Sony WH-1000XM6 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones

I think these are overpriced... I can still hear everything even with the noise cancelling on, it just sounds a little muffled, but I can have conversations with people without a problem. I can even still hear people outside my home while wearing them. And yes, the ANC is on 100%. My earplugs work better for noise reduction.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I need to reference the predecessor, the WH-1000XM5. I was not a fan. I could never get them to fit properly, so they never sounded good (for my ears). So I was left without noise cancelling headphones. I was keen for the WH-1000XM6 to work for me. The WH-1000XM6 headband (I think the earphone cups also) are different. Now the WH-1000XM6 is comfortable to wear for long periods. They are a good fit. This is important as a poor fit means noise cancelling doesn’t work so well, plus the overall sound quality (especially bass) is compromised. I’ll return to the bass. The WH-1000XM6 has a lot of buttons and gestures. As they are still new to me, I relied fully on Sony’s Sound Connect app. I’ll say now, I nearly sent these back due to 2 problems. I use an Android phone and though the app setting was enabled for LDAC and sound quality, this clearly wasn’t the case when listening. I could hear compressed, low quality audio. It turns out that I had to go into my phones system settings and manually enable the LDAC codec there. I don’t know if this is Sony or Android at fault, but once I’d enabled LDAC in the phone, the sound was hugely improved. The other issue was the Automatic Power Off feature. This reliably powered down the headphones if sat still or laid down after a couple of minutes. This drove me mad until I discovered that setting and disabled it. Once able to listen to the WH-1000XM6’s properly and it’s mostly good. I found the vocals sound natural. Very convincing. The soundstage is a little forward, rather than the middle of my head, and instruments sound natural and placement is also accurate. If I didn’t know better, I would claim they had to be wired headphones, fed by a very high quality source. I’ll say it, they are the best sounding Bluetooth devices I’ve listened to. Returning however to the bottom of the frequency range, and the WH-1000XM6 sometimes has too much bass. Billie Eilish tracks in particular the bass can overwhelm her soft, breathy vocals. The Amazons, 21st Century is a great album, loud and bassy. The bass kicks uncomfortably hard. Turn them up beyond quarter volume, and it’s as though the bass volume stays put, and the treble and midrange catches up. The problem is, that’s too loud for me and surely for noise cancelling headphones, the volume shouldn’t need to be so high? This is where the Sound Connect app is needed again. The EQ can be customised to change the headphone’s standard sound and turn down that bass. For noise cancelling, the WH-1000XM6 are exactly what I’m used to with Sony. It just works and works very well. It’s always uncanny, stopping music, then powering off the headphones and suddenly hearing all the ambient noise that had been blocked.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The WH-1000XM6 has a really easy to use touch control system, with a simple swipe I can adjust the volume or change tracks. It's surprising how smooth and seamless it all is especially for someone like myself. Forward swipe skip to the next track, backward swipe skip to the last track, swipe up to increase volume and so on easy. I nice little feature as well is if you remove the headphones the play pauses automatically. Very comfortable and an elegant carry case. The music quality is what you expect from Sony. Quite a lot of thought has gone in to these headphones, very pleased.

I don't understand why the awkward design that makes these difficult to enjoy wearing? I have XM5'S, 720's and they're so comfortable .... It's like the people designing them didn't care to wear them for more than a few minutes or maybe they just don't care bc they use more expensive headphones. It's sad bc I was really excited about these only to be incredibly disappointed with the fit. They knocked it out of the park sound wise but that's immaterial bc I can't wear them for thirty minutes without being frustrated and wanting to get them off my ears. I don't think people care as much if they fold if they're not comfortable. The 720's are a perfect design and actually have more and better padding than these so I'm a bit flummoxed. I hope the XM7s don't disappoint like this.... next time please keep it simple instead of awkward. I wish I could buy a pair that sounded like this with the design of the 720's. Let me know if it possible I'll wire the money

