Discover Luxurious Sound? Are The New XM6s Actually Worth It?

TL;DR ▼

Pros:

• Great Design for comfort
• Very nice case for a travel-friendly experience
• Convenience with controls
• Great Sound quality and Noise Cancelation

Cons:

• Extremely Expensive
• Extreme Improvements

Verdict:

The verdict is... if you really want to spend $500 on headphones, by all means go for it. The XM6's are a great headset, and if you're willing to drop 500 then sure. However for the average person, the Xm5 or before should bode well enough for a good experience. Overall, Sony did a great job with the headset series.

Introduction

$450 for a pair of headphones. That’s a lot to ask for, but the Sony XM6ss are arguably one of the best headphones on the market. Influencers like Carter PC have loved these headphones. The XM6s are not trying to create something new but are refining all the mediocre things about the XM5s and taking them to the next level.

In this blog, we'll explore the XM6’s details to help you decide if they're worth it, given the high anticipation for these headphones.

Design

The XM6s have a nice, clean look like the XM5s, but are now more portable like the XM4s. Both headphones still use the same premium materials to make them.

However, the foldable design causes the XM6’s earcups to be slightly shallower, which may result in a reduction in comfort for people with big ears. On the bright side, the headband on the XM6 is bigger, which results in the headphones being more comfortable when wearing them for long sessions. There are still physical buttons for functions like power on the left cup and different-shaped noise cancellation switches, plus a 3.5mm auxiliary port. But… do not roughhouse or be aggressive with it. The extra movement may cause the plastic hinges to snap under heavy pressure, even though they’ve been reinforced. Also, there is no official water-resistance rating, so be wary of water.

Case

Luckily, the case that you get is sturdy and has a streamlined look, closing with a magnetic clasp instead of a zipper. It also includes a convenient pocket for cables and adapters. The XM6’s new case is smaller and more travel-friendly than the XM5’s larger, zippered case.

Controls

The controls on the XM6s are even more convenient than the last generation XM5’s with some controls staying the same as double tap to play/pause or swipe for volume/track. Some other new features include that you can flick and hold to quickly adjust the volume.

Also, buttons are reinvented to make it easier to use, with the ANC button being able to mute the mic with a double tap. These controls make managing your audio and calls more convenient than ever. The touch controls are highly responsive, and the power and ANC buttons have been reshaped for easier tactile identification. As a bonus, Multipoint Bluetooth connectivity allows you to connect to two devices at once, making it easy to switch between your devices.

Sound Quality

The sound quality is one of the best on the market with defined lows and bases and clear mids and highs. This is all possible with the XM6’s newly redesigned 30mm drives and the new QN3 processor.

These headphones have an even clearer voice and audio clarity than the XM5s but reduced wide soundstage, which means the XM6s sound more like a booth at a studio. Other headphones that have a wide soundstage sound more like a concert. However, to fix that, you can turn on the 360 Reality Audio. It immerses you in the music, so it feels like the music is coming from all directions. This feature transforms the listening experience, making every note sound better. The XM6 also features DSEE Extreme upscaling, which helps recover frequencies lost in compression, and a 10-band EQ for further customization, and the new Cinema Mode can upmix audio for a more immersive, spatial experience. The tuning is more neutral than the XM5, which had a more V-shaped sound signature, which is when bass and treble are emphasized more.

Noise Cancellation and Transparency

Its noise cancellation is also incredible. Its new and more powerful QN3 chip and 12 microphones allow it to have better noise cancellation than the XM5s. It has also been AI trained on 500 million voices, so it can distinguish human voices, which leads to more intelligent adaptive noise cancellation.

Its transparency has improved significantly enough that the headphones’ transparency is on par with the AirPods Max. The transparency makes voices much more natural and clearer. The headphones can automatically adjust ANC based on your environment (depending on settings), and any wind noise is reduced thanks to new mesh-covered microphones. You can also fine-tune how much outside noise you want to let in.

Call Quality

Along with their noise cancellation, the headphones’ call quality is top of the line. With 6 microphones devoted to calls compared to 4 on the XM5s and 3 on the AirPods Max.

You get clear audio from XM6s. Very few headphones can compare to its crystal audio while still delivering top-tier noise cancellation and sound quality. The AI noise reduction is more advanced in the XM6, making calls clearer even in noisy environments, and wind noise reduction is improved with mesh-covered microphones.

Battery life

The battery life on the XM6 is good. The headphones last 30 hours with ANC (adaptive noise cancellation), which should get you through long sessions like flights or English lectures. The battery life is 40 hours without ANC, which is still good. This is considered slightly above average, with the battery life being higher than Apple and Bose but lower than Sennheiser.

Real-world tests have shown the XM6 can last up to 37 hours with ANC on, which is better than advertised. The XM6 can also be used while charging via USB-C, which is not possible with the XM5. Fast charging gives you 3 hours of playback from just 3 minutes of charging. That’s fast!

App and features

Sound Connect. That is the name of the new Sony headphones app. It retains most of the original features, such as 20 levels of ambient sound, but introduces new features. Some of the big ones include the modes you can switch between. Some of these modes include background music mode and standard mode.

VERDICT

At $499. $50 price increase compared to when the XM5s were released. Normally, this would be an easy "no." However, the case for the XM6s is different—or at least, much more challenging. These headphones have significantly improved from the last generation (unlike some other tech, cough iPhones).

If you're looking for the absolute best headphones overall, they are worth it. If you don't want to spend that much, the XM5s are still a great deal. What do you think? Are the XM6s worth it? Let me know in the comments! If you enjoyed this content, hit that follow button. We post every week by Monday evening. In conclusion, they are one of the best choices, if not the best choice, for those who prioritize top-tier performance overall.

SOURCES

Birney, Adam. “Sony WH-1000XM6 Vs Sony WH-1000XM4: Finally Worth Upgrading?” SoundGuys, 16 May 2025, www.soundguys.com/sony-wh-1000xm6-vs-sony-wh-1000xm4-finally-worth-upgrading-138343. Accessed 22 May 2025.

---. “Sony WH-1000XM6 Vs Sony WH-1000XM5: Should You Upgrade?” SoundGuys, 18 May 2025, www.soundguys.com/sony-wh-1000xm6-vs-sony-wh-1000xm5-137876. Accessed 22 May 2025.