Sony WH-1000XM6 Review – Superior sound meets awesome comfort

When it comes to headphones, Sony’s designs lead the pack in terms of comfort, design and innovation. While the WH-1000XM5 from 2022 were a fantastic pair of over-ear headphones in terms of sound quality, it still had its fair share of design hiccups which the new Sony WH-1000XM6 aims to address with a refined array of improvements.

After taking it out for an extended jaunt on the daily commute and on holiday for the past several weeks, here’s our Sony WH-1000XM6 review where we share if it’s worth your money.

Sony WH-1000XM6 Review – Build and Design

On paper, the Sony WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones is the successor to the prior WH-1000XM5 with improvements in design and comfort, with an emphasis on better noise cancelling thanks to the new QN3 chip and more refined audio.

At first blush, our Sony WH-1000XM6 review sample looks almost identical to the older WH-1000XM5 though closer inspection shows a number of refinements to its design that address pain points in the older model.

Where the prior WH-1000XM5 could only fold flat, the newer model is able to fold inwards, making it a bit more portable while also being slightly heavier. These refinements also impact its carrying case which has slightly smaller and more compact dimensions.

Rather than a traditional zipper that stands a chance of breaking over repeated use, the carrying case instead uses a magnetic clasp which has better long-term survivability while keeping the case secure and allows for faster opening too.

The case also ships with a short length of USB-A to USB-C cable, the usual warranty and quick start paperwork as well as a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable that’s about 1.2m long.

In terms of design, the WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones feature similarly sized 30mm drivers as its predecessor but features an improved QN3 chip for enhanced noise cancelling and updated Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. The headband is heavily padded for comfort and the ends are retractable to fit most head sizes with sufficient clamping force to ensure a good passive sound seal though this may vary depending on the user.

Both earcups are also heavily padded with memory foam for comfort. The left earcup features a power cum pairing button, a noise cancelling and ambient noise mode toggle button as well as a 3.5mm audio jack. 

The right earcup has a single USB-C port for charging duties along with a touch panel that allows for touch gestures by swiping or tapping on the surface. A double tap controls pause/playback while volume control is by swiping up and down. Swiping forwards and backwards lets you fast forward or go back to a previous track.

For those who are irked by the complicated tapping required to control wireless earbuds, the touch control surface here is a game-changer. Even with fairly greasy or wet fingers due to rain or having eaten a bag of chips, the touch controls on my WH-1000XM6 review sample responded perfectly every time.

While these controls are accessible straight out of the box, you’ll need to download and pair up the headphones with their Sony Sound Connect app to gain access to additional customisation options. The app also lets you tweak equaliser settings to taste.

Overall build quality for our Sony WH-1000XM6 review sample is excellent with its dark blue matte finish resisting fingerprints nicely. Even after several weeks of use, the hinges and especially the inward-folding mechanism for the earcups folded smoothly and opened up without issue. 

Unfortunately, the headphones lack dust and water protection so it isn’t advisable to take it outdoors lest a sudden rainstorm turns it into an expensive head ornament.

Sony WH-1000XM6 Review – Performance

Getting the Sony WH-1000XM6 up and running is as easy as it gets. The headphones offer connectivity via Bluetooth 5.3 as well as via traditional means using the provided 3.5mm audio cable. For testing, my Sony WH-1000XM6 review sample paired up nicely with a Galaxy S25 Ultra as well as a Windows laptop in seconds using Bluetooth. 

Heavy multitaskers and desk jockeys will also appreciate that the headphones support multipoint pairing, switching between paired devices on demand. This helps to bypass the tedious rigmarole of unpairing and then pairing the headphones and instantly swap between paired devices as needed. 

Seeing the dearth of phones and often many laptops that lack an audio jack, it would have been nice if Sony upgraded the WH-1000XM6 to support USB-C audio but hopefully they include this in its successor.

Out of the box, our Sony WH-1000XM6 review sample delivered decent sound staging, balanced mids and highs with modest restraint on the bass to ensure it didn’t overwhelm everything else. Most mainstream users who listen to the usual array of pop and vocal tracks will enjoy the standard sound profile. 

In Pink Floyd’s ‘Time’ the headphones were able to offer distinct directional audio as the various clocks in the opening track began chiming and it was able to handle Bear McCreary’s bass-heavy ‘Prelude to War’ with its plethora of taiko drums and heavy percussion without the tracks muddling into a mess. 

‘Breathe’ by Telepopmusik proved to be a guilty treat, with the late Angela McCluskey’s vocals sounding sublime over the gradually layered synth. Joanna Wang’s evergreen cover of ‘Vincent’ which relies solely on her vocals and a guitar accompaniment did not disappoint with her subtle strumming enjoying equal staging alongside her dulcet voice.

More discerning audiophiles who want to tweak the headphones to taste will need to download and install the Sony Sound Connect app on a paired phone. Doing so enables access to a number of advanced settings and Sony’s attention to detail is apparent here with a veritable cornucopia of options including equaliser settings, setting volume limits, toggling connection smoothness or quality and more.

The active noise cancellation of the headphones is among the best on test. In combination with the good passive sound insulation from the padded earcups, it was able to mostly mute out the blathering tannoy on the train and the constant jabbering of a couple several adjoining seats over. On a plane, it was able to mute out most of the background noise of the engines and allowed for a pleasant, relatively peaceful flight to Phuket and back.

When tested, my Sony WH-1000XM6 review sample held up well to extended use. Both the carrying case and the matte finish on the headphone resisted fingerprints nicely. Even with dozens of open-and-close movements, the mechanism remained smooth. Of note was the generous padding on the headband and each earcup with the modest amount of clamping force allowing for a good passive sound seal.

The active noise cancellation in tandem with the good passive noise insulation was among the best I’ve encountered. In field tests, it was able to null out quite a bit of external ambient sound enough to deal with the background hum of a plane engine and the sound of traffic to a dull murmur. Even the wailing of a baby on the flight was a pleasant dull murmur.

In terms of battery life, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is officially rated for 30 hours of playback time with noise cancelling on and 40 hours with ANC off which is more than enough to survive a round trip to San Francisco and back and about a three day’s worth of usage in the office and on the commute. 

During testing, I averaged about five or so hours of use at work listening in on briefings and music and a couple of hours on the train every day, with a mix of ANC on and off, with the headphones lasting a decent four days or so before needing a recharge.

While it seems like a small feature, the WH-1000XM6 finally allows for playback while charging which proved to be a lifesaver especially near the tail-end of the week or when I had to top it up in the office.

Should you buy the Sony WH-1000XM6?

The Sony WH-1000XM6 offers superior sound quality, top-shelf noise cancellation and more importantly, excellent comfort for extended use. However, it does not come cheap and lacks dust and water resistance. 

If you already own the excellent WH-1000XM5, the WH-1000XM6 isn’t a particularly compelling upgrade given its higher price and relatively modest refinements. However, for those new to Sony’s audio line-up or seeking a comfortable, great-sounding pair of premium headphones with top-tier noise cancellation, the WH-1000XM6 comes highly recommended.

Sony WH-1000XM6 review sample courtesy of Sony Malaysia. For more details and to purchase please visit https://www.sony.com.my/headphones/products/wh-1000xm6?sku=wh1000xm6-lme