Execs
- Utterly redesigned with upgraded elements and barely higher match than XM5
- High-notch sound that is correct, well-balanced and pure
- Glorious noise-canceling and voice-calling efficiency with 8 microphones (4 in every bud)
- First rate battery life
Cons
- Fairly expensive
- Included eartips is probably not an excellent match for all ears
- Android-only spatial audio options
Once I first heard that Sony was popping out with new sixth-generation 1000X earbuds, I wasn’t fairly positive what to anticipate. Corporations like Bose and Apple have principally caught with the identical design — or the same one anyway — for his or her flagship noise-canceling buds for the previous couple of years. However Sony’s new WF-1000XM6 buds are utterly overhauled in and out and look nothing just like the fashions that preceded them.
The tip result’s spectacular: Whereas costly at $330, the WF-1000XM6 not solely options nice sound and wonderful noise canceling, however their voice-calling efficiency can also be top-notch. Are they the greatest noise-canceling earbuds on the market proper now? Other than a caveat or two, I would say so, although the AirPods Professional 3 stay a safer wager for Apple customers from a match and options standpoint (to not point out a cheaper price tag).
The WF-1000XM6’s design shift
Each the buds and their case are a little bit plain-looking. I am OK with that, and from a sensible standpoint, I favored that the case is flat on each its prime and backside, making it simple to position down on a flat floor, corresponding to a wi-fi charging pad.
The XM5s have {a partially} shiny end, however these have a full matte end, which I desire. That stated, they do not have something to tell apart them because the XM4s did with their eye-catching copper ring that served as a microphone housing.
Sony calls this coloration silver.
Extra intricately molded than your typical stemless buds, Sony says the brand new form (11% slimmer total than the XM5s and extra aerodynamic to scale back wind noise) conforms higher to the pure curves of your ears, and I agree with that. I additionally appreciated the little ridge alongside the highest aspect of every bud that permits you to grip it higher, so the bud is much less prone to slip out of your fingers when placing them in or taking them out.
The buds have contact controls which are properly responsive and are outfitted with ear-detection sensors that pause audio if you take a bud out of your ear and resume playback if you put it again in. They’re IPX4 splashproof and appear effective for health club use, although I most likely would not advocate them for operating as a result of I wasn’t sure they’d keep in my ears with lots of jostling.
The buds now have eight microphones (4 in every bud) as an alternative of six.
Like lots of high-end buds, they’re a little bit beefy and can stick out of your ears a bit. That did not actually hassle me. However as soon as once more, I am unable to say I used to be thrilled with Sony’s included eartips, that are the identical agency foam ideas that had been included with the XM5s. I used to be capable of get a reasonably safe match with them, however I did not get a very tight seal, in line with the seal take a look at in Sony’s SoundConnect app for iOS and Android. I did not discover the guidelines tremendous comfy, both, so I went with a pair of large-size silicone ideas from one other set of buds I would examined (I favor ideas from Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins, that are wider and extra rounded). With the tip change, sound high quality and noise-canceling efficiency improved noticeably, which makes me surprise why Sony does not embrace extra tip choices.
To be clear, many individuals ought to get an excellent match from one of many included ideas. However my ears fall into the ten% to twenty% of ears that simply aren’t an ideal match for Sony’s ideas. And, as you might have learn or heard me say too many instances, it is essential to get a good seal to get optimum sound high quality and noise-canceling efficiency. That is very true of those buds as a result of they ship some actual wow issue when you get a good seal.
Sony’s tip on the left, my very own on the appropriate. Sound high quality and noise-canceling efficiency improved once I swapped in my very own ideas and bought a good seal.
Upgraded elements result in higher efficiency
Other than the exterior makeover, the XM6s are upgraded on the within with new drivers, a 3X extra highly effective QN3e chip with improved analog conversion expertise, eight microphones — up from six — and an improved bone-conduction sensor that helps with voice-calling efficiency. The “HD Noise Canceling” QN3e processor is paired with Sony’s Built-in Processor V2, which now helps 32-bit processing in contrast with 24-bit processing. The identical V2 chip can also be present in Sony’s XM5 earbuds and its flagship WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones.
Sony says the brand new XM6 buds characteristic 25% “additional discount in noise” than the XM5s, with good points made within the mid-to-high frequency vary. I spent lots of time evaluating the XM6s to different main premium noise-canceling earbuds, together with Apple’s wonderful AirPods Professional 3, the Bose QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds (2nd Gen) and Bowers and Wilkins’ Pi8. Each the AirPods Professional 3 and QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds have very good noise canceling. Sony says the XM6s have the most effective noise canceling for earbuds proper now, based mostly on worldwide testing requirements.
I in contrast the WF-1000XM6 buds to the Bose QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds (2nd Gen).
Alas, I haven’t got entry to costly technical tools to check noise-canceling efficiency, so I’ve to depend on a number of much less scientific checks, together with evaluating how properly every set of buds muffles the noisy HVAC unit in my kitchen and sporting the buds within the noisy streets of New York and on the subway. Within the HVAC take a look at, they had been all actually shut, although I believed the Sony had a really slight edge.
Within the streets of New York, it is actually onerous to sense that the noise canceling is any higher than what you get with these competing fashions. All three are very shut, and your expertise might differ with the standard of the seal you get. It is fairly attainable that these Sonys are capable of muffle a wider vary of frequencies with barely extra vigor, however they nonetheless cannot muffle increased frequencies in addition to decrease frequencies. Meaning you may nonetheless hear folks’s voices and higher-pitched noises, albeit at considerably diminished quantity ranges.
