Sony Introduces the Next Evolution of Noise Cancelling With the WH-1000XM6

[TheLostSwede]

Sony today announced the WH-1000XM6 wireless noise cancelling headphones - latest edition of its award winning 1000X series that set a new standard for premium audio and personal listening experiences. Building on the legacy of the 1000X series, this latest model combines premium sound with the best noise cancelling in a seamless design to create an unparalleled audio solution for music lovers, fashionistas, travelers and professionals alike.

The next evolution in noise cancellation
Powered by advanced processor and an adaptive microphone system, noise cancelling is optimised in real time on the WH-1000XM6 so your world stays undisturbed and your sound stays pure. With processor speeds seven times faster than its predecessor, the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3 fine-tunes 12 microphones, which is 1.5 times more than its precursor the WH-1000XM5, in real time, delivering a dramatic leap in noise cancelling and sound quality. The precise detection of the twelve optimally places microphones allow the noise cancellation to adapt more precisely to fit you and your environment. Whether you are looking to block out noise on a busy commute or stay focused in the office, your sound experience will be seamless and powerful.




Sony's new Adaptive NC Optimizer delivers unmatched noise cancelling precision - adjusting to any form of external noise and air pressure. Plus, the specially designed driver unit is optimally tuned for enhanced noise cancellation.

Auto Ambient Sound mode is even better at adapting to your surroundings in real time, balancing music and external sound. Multiple microphones filter noise or let in what matters: announcements, conversations, or the world around you. Adjust settings automatically or fine-tune them manually in the Sony | Sound Connect app.

Premium sound, co-created with the masters
The WH-1000XM6 headphones allow you to hear your music as it was meant to be. Developed in collaboration with world-renowned mastering engineers at three of the industry top recording studios, Sterling Sound, Battery Studios and Coast Mastering the WH-1000XM6 refines every note for studio-level accuracy, delivering a superior music experience.

The collaborative team of Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated engineers includes Randy Merrill (Sterling Sound), who has worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran; Chris Gehringer (Sterling Sound), known for his work with Rihanna and Lady Gaga; Mike Piacentini (Battery Studios), who has mastered tracks for Bob Dylan; and Michael Romanowski (Coast Mastering), whose portfolio includes Alicia Keys and the iconic Star Wars soundtracks for Episodes 4,5 and 6.

The collaboration of these talented individuals led to the WH-1000XM6 delivering the artist's intended emotion, energy, and detail with remarkable precision.

Randy Merrill, mastering engineer from Sterling Studio, The Sony | Sound Connect app makes it even easier to fine tune your entertainment experience on the WH-1000XM6. When listening to music, you can dial in the perfect sound with the 10-band EQ, or create a spacious feel with Background Music Effect. Gamers can also enjoy the Game EQ, developed with Sony's expertise from its INZONE range to enhance sound quality for FPS gaming. For those watching movies on the go, the WH-1000XM6 also feature 360 Reality Audio Upmix for Cinema that brings spatial sound experience just like you are in a movie theatre from 2ch stereo sound by Sony's unique upmix and 360 Spatial Sound technology.

Always be heard with the Ultra clear call quality
The WH-1000XM6 allows you to enjoy clarity in every call. Intelligent beamforming isolates your voice from background noise, so you are always heard even when others are talking. If you need to mute you can do it instantly, via the button right on your headphones.

With the advanced six-microphone AI- based beamforming system, the WH-1000XM6 homes in on your voice while filtering out background noise, so every word comes through crystal clear even in chaotic environments.

The AI- optimised noise reduction algorithm suppresses background sound while isolating your voice. Beamforming microphones and precise voice pickup technology ensuring every word is heard clearly.

Masterfully crafted for all-day comfort
The familiar iconic design of the WH-1000X series has been taken to the next level with an elegant, soft fit wider headband infused with vegan leather ensuring a pressure-free fit. The asymmetrical headband design makes it easy to identify the left and right side with just a glance.

The earpads are designed for all-day wear thanks to stretchable material that provides a secure yet gentle fit to reduce pressure whilst blocking external noise.

Plus, the intuitive controls allow you to easily switch between noise cancelling, ambient sound and mic mute with tactile buttons and a responsive touch panel.

who has worked with music icons such as Taylor Swift and Adele was part of the co-creation of the headphones. Randy praises the headphones sound expression and said: "Sony has always been a benchmark for premium quality, and the WH-1000XM6 headphones take it to a new level. They transport me to a different world with their excellent bass, frequency response, soundstage and detail. They truthfully represent the sounds of the recordings that we work so hard to make."

