Sony
Sony WH-1000XM6 wireless over-ear, flagship noise cancelling, folding design, Hi-Res Audio
Sony WH-1000XM6 wireless over-ear, flagship noise cancelling, folding design, Hi-Res Audio
Our Verdict
Sony's current flagship: the XM5's cancelling and sound moved forward a generation, and it folds again.
Why it's number one: The most complete flagship on this page, with the strongest published reviews in the category (five stars from What Hi-Fi, four and a half from TechRadar and Trusted Reviews), and it folds, which the XM5 does not.
It is close: The Bose QuietComfort Ultra runs it very close and leads on owner evidence, a higher owner rating on a far deeper record, and on comfort. The Sony leads on published reviews and features and costs less. On a long flight where comfort decides it, buy the Bose; as an all-rounder, buy the Sony.
The XM6 fixes the one complaint that followed the XM5: it folds again, into a smaller case, which for anyone packing a bag is the practical difference between the two. Around that, Sony has moved the rest forward, with a new noise-cancelling processor working with twelve microphones, a redesigned headband Sony describes as more comfortable than the XM5's, and a ten-band equaliser in the app, per the listing. The published reviews are the strongest in this category. What Hi-Fi gives it five stars, and TechRadar and Trusted Reviews four and a half each. The one figure that does not lead is the battery: Sony quotes 30 hours with cancelling on, and the far cheaper JBL Tune 770NC is quoted much longer. Its Amazon UK owner rating sits below Bose's on a thinner record, because this is a recent listing whose count is shared across colour variants. Against the Bose QuietComfort Ultra the choice is between Sony's app, Hi-Res Audio support and call handling and Bose's comfort; the cancelling is close enough that either will quieten a flight.
Owners is our reading of this listing's Amazon UK owner rating (solid rating, deep record), shrunk toward the category average when the record is thin. Critics averages 3 published reviews. Tick marks show the category average.
How we scored it
Each measure is marked against the category's rubric, where 10 is the best you can buy, 8 is strong, 6 is basic but sound and 4 falls short. The bars show that mark on the Top7 scale (a 6 reads as 7.0, an 8 as 8.5); the notes quote the rubric mark.
- Noise cancelling 10.0 (rubric 10): Sony's newest cancelling processor with twelve microphones, per the listing, alongside the Bose Ultra at the top of the category.
- Sound 9.3 (rubric 9): Hi-Res Audio, DSEE Extreme upscaling and a ten-band equaliser, per the listing.
- Comfort 9.3 (rubric 9): A redesigned headband Sony describes as more comfortable than the XM5's, and it folds.
- Battery and features 9.3 (rubric 9): Up to 30 hours with cancelling on, per the listing, plus ambient mode, a folding design and a hard case.
Critic scores: What Hi-Fi 5/5 · TechRadar 4.5/5 · Trusted Reviews 4.5/5
Pros
- + Folds into a compact case again, which the XM5 does not
- + New cancelling processor with twelve microphones, per the listing
- + Three published reviews, including a five-star verdict from What Hi-Fi
- + Ten-band equaliser in Sony's app
Cons
- − Quoted battery life of 30 hours with cancelling on trails cheaper pairs
- − A thinner owner record than the other premium picks so far
- − Owner rating below the Bose pairs
- − Costs considerably more than the XM5