Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds overview: the brand new noise-canceling king

Apple, Bose, and Sony are in a working battle for the most effective noise-canceling earbuds, and the Sony WF-1000XM6 put Sony again in first place — if you will get a very good match with the included foam ideas.

With every iteration of the XM sequence, Sony has aimed for — and delivered — unbelievable noise-canceling efficiency with a delightful and balanced sound profile, and options that work equally nicely with iOS and Android. The XM6 push even additional by including further noise-canceling mics (for a complete of 8), a brand new chip, newly designed drivers, and a brand new form that’s supposed to higher match a wider choice of ears. That’s a variety of guarantees, and the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds fulfill all of them — virtually.

One of many issues I’ve preferred most about each the in-ear and over-ear Sony XM sequence is the sound efficiency. Out of the field, the XM6 sound balanced and clear. They use a brand new driver with a softer edge materials that enables for deeper bass, mixed with a high-rigidity dome for clear excessive frequencies. I used to be impressed by the bass response, even within the lowest notes of “bury a buddy” by Billie Eilish, which sound resonant and punchy. Vocals, resembling Jarvis Cocker’s on “Frequent Individuals,” reduce via thick textures, and cymbals and hi-hats have a pleasant sparkle to them. There’s additionally extra drive within the midrange than with the Apple AirPods Pro 3 or Bose Ultra Earbuds gen 2 — each of that are balanced a bit extra towards the excessive finish, particularly the Bose.

The highest noise-canceling earbuds — the Bose Extremely Earbuds gen 2, Apple AirPods Professional 3, and these Sony WF-1000XM6 — are all nice at blocking low-end frequencies just like the engine noise in an airplane cabin. They’re all good at tamping down midrange sounds, together with voices, however the XM6 are higher at tuning out different folks’s conversations higher than another earbuds I’ve heard.

Sony improved the bone conduction sensor within the XM6, and along side AI beamforming mics, the earbuds do an incredible job blocking out environmental sounds whereas on calls. I examined either side of a name with the XM6, and located that visitors could cause some swishy noises. And when there was a variety of additional visitors and wind, my voice would sound a bit compressed, however to not an extent that was distracting or triggered me to be unintelligible.

Sound high quality and noise-canceling efficiency depend on a stable match, and that’s the place the XM6 begin to have some issues. I often put on medium-sized ear ideas, however I had problem getting a safe, long-lasting slot in my proper ear with the included foam ideas. I had comparable match points after I examined the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, however was finally in a position to get these to sit down correctly for lengthy listening durations.

The Sound Join app features a “Check carrying situation” setting that performs a check tone and makes use of inside microphones to find out if there’s an hermetic match. In accordance with the app, I used to be solely in a position to get a very good seal in my proper ear through the use of the massive tip and jamming the earbud into my ear. After a short while I might really feel the ear tip begin to loosen. I had a pair mates attempt to match the XM6 as nicely, and each had various ranges of points.

There’s a answer. If not one of the foam ear ideas be just right for you after testing the match with the app, an choice to order silicone ear ideas will present up and Sony will ship them out, freed from cost. The silicone ideas solved my match drawback. Each earbuds felt safer than with the froth ideas, and the match was extra snug, though it does sound just like the silicone ear ideas let in a tiny bit extra mid-range noise, voices specifically. It’s a reasonably minor distinction and the noise cancellation continues to be extremely spectacular — nonetheless on par with the Bose Extremely gen 2 — nevertheless it’s value noting the best-in-class noise cancellation depends on the froth ideas.

The low-end frequency response can be barely completely different with the silicone ideas, with a tad much less bass. It’s such a minor distinction, although, and isn’t objectionable in any respect, simply barely completely different. The tom-toms at first of Radiohead’s “There, There” from Hail to the Thief don’t fairly ring the identical, and the low bass notes aren’t as full. But when I had the power to ABX check the 2 completely different ideas (which might be unattainable as a result of I’d really feel the distinction), I don’t suppose I’d be capable to level to 1 as higher. The XM6 sound unbelievable no matter ideas. Our ears are extremely adaptable to modifications in sound stability, and inside seconds utilizing both set of ideas I used to be having fun with every little thing I listened to.

Nonetheless, the truth that I wanted an extra set of tricks to get an appropriate match — and that the froth ideas didn’t work for a number of folks that attempted them — isn’t nice. Sony ought to have included the silicone ideas within the field. Whereas three folks actually don’t make a big sufficient pattern dimension for a definitive conclusion, bear in mind you may want to attend for these additional silicone tricks to arrive or plan on shopping for your self some Comply foam tips.

I’m additionally not an enormous fan of the XM6’s new form. The earbuds are longer and narrower than the WF-1000XM5, and the physique stands out farther from the ear. They’re actually not inconspicuous, although dimension does make contact controls straightforward to make use of. Solely as soon as did I by chance trigger music to play or pause — one thing that occurred on quite a few events with the Bose as I adjusted them in my ears throughout testing — and that was after I was motioning to my colleague in regards to the dimension of them in my ear.

For people who wish to tweak settings, there are a variety of alternatives within the Sound Join app. There’s a 10-band EQ and 5 EQ presets (though I feel the default sound profile is superb and doesn’t have to be altered for my style), a 20-point slider to regulate ambient passthrough (or an auto setting), and contact management customization. There’s additionally an choice to set scenes, which causes the earbuds to regulate to predetermined settings primarily based in your exercise or location. And you probably have a appropriate machine (together with most trendy Android telephones), the XM6 assist LDAC high-res audio streaming and Auracast.

A brand new listening mode — at present out there on the in-ear and over-ear XM6 sequence, in addition to the LinkBuds Match and LinkBuds Open — turns no matter you’re listening to into background music. It modifications the quantity and EQ and provides reverb to make the music within the earbuds sound like background music in a restaurant, front room, or “my room” (all precise choices within the settings). I might see it maintaining the music from being too distracting, however for me turning the quantity down is sufficient to give the same impact.

The XM6 have as much as eight hours of battery life (24 hours together with the case, which has wi-fi charging), which is corresponding to the AirPods Professional 3, and a pair extra hours within the buds than the Bose Extremely Earbuds gen 2 (though these additionally rise up to 24 hours with their charging case).

The Sony WF-1000XM6 have stable efficiency, following the pedigree of earlier XM sequence earbuds. They sound unbelievable, deal with ambient noise throughout calls nicely and, with the froth ear ideas, ship the most effective noise canceling I’ve but heard from earbuds. They sound higher than the Bose buds, although they stick out a bit extra. When you’re deep within the Apple ecosystem, nothing competes with the combination of the AirPods, however the XM6 are my favorite-sounding earbuds of the three, with broader compatibility than the AirPods and a pleasant array of options together with Auracast assist.

Foam or silicone ideas, the XM6 are wonderful earbuds. It’s good that Sony will ship alongside additional silicone ideas if the froth ones don’t be just right for you; I simply want they have been included from the get-go.