Why I Would Easily Trade My Airpods For Sony's Xm6 Earbuds - If It Weren't For One Unavoidable Issue

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Sony WF-1000XM6 are disposable for $330 successful Platinum Silver and Black.
• Sony's earbuds are undeniably apical performers successful nan sound and personification customization categories.
• The XM6's caller bud creation tin quickly go uncomfortable and fatiguing to some.

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It's been almost 3 years since Sony released a brace of flagship earbuds, and it has returned pinch a bang pinch nan WF-1000XM6. The XM6 earbuds debut pinch upgrades to sound simplification hardware, much microphones for improved telephone quality, a caller design, and Google Gemini integration.

Also: Sony conscionable solved 1 of my biggest pet peeves pinch wireless earbuds (that moreover Bose couldn't)

After wearing nan XM6 earbuds for 3 weeks while working, exercising, and moving errands, I tin confidently opportunity nan XM6 entreaty to Sony's legion of powerfulness users. With powerful sound cancellation, high-performing microphones, Bluetooth LE Audio compatibility, and a database of customization options successful Sony's companion app, there's nary uncertainty nan XM6 earbuds are Sony's champion yet -- astatine slightest connected paper.

The existent mobility is: are they worthy nan $329 upgrade fee, particularly if you already person nan WF-1000XM5 aliases are considering switching from brands for illustration Bose aliases Apple? Let's dive in.

Design changes: inferior first, comfortableness 2nd

Sony redesigned nan WF-1000XM6's buds, offering a slimmer build than their predecessor. According to Sony, this creation alteration is intended to amended suit nan earthy curves of nan soul ear, reducing discomfort and enabling a amended fresh and seal.

That sounds great, but I couldn't get these earbuds to fresh comfortably successful my ears. Although nan XM6 earbuds are slimmer than nan XM5 buds, they are longer and protrude farther from my ears. As a result, they consciousness bulkier and heavier, and nan mini receptor extremity bore excessively overmuch weight connected nan wrong of my receptor canal to comfortably support nan bud's body.

Sony WF-1000XM6 (left) and Sony WF-1000XM5 (right)

Jada Jones/ZDNET

Simply put, my ears aren't suited for these earbuds. I person a shallow concha and smaller tragus, 2 receptor structures that, erstwhile prominent, tin support earbuds of this style and support them securely successful place. While exercising, nan earbuds often fell out, and during hours retired connected nan play moving my errands for nan week, I had to springiness my ears predominant breaks, thing I don't person to do pinch my AirPods.

Also: I tested Sony and Bose's champion headphones for months - really my buying proposal has changed successful 2026

If your ears are for illustration mine, but you don't want nan accepted bud-and-stem earbud design, see earbuds pinch wider eartip bases that tin connection support wherever your anatomy can't. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 aliases Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are bully examples.

New hardware nether nan hood, unthinkable capacity

Even if nan XM6 earbuds and my ears don't agree, they can't contradict nan XM6's unthinkable audio quality. Out of nan box, nan XM6 sound smoother than their predecessor, trading brighter treble and a somewhat overemphasized bass for softer peaks and valleys.

The XM6 earbuds' sound floor plan is little fatiguing and much balanced than nan XM5's, without sacrificing Sony's committedness to offering consumers a much detailed, analytical sound acquisition than its contemporaries. Sony says an enhanced digital-to-analog converter amplifier powered by an upgraded QN3e processor, mixed pinch nan Integrated Processor V2, each lend to nan XM6 earbuds' audio performance.

Also: I said pinch Bluetooth reps astir nan early of connected audio, and it's cooler than I expected

Additionally, Sony fitted nan XM6 buds pinch Bluetooth LE Audio, offering users pinch a compatible smartphone entree to nan higher-quality LC3 codec. This codec supports little latency and higher sampling rates and spot depths pinch little powerfulness depletion than nan AAC codec. Sony's Integrated Processor V2 falls correct successful line, promising 32-bit processing compared to nan XM5's 24-bit.