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Ive used many of the WH-1000 series, from the m2 all the way up to these, thanks in no small part to promotions when preordering xperias. Each time a new model arrives, you do notice a difference, even if a little incremental. The M6 however feel measurably different, they feel lighter, yet more robust with a very premium feel. The comfort while using them is extraordinary, soft feel throuout with a wider, more padded fit for the top of your head, with super soft earcups, not only softly gripping your ears, but in no doubt aiding the noise cancellation. Which brings me to the noise cancellation... its a generational leap from the NC ive used before, its that good. Audio is spectacular with app controls for all manner of adjustments, and the on cup controls are easy to use and adjust to your liking. Speaking of the cups, like previous times where the cups folded inwards, im so happy that these now do too. Since my earlier use of EX-750 models, ive missed the ease of folding them up and storing them in more compact places. The whole package just feels like a reset into something much, much better. They are truly amazing headphones. As usual, the zero plastics packaging is here and still as robust as ever.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] WH-1000XM6 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones. These are an upgrade on my old WH-1000XM3 and i love them. They have the Build and quality Sony always deliver. I have downloaded the user manual and have also installed the Sony sound app on my phone. Pairing with my phone and the tv was very easy especially when connecting to my Sony MP3 player and Sony phone. I use them when i am out walking and travelling on the train. The wearing comfort is also great I can wear them for hours without them bothering me, Noise cancelling on the train was exceptional no outside noise. Using touch controls on the right ear pad was strait forward and precise. In the sound app there is an Equalizer and i had fun trying different settings although factory setting is ok. There is a setting for speech in the app which cuts out the sound when you talk with people but you can also cup the earpad to do this i don't think you need both. Mic quality is great and perfect to make and receive calls whilst on a walk or on the train. On my old WH-1000XM3 the on/of switch was a bit fiddly this one is much more precise. Battery life is excellent. Especially like the foldable design this makes the headphones much easier to transport especially with the new magnetic case. One nitpick I do have the charging cable could be a bit longer but i still give them 10 out of 10. Overall WH-1000XM6 exceeded my expectations in terms of noise cancelling, comfort and would recommend them to anyone that asked me about them.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Best headphones I've ever tried, the sound is top class also try with equalizer settings, Sony has never let me down, the headphones are very comfortable even after prolonged use, noise cancelling - with 20 different levels. also try it Sony 360 Reality Audio Upmix for Cinema which provides great Spatial Audio which I use for both TV and Audio playback. Those headphones are without a doubt the best on the market. I 100% recommend.

