Introduction
This 12 months, Sony launched a brand new addition to the high-end energetic noise-canceling (ANC) WH-1000X collection, following a three-year hiatus. The brand new WH-1000XM6 mannequin comes with a promise of “the most effective noise cancellation” (in accordance with Sony’s official web site), but additionally a $50 value hike.
I have been an avid person of the collection for the reason that WH-1000XM2, so it was a pleasure to check out the brand new XM6 and see how effectively they’re performing compared to Sony’s older fashions.
Design and luxury
The Sony WH-1000XM6 are a full-sized pair of over-ear headphones. They arrive in three colours: Black, Midnight Blue, and Platinum Silver. They characteristic the usual two buttons on the left ear cup – on/off and a noise-canceling/ambient mode button alongside a 3.5 mm jack and a USB-C port for charging on the fitting ear cup. With the XM6, Sony has redesigned the facility button to a spherical form, making it simpler to find by contact. The contact controls stay unchanged from earlier fashions. The headphones are constituted of the identical carbon fiber composite materials. The earpads cowl my ears completely with out squishing them. The ear cups are extra fingerprint-resistant than the XM5. Total, they’re comfy to put on and do not appear to trigger undue sweating or discomfort throughout long-term utilization. Though the headscarf has noticeably much less padding than the XM5, it stays comfy and would not trigger any unpleasantness.
The headphone case is barely extra compact and simpler to open, because of a magnetic deal with that is extra handy than the zipper used on earlier fashions. Inside, there’s the usual 3.5mm to three.5mm cable alongside a brief USB-C cable for charging. Whereas the design typically is much like that of the headphones’ predecessor, the hinges make an enormous return with the XM6. The headphones might be folded and positioned in a extra compact case, like fashions older than the XM5. Arguably, eradicating the hinges from the XM5 was among the many most controversial design choices Sony made when designing the collection.
Sony WH-1000XM6 folded.
Personally, I discovered the folding course of finicky and cumbersome in comparison with earlier fashions. On high of that, the case is not that rather more compact – it is solely 3 cm shorter and a couple of cm narrower. Moreover, the hinge permits the highest band to pivot asymmetrically, whereas the ear cups curve upward and inward from the bottom of the headphones. Probably on account of this curvature, I discovered the XM6 to be a bit more difficult to placed on accurately, typically ensuing within the earpads not sealing correctly across the ears. A comfortable match is essential not only for consolation however for optimum ANC efficiency. Extra on that later.
Sony WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6 circumstances side-by-side.
Total, the Sony WH-1000XM6 are well-built and cozy to put on. For my part, the folding characteristic is considerably overrated, though that in the end comes down to non-public desire.
Software program and options
The Sony WH1000XM6 use the Sony Sound Join app on iOS and Android. The app, beforehand often called Sony Headphones Join, has been indispensable for Sony wi-fi headphones for quite a few years.
I personally discover the app too bloated and buggy; for instance, it’d persistently neglect particular settings I’ve turned on or off (resembling Converse-to-Chat). On a contemporary set up, the app guides the person by cumbersome, unskippable tutorials and different preliminary setup steps till they’ll entry the machine settings. Recently, Sony seems to have eliminated some impractical options, such because the badges below the Listening exercise tab.
On the similar time, they’ve launched “Scenes,” which permit customers to customise headphone conduct, resembling switching on or off, at a particular time of day or location. Arguably, such a characteristic is helpful, though some might think about it pointless, given how easy it already is to show the headphones on or off or management playback manually. A well-known characteristic from earlier fashions is Adaptive Sound Management, which routinely switches between ANC and Ambient mode relying on person exercise. Personally, I do not use Adaptive Sound Management or Converse-to-Chat, as I battle to listen to folks talking clearly in Ambient mode. Subsequently, I merely take away the headset when conversing.
Sony Sound Join app for Android, the Scenes characteristic.
Sony has launched a Listening mode within the app, which is unique to the WH-1000XM6. There is a alternative between “Customary”, “Background Music”, and “Cinema”. “Background Music” adjusts the sound to simulate a distant surroundings, resembling a front room or a café. “Cinema” is designed for video content material and simulates a movie show surroundings, made doable by Sony’s 360 Actuality Audio Upmix expertise.
Along with that, the Sound Join app presents acquainted options from earlier fashions, together with a customized equalizer, 360 Actuality Audio Setup, and Spatial Sound and Head Monitoring, all of which improve the listening expertise. The headphones help Bluetooth multipoint, permitting them to connect with a number of units concurrently. Additionally they provide voice assistant integration (with a alternative between Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa) and the choice to customise the ANC/Ambient mode button on the set.
Sony Sound Join app options: Listening Mode, numerous machine settings.
Like earlier fashions, the WH-1000XM6 may also routinely pause playback when the headphones are eliminated out of your ears. Additionally they routinely flip off after a short while of inactivity. Whereas the headphones characteristic a 3.5 mm jack, they do not help USB audio playback, which can postpone some customers.
