The sixth generation of Sony’s noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones has faced growing and well-organized competition since its last version. But our test of the Sony WH-1000XM6 shows that it has been able to evolve smoothly to maintain performance that undermines its adversaries.
It has not been updated for three years. The Sony WH-1000XM6 has made us wait. Especially since, the competition has been activated, like the excellent JBL Tour One M3, Marshall Monitor III ANC, Bose QuietComfort Ultra and even the newcomer on the market Sonos Ace. This Mark 6 – which does not miss out on inflation with an introductory price of 450 euros – must therefore regain its place on the throne of the best active noise reduction headphones. Here is our avis complete on the Sony WH-1000XM6 after several days of testing.
Evolution rather than revolution; its design and conception change little and even correct some defects of its predecessor. Starting with the return of a folding design that we missed so much on the M5. It can therefore be stored much more easily in its rigid cover which actually takes up less space. Always well thought out, it closes using a magnetic lock system and avoids having to handle a zipper all the way around, very practical!
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Perfect finish and improved comfort
Another fault of its elder that Sony has taken into account: the headband. That of the WH-1000XM6 has been widened to avoid the pressure on the top of the head that was felt when wearing the M5. With very thick memory foam ear cushions, the comfort of this 2025 version is simply perfect and even matches what Bose does best with its QuietComfort.
During our testwe were able to wear the WH-1000XM6 for hours without ever wanting to take it off. It must be said that its very contained weight of only 254 grams also greatly helps with this. Just like the slightly more pronounced inclination of the headphones which thus fit the shape of the ears much better. Incidentally, this choice allows you to no longer have to look for which way the helmet is worn.
When it comes to finishing, the Japanese manufacturer didn’t skimp either with matte and thick plastics for the headphones, metal for the hoops and vegetable leather for the textile. The assembly is impeccable and seems sturdy enough to withstand years of use. Be careful, however, not to handle the headphones with too greasy fingers, the matte surface of the headphones loves them!
A few ergonomic buttons and a jack port
Under the right earcup, there is a USB-C port only for charging the headset. It is now possible to do this while listening to music, which was prohibited with previous generations. However, audio is absolutely not supported through this port. For wired listening, Sony preferred to rely on the good old 3.5 mm jack located under the left earpiece. We regret this choice as modern smartphones now lack it. To benefit from a lossless signal, you must therefore favor the LDAC codec, only supported by certain Android devices. Owners of Apple smartphones will therefore simply have to make do with AAC.
Next to this jack port is placed the power and Bluetooth pairing button. Slightly above, a second button is dedicated to switching between active noise reduction and transparency. You can also assign quick actions via a double or triple press to launch Spotify Tap or Amazon Music directly, for example. To control play/pause, change tracks and adjust the sound volume, you must use the touch surface of the right earpiece. Large and sensitive, it fulfills its role perfectly and responds flawlessly to commands.
The most comprehensive application on the market
As always with Sony, the WH-1000M6 is accompanied by the most complete application on the market. So complete that it can be somewhat frightening with its busy interface. But Sound Connect allows you to manage a wealth of software rarely seen in the competition. The ten-band equalizer also offers presets, including a new game mode designed specifically to highlight FPS sounds. You can also personalize it to your hearing through a series of audio tests.
Noise reduction is not left out since it can adapt to our activity: maximum in transport or moderate when walking in town so as not to be too isolated from the environment. A “Speak to Chat” mode switches the headset to transparency mode as soon as you start to pronounce a word. The latter can also be deactivated for users who do not like the option or for those who think that it is triggered too quickly.
The WH-1000M6 can also detect head movements to, for example, answer a call by nodding. Of course, port detection which pauses playback as soon as you remove the headset is included, as is multipoint connection to two devices.
Thanks to Bluetooth 5.3, this sixth generation of the 1000X headset is also LE Audio compatible (currently in beta version), allowing you to connect on the fly to a Bluetooth signal using Auracast. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to connect it to the Smart Tx box that came with the JBL Tour One M3 headphones we tested recently. We will certainly have to wait for the final version of this function to achieve this. Despite everything, it’s difficult to be more complete in terms of functionalities than this new high-end model from Sony.
No less than 12 microphones for noise reduction
While Bose has always dominated the market in the field of active noise reduction, Sony, like Apple, has managed to match it in recent years. The Japanese brand should therefore not rest on its laurels, even if the WH-1000XM5 still remained difficult to take on in this discipline. To achieve this, the Mark 6 integrates the brand new HD QN3 chip, 7 times faster than the previous one. No less than 12 microphones have also been included in this new generation, or 4 times more than before! And the result is worthy of the material investment: this WH-1000XM6 easily becomes the boss of active noise reduction thanks to demonic efficiency as we have seen both on planes and in public transport. Aerodynamic or rolling noises fade easily to immerse us in a real bubble of silence just as we like it.
Sony WH-1000XM6 at the best price Base price: €449
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Like its competitors, however, it does not work miracles on the voices that we continue to hear, but if they also turn out to be quite muffled, for example in an open space. The logical counterpart of this performance, transparency turns out to be very natural thanks to this armada of microphones which captures sounds coming from all directions and perfectly reproduces their location; especially since they resist the wind quite effectively as our test showed us. In hands-free function, the M6 is also very comfortable using 6 of the 12 microphones to form an acoustic beam towards the mouth. The noise reduction algorithm completes everything and manages to eliminate extraneous noise, even in very noisy environments. Artifacts do appear, but the voice remains isolated and intelligible.
Our opinion on audio quality: Sony masters its subject
Of course, Sony has always distinguished itself with this range on its audio know-how. Without ever eyeing hi-fi, the 1000X have always been able to reproduce the signal with great detail and a sound signature leaning towards low frequencies. The new 30 mm drivers (high rigidity carbon fiber composite dome) do not deviate from Japanese tradition, helped according to the manufacturer for the first time by the external expertise of three renowned mastering engineers.
The bass is therefore faithful to the position and shapes the overall identity of this 1000XM6: they are powerful, but above all very precise and responsive, we feel here that the mobility of the speakers has been well worked on. However, the rest of the spectrum is absolutely not forgotten, quite the contrary. Whether it’s the midrange or the treble, Sony has taken care of its new high-end headphones which offer a wealth of details here. Vocals are warm, treble is precise and everything resists distortion very well at high volume. The spatialization is not left out, thanks first of all to a beautiful separation of the instruments. They thus manage to find their place on a wide soundstage without being too vast. The balance is perfect.
The dynamics are also superb as we were able to see in our classical music listening test which knows how to be explosive when necessary. By using the LDAC codec, we gain even more dynamism to the delight of Android device owners. Special mention also to the cinema mode which uses the new 360 Upmix algorithm to even better highlight the voices of the actors. It’s devilishly effective and it’s hard to return to musical mode when watching a film or series. In short, we know all of Sony’s skills in audio, whatever the range, and on this one, we are admirably well served.
Autonomy in the good average
Finally, the autonomy remains identical to the previous generation, around 30 hours according to Sony. In our test in real conditions, we were indeed able to approach this performance, which is far from that of the Marshall Monitor III ANC, but largely sufficient for typical use. Sony has also equipped its WH-1000XM6 with a fast charging function: 3 minutes of plugging in is enough to gain 3 hours of operation.
Sony WH-1000XM6 at the best price Base price: €449
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