Note: This review was first published on 26 May 2025.
Nine years ago, Sony released the MDR-1000X and reshaped the wireless headphone space. Not only was it a credible rival to the Bose QuietComfort of that time, but it was also the first wireless headphone I really enjoyed—so much so that I bought one myself. Sony recently released a new version called the WH-1000XM6. Can it live up to expectations?
The TL;DR version:
The WH-1000XM6 fixes the wrongs of its predecessor and is easily one of the best wireless headphones you can buy. The only major downer is its higher asking price.
Note: You can find the Sony WH-1000XM6 on Amazon, Lazada, Shopee, and the Sony Online Store.
Welcome back to the fold
Hinges return! However, Sony's hinges have a bit of a mixed reputation. We'll have to wait and see how it holds up in the real world. Photo: HWZ
It took longer than usual for Sony to release the WH-1000XM6. Its predecessor, the WH-1000XM5, was released three years ago. It was a curious offering from Sony, mostly because it had an all-new design that ditched the folding construction of earlier 1000X headphones. While it still sounded good and had amazing ANC, its non-folding design made it slightly more cumbersome to carry around.
Happily, the first thing you need to know about the new WH-1000XM6 is it has hinges that enable it to fold. This lets it slip into bags more easily than its predecessor. The carrying case has also been revised. It’s smaller and now uses a magnetic clasp to close instead of a zip.
That said, despite its more compact dimensions, the WH-1000XM6 is still quite a bulky headphone to carry around. The Sonos Ace doesn’t fold, but its carrying case occupies about the same space as the WH-1000XM6’s. Perhaps this is a sign that Sony could make their headphones even more compact if they were more clever about the design.
Sonos' Ace doesn't fold, but it's carrying case isn't that much bigger than Sony's. Photo: HWZ
Sony has had a bit of an issue with the longevity of its hinges in the past and it’ll be interesting to see how the hinges in the WH-1000XM6 will hold up. I’ve only had the headphones for over a week and they worked perfectly in that time and seemed sturdy.
Visually, the WH-1000XM6 looks mostly similar to the WH-1000XM5. However, Sony has tweaked it to make it more comfortable and more intuitive to use. The headband is wider so it dissipates pressure better, and the power button is larger so that it’s easier to differentiate it from the ANC button by touch. In keeping with Sony’s commitment to sustainability, the headphone uses vegan leather. It's availabe in three colourways: Black, Platinum Silver, and Midnight Blue.
The touch control panel is still only on the right ear cup, which can be problematic if your right hand isn’t free. If it’s any consolation, the panel is very responsive to gestures and it’s easy to get to grips with the various gestures needed to control playback and volume.
It's easier to differentiate the power and ANC button by touch. Photo: HWZ
Comfort is good. Though the WH-1000XM6 fits snugly and provides a good degree of passive noise isolation, I could wear it for hours with zero issues. The only thing I’d say about comfort is that your ears can feel warm in our climate, but the same can be said for just about any over-ear headphones. It’s nothing that a little air-conditioning cannot solve.
Battery life is claimed to be 24 hours with ANC turned on and that seems entirely reasonable. It went an entire week at work (around 5 to 6 hours each day) before it required a charge. That’s not bad but rivals like Sennheiser are now offering up to 60 hours of battery life on their headphones, so it seems like Sony could have done more here.
The WH-1000XM6 charges over USB-C, but Sony still doesn’t allow you to use USB-C as a wired connection for listening. That seems like a big miss because it would have increased the utility of the headphones by giving owners an easy way to enjoy lossless high-res audio.
The Sound Connect app is good and allows for a great degree of customisation. Photo: HWZ
The companion Sound Connect app allows for a great degree of customisation. Apart from letting users dial in their own EQ settings, users can also control the amount of noise cancellation and the degree to which they can hear their surroundings. There are also new Listening Modes, the most intriguing being “Background Music”, which tweaks the sound output so that it sounds as if they are coming from far away and around you—the idea is to recreate the sensation of listening to background music in, say, a cafe.
