If there’s one thing Sony is known for, it’s their audio quality. And that should come as no surprise, as Sony does also have a record label and a movie studio. So of course, Sony wants their movies, TV shows, and music to sound good on their own headphones and earbuds. And that’s part of what makes the WF-1000XM6 stand out – though, Sony, you really need to come up with a better naming scheme.
As someone who is not an audiophile but does get to test different headphones, the minute I put the WF-1000XM6 in my ears and started listening to music, I could immediately tell the difference.
But on the flip side, there’s the Sony tax. A big reason why Sony likely no longer makes Sony Xperia phones – or at least sells them in a lot of regions. And that’s still here on the WF-1000XM6. These start at $329, the same as the WF-1000XM5, which is good to see, but it does put them ahead of their LinkBuds. So is it worth the price?
Sony’s latest flagship earbuds are bulky, pricey, and somehow the most comfortable pair I’ve worn on back-to-back transatlantic flights.
Pros
- Excellent audio quality with deep bass and crystal clear mids and highs
- Impressive active noise cancellation that rivals over-ear headphones
- Strong 8-hour battery life on a single charge, 24 hours with the case
- Bone-conduction sensor for hands-free voice detection
- Works with both iPhone and Android
- Multiple eartip sizes included (XS, S, M, L)
- Supports Apple Live Translation and hearing aid mode
Cons
- Pricey at $329
- Bulky design that sticks out of your ears
- Only IPX4 splash resistance, not ideal for heavy rain or snow
- Spatial audio limited to Android only
Sony WF-1000XM6 Review: Design and Build Quality
Unlike a lot of tech products these days, you can actually tell the difference between the WF-1000XM6 and the former flagship earbuds, the WF-1000XM5. The biggest difference here is the glossy finish is gone. The WF-1000XM6 is now all matte, including the case which has also changed. The case is not more flat on the top and bottom, with the sides being rounded, but the front and back being flat. It’s a rather unique look, and likely allows Sony to pack in more battery into the case.
The buds themselves are about 11% slimmer compared to their precessors, though they are still quite bulky. I’ll be honest, when I first checked these out at CES, and saw how big the buds were, I immediately thought that I would not like them. However, after a short listening session in Vegas, I grew to really like them, even before Sony sent a pair for me to review. But more on that in the comfort section.
Sony has also added a little ridge to the top side of each bud which allows you to grip them better when taking them out of the case or out of your ears. Making it less likely to slip out of your hand.
As with any pair of earbuds, there are also touch controls on each bud, which are nice and responsive. Though, as long as we’ve had these touch controls on earbuds, I still almost always default to my phone or whatever they are connected to, for changing the volume, pause/play, etc.
A couple other features that these buds and virtually every other pair of buds have, is the ear-detection sensors. So when you pull one out of your ear, the audio pauses and then plays again once you put it back in. They are also IPX4 splashproof, so they’ll be good for gym use, but probably not great for running in the rain or snow.
Sony WF-1000XM6 Review: Audio Quality
Now let’s talk about the most important aspect of earbuds. And that’s the sound. Sony is known for its sound; it’s a big reason why many people will pay the “Sony tax” for earbuds and headphones from Sony. And with the WF-1000XM6, they are better than ever. This is thanks to the new QN3e chip, which is 3x more powerful and has an improved analog conversion technology with eight microphones. This greatly improves the noise canceling, which also gets help from the Integrated Processor V2 that Sony has included. And it’s very noticeable.
I recently wore these on a 8-hour flight to London, and I was very impressed with the active noise cancellation. I typically wear the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones – yes I never upgraded to the XM5 or the new XM6 – and they work beautifully. But the WF-1000XM6’s also work really well for cancelling out noise on a noisy Airbus A330-900neo. They were also comfortable enough to sleep with them on, and wear for the entire 8 hour flight. Using them with my TwelveSouth AirFly SE, means that I could use them to listen to whatever movie I was watching on the IFE.
The bass is quite heavy on these earbuds, while the mids and highs are still crystal clear. Now, I do have the EQ set to ‘Heavy’ which does bring up the bass. But there are a few other options you can choose from in the Sony Sound Connect app, as well as customize the EQ to your liking. Which is something that Sony has over most of its competitors.
