Price: Be Prepared to Pony Up
None of these headphones are budget-friendly, so be ready to spend big if you’re after top-tier performance. Apple’s AirPods Max sit at the top of the price range at $549, and they’ve also been on the market the longest. The Sony WH-1000XM6, released earlier this year, comes in at $449.99, while the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are just slightly cheaper at $449.
Winner: Tie (Bose and Sony)
Design: Easy to Distinguish by Sight
All three pairs have distinctive designs, and you’re unlikely to mistake one for the others. The Sony WH-1000XM6 has a matte plastic exterior and a lightweight build. They come in Black, Midnight Blue, or Silver, and can fold in on themselves for portability. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones feature a new glossy frame, replacing the previous matte finish. They can also fold down for portability, and when folded, they’re more compact than the Sony. Bose sells them in Black, Desert Gold, Driftwood Sand, Midnight Violet, or White.
Apple AirPods Max (Credit: Christian de Looper)
Although the Bose and Sony are attractive, the AirPods Max have the most original and premium-looking design, thanks to their metal enclosures and mesh headband. You can remove the earcups, and the AirPods come in the boldest variety of colors: Blue, Midnight, Orange, Purple, or Starlight. Sure, the choice of build materials makes them heavier than the others, but if you’re going on style alone, the AirPods Max win hands down for their simple and high-quality aesthetic.
Winner: Apple AirPods Max
Comfort: It’s Not All About Weight
The use of metal makes the AirPods Max heavier (13.6 ounces) than the others, but it has less impact on their comfort than you might expect. The weight distribution is excellent, and the removable earcups have plush padding, plus the headband doesn’t clamp down too tightly. Nonetheless, the Sony XM6 (8.96 ounces) and the Bose QuietComfort Ultras (9.33 ounces) are more comfortable. Of the three pairs, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are the most comfortable despite not being the lightest, thanks to their low clamp force and thick padding.
Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Cases and Cables: Portability Wins
The AirPods Max aren’t just the most novel in terms of design but also in terms of accessories. They include a barely there rubber case—which is more of a cover—that turns them off when they are placed in it, and a USB-C cable. You’ll need to buy a separate USB-C to 3.5mm cable ($39) if you want to connect them to standard 3.5mm headphone jacks.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) (Credit: Christian de Looper)
Both the Bose and Sony models come with a more traditional clamshell hard case, along with cables for both charging and wired listening. Sony includes a USB-A-to-USB-C charging cable and a 3.5mm audio cable, while the QuietComfort Ultra comes with a USB-C cable and a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable. Although the Sony case features a cool magnetic clasp instead of a zipper, I prefer the smaller footprint of the leather case that Bose provides, making it the winner in this category.
Winner: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Bluetooth and Connectivity: Pros and Cons for Each
All three headphones support the standard SBC Bluetooth codec, with AAC support on top of that. For the AirPods Max, that’s where Bluetooth codec support ends. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra supports aptX Adaptive, which is compatible with select Android phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon components. Sony, on the other hand, supports the high-resolution LDAC codec on the XM6, which is supported by a wider range of Android phones than aptX Adaptive.
Apple AirPods Max (Credit: Christian de Looper)
Both the Bose and Sony headphones support Bluetooth multipoint, which allows for simultaneous connectivity with up to two devices at a time. However, the AirPods Max benefit from being part of Apple’s ecosystem. They can seamlessly switch between any Apple device signed into the same iCloud account (Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, MacBook, etc.).
On the wired connectivity front, the AirPods Max can connect to USB-C and 3.5mm sources; however, for the latter, you’ll need the $39 cable. Bose also supports USB-C, as well as analog connectivity with an included cable. Sony supports wired connectivity via the included 3.5mm cable, but the USB-C port is limited to charging only.
This one’s a three-way tie. The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have decent wireless connectivity, but the best wired connectivity. Sony has the best codec support, but lacks USB-C audio connectivity. The Apple AirPods Max benefit from deep ecosystem integration via Bluetooth and flexible wired connectivity.