Mike Piacentini from Battery Studios who has worked alongside Depeche Mode and James Brown said: "We, as mastering engineers, spend a lot of time with the artists and producers to make their vision sound as intended. With the WH-1000XM6, listeners will have a more enjoyable experience because they're hearing every emotion, engineering decision and songwriting choice that the artist and engineer have made."

The WH-1000XM6 are engineered to perfection with the specially designed driver unit delivering clarity that feels almost tangible, and every detail comes through with precision.

The high rigidity carbon fibre composite material dome and uniquely developed voice coil structure bring out the subtleties in every frequency—so vocals sound richer, instruments feel more defined, and every track carries more emotion.

The HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3 features an advanced look-ahead noise shaper for improved D/A conversion, allowing the WH-1000XM6 to predict and optimize quantization noise while responding quickly to sudden sound changes. This gives you clearer details, richer bass and a more natural listening experience.

The WH-1000XM6 supports the High-Resolution Audio and High-Resolution Audio Wireless, thanks to LDAC, Sony's industry-adopted audio coding technology. In addition, using Edge-AI, DSEE Extreme upscales compressed digital music files in real time to restore high range sound lost in compression.

Inspired by products with handcrafted precision workmanship, the folding mechanism on the WH-1000XM6 is crafted using advance metal injection for a seamless durable fold, while designed to slip seamlessly into bags and airplane pockets. The compact case now features a magnetic closure for easy access.

With three premium colours to suit your style, the WH-1000XM6 are available in Black, Platinum Silver and Midnight Blue.

More Intuitive, Smarter than ever
With WH-1000XM6 you can experience Scene-based Listening, a new intuitive feature that uses sensing technology to automatically play music according to your activity and adjust noise cancellation level based on your environment and location. Along with Quick Access and Scene-based Listening, you can effortlessly connect to the top music service including Amazon Music (via "Amazon Music Play Now")6, Apple Music, Spotify (via "Spotify Tap")8 and YouTube Music.

The WH-1000XM6 is ready for LE Audio, delivering ultra-low latency for flawless gaming and effortless access to broadcasts with Auracast, with exceptional sound quality. The Multi-Point and Auto Switch makes switching between devices seamless, so you are always connected without interruption.

The WH-1000XM6 allows you to listen and charge all at once. Need to keep going when the battery is low? Simply plug in the USB charging cable and keep listening to your favorite tunes.

On the go? Even quicker charging is possible, with three minutes giving you up to three hours of charge.

Partnership with global superstar Post Malone
Sony partners with 9x Diamond-certified, GRAMMY Award-nominated global icon Post Malone as part of Sony's "For The Music" audio brand campaign. As one of the most influential and genre-defying artists of his generation, Post Malone embodies the spirit of authenticity, creativity, and connection—values that lie at the core of Sony's approach to audio innovation. "Great sound is essential for me when I'm making and listening to music," said Post Malone. "These new noise cancelling headphones make you feel completely inside the music." As part of the campaign, Post Malone worked alongside Sony's team to create a series of ads that showcase how Sony's audio technology transforms the listening experience, making fans feel like they're sharing a moment with the artist in real-time.

Made with the environment in mind
Sony has designed these headphones with the environment in mind. The WH-1000XM6 packaging is made from 100% paper materials. We continue to advance the adoption of Sony's proprietary paper, Original Blended Material, for the packaging of our flagship headphone model, the 1000X series (the WF-1000XM5, WF-1000XM4, WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6). Original Blended Material is an environmentally conscious paper material made from bamboo, sugarcane fibres, and post-consumer recycled paper.

For The Music
Sony established the brand platform "For The Music" for its premier consumer and professional audio products and services. With "For The Music," Sony is affirming itself as the premier audio brand connecting music creators and consumers, aiming to create authentic music experiences and transcend emotion for fans by supporting creator vision over everything.

Pricing and availability
The WH-1000XM6 are available in Black, Platinum Silver and Midnight Blue from May 2025 with a suggested retail price of US$450, £400, €450

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[oxrufiioxo]

The XM5 are pretty great I am sure these will be as well. Shame each generation the price goes up but that's just tech these day's in general.

 

[Space Lynx]

@TheLostSwede I watched about 5 youtube video reviews, and read 3 review articles. I ended up cancelling my pre-order. I think my ANC earbuds are probably 90% as good as these on the low end ANC, but after all the reviews, I think my little ANC earbuds actually probably block voices better... so I was just like fuck... why am I spending half a grand for worse performance? Cause I feel like blocking out a plane, train, my earbuds do just fine, I know these would be even better, but I'd be losing voice blockage, for some reason Sony seems to have tuned these to allow in voices easier.... i don't want that shit... so yeah I'm out

 

[Frick]

"With processor speeds seven times faster than its predecessor, the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3 fine-tunes 12 microphones, which is 1.5 times more than its precursor the WH-1000XM5, in real time, delivering a dramatic leap in noise cancelling and sound quality."