As a result, erstwhile nan XM6 earbuds are operating connected nan Bluetooth LE Audio radio, their capabilities radiance moreover more, unlocking Auracast audio sharing, high-fidelity audio, and debased capable latency for gaming. Sony's XM6 earbuds are an undeniable superstar successful nan audio category, and a LE Audio-compatible smartphone opens much opportunities than what Apple aliases Bose tin offer.

Sorry, didn't perceive you; ANC is connected

On nan noise-canceling front, nan XM6 aren't a lightweight competitor. Their noise-canceling capacity is strong, providing robust sum successful respective environments. Sony's adaptive noise-canceling algorithm is adept astatine recognizing move environments and swiftly addressing abrupt distractions.

The clanking of squeaky shopping carts successful market stores was instantly quieted, and group slamming weights successful a crowded gym were little distracting (when I could get nan earbuds to enactment successful my ears). Compared to Bose's and Apple's adaptive noise-canceling algorithms, which are overmuch smoother and little noticeable to my ears, Sony's is stronger and much aware.

Also: My elemental tweaks that bring dead-sounding headphones backmost to life - Sony and Bose included

According to Sony, an further microphone offers much opportunities for nan Adaptive Noise Canceling Optimizer to process and select outer noise, and nan upgraded QN3e processor promises faster sound processing. With this galore shiny caller pieces nether nan hood, it's nary wonderment these earbuds are hefty.

Sony's sound cancellation targets little frequencies very well, importantly minimizing engine, fan, and instrumentality rumble. Sony acknowledges that erstwhile WF-1000X models struggled successful nan mid-to-high wave scope and asserts that nan XM6 performs better.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The XM6 do execute amended than nan XM5 earbuds astatine dampening higher-frequency noise, but they're still not arsenic beardown arsenic Bose here. Human voices and inheritance chatter unrecorded successful this wave range, and Bose's premium earbuds' sound cancellation turns voices into murmurs, offering that "dead silence" feel.

Rounded earbuds often struggle pinch sound pickup compared to bud-and-stem models because nan microphones are truthful acold from your mouth. Sony says a bone-conduction sensor, 2 AI-powered beamforming mics, and its AI-powered noise-reduction algorithm lick this problem.

Controls and smart features galore

Sony offers respective customization options successful nan Sony Sound Connect app, including a 10-band equalizer and presets, integer adjunct access, sidetone, quick-access functions, Bluetooth multipoint, and adaptive sound power based connected your location and habits. Additionally, Sony offers DSEE Extreme, its audio upscaling package that improves nan value of compressed audio files, Sony 360 Reality Audio, and Spatial Sound pinch caput search erstwhile paired pinch a compatible Android phone.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

Some of these features I didn't request aliases attraction to use, but enthusiasts and powerfulness users will find overmuch much power and enjoyment successful nan database of customization options. Sony gives consumers overmuch much granular power complete their devices than Bose and Apple do, but pinch awesome powerfulness comes awesome responsibility. To much casual users, immoderate of these features whitethorn beryllium overwhelming, truthful if making less choices is basal to you, spell pinch Apple aliases Bose.

ZDNET's buying proposal

The Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds won't disappoint you if powerful and move sound cancellation, unthinkable sound, and a agelong database of customization features are important to you successful mundane earbuds. From an audio perspective, Sony's latest premium earbuds are nan astir tin you tin find successful nan user audio value range, though they're astatine nan very precocious end.

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You don't request to unreserved to upgrade if you person nan WF-1000XM5. If you bargain nan WF-1000XM6, beryllium alert of its return model successful lawsuit nan caller style doesn't fresh your ears. If you can't warrant nan value aliases don't spot yourself utilizing each of Sony's customization features and want thing little costly and analyzable without wholly compromising sound and noise-canceling performance, see nan Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 aliases nan Apple AirPods Pro 3.