Efficiency
Audio high quality
The WH-1000XM6 sound excellent. They provide heat tuning, a powerful bass presence and improved readability. There’s particular improved midrange readability, and general, the headset sounds softer and far fuller than its predecessors. The Sony Sound Join app contains a customizable equalizer management, making it significantly helpful for individuals who favor to personalize their sound. The app additionally contains a user-friendly “Discover Your Equalizer” operate, enabling customers not sure of their sound preferences to pick out a customized EQ setting simply.
Sony Sound Join app EQ settings.
Usually, Sony’s newest headset gives a wonderful audio expertise. Tuned with enter from skilled mastering engineers, the XM6s strike a stability between studio-grade precision and on a regular basis listening enjoyment, making them splendid for each informal listeners and even some audiophiles.
Microphone
The Sony WH-1000XM6 come geared up with a six-microphone AI-based beamforming system that isolates your voice and filters background noise. Whereas this can be a technical improve over earlier fashions, the microphone stays the headset’s weakest characteristic. In a studio setting, the mic high quality is nice sufficient for headphones of this caliber. However outdoor, particularly in noisy environments resembling public transit, the microphone stays abysmal. Sony’s algorithm efficiently isolates background noise, however that course of makes voices virtually unattainable to listen to.
The XM6 have a further toggle within the Sony Sound Join app that activates voice seize throughout telephone calls. Voice seize is meant to enhance voice high quality, however our checks did not present a big enchancment. It claims to supply AI-based voice isolation, however in our expertise, it behaves extra like a noise gate, slicing off sounds under a sure threshold, which generally consists of your voice as effectively. Different corporations, resembling Nvidia, are miles forward in AI voice isolation. Finally, whereas the Japanese firm has made gradual enhancements to the microphone setup in current fashions, there’s nonetheless room for enchancment by way of voice readability.
Noise cancellation
As anticipated, the WH-1000XM6 have wonderful noise cancellation. They arrive with an HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3, which is 7x quicker than the Q1 within the XM5. ANC excels in lowering repetitive noises, resembling working engines and trains, so the headphones carry out terrifically on an airplane, public transit or a busy avenue. The place the expertise typically falls quick is the occasional unintended loud noise, resembling a practice announcement, though quicker processing has made canceling out such noises a lot better. The XM6 reveal enchancment over earlier fashions in suppressing unintended noises, though the expertise stays imperfect. Having stated that, Sony produces a number of the greatest, if not the most effective, ANC headphones available on the market, and the XM6 is at the moment their greatest providing.
Relating to Ambient mode, at its most setting, exterior sounds are noticeably clearer, and voices come by crisper in comparison with earlier fashions.
The one downside I encountered was the issue find a snug match, as talked about earlier. The curvature of the ear cups, plus the truth that I am carrying glasses, made the match worse than in earlier fashions, which in flip resulted in a poorer noise-canceling expertise. This isn’t a big problem; it merely means customers should be extra cautious when placing the headphones on.
Latency and Connectivity
We examined the WH-1000XM6 utilizing the AAC and LDAC codecs, and there was no noticeable latency. The headset had wonderful connectivity efficiency throughout testing. There have been no connection drops or stutters throughout audio playback or telephone calls.
Battery life
Often, the headphones from the WH-1000XMX collection provide excellent battery life, and the XM6 is not any exception. Sony advertises as much as 30-hour battery life, and the headset helps quick charging (3 minutes cost for 3 hours of playback). Our checks yielded much more spectacular outcomes: utilizing a mix of music playback and voice calls with ANC enabled, the headphones lasted roughly 40 hours on a single cost.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is undoubtedly among the many greatest ANC over-ear headphones obtainable. They’re light-weight and comparatively compact. The noise-canceling expertise and audio high quality are higher than ever. The headset boasts a protracted and dependable battery life, making certain it can final by even the longest flights.
Whereas the brand new mannequin is an improve over its predecessor by way of audio high quality and ANC, the design stays largely unchanged, if not barely inferior. The hinging mechanism makes the headset really feel much less sturdy, but gives little profit by way of compactness. The microphone stays subpar at greatest when used outdoor. The upper price ticket of $499.99 ought to give consumers pause. Whereas it could be affordable given international inflation, we discover it troublesome to justify the worth proposition. Particularly contemplating that older fashions can be found at discounted costs or second-hand, for example, the WH-1000XM5 at the moment promote for $299.99 on Sony’s official web site. On this reviewer’s opinion, the WH-1000XM6 is a superb purchase for these upgrading from fashions older than the XM5 or midrange ANC over-ear headphones.
In the long run, Sony has delivered a powerful addition to the WH-1000XMX household. The XM6 set a stable benchmark for journey headphones and over-ear headphones general.