If your priority is noise cancelling, you can't do any better than the WH-1000XM6. However, if it's great sound you're looking for, then there are better options. FOr me, I want great sound with decent noise cancelling. Even after adjusting the EQ a number of different ways, the sound still seems veiled. I could never get the crisp sound I've been looking for. At this price, I expected better.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I cannot believe the sound, excellent base, really good clarity mid range and in the high end, the noise cancelling is the best I’ve experienced to date and turn it off to hear what’s going on around you, I downloaded the Sound Control App which seamlessly connects to the headphones and enables you to control and change things like listening modes or the sound equaliser. Build quality is premium as is the feel I have the black ones, although they do suffer from very noticeable finger prints and mark easily if you have greasy skin as I do. There is a strong clamp but not uncomfortable they come in a very nice case with a magnetic catch containing the charging lead. Answering a call is as easy as nodding your head no need to push buttons. I use these to listen to my music on my iPhone and cancel out the soaps that the other half watches, overall very impressed.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Sony WH-1000XM6 over ear headphones are a great addition to the range. I have previously used the WH-1000XM3 and there is no doubt these are a great upgrade on those. Minimalist eco friendly packaging is well thought out . The case is compact and well designed to maximise use of space. My only criticism over my previous pair would be the clasp closure compared to the zip closure. Once opened the case is well utilised with the headphones neatly folded inside. The charge cable is nice and short and the 3.5mm jack included is really useful for using non bluetooth connection. They were ready to use straight from the box with good charge and once the Sound Connect App was downloaded they connected seamlessly to my phone. On ear they are extremely comfortable with good closure and soft padding. The actual sound is excellent and a definite improvement on my previous pair. The factory settings are great but you can modify using the App if required. The noise cancelling feature works very well and really enhances the listening experience. The sound when listening to movies is particularly impressive bringing you much closer to the action. Music sound is great with a great balance outnof the box that again can be adapted to personal taste. The ability to control the headphones with both touch and head gestures works very well. The addition of voice control when using your phone is useful and has worked well so far. Battery life is excellent and the fast charge to boost facility is another useful feature. To summarise these headphones are very well designed, they look and sound great and have many great features. Highly recommended.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] For those prioritizing value and already-excellent performance, the Sony WH-1000XM5 remains a compelling choice over its successor, the XM6. While the XM6 introduces a welcome foldable design and slightly enhanced noise cancellation, the XM5 still delivers industry-leading ANC and superb audio quality that, for many, is more than sufficient. Given the XM5's now lower price point, the incremental improvements in the XM6 may not justify the significant cost difference, especially if the non-folding design was never a major deterrent or if the slightly firmer clamping force of the XM6 is a concern. The XM5 provides a mature and highly capable experience that continues to hold its own against the latest flagship, offering fantastic noise-cancelling and comfort at a more accessible price.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have been fortunate to receive a pair of Sony WH-1000XM6 over ear headphones from Sony to test and review. The headphones were received in minimalist fully recyclable packaging in line with "Sony's" aim to acheive "Road to Zero" and minimise environmental impact. The Storage Case holding the headphones is smart and functional, but has a magnetic clasp to hold the two halves closed rather than a zip, and it doesn't seem to close very well. There is a small carry handle/belt clip attached to the case, although this does not unclip to put over a belt, and I would be concerned about potentially snagging the clasp and causing it to open and the headphones falling out. Inside the case the headphones are neatly folded, and in a small pouch section there is a very short USB C charging cable together with a nice long audio cable of approx 1.2 metres. It's good to see that Sony still provide this type of connection, particularly useful for older music devices and phones. There is a reference guide included which has a QR code to scan, and this opens a quick start guide, which recommends installing their "Sound Connect" App. The App will allow you to customise the headphones to your personal taste and access many useful functions, although some features I feel are unnecessary and makes the App more cluttered and harder to navigate as a result. In addition, it would have been helpful if the App Icon had included the name "SONY" in order to find it easily on your phone. The Headphones look really great, neat and compact and reasonably light for over ear headphones. They are very well made, in a lovely satin black finish and look very Stylish, with a Premium Quality feel. The ear cups are smooth, soft and comfortable and covered my ears perfectly. However in order for the headband to sit on top of my head, for support, I needed to have the arms fully closed, and the ear cups did feel quite tight as a result, and this may be uncomfortable for some people. To turn the headphones on there is an easy to find " indented" circular power switch on the left ear cup, and they were instantly found by the Sound Connect App already installed on my phone. There was a voice in the headphones stating "pairing"... so it was a simple case of clicking the connect button on the phone pop up window. This brought up the set up mode which was easy to follow, with an option to sign up [or sign in] to a Sony Account. Just make sure that, in the Bluetooth settings on your phone, LDAC is turned on which is Sony's own high quality connection, to provide the best sound experience. A short press on the power button will tell you how much battery life there is available and and the battery does last a long time. Sony claim up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on. There is another button, on the left earcup, which is used to change noise cancelling and Ambient sound settings. The button can also be set up, via the App, to start music from your preferred music app just by pressing it twice. There are no buttons on the right side, but playback is easily controlled by swiping a finger over the ear cup itself. This is so much easier than using the controls on your smart phone. Swiping a finger up and down it adjusts the volume..swiping forwards selects next track, swipe back restarts track...swipe back twice selects previous track and so on. Tapping the ear cup twice pauses or continues the music track you are listening too.....tapping twice also allows you to take an incoming telephone call or end the call. The headphones have a noise cancelling feature, and as with all the headphones I've used, they are more efficient with background rumbling noises eg engines, fans, coffee machines, wind noise etc...and as expected they do this very well. A