Sony WF-1000XM6 review: the strongest noise-cancelling and fullest sounding wireless earbuds
Headphone-quality sound packed into earbuds
🏆 Review score: 4.5 out of 5
🏅 Editor’s Choice Award
✅ Pros
📶 Class-leading noise-cancelling blocks out all noises and more high-frequency noises
🎶 Full and balanced sound range delivers deep bass, clear mids, and crisp highs
🦻 Transparency mode enhanced with directional sound
👂 11% Thinner profile comfortably fits more ears
Taller shape helps prevent accidental touch control presses
🎙️ Voice and web calls improved by AI beamforming and noise-cancelling, and more mics
❌ Cons
🤑 Very high $329 price
🍄 Larger size is disappointing
🙂↔️ Head tracking is still limited to Android phones playing Netflix or YouTube
The Shortcut Review
The Sony WF-1000XM6 are an incredible pair of wireless earbuds for an equally incredible $329 price. For the price of a premium pair of wireless headphones, Sony has finally managed to squeeze the noise-cancelling and audio quality of the Sony WH-1000XM6 into a pair of earbuds. The noise-cancelling performance of these earbuds is on a whole new level, blocking out conversations, blaring music, and other high-frequency noises that typically seep through ANC. I’ve never heard a fuller sound range from a pair of earbuds, either. The Sony WF-1000XM6 delivers a balanced sound range I would expect from much larger wireless headphones with deep bass, clear mids, and crisp highs.
The larger size of the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds is a step back. Thankfully, while these earbuds are taller than before, they’re also thinner, so they fit more comfortably in your ears. The Sony WF-1000XM6’s biggest flaw is that head-tracking audio is still limited to Android phones, and only when using the Netflix and YouTube apps. If you’re looking for a pair of the best earbuds with spatial sound for music and movies on iOS, stick to the AirPod Pro 3.
Spatial sound aside, the Sony WF-1000XM6 offers the best noise-cancelling and sound quality I’ve ever heard from a pair of earbuds. They seriously pack the power of the Sony WH-1000XM6 into an earbud-sized package, while improving comfort and voice call quality over the previous Sony WF-1000XM5.
Full Review
🫘 Bean-shaped. The most immediately noticeable thing about the Sony WF-1000XM6 is how much bigger they are. They’re significantly taller than the previous WF-1000XM5, which previously shrank the size of Sony’s flagship earbuds by 25%. While the earbuds are taller, they’ve actually become 11% slimmer, so while the earbuds will stick out a bit more from the sides of your head, there’s less earbud mass wedged in your ear. The taller shape also makes it easier to insert and remove the earbuds from my ears without accidentally triggering the capacitive touch area.
✨ All that glitters. The Sony WF-1000XM6 also features a more distinctive finish that resembles sandstone, with reflective flakes. There are actual metal flakes and glass beads mixed into the earbuds and case, which give them an extra luster and slightly gritty texture. This is unique to the Platinum Silver colorway I’m reviewing, so get the black if you want a more muted design.
Sound quality
🔕 Serious noise-cancelling power. The noise cancelling is almost perfect on the Sony WF-1000XM6. These earbuds block out almost all external noise, including higher-frequency sounds that usually trouble most noise-cancelling headphones/earbuds. I can barely hear people talk; even if I walk right by them, they’ll sound like muffled murmurs. The huge ANC bump comes thanks to the XM6’s new QN3e processor, which supports eight microphones over the XM5’s six microphones. I can also hear less of my footsteps and myself chewing thanks to the Sony WF-1000XM6’s new ventilation design, which allows internal noise to flow out more freely without reverberating in the earbuds.
🧽 Foam eartips. Part of the Sony WF-1000XM6’s improved noise-cancelling comes from its upgraded foam eartips. Sony’s earbuds have always been a tough fit for me and would always slip out, but that isn’t a problem for the Sony WF-1000XM6. They simply fit better for me with this latest generation, and I don’t need to squish them down before sticking them into my ears anymore. They’re still purely made of foam, so they don’t have the AirPod Pro 3’s mix of silicone for comfort and foam for silence.
🔊 Full sound profile. The Sony WF-1000XM6 delivers the fullest and most balanced sound I’ve ever heard from any pair of earbuds. I can easily hear every facet of Bohemian Rhapsody, from the beating drum baseline, the harmonizing vocals, and the shrieking Galileos. Hearing NUEVAYoL is equally sumptuous as I can fully enjoy its striking bass without losing Bad Bunny’s almost equally low, slurry lyrics. This full sound profile comes thanks to Sony’s new hybrid driver, which features a soft edge to deliver deep bass, while a more rigid center dome delivers clearer, extended highs.
🦻 Spatial hearthrough. Sony WF-1000XM6 uses its eight microphones to deliver an even clearer, spatialized hearthrough mode. Sony was already on top of its game with an astoundingly natural transparency mode, but now I can hear outside noise move around me. While walking down the street, I can hear a police car blare past me and tell which direction it’s coming from. The same is true of hearing conversations as I walk past people, and that can be handy if someone is trying to catch my attention, as I can hear which direction they’re in.
Features
📜 Feature laundry list. The Sony WF-1000XM6 comes with a long laundry list of features, including DSEE Extreme and LE Audio support, SBC/AAC/LDAC/LC3 codecs, spatial sound, head tracking, 360 Reality Audio, gesture controls, and voice commands. While most features work cross-platform on iOS and Android, the most important head-tracking feature remains limited to Android phones while using either Netflix or YouTube.
📻 Background music mode. Background listening is the feature I find most useful on the Sony WF-1000XM6. This effectively uses the earbuds’ spatial sound capabilities to place a pair of virtual speakers in front of you, to the side, or behind you, giving you a less in-your-face listening experience so you can focus more on reading, working, or anything else.
☎️ Clear calling. The Sony WF-1000XM6 is a great pair of earbuds for making calls with. The earbuds use their larger array of external microphones and an added bone-conduction sensor to more accurately block out extraneous noise while you talk. The Sony WF-1000XM6 also uses two forms of AI: a beamforming microphone and a noise-cancelling model to keep your voice clear. I had no problems talking to my partner or The Shortcut team, even while I took calls from a busy street or cafe.
🔋 Full-day battery life. Battery life on the Sony WF-1000XM6 remains the same as the previous generation, with eight hours on the buds and 24 hours in the charging case. Eight hours of listening time is still more than enough for a full workday and commuting. Quick charging also remains the same as the previous XM5, giving you a full hour of playtime after three minutes of charging.
Should you buy the Sony WF-1000XM6?
✅ Yes, if…
🎧 You want the best noise-cancelling wireless earbuds
🔊 You want a fully balanced, headphone-level sound range in a pair of earbuds
☎️ You want to be heard more clearly during web and voice calls
❌ No, if…
📱 You want spatial audio from your Apple devices
💵 You would rather spend the sizable $329 asking price on something else
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.