Very odd phrasing there.

Anyway the following is what really needs to be tested:

"With the advanced six-microphone AI- based beamforming system, the WH-1000XM6 homes in on your voice while filtering out background noise, so every word comes through crystal clear even in chaotic environments.

The AI- optimised noise reduction algorithm suppresses background sound while isolating your voice. Beamforming microphones and precise voice pickup technology ensuring every word is heard clearly."

Because call quality sucks on everything without a boom mic and very few, if any, reviewers do a good job of testing it. Apple has it solved with the Airpods, but the last time I looked into it (2024 sometime) no one else came close.

Anyway my XM3's are holding strong, if they were to break I might look into these (if for no other reason they fold again).

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Very odd phrasing there.

Anyway the following is what really needs to be tested:



Because call quality sucks on everything without a boom mic and very few, if any, reviewers do a good job of testing it. Apple has it solved with the Airpods, but the last time I looked into it (2024 sometime) no one else came close.

Anyway my XM3's are holding strong, if they were to break I might look into these (if for no other reason they fold again).

I can't comment on the quality of the person hearing me or how I sound to them but I've never had any issues with the XM4 or XM5 taking calls and the person clearly hearing me even in a noisy environment with traffic etc.

I use them for calls almost every day.

I've actually had more issues with my S23 ultra picking me up than when using my headphones instead.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Because call quality sucks on everything without a boom mic and very few, if any, reviewers do a good job of testing it. Apple has it solved with the Airpods, but the last time I looked into it (2024 sometime) no one else came close.

Anyway my XM3's are holding strong, if they were to break I might look into these (if for no other reason they fold again).

See this review, they test for call quality. They have recordings from multiple environments you can listen too.

We spent a week with the Sony WH-1000XM6, and it mostly delivers

The latest update to the most popular ANC headphones is here, but are they any good? Find out in our Sony WH-1000XM6 review.

www.soundguys.com

I have the WF-1000MX4's and the wife the XM5's and they both have good call quality in most circumstances.

 

[Frick]

I can't comment on the quality of the person hearing me or how I sound to them but I've never had any issues with the XM4 or XM5 taking calls and the person clearly hearing me even in a noisy environment with traffic etc.

The thing about "clearly hearing" is it's a spectrum, and at this point I believe most people think "clearly hearing" means "I can sort of make out what you say but it involves guesswork". I've been on calls on people with all sorts of stuff and the Airpods are the only ones I would call good for actual, clear communication.

See this review, they test for call quality.

We spent a week with the Sony WH-1000XM6, and it mostly delivers

The latest update to the most popular ANC headphones is here, but are they any good? Find out in our Sony WH-1000XM6 review.

www.soundguys.com

I have the WF-1000MX4's and the wife the XM5's and they both have good call quality in most circumstances.

They do controlled testing though. "Simulated wind". Ok. That's not how sounds works.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

The thing about "clearly hearing" is it's a spectrum, and at this point I believe most people think "clearly hearing" means "I can sort of make out what you say but it involves guesswork". I've been on calls on people with all sorts of stuff and the Airpods are the only ones I would call good for actual, clear communication.

I use to do a lot of reading off numbers especially model numbers letter by letter and never had any issues but maybe just lucky. The last airpods I had were the 1st gen pros and they were not very good, I haven't tried the more recent ones though.

 

[TheLostSwede]

They do controlled testing though. "Simulated wind". Ok. That's not how sounds works.

It's still the best test out there that I'm aware of.
All I can say is based on the earbuds I own and that my wife owns, Sony is doing really well in the call quality department.
When she got hers, she was in Tokyo and called me when she was walking around in the city and I couldn't even hear any background noise.

 

[Kwadratowicz]

I own XM3, and I was in sony center comparing XM3, XM4 and XM5, and sound was best on XM3, for me, and talking with the clerc it was said that newer models are more for talking than listening to music.
I hate sony for changing the app icon for tuning settings, it's now not visible in my apps cause of colors -.-
The problem with wind it's it irregularity in gusts which is problematic, cause first anc was enhancing wind in earphones, and with xm3 without setting to dampen wind it was present to.
(I miss the viper4android, it was great software to boost music to My liking.)

 

[Jtuck9]

"The precise detection of the twelve optimally places microphones allow the noise cancellation to adapt more precisely to fit you and your environment. Whether you are looking to block out noise on a busy commute or stay focused in the office, your sound experience will be seamless and powerful."