neat feature, is the option to cover the right ear cup with the palm of your hand so you can instantly hear your surroundings, extremely useful if you need to quickly listen to someone or hear a travel announcement... of course you can also just switch to the "ambient sound" setting. With regards to sound quality the headphones are a pleasure to use with the sounds being crisp and clear with good bass that is not overpowering, and there is a graphic equaliser within the App to adjust settings to your own taste. For those of you who are not familiar with Sony's 360 Reality Audio Sound, there are tracks available in this format, and they are worth searching for, as they provide an immersive music experience that uses "Sony‘s (object-based) 360 Spatial Sound technology" and makes good use of the headphones excellent capabilities. You can also turn on a Speak to Chat setting...so even if you have noise cancelling switched on, as soon as you speak it automatically switches to ambient sound and the music volume reduces so you can have a conversation with someone...the only downside is the same happens if you start singing to a track, so I have it turned off. Another function available is voice Cue ...you can turn on this service if you want notifications about emails or messages and there is an announcement when one is received...although I found this quite distracting. I did experience some compatibility issues with a couple of the "Sound Connect App" features with my particular Android Phone. There is the option to set up your voice assistant, which can be either voice activated or opened by holding one finger on the right ear cup. Unfortunately this feature would only work if my phone was unlocked and on the "chat screen", as soon as the screen timed out, or if I locked the phone, or tried to browse my phone the music would stop immediately, [although I did find that sometimes it actually worked] Consequently I tried resetting the headphones and completely reinstalling the App and even tried using another Android device [from the same manufacturer], but again experienced the same issues. There is also a clever feature called head tracking, which kind of simulates the effect of being at a concert, but I could not find a way to activate this on my Android Phone, and I could only experience this when using their own ear buds. Nevertheless, despite the above compatibility issues, my main reason for using these type of headphones is to listen to music without distractions. I discovered that as long as I listened to music directly via my Music App, then there were no problems whatsoever. All the touch controls worked, even when my screen was locked and was able to browse my phone without any problems, and that's what is important to me. In summary Sony have not only designed some excellent noise cancelling headphones, with great sound quality, but they have also endeavoured to provide us with various additional features, not only to make the headphones easier and more convenient to use, but also to enable us to decide upon the level of "isolation" and functionality that we actually need. I suspect Sony will issue a firmware update if other people experience the minor problems I encountered, but regardless of this, they are high quality headphones well worth purchasing.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have used the headphones for just over a week and I am very impressed with them they are good fitting and are not loose and do not move around but also at the same time not to tight. My last head phones were Sony WH-CH720N they are very good but the WH-1000XM6 are better the sound quality is better and I have used them both for television and music on the tv watching films gives you great surround sound and with the noise canceling on gives you a better experience. With the music tried it outside in garden with noise canceling on and off to see how good it was and could hardly hear anything around main road out front people cutting grass did not interfere with the music and all controls on head phones and sound was not affected at about 50ft away. I like the controls being within the headphones nice and easy and like the bit you can cup your hand over right ear cup to turn volume off you can also skip stop and volume up and down nice and easy. As with all Sony products they seem well made but I can not understand why the charging cable is so short if it is not plugged into USB in a computer cable to short to plug into USB plug adaptor as it will hang by cord from plug but do like the headphone cable so you can plug into non Bluetooth units and use the headphones this is a plus as not sure if all Bluetooth headsets have this. The headphones were used around the house and in the garden with tv and music device in other rooms did not have any problems with sound or controls worked very well. I like the carrying case nice and sturdy better than just putting in a bag as put above well made unit just thinking if later will the ear cup swivels wear out in time if I like something will keep it for a lone time I do like this set and I am very impress with performance and look easy to use.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The feel of these headphones is smooth to the touch the weight is very balanced not too heavy but not light, i love the fact it has a 3.5 mm Jack port and adaptor wire included in the box, so you can use for any devices you may have, that doesn't have Bluetooth connectivity, The volume and skipping songs or going back can all be done with a touch or tap on the headphones moving your finger up will make it go louder and moving your finger down will lower it, there's a button where you can switch between noise cancelling and ambient sound There's an app which is called sound contract you will definitely need this to get the best out of the headphones if you already had a previous model, you can transfer your data to new ones saves you a bit of time recalibrating your headphones for your ears There are some amazing features which include, You can answer a call by nodding your head or reject it by shaking your head If you're not listening to anything it actually tells you the time on the hour also 1st time you put them on each day it will say good morning and say the date how cool is that You can have more than one device contracted at once it will auto switch to the one that's playing audio, i have my phone and TV contracted and it switches between the two effortlessly This is my favourite feature soon as you remove your headphones off your head anything you're listening to, or watching a movie on your tv for example Netflix it will pause the song or movie and soon as you put your headphones back on it will automatically restart it, i never seen any headphones do that before I would buy these just for that alone Now for the sound is it any good? Simple answer amazing, Listening to music you can hear everything crystal clear even at high volumes Watching a movie is the same voices, background noise in the film come through perfectly You have an option on the app to switch to cinema which i did its perfect feature for watching tv and with the 360 reality audio it's like having full surround sound with Dolby Atmos, I currently have a surround sound with Dolby Atmos and can say these headphones do an amazing job Overall verdict would i recommend these if you got this far i think you know the answer but yeah i will definitely recommend these, value for money these have feature that most don't and cost as much as these or even more, sound is second to none and you can even use them with your older devices, Another winner from Sony