I do assume Sony has additionally made some enhancements to its transparency mode. Apple’s continues to be the gold commonplace, however Sony’s now sounds fairly pure at its highest setting. Beforehand, you needed to mess around with the extent to seek out essentially the most pure setting (the sound from the surface world was really augmented on the highest setting).
Sony additionally now has an auto ambient mode that is much like Apple’s Adaptive Audio mode, which mechanically adjusts the extent of ambient sound filtered in, relying on the extent of noise round you. Plus, you may toggle on a voice pass-through mode that filters in voices whereas suppressing ambient noise.
The buds have a little bit ridge on their aspect that provide help to get a greater grip on them when placing them in you ears and taking them out.
Superior sound
In relation to sound, each the AirPods Professional 3 and Bose QC Ultras sound wonderful, with the Ultras sounding clean and clear throughout quite a lot of music genres. Some folks complained that the AirPods Professional 3’s sound was a little bit too aggressive (not sufficient heat) in contrast with the AirPods Professional 2’s, with extra dynamic bass and treble and barely recessed mids. I most popular the AirPods Professional 3’s sound — to my ears, it has a little bit extra readability and definition, and I used to be OK with the extra energetic bass. However all people has their very own sound preferences, and you’ll expertise some listening fatigue when you really feel the treble has an excessive amount of sizzle or the bass kicks too onerous within the fallacious manner.
I feel the XM6’s sound is healthier and extra particular than each the AirPods Professional 3’s and QC Extremely’s sound. Music sounds extra correct and pure with higher bass extension, total readability and refinement, together with a large soundstage the place all of the devices appear well-placed. Moreover, I discovered the XM6s got here throughout barely extra dynamic and bold-sounding than the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 buds, which additionally characteristic correct, pure sound for Bluetooth earbuds.
As I stated, all of the fashions talked about right here sound spectacular, however the tonal high quality varies a bit. Whereas firms usually discuss how their buds and headphones ship audio the way in which artists meant you to listen to it, some do it higher than others and are capable of dwell as much as audiophile requirements — or near them anyway. Such is the case for the WF-1000X6 buds.
I examined them with an iPhone 16 Professional and a Google Pixel 9, listening to quite a lot of music genres on Spotify utilizing the lossless audio setting. They dealt with every thing with aplomb (just about no distortion) and did not trigger any listening fatigue. My connection was additionally rock strong with no Bluetooth hiccups. Whereas I did not expertise, any main connectivity points with the XM5s, some folks apparently did, and Sony says it outfitted the XM6s with a brand new wi-fi antenna that is 1.5x bigger than XM5’s antenna to enhance the wi-fi connection, significantly in crowded sign areas (there are particular intersections in new York Metropolis which have lots of wi-fi interference and might trigger Bluetooth hiccups).
Testing the WF-1000XM6 earbuds on the bone-chilling streets of New York.
High-notch voice-calling efficiency
They’re additionally onerous to beat for voice-calling efficiency, which I additionally grade an A. Callers stated my voice sounded largely pure and clear, they usually did not actually hear any background noise once I wasn’t talking (and solely a little bit once I did converse). If you wish to hear a take a look at, try the one I did with fellow CNET editor Josh Goldman in my video assessment of the XM6 buds.
It is price noting that the buds have a side-tone characteristic, so you may hear your voice within the buds if you’re speaking. And like earlier 1000X fashions, these have Sony’s speak-to-chat characteristic, which lowers the quantity of your audio and goes into ambient mode if you begin to have a dialog with somebody.
Watch this: Sony WF-1000XM6 Earbuds Overview: Supreme Efficiency, Subdued Design
Additionally, Sony has redesigned the venting of the earbuds to extend airflow and scale back inside noises corresponding to “footsteps and chewing sound.” I did discover some enhancements there (sure, lots of people do not like having their ears really feel occluded and listening to their footsteps).
So far as audio codecs go, the buds help AAC, SBC and LDAC in addition to multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which permits pairing to 2 units to the buds concurrently. Sony says the buds are “prepared for LE Audio,” which signifies that in some unspecified time in the future they need to help the LC3 audio codec and Auracast broadcast audio with a firmware replace.
Sony has continued to streamline its SoundConnect app for iOS and Android, so it is a little bit extra user-friendly, although there are nonetheless lots of settings to mess around with, together with scene-based listening settings and numerous equalizer settings.
Battery life is rated at as much as 8 hours at reasonable quantity ranges, with an additional two costs within the case. That is a little bit higher than what competing fashions provide and, once more, the case helps wi-fi charging.
Sony WF-1000XM6 remaining ideas
The XM6s are noticeably improved throughout the board from the XM5s, which I nonetheless like. And whereas these buds are actually costly, they’re fairly onerous to beat from a efficiency standpoint throughout all the important thing areas, together with sound high quality, noise canceling and voice-calling, which is why I’ve awarded them an Editors’ Alternative.
The one factor I am unable to let you know is simply how properly they’re going to suit your ears. Whereas the AirPods Professional 3 do not provide fairly pretty much as good sound high quality, they’re inexpensive and are in some methods a safer choose for Apple customers, as their light-weight stem design tends to suit a variety of ears comfortably. Additionally they have extra options total, together with a Listening to Support mode, Apple’s new Dwell Translation characteristic and customized spatial audio (Sony’s spatial audio options are Android-only).
That stated, when you’re capable of get an excellent match with a snug seal, the XM6s are actually spectacular earbuds. They could simply be the most effective on the market in the mean time.