Top-notch noise cancelling, sound quality, and mics
The WH-1000XM6 still uses a 30mm driver, but it's said to be new. Photo: HWZ
The WH-1000XM6 supports Bluetooth 5.3 and Auracast. Supported codecs include SBC, AAC, LDAC, and LC3 (Bluetooth LE). There’s support for Multipoint connection for up to two devices. I tried this with my iPhone 16 Pro and Mac Studio, and the WH-1000XM6 switched between the two reliably and flawlessly.
Inside the WH-1000XM6 are new 30mm drivers that Sony says deliver better sound and ANC performance. Sony is also proud to point out that the sound signature was conceived with sound engineers from Sterling Sound, Coast Mastering, and Battery Studios,
Happily, the end results are commendable. Insofar as consumer mainstream headphones go, the WH-1000XM6 sound signature certainly leans toward the warmer and darker side. There’s a slight but noticeable bass boost and treble is gently elevated. This tuning works well for a wide variety of genres. I also thought that for a closed-back wireless headphone, it sounded remarkably open and spacious.
The new ANC chip delivers better noise cancelling performance for both listening and mic performance. Photo: HWZ
Over my week with the WH-1000XM6, the word that keeps coming back to me when I listen to them was: competent. I think it’s the best sounding yet in the 1000X series. One could pick holes—it could be more detailed, I wished the bass dug deeper, and vocals could be richer and fuller—but the fact is, for a headphone of its type and class, it sounds immensely pleasant and enjoyable.
The ANC is equally commendable. The WH-1000XM6 has even more mics to listen out for background noise and it has a new HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3 chip that has seven times the processing power of previous chips. Without a WH-1000XM5 to make side by side comparisons, I’m not certain if the WH-1000XM6 is noticeably better than its predecessor. Even so, there's no question that the WH-1000XM6 is incredibly adept at nullifying unwanted noises. Even with my fan at full power and blowing at me from around a metre away, all I could hear was a soft whir. It’s easily one of the best ANC you’d find in any headphone.
The ear pads are soft and can be easily removed and replaced. Photo: HWZ
What’s noticeably better, however, is the mic performance. With the extra mics and new chip, the WH-1000XM6 is better than isolating your voice from any surrounding ruckus. Even with a fan blowing at me, my voice was still captured intelligibly and with minimal breakups. The additional mics also enable a more accurate and natural-sounding ambient sound mode. I had no problems using it in situations where I had to converse with someone.
Final thoughts
The WH-1000XM6 is easily the finest wireless ANC headphone Sony has ever made. Photo: HWZ
The new WH-1000XM6 is very good, but it’s not perfect. The carrying case is still quite large and Sony’s refusal to support digital audio over USB-C is as perplexing as it is frustrating. Moreover, Sony has increased prices. The WH-1000XM6 is now S$649, which represents a substantial S$80 price increase over the WH-1000XM5. The price increase is mostly justified by its improved design and excellent performance, but Sony could arguably have done more to make the WH-1000XM6 feel more upmarket and fitting of its new higher price tag.
But, these are minor niggles rather than outright dealbreakers. The fact is, the WH-1000XM6 is Sony’s finest wireless ANC headphone yet. It has a folding design that makes it a tad more portable, it’s immensely comfortable, the ANC and ambient sound modes are both stellar, and it sounds excellent.
The Sony WH-1000XM6 comes in Black, Platinum Silver, and Midnight Blue. Photo: Sony
Some rivals do one or two things better—the Sonos Ace sounds a little better; the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless has better battery life; the Apple AirPods Max look and feel more premium and have a slightly better ambient sound mode—but none can match the WH-1000XM6 for all-round performance. It’s possibly the most complete wireless ANC headphones on the market now. If its price doesn’t put you off, the WH-1000XM6 gets an easy and wholehearted recommendation from me.
Note: You can find the Sony WH-1000XM6 on Amazon, Lazada, Shopee, and the Sony Online Store.
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