Anyone shopping around for a pair of noisecancelling headphones will know that Sony and Bose are the marketleaders. Look around on any commuter train, and you’ll immediately notice that most people have one or the other.
Sony’s latest release, the WH1000XM6, makes several upgrades to the already excellent WH1000XM5 (released in 2022), including improvements to sound quality, call quality, style, comfort and noisecancellation. And after using them for several weeks, I can say they even surpass the toptier Bose QuietComfort Ultras in a few important ways. Here’s my handson review.
Sony WH1000XM6 headphones at a glance
What I like about the Sony WH1000XM6 headphones
The name may feel a bit like a jumble of letters and numbers, but the important thing to know is that this is the newest model in the “WH1000” series, which started with the XM2 in 2017. Sony has carefully iterated and improved with each generation, raising the bar for other brands every time. This highquality pair of cans is no exception.
The XM6 design shares a lot in common with the XM5 that it succeeds, but the headphones crucially now come with a metal hinge so you can fold them down into a more compact carry case that’s easy to open with a simple magnetic latch. That’s a win for portability, especially as they’re super lightweight too.
Sony WH1000XM6 headphones folded into their travel case
They’ve got a sleek look, and are available in navy, silver, or black, with soft, comfortable ear pads I’d happily wear for ages. It’s a shame the “Smoky Pink” shade isn’t available at launch, but hopefully it’s coming in the future.
Pop them on, and you get the most powerful active noisecancelling (ANC) I’ve experienced to date. These use an impressive system of 12 different microphones to monitor and silence background annoyances, and they’re superb at it. It’s a close contest with the Bose Ultras, but these would be our pick for a more naturalsounding ANC performance.
What about the sound quality? They offer an intimate and detailed listening experience, with loads of nuance and dynamism. Naturalsounding vocals and punchy bass are the clear standouts here. They’re a top performer among their rivals, but not quite able to beat the likes of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 or Dali IO8 for pure sound quality.
The Sony WH1000XM6 headphones in navy blue
The big benefit with the Sony, though, is that they’re way more customisable. The companion app is a must. With this, you can dial in your own equaliser setting to make them sound perfect, or use Sony’s presets or “Find Your Equaliser” option.
I haven’t even mentioned every single change with the XM6, because the list is extensive. Voice calls are clearer, they’ve got a wider headband for improved comfort, and a better ambient sound mode too. They’re a proper upgrade.
What I don’t like about the Sony WH1000XM6 headphones
These are an excellent pair of headphones, so I’m struggling to come up with a list of drawbacks. However, personally, I do prefer tactile button controls, so even though the touch controls here are intuitive and versatile, I sometimes wish for the simplicity of buttons.
Also, while I like that you can finally use these headphones while they’re charging (you couldn’t with the XM5), many of their rivals are able to send audio over USBC and that’s something that these don’t support.
Connections and controls on the Sony WH1000XM6 headphones
You get a lot features with the XM6, but you may not find them all that useful. For example, there’s a cinema spatial audio mode that sounds harsh, and a couple of other modes to simulate listening in a cafe or living room – neither are enjoyable.
While the XM6 are very comfortable to wear for the whole afternoon, I would probably still recommend long haul travellers consider the Bose QuietComfort headphone models instead. After about five or six hours, I was quite aware of these on my head because they have a very strong clamping force, so the Bose options still win for longterm comfort.
They’re also expensive – £399 is a notable price hike over the previous version, especially as those are still available. This makes them more affordable than the Apple AirPods Max or Sonos Ace, but pricier than JBL Tour One M3 or Beyerdynamic Aventho 300.
Verdict: Sony WH1000XM6 headphones
Whether you have an older pair of Sony noisecancelling overear headphones or you’re looking to make an investment in a flagship pair, the new WH1000XM6 are the real deal.
They include upgrades to almost every aspect, and are noticeably better, even if you’ve got the last generation WH1000XM5 or the superpopular WH1000XM4 headphones.
Their ability to fold down makes an enormous difference to portability, and there’s a clear sound quality upgrade to go along with the improved design.
Even though it’s a close contest, I think they’re my new pick for the best noisecancelling headphones, too, slightly improving on the excellent Bose flagship. They come at a price, but if you want to invest in some of the best wireless headphones around, they’re worth it.
Simon Cocks is Good Housekeeping UK’s Technology Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy for the title. He previously also worked across other titles including Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram, on Bluesky, on LinkedIn and on Threads.