Winner: Tie (all three)
Battery Life: Fast Charging Takes the Lead
Sony WH-1000XM6 (Credit: Christian de Looper)
The AirPods Max have the least impressive battery life, promising up to 20 hours of listening time with noise cancellation enabled. Both Bose and Sony promise up to 30 hours of audio playback with noise cancellation enabled. Sony wins when it comes to fast charging, however. You can get three hours of listening by plugging the in for just three minutes. By comparison, Bose delivers 2.5 hours of listening after 15 minutes of charging.
Winner: Sony WH-1000XM6
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Mobile App: Customization Beats Integration
The software experience from each pair is quite different. The AirPods Max are deeply integrated with iOS. The Bluetooth settings menu, rather than a separate app, allows you to adjust features such as noise modes and automatic head detection. You can also tweak some settings through Control Center, including spatial audio settings, but it lacks user-adjustable EQ.
Sony WH-1000XM6 (Credit: Christian de Looper)
The Bose app (available for Android and iOS) is fairly simple and easy to navigate, but also somewhat limited. On the main screen, you can access Bluetooth settings, noise modes, button shortcuts, and a basic EQ. However, the Bose EQ only has three bands for tweaking bass, mid, and treble frequencies without specifying exactly what those frequencies are.
The Sony Sound Connect app is more complex than the Bose app, with access to a wider range of settings and thus providing greater customization options. You can take control of noise modes, shortcuts, and even location-based settings, and there’s a flexible 10-band, user-adjustable EQ with bands ranging from 31Hz to 16kHz.
Winner: Sony WH-1000XM6
Active Noise Cancellation: Sony Reigns Supreme
(Credit: Christian de Looper)
Bose had the best active noise cancellation for many years. However, in this lineup, Sony takes the lead. While the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones still provide excellent noise cancellation, they fall just slightly behind the XM6.
To be clear, the Bose headphones still block the vast majority of noise across the entire frequency range, and they’re very good at reducing noise from planes or on the street. However, the Sony headphones do that, too, plus they’re a little better at blocking inconsistent, random noises that might occur suddenly at a busy cafe or on public transportation.
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The AirPods Max deliver perfectly good noise cancellation, but it’s not as refined against the high frequencies as Bose or Sony.
Winner: Sony WH-1000XM6
Transparency Mode: Naturally Apple
Apple AirPods Max (Credit: Christian de Looper)
The AirPods Max may not match the noise cancellation capabilities of Bose and Sony, but Apple’s transparency mode is simply outstanding. It sounds natural and consistent, delivering high frequencies with ease and without introducing a masking hiss (unlike the other two). Bose and Sony’s transparency features are perfectly usable, just not nearly as impressive.
Winner: Apple AirPods Max
Sound Quality: It’s a Close Call
Sound quality is another area where all three headphones excel. The AirPods Max feature 40mm drivers that deliver deep, round bass, along with crisp and detailed high-end sound. Of the three, the AirPods Max have the best high-end response. They produce a satisfying sizzle from cymbals and a natural quality to acoustic instruments that you don’t often find in headphones at this price range (despite the missing EQ).
(Credit: Christian de Looper)
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones also deliver excellent bass response with clear and crisp highs; however, the highs aren’t quite as transparent as those of the AirPods, and the audio feels more sculpted, with the mid frequencies pulled back slightly.
Meanwhile, the Sony XM6 headphones sound excellent. They deliver sculpted audio, with toned-down mids, but to a lesser extent than the Bose. They also have the most boosted bass, but if you want to adjust their sound, they have the best EQ for fine-tuning to taste.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)
If you like spatial audio, the AirPods Max take the lead. Bose’s implementation is also excellent, though it adds a spatial effect to stereo input, whereas the AirPods Max headphones draw from surround sound input.
Winner: Tie (Apple AirPods Max and Sony WH-1000XM6)
Mic Quality: Clarity Wins
All three of these headphones feature impressive microphones that are excellent for calls. The Bose microphone delivers audio with a little more body than the AirPods Max or the Sony XM6, but it’s also not as clear or crisp in the high end. The AirPods’ microphone is crisp and detailed. However, among the three pairs, Sony provides the best combination of clarity and high-end audio.
Winner: Sony WH-1000XM6