Reminded me of this:

The Case Against Travel

It turns us into the worst version of ourselves while convincing us that we’re at our best.

www.newyorker.com

Especially given Spotify's recent proclivities...

Shifty - A new series by Adam Curtis coming to BBC iPlayer in June 2025

Shifty shows, in a new and imaginative way, how over the past 40 years in Britain extreme money and hyper-individualism came together in an unspoken alliance

www.bbc.com

 

[Space Lynx]

"The precise detection of the twelve optimally places microphones allow the noise cancellation to adapt more precisely to fit you and your environment. Whether you are looking to block out noise on a busy commute or stay focused in the office, your sound experience will be seamless and powerful."

the real problem is that if Sony wanted to, they could give you manual/granular control of the ANC and you could probably block voices too, but for some reason they don't want to do that. again, I assume it has to do with any future legal issues, like "oh i couldn't hear you" then someone gets hurt, bla bla.

voices apparently come in clear with these even with ANC on. so yeah hard pass for me. i want pure silence

 

[Jtuck9]

the real problem is that if Sony wanted to, they could give you manual/granular control of the ANC and you could probably block voices too, but for some reason they don't want to do that. again, I assume it has to do with any future legal issues, like "oh i couldn't hear you" then someone gets hurt, bla bla.

voices apparently come in clear with these even with ANC on. so yeah hard pass for me. i want pure silence

I was wondering if you could incorporate those highly direction speakers (the ones where you hear them standing in a certain spot) for more precise sound propagation. Not sure how much difference that would make in regards to the space you're working with in closed cup headphones?!

 

[ne6togadno]

i want pure silence

MOMENTUM 4 Wireless | Sennheiser United States

Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless Headphones deliver exceptional sound, sleek design and advanced noise-cancellation for ultimate listening experience. Explore now

www.sennheiser-hearing.com

 

[TheLostSwede]

the real problem is that if Sony wanted to, they could give you manual/granular control of the ANC and you could probably block voices too, but for some reason they don't want to do that. again, I assume it has to do with any future legal issues, like "oh i couldn't hear you" then someone gets hurt, bla bla.

voices apparently come in clear with these even with ANC on. so yeah hard pass for me. i want pure silence

Then you read very different reviews from those I read. From what some reviewers said, it blocked out their chatty colleagues in the office better than any other headphones they'd used.

 

[Jtuck9]

Then you read very suspect reviews from those I read. From what some reviewers said, it blocked out their chatty colleagues in the office better than any other headphones they'd used.

Back to the office of the mind

 

[TheLostSwede]

Back to the office of the mind

And that's what happens when autocarrot takes over and you don't check what it did...

 

[Ruru]

At least the MSRP is reasonable. Haven't the previous models been priced pretty similarly as well?

 

[razaron]

Two weeks ago my xm5's snapped exactly where the xm6's fold. Insurance couldn't repair them so gave me a refund this morning, just in time

 

[TheLostSwede]

At least the MSRP is reasonable. Haven't the previous models been priced pretty similarly as well?

$50 more than the previous version. That said, they fixed most of the issues of the XM5's, which most people weren't very impressed by, mostly due to the narrow and short headband that was very uncomfortable.

Two weeks ago my xm5's snapped exactly where the xm6's fold. Insurance couldn't repair them so gave me a refund this morning, just in time

Yeah, that's one of several issues that apparently are fixed with the XM6's.

 

[TSiAhmat]

And that's what happens when autocarrot takes over and you don't check what it did...

Not sure if this was intentional

 

[TheLostSwede]

Not sure if this was intentional

It was. Someone else here started it.

 

[TSiAhmat]

It was. Someone else here started it.

Ah okay, seems like I missed the joke ^^"

 

[Ruru]

$50 more than the previous version. That said, they fixed most of the issues of the XM5's, which most people weren't very impressed by, mostly due to the narrow and short headband that was very uncomfortable.

Yeah, I read some reviews and some actually said that XM4's were better in some ways. Good if they've fixed the minor issues.

Still not quite suitable for my budget but ya'll never know if there will be a discount sale or something..

 

[WatchThe80s]

Because call quality sucks on everything without a boom mic and very few, if any, reviewers do a good job of testing it. Apple has it solved with the Airpods, but the last time I looked into it (2024 sometime) no one else came close.

Anyway my XM3's are holding strong, if they were to break I might look into these (if for no other reason they fold again).

I got my XM3 with my phone as a bonus(standalone was half of the price of the XM6 at that time), it sounds nice but i only listen to music sometimes with it and not use it for calls, though i had no problem with calls..