Sony Introduces the WH-1000XM6, Its Newest Premier Wireless Headphones

It has returned to a folding design that some fans criticized the WH-1000XM5 for abandoning.

Sony

Sony has introduced the WH-1000XM6, the newest addition to its highly acclaimed 1000X series of active noise-canceling (ANC) wireless headphones, with numerous technical enhancements and quality of life improvements that are certain to be appreciated by users.

It is noteworthy that the WH-1000XM6 headphones reintroduce the foldable design that was omitted in the WH-1000XM5, which featured a stiff structure akin to Apple’s AirPods Max. This was a prevalent complaint among enthusiasts of the Sony series, and the reintroduction of foldability offers customers enhanced flexibility regarding storage.

The WH-1000XM6 headphones are powered by the QN3, a novel HD noise-canceling processor that Sony claims is “seven times faster than the previous model.” It employs 12 onboard microphones, which is “1.5 times more than the WH-1000XM5,” and features a newly integrated Adaptive NC Optimizer that continuously monitors “any form of external noise and air pressure” for real-time adjustments. Sony claims this provides "unparalleled noise-canceling precision" and allows customers to customize and modify these settings according to their preferences via its application. The ANC featured in Sony headphones is widely regarded as among the finest in the business, rendering these enhancements quite promising.

Sony

The new headphones use a custom-designed carbon fiber composite driver unit, which Sony claims possesses "high rigidity" that enhances the nuances in every frequency. Furthermore, the newly engineered driver enhances vocal richness and instrument clarity, which the firm asserts more effectively communicates the "emotion" of your music. The WH-1000XM6 headphones are compatible with High-Resolution Audio and High-Resolution Audio Wireless codecs, in addition to Edge-AI and DSEE Extreme, which "upscale compressed digital music files in real time to restore high-frequency sound lost during compression."

Sony incorporates AI in its new headphones, featuring a “AI-based beamforming system” that utilizes six of the twelve onboard microphones to enhance call quality by separating the user’s speech from ambient noise, rendering the WH-1000XM6 proficient for calls “even in noisy environments.” Scene-based Listening, a novel function, use AI to assess a user's surrounds and can modify the noise-canceling intensity according to both the user's environment and location. This user-friendly new function is compatible with major streaming providers such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify.

The WH-1000XM6 headphones offer "up to 30 hours of battery life" with active noise cancellation activated, and potentially longer without it, although Sony has not specified the exact duration. Additionally, a mere three minutes of charging yields "three hours of usage," as stated by the manufacturer. The new headphones enable LE (low energy) Bluetooth audio and include multi-point connectivity, allowing them to be paired and linked to many devices concurrently.

Sony's newest flagship wireless headphones are currently available in three colors: "Black," "Platinum Silver," and "Midnight Blue," at a price of £399.99 GBP / $449.99 USD.