The WH-1000XM6 is the newest flagship model in Sony’s well-liked line of wireless noise-canceling headphones. Although the XM6 is more expensive than its predecessors, it is better in practically every regard.
Sony claims to have improved the clarity and resolution of the sound, starting with the audio quality. To adjust the audio on the new headphones, the business has enlisted the assistance of several skilled studio engineers, including Michael Romanowski of Coast Mastering, Mike Piacentini of Battery Studios, and Randy Merrill and Chris Genringer of Sterling Sound. You can hear your music “as it was meant to be” with the WH-1000XM6’s “studio-level accuracy,” but we’ve seen such boasts before and they rarely stand up for consumer-grade products.
The headphones have a novel voice coil structure and a 30mm driver with a high stiffness carbon fiber composite material dome. A novel sophisticated look-ahead noise shaper in the digital to analog conversion enables it to anticipate and optimize quantization noise while reacting fast to abrupt changes in sound. Sony’s DSEE Extreme upscaling algorithm and 360 Reality Audio feature, which converts stereo content into spatial sound through a new Upmix for Cinema mode, include codecs for SBC, AAC, LDAC, and LC3.
Additionally, active noise suppression has been enhanced. A new QN3 HD Noise Canceling Processor, which is reportedly seven times quicker than the QN1 on the XM5, and twelve microphones are features of the XM6. As a result, the new Adaptive NC Optimizer can respond to changes in ambient noise faster and more efficiently. Additionally, the driver architecture has been adjusted to enhance noise cancellation abilities. Another improvement over the previous generation is the Auto Ambient Sound feature.
Additionally, Sony claims that AI-assisted beamforming microphones, which better separate your speech from surrounding noise, have improved call quality performance.
Lastly, the XM6 has a newer design as well. The headband is asymmetrical to make it simpler to differentiate between the left and right sides and is wider to lessen pressure on your head. Since the hinge has more mobility than the XM5, the earcups can now fold in, something that was also possible with the earlier 1000X models. The XM6 is available in three matte-finished colors: Black, Platinum Silver, and Midnight Blue. There’s a brand-new carry case with a magnetic lock for the headphones.
Priced at $450, the WH-1000XM6 is $50 more expensive than the XM5, which was also $50 more expensive than the XM4. If the new model isn’t appealing enough to spend that much money, you can now purchase the XM5 for $350 and the XM4 for $300 of those earlier models, which are now cheaper.
