Sony WH-1000XM6 Review: Extra Class, Small Steps Back

Sony's flagship over-ear arrived in May 2025 to a "very good" (1.3) and 5th of 39; a year on it has climbed to 3rd of 57 at 1.2 in the August 2026 table — helped by a post-test revision that lifted its noise-cancelling sub-score after the methodology was reworked. The headline of the test holds either way: plenty of extra class, a few small steps back, and improvements over the XM5 that are real but too small to justify replacing one.

The tonal balance earns unreserved praise: powerful electro-pop, jazz and full classical orchestras all land convincingly, and the factory tuning is already excellent to the testers' ears. A comprehensive ten-band equaliser sits in the app for those who want to shape it anyway, alongside an ear-shape analysis that adapts the spatial presentation to your head — though neither feature changes much about an already strong experience.

The single reservation, and it is high-level nitpicking: a touch more openness and brilliance — the airiness good studio headphones manage — would have taken the score to perfection. Voices sound natural and clear in every register, the rich bass plays precisely, and the Bluetooth link holds over long distances. On those counts the panel would take the XM6 slightly ahead of both predecessors — while stating plainly that the differences are far too small to justify a new purchase if you own an XM5.

Steady noise beds are where it excels: fan hum and similar uniform backgrounds vanish completely. The deep rumble of a jet engine is strongly reduced but still faintly present, and a share of high-frequency whistle gets through — while everyday backdrops like offices and cafés are muted very effectively. The transparency mode convinces too, with high-quality microphones rendering the outside world in notably pleasant quality, adjustable across 20 steps in the app.

One genuine quirk: the ANC intensity itself is not adjustable — transparency is graduated, cancelling is simply on.

The endurance results are outstanding: 58:46 hours of measured playback without cancelling, and 58:33 hours with it — active noise cancelling shortens the runtime by just 13 minutes. A full charge takes 1:37 hours over USB-C, and a 15-minute top-up buys around 5:24 hours (5:08 with ANC) — decent, though rivals refill faster. If no power is available at all, the 3.5 mm cable keeps the music going even with the battery flat; USB-C audio, however, is not supported, and there's no aptX — a step back on paper that the testers rate as near-irrelevant in this class.

Against the XM5 the headband has grown slightly wider, spreading its pressure less pointedly across the crown; in exchange the sideways clamping force feels a touch higher, which bothered some testers over long sessions. The size-adjustment hinge moves more stiffly than before, though the stepless mechanism works well and feels stable. Fit scored a "very good" (1.4), matching the build quality, and at 253 g it wears lightly.

The practical news: the XM6 folds again — the XM5 didn't — so it packs more compactly into its hardcase, which is itself a little smaller and closes with a quick snap fastener instead of a wrap-around zip. Seating the folded headphones in the case takes some practice at first.

Without Sony's Sound Connect app you forfeit essential functions: the equaliser and hearing tests, the 20-step transparency control, Speak-to-Chat — which switches to transparency automatically the moment you start talking (or singing along) — and the initial enabling of multipoint, which thereafter connects phone and laptop without app round-trips. Controls are remappable, down to putting Spotify on the ANC button; that button is now easier to find blind thanks to the new round, slightly recessed power switch beside it. Playback runs through the left earcup's touch surface: vertical swipes for volume, horizontal for track skipping.

Third of 57 in a brutally strong field, behind only the very top — with a price verdict of "expensive" (4.0) that has softened from 4.4 at launch as street prices fell. At our 1 August 2026 check, Amazon UK's buybox carried the XM6 new at £349.00, with used offers listed alongside; that is £50 below the level we recorded through July, and it now undercuts the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) at £379 while sitting well above the Sennheiser Momentum 4 at £199.99.

The XM6 is the most complete over-ear Sony has made: superb in every genre, class-leading cancelling of everyday noise, extraordinary stamina that ANC barely dents, and the return of proper folding. The small steps back — no aptX, no USB-C audio, slightly firmer side pressure, fixed ANC intensity — cost it little in practice. The one buyer it isn't for is the XM5 owner: the test's own conclusion is that the gains are too small to pay for twice.

Is the Sony WH-1000XM6 worth upgrading to from the XM5? The test says no: sound and features improved slightly, but the two are too similar to justify a new purchase. The XM6 is the model to buy when you're not already holding its predecessor.

Sony WH-1000XM6 or Sennheiser Momentum 4? Sony takes the ranking (3rd of 57 against 5th) and the finer everyday cancelling; Sennheiser counters with the battery record and a £199.99 price against £349. We compare them directly in our WH-1000XM6 vs Momentum 4 comparison, and both hold slots in our best over-ear headphones guide.

Does the WH-1000XM6 fold? Yes — folding returns after the XM5 dropped it, and the snap-close hardcase has shrunk slightly to match.

Can you adjust the noise-cancelling strength on the XM6? No — the transparency mode offers 20 intensity steps in the app, but the cancelling itself runs at a fixed strength.