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Smart looking, comfortable fitting , easy to pair to my phone and Walkman. The sound quality is excellent, not “Tinny” or echoing. The one touch facility to answer calls is a nice touch. They also work well connecting to an old school device using a wired connection. Not had them long enough to know how long the battery life will last, but I’m confident it will be decent.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] These wireless headphones are comfortable, provide excellent audio quality and are easy to set up and use. First up - straight out of the box, the headphones work perfectly. They come pre-charged, so no waiting for the batteries to top up before setting up. Switch them on, and they're ready to pair via Bluetooth. They are really comfortable and light, so a breeze to wear for hours. The noise-cancelling can be enabled/disabled as required, making it great to either block out background sounds or to be able to hear what's going on - perfect if out and about. Connection via Bluetooth was instant. The headphones come with an app, which helps set up the more advance features and gives a step-by-step user guide. What I loved... 1. audio quality is rich and deep, note-perfect. 2. light and comfortable. 3. easy to set up and use immediately. 4. user guide is easy to follow. 5. controls for play/pause, volume, skip etc are simple motions on the right ear - so easy to use and no fiddly little buttons or trying to remember combinations or codes. Definitely a great pair of headphones

I trust and believe in Sony products. I love them so comfy and sound is excellent with excellent noise cancellation

Awesome headphones. Extremely premium feel. I highly recommend

After rave reviews, purchased the new Sony 1000XM6 - definitely a high end product in materials and quality. The case is sturdy and very portable, which I appreciate for airplane travel. The app is easy to use and functions and settings are a breeze to set up. Sound is fabulous, various EQ settings allow adjustment to personal and music tastes. Music sounds open, clear, with detailed mids and highs that are never sibilant, bass is powerful and not muddy. The headphones sit very comfortably and clamping forces are just right. ANC is simply jaw dropping! Gesture controls on the right cup are intuitive and easy, but I wish the annoying confirmation ding for volume and track selection could be switched off completely and not end at - 2, that's my only gripe, really

This is my first time trying out the headphone side of things with Sony. I’ve tried the xm4 earbuds, that were ok but call quality sucked. I jumped ship and bought Bose quietcomfort earbuds when they released. I loved the Bose earbuds but they had the same issue. Terrible call quality too. I heard a lot about the xm5 headphones, right as I was about to finally purchase the xm5s the Xm6s ended up releasing so I gave them a try. I love these headphones! Great ANC and call quality finally! The sound profile is pretty good but I can’t say it’s the best I’ve heard. I can say it’s very solid and well rounded though. I wish the headphones didn’t smudge so easily tho. I have the black ones. All in all I don’t have any complaints or regrets!