The Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds reclaim the noise-canceling crown

Apple, Bose, and Sony are successful a moving conflict for the champion noise-canceling earbuds, and the Sony WF-1000XM6 put Sony backmost successful first spot — if you tin get a bully fresh pinch the included foam tips.

With each loop of the XM series, Sony has aimed for — and delivered — unthinkable noise-canceling capacity pinch a pleasing and balanced sound profile, and features that activity arsenic good pinch iOS and Android. The XM6 push moreover further by adding further noise-canceling mics (for a full of 8), a caller chip, recently designed drivers, and a caller style that’s expected to amended fresh a wider action of ears. That’s a batch of promises, and the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds fulfill them each — almost.

One of the things I’ve liked astir about some the in-ear and over-ear Sony XM bid is the sound performance. Out of the box, the XM6 sound balanced and clean. They usage a caller driver pinch a softer separator worldly that allows for deeper bass, mixed pinch a high-rigidity dome for clear precocious frequencies. I was impressed by the bass response, moreover successful the lowest notes of “bury a friend” by Billie Eilish, which sound resonant and punchy. Vocals, specified arsenic Jarvis Cocker’s connected “Common People,” trim done heavy textures, and cymbals and hi-hats person a bully sparkle to them. There’s besides much thrust successful the midrange than pinch the Apple AirPods Pro 3 aliases Bose Ultra Earbuds gen 2 — some of which are balanced a spot much toward the precocious end, particularly the Bose.

The apical noise-canceling earbuds — the Bose Ultra Earbuds gen 2, Apple AirPods Pro 3, and these Sony WF-1000XM6 — are each awesome astatine blocking low-end frequencies for illustration the motor sound successful an airplane cabin. They’re each bully astatine tamping down midrange sounds, including voices, but the XM6 are amended astatine tuning retired different people’s conversations amended than immoderate different earbuds I’ve heard.

Sony improved the bony conduction sensor successful the XM6, and successful conjunction pinch AI beamforming mics, the earbuds do a awesome occupation blocking retired biology sounds while connected calls. I tested some sides of a telephone pinch the XM6, and recovered that postulation tin origin immoderate swishy noises. And erstwhile location was a batch of other postulation and wind, my sound would sound a spot compressed, but not to an grade that was distracting aliases caused maine to beryllium unintelligible.

Sound value and noise-canceling capacity trust connected a coagulated fit, and that’s wherever the XM6 commencement to person immoderate problems. I usually deterioration medium-sized receptor tips, but I had trouble getting a secure, long-lasting fresh successful my correct receptor pinch the included foam tips. I had akin fresh issues erstwhile I tested the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, but was yet capable to get those to beryllium decently for agelong listening periods.

The Sound Connect app includes a “Test wearing condition” mounting that plays a trial reside and uses soul microphones to find if there’s an airtight fit. According to the app, I was only capable to get a bully seal successful my correct receptor by utilizing the ample extremity and jamming the earbud into my ear. After a short clip I could consciousness the receptor extremity commencement to loosen. I had a mates friends effort to fresh the XM6 arsenic well, and some had varying levels of issues.

There is simply a solution. If nary of the foam receptor tips activity for you aft testing the fresh pinch the app, an action to bid silicone receptor tips will show up and Sony will nonstop them out, free of charge. The silicone tips solved my fresh problem. Both earbuds felt much unafraid than pinch the foam tips, and the fresh was much comfortable, though it does sound for illustration the silicone receptor tips fto successful a mini spot much mid-range noise, voices successful particular. It’s a beautiful insignificant quality and the sound cancellation is still incredibly awesome — still connected par pinch the Bose Ultra gen 2 — but it’s worthy noting the best-in-class sound cancellation relies connected the foam tips.

The low-end wave consequence is besides somewhat different pinch the silicone tips, pinch a tad little bass. It’s specified a insignificant difference, though, and isn’t objectionable astatine all, conscionable somewhat different. The tom-toms astatine the opening of Radiohead’s “There, There” from Hail to the Thief don’t rather ringing the same, and the debased bass notes aren’t arsenic full. But if I had the expertise to ABX trial the 2 different tips (which would beryllium intolerable because I’d consciousness the difference), I don’t deliberation I’d beryllium capable to constituent to 1 arsenic better. The XM6 sound awesome sloppy of tips. Our ears are highly adaptable to changes successful sound balance, and wrong seconds utilizing either group of tips I was enjoying everything I listened to.

Still, the truth that I needed an further group of tips to get a suitable fresh — and that the foam tips didn’t activity for aggregate group that tried them — isn’t great. Sony should person included the silicone tips successful the box. While 3 group surely don’t make a ample capable sample size for a definitive conclusion, beryllium alert you mightiness request to hold for those other silicone tips to get aliases scheme connected buying yourself immoderate Comply foam tips.

I’m besides not a immense instrumentality of the XM6’s caller shape. The earbuds are longer and narrower than the WF-1000XM5, and the assemblage sticks retired further from the ear. They are surely not inconspicuous, though size does make touch controls easy to use. Only erstwhile did I accidentally origin euphony to play aliases region — thing that happened connected galore occasions pinch the Bose arsenic I adjusted them successful my ears during testing — and that was erstwhile I was motioning to my workfellow astir the size of them successful my ear.

For those that for illustration to tweak settings, location are a batch of opportunities successful the Sound Connect app. There’s a 10-band EQ and 5 EQ presets (although I deliberation the default sound floor plan is fantabulous and doesn’t request to beryllium altered for my taste), a 20-point slider to set ambient passthrough (or an car setting), and touch power customization. There’s besides an action to group scenes, which causes the earbuds to set to predetermined settings based connected your activity aliases location. And if you person a compatible instrumentality (including astir modern Android phones), the XM6 support LDAC high-res audio streaming and Auracast.

A caller listening mode — presently disposable connected the in-ear and over-ear XM6 series, arsenic good arsenic the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open — turns immoderate you’re listening to into inheritance music. It changes the measurement and EQ and adds reverb to make the euphony successful the earbuds sound for illustration inheritance euphony successful a cafe, surviving room, aliases “my room” (all existent options successful the settings). I could spot it keeping the euphony from being excessively distracting, but for maine turning the measurement down is capable to springiness a akin effect.

The XM6 person up to 8 hours of artillery life (24 hours including the case, which has wireless charging), which is comparable to the AirPods Pro 3, and a mates much hours successful the buds than the Bose Ultra Earbuds gen 2 (although those besides get up to 24 hours pinch their charging case).

The Sony WF-1000XM6 person coagulated performance, pursuing the pedigree of earlier XM bid earbuds. They sound fantastic, grip ambient sound during calls good and, pinch the foam receptor tips, present the champion sound canceling I’ve yet heard from earbuds. They sound amended than the Bose buds, moreover though they instrumentality retired a spot more. If you’re heavy successful the Apple ecosystem, thing competes pinch the integration of the AirPods, but the XM6 are my favorite-sounding earbuds of the three, pinch broader compatibility than the AirPods and a bully array of features including Auracast support.

Foam aliases silicone tips, the XM6 are fantabulous earbuds. It’s bully that Sony will nonstop on other silicone tips if the foam ones don’t activity for you; I conscionable wish they were included from the get-go.