Sony WH-1000XM6

HiFi, Headphones
Sony WH-1000XM6 — The ANC Benchmark, Refined Again

Every couple of years Sony quietly resets what “best noise-cancelling headphone” means, and everyone else spends the next eighteen months catching up. The XM6 is the sixth swing at that target, and it’s the first in a while that actually changes shape rather than just the numbers on the spec sheet — the folding hinges are back, which tells you Sony listened to the one complaint the excellent XM5 never lived down.

Build & Design

The headline change is mechanical: after the XM5 ditched folding arms for a slimmer non-folding profile, the XM6 brings the hinge back, so the earcups tuck fully into a wider, flatter headband and the whole thing collapses into a genuinely pocketable case with a magnetic closure. Clamping force is up very slightly over the XM5 to aid isolation, offset by softer memory-foam pads and a new, more breathable protein leather. It’s a more travel-friendly shape without giving up the plush, premium feel Sony’s flagship has always had. The 30mm driver is physically the same size as the XM5’s but re-engineered with a carbon-fibre dome and a perforated voice coil, developed in part with mastering engineers, aimed squarely at tighter bass and cleaner top end.

Sound

Sound

That driver work shows. The XM6 sounds noticeably more resolved than the XM5 — bass is tighter and better controlled rather than just bigger, mids have more body, and the top end is more detailed without tipping into sibilance. It’s still a tuned, slightly bass-leaning consumer signature rather than a neutral reference, but it’s an unusually accomplished one, and DSEE Extreme does a genuinely useful job upscaling compressed streaming files. LDAC over Bluetooth gets you most of the way to CD quality wirelessly, and the wired 3.5mm cable mode is a sensible fallback for flights, even if it’s a passive analogue connection rather than a USB-DAC mode.

Noise Cancelling & Features

Sony’s new QN3 processor and a 12-microphone array — two of them mounted directly on the driver — push ANC to a new high point; reviewers consistently rate it among the best cancellation on the market, smooth and free of the hiss or pressurised feeling that plagues lesser efforts. Multipoint Bluetooth, speak-to-chat, adaptive sound control and a genuinely useful 10-band EQ in the Sony Headphones Connect app round out a feature set that has very few gaps left in it.

Comparisons

Against its predecessor, the XM5, this is the first XM6 upgrade in a while I’d call unambiguous — better ANC, better sound, and a case you can actually put in a jacket pocket again. What Hi-Fi rated it above the Bose QuietComfort Ultra on testing, and the Sennheiser Momentum 5 gives it the stiffest competition on outright tonal warmth. None of that changes the honest comparison that matters to me: next to my Sennheiser HD600 or Hifiman Sundara on a quiet evening, the XM6 is a very good Bluetooth headphone, not a high-end one — the difference in texture and separation is obvious the moment ANC and DSP step out of the way. For travel, commuting and open-plan offices, though, nothing wired comes close to being this convenient.

Verdict

Pros

  • Best-in-class active noise cancellation
  • Folding design returns — genuinely pocketable again
  • Noticeably improved driver and tonal balance over the XM5
  • LDAC, multipoint, strong app EQ and DSEE Extreme

Cons

  • Still a tuned, not neutral, sound signature
  • Wired mode is passive analogue only, no USB-DAC path
  • £400/$449 launch price is a real premium over rivals
  • Case, while slimmer, still isn’t tiny

Ratings:

  • Build & Design: 9 / 10
  • Sound: 8.5 / 10
  • Features: 9.5 / 10
  • Value: 8 / 10

The WH-1000XM6 is the noise-cancelling headphone I’d hand anyone who flies more than they’d like — it just isn’t the headphone I reach for when I actually want to listen.