Is stunning ANC and a 10-band EQ enough to make the Sony WH-1000XM6 stand out? Well yes, yes it is.

Sony has carved out quite a space for itself in the busy, jostling premium headphones market, and the WH-1000XM6 headphone arrived last year to considerable anticipation. With newly developed 30mm audio drivers and improved ANC powered by a new processor, these are serious contenders to the crown of the best Bluetooth headphones out there.

But with stiff competition from the Bose QC Ultra and Sennheiser HDB 630, the Sony WH-1000XM6 has its work cut out for it. Having tried out plenty of the best Bluetooth headphones for audiophiles, I was interested to see what Sony had cooked up to give these cans an edge. Features like a 10-band EQ and industry-leading ANC jumped out as massive wins. The stock sound profile did not...

Sound profile

Snap the headphones on and you will likely be instantly impressed with the overall sound of the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. They go for the classic shock-and-awe tactics of wads of bass and treble out of the box – the classic V-shape sound signature. All commercial cans do it, and the XM6 does it just fine. It's fun and energetic, but the downside is the mids are pushed back, so you miss quite a lot. Thank god for EQ!

The bass feels grand and full-bodied, without only a touch of the bloat that comes with cans over-eager to impress on this front. I put them through the ringer of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ soundtrack to the film Challengers (some of us still aren’t over it) and that meaty bass sat front and centre, giving the tracks the pulsing rhythmic drive they needed.

In the stock sound the mids were a touch compressed. Listening to Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, I didn’t have the separation I wanted between all the discrete elements that would allow me to appreciate the individual talents of the E Street Band. There’s just a little flatness where things like vocals, guitars and pianos all seem to be sitting on the same level. This is a problem that’s eminently solvable with Sony’s excellent EQ, which we’ll get to, but most users probably won’t touch the EQ, so it's worth noting.

The treble is well-controlled and detailed, mostly managing not to get too overpowered by that large bass, and I didn’t detect any harshness or sibilance. With that said, I suspect that many users will probably use the EQ to bring them up just a tad – I found that a small boost to the higher frequencies consistently gave my tracks a little more shine. In the stock sound, those sublime disco strings that slide in over the top of the Match Point rendition of the Challengers theme were in danger of getting lost; after EQ, they cut through magnificently, the way that God intended.

Even if you don’t touch the EQ, you’ll get a sound that is rich and detailed, with a pleasant warmth that’s unlikely to offend. Vocals arrive with crystal clarity, drum hits are clean and precise. It’s a sound that seems well-tailored to be consistently ‘good enough’ across all different types of music. I gave it a whistle-stop tour through Dua Lipa, Miles Davis, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Weezer (dream blunt rotation), and while I had to resist an intermittent urge to tinker with the EQ, at no point did I feel the stock sound was hopelessly unsuited for what was playing.

Features

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The EQ has come up a number of times already, so let’s get into it. Sony’s Sound Control app offers a magnificent 10-band EQ, offering 12 steps of adjustability for each frequency. It is not quite as granular as the intimidating Sennheiser Sound Control, but provides considerably more depth than Bose’s comparatively lightweight Quite Comfort Ultra 2.

I found that a little reining in of that chunky bass, and some boosting of the mids and treble, worked well to give the sound a little more depth and separation. You can save different EQ presets in the app, meaning you can have one setup for pop, another for jazz, etc.

The app also offers control of the Sony WH-1000XM6’s Active Noise Cancelling, and this is an area where Sony has done a fantastic job. When set to full bore, the noise cancelling very effectively shuts out the world outside. On trains and buses, I could fully immerse myself in the music that was playing, and I once again submitted it to the ‘partner on a loud call in the same room’ test, which it passed admirably – I might as well have been in space. It also proved consistently able to suppress the noise of my nightmarishly clacking keyboard, something that I am still appreciating as I type this.

The Ambient Sound mode allows you to tailor the level of noise cancelling to your tastes via a 20-level slider – useful if you need to retain some awareness of your surroundings – and playing with this slider really helps you appreciate just how effective the noise-cancelling is. Seriously, it’s out of this world. I’ve tried it side by side with the Bose QuietComfort Ultras, and the Sony ANC is perhaps a little more effective, but I don’t think there’s enough of a difference to make a fuss about. They’re both stunning.

There are a few fancy extra functions like an Auto mode that adjusts itself according to the level of noise, and a Voice Passthrough mode that’s supposed to block out noise while allowing people’s voices to cut through, though I tried this out and it didn’t really work.

Call quality is excellent on both ends. The battery life of the XM6 headphones is impressive – they’re rated to 30 hours listening with ANC, and 40 hours without. However, one thing they really have in their favour is super-fast charging – from empty, you can probably gas them up enough in five minutes to get through a commute, which is excellent news if you’re a forgetful sort.

Value

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Having been around almost a year now (debuting in May 2025), the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones has been discounted a little since launch, down to $429 / £329 from an original price of $449 / £400. This is still sitting firmly in the premium zone, and it’s probably more than a casual user will want to spend on a pair of headphones. But it is less than luxurious high-end headphones like the Focal Bathys MG.

And of course you need to factor in the previous generations. There's the Gen 1 of the Bose Ultra (down to $300), the Sennheiser Momentum 4 (down to $200), and Sony's own XM5 (down to $250). And these aren't headphones that were made ages ago that have been sitting in a warehouse for years. To give you context, Sony was still manufacturing the XM4 in 2024, nearly four years after they first launched and two years after the XM5 arrived. What does that mean? It means getting the last iteration is a really valid option. You're getting a brand new model, but with a reduced price tag. Something to consider...

Comfort & build

Looking at chatter online, a lot of people have talked in glowing terms about how comfortable they find the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones to be. I’m going to dissent here, because I personally find the clamping force quite hard and the cups quite snug, and I get some mild ache around the ears after long listening sessions. It’s not a huge problem, but these definitely aren’t the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever used. It might just be that my particular head shape, for whatever reason, doesn’t jibe with this design.

Design-wise they are rather slick – all soft curves and smooth edges, finished in a chic matte black. Sony has reintroduced the hinged and folding design that was unwisely jettisoned for the previous XM5 headphones, making the XM6 pair more travel-friendly. They come with a hard fabric-covered case that looks nice enough, but is much bulkier than the folded headphones – you may want to source your own soft pouch for transportation.

The right earcup is touch-sensitive, offering a range of intuitive controls for track and volume control. On the left earcup is a button for quickly turning ANC on and off – useful if you suddenly find yourself needing to hear the outside world. There’s also a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm jack for wired listening.

Should you buy?

I’m going to be using the word ‘personally’ quite a bit here, so I apologise in advance. The Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are undoubtedly an excellent pair of wireless cans. They look great, they sound good, and the excellent Sony Sound Control app offers an impressive depth of EQ control to improve that sound still further. The ANC takes no prisoners, and the battery life is commendable.

At a current street price of $429 / £329, the XM6 is cheaper than many high-end rivals, such as the $499 / £399 Sennheiser HDB-630. But when you consider the last Gen models, it's pricier. And here’s the rub for me personally (there it is) – I would buy the Bose Quite Comfort Ultra Gen 1: Lower price, significantly better comfort, better mid-range details out of the box. Sure, Sony has the better app and more comprehensive EQ, and the Bose Gen 1 is a generation older than the XM6. But for day-to-day listening, Bose wins it for me... Personally.

Still, there’s not a lot in it – that's why I've given them both 4/5 stars. Sony has made an excellent pair of headphones here, and one I can happily recommend to anyone who loves great ANC, immersive sound, loves sleek design, and doesn't mind a tighter clamp with their headphones.