The ambient sound is also quite good. This is a good option to have on when walking down the street, so you can hear traffic, sirens and such, so you don’t get hit by a car. You can also adjust how much ambient sound you want to hear in your ears. Which is really nice to have. And there’s a new voice pass-through mode that can be toggled on. This will allow voices to be filtered in. So if you’re on a plane, you can hear the flight attendant asking what you want to drink, without taking out your buds.
Finally, let’s talk about that bone-conduction sensor. In the Sony WF-1000XM6, the company has also added a new bone-conduction sensor, which is here to essentially let the earbuds know when you are talking, so it can pause your music and turn on ambient sound. Meaning you can keep talking while the earbuds are in your ears. And it does work pretty well. I’m still very used to just pulling out one earbud when someone is talking to me, but this feature is really nice to have.
Overall, audio quality is quite good. I wouldn’t say it’s the best in a pair of earbuds you’ll find, but if you’re not looking to pay audiophile prices, and want something with good ambient sound, good noise cancelling, and won’t break the bank, then the WF-1000XM6 are definitely a good option.
Sony WF-1000XM6 Review: Comfort
There’s really no way around it; these are pretty bulky earbuds from Sony. And I did honestly think these would be uncomfortable to wear, but boy was I wrong. I will say, make sure to try out the other eartips that are included in the box. Sony does provide a pair of medium tips installed on the earbuds, but there are also a pair of XS, S, and L eartips included here. For me, the Small eartips seem to fit the best for comfort and keeping them in my ears.
Now, they will jet out of your ears, so if you don’t like that look, then these might not be for you. But at least they don’t have those stems to nowhere like the AirPods and all the earbuds copying Apple, have.
“I did honestly think these would be uncomfortable to wear, but boy was I wrong.”
These are actually some of the more comfortable earbuds I’ve worn since the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, or the Galaxy Beans as we used to call them. I’ll never understand why Samsung decided to ditch that style. They were unique and loved by reviewers and customers.
The fact that I was able to wear these for an 8-hour flight (twice, actually, to London and back) should tell you everything you need to know about these earbuds. Typically, I take my earbuds out after a couple of hours because of ear fatigue. But I didn’t need to with the WF-1000XM6. And the battery lasted a good amount of time, too.
Sony WF-1000XM6 Review: Battery Life
As far as battery life goes, Sony says that these can last up to 8 hours of continuous playback, or 24 hours with the charging case. I found that 8-hour timeframe to be a bit on the conservative side. As I mentioned in this review, I wore these for an eight-hour flight twice, and on neither flight did these earbuds die. Now they did get close, dropping under 20%, but they still had juice left. And honestly, after those two flights, the case still had more than 30% charge left, which was also pretty impressive.
“Being able to last for a full 8-hour flight on a single charge is quite impressive.”
All of that to say, battery life is quite good here. Being able to last for a full 8-hour flight on a single charge is quite impressive. And it means I can carry these instead of the bulky WH-1000X headphones, which take up a lot more space in my bag.
Should you buy the WF-1000XM6?
So should you buy the WF-1000XM6? That’s a tough question given the price. At $329, this puts them more expensive than the AirPods Pro 3, Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (and likely Galaxy Buds 4 Pro), and a lot of other popular earbuds. But again, these do sound better than all of those earbuds, and for me, they are more comfortable, which makes the price worth it.
Of course, comfort is going to depend on your own ears, as all of our ears are built differently. This is why so many companies include multiple eartip sizes. The WF-1000XM6 also works great on the iPhone as well as on Android; however, the spatial audio features are on Android only right now. But they do have support for Apple’s new Live Translation, which is a bit interesting, as well as a hearing aid mode.
I would suggest you wait and get these on sale, perhaps around $299 or lower. Then that makes the WF-1000XM6 a really good pair of headphones. I know that’s only $30 less, but $299 does sound way better than $329.
The post Sony WF-1000XM6 Review: Thicc, Comfy, And Nothing Under $350 Sounds This Good appeared first on Android Headlines.
