality and noise-canceling performance, and the design tweaks on the hinge, the headband and the case are both welcome for travelers and everyday desk users alike. It lacks future-proofed connectivity options, and there’s the increased price to contend with, but the sublime audio quality and best in class ANC make these the best noise-canceling headphones money can buy. As good as they are, just don’t make us wait another 3 years for a sequel, Sony?
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