Sony WH-1000XM6 The Best Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones, HD NC Processor QN3, 12 Microphones, Adaptive NC Optimizer, Mastered by Engineers, Studio-Quality, 30-Hour Battery, Black

Sony 1000XM6 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen2
I bought the Sony 1000XM6 from Amazon, and Bose QCU Gen 2 from Costco for $429 which also had a $75 rebate. Compared both for a week, I took the Bose on one trip and took the Sony to Hawaii. IMO the Sony fit better and even on a 5.5 hour flight it was pretty comfortable. The noise cancellation worked very well on both headphones, but the Bose was annoying where the ANC would pause whenever I turned my head in a certain way thinking there was ambient sounds to hear. The Sony ANC was flawless and worked no matter which way I moved my head. The movie/music only paused when I took the headphones off to order a drink which worked as it should. Overall both Bose and Sony sounded great, but I thought the Bose sounded a little more crisp when both EQ’s were on flat. But whether you like highs or bass both delivered and both had EQ adjustments so I think the sound is more to a personal taste that can be adjusted per each EQ app. However, I will say the Bose was a little easier connecting to my iPad Pro 13 inch or iPhone 16 Pro on the first try, whereas the Sony took a little more effort on first connection. But once connected to both devices, it was seamless to switch between them.The two reasons I decided to keep the Sony: 1) Overall comfort/fit and ANC that did not pause when I moved my head in a certain way; 2) The Sony had a better functioning case with a magnetic closure, and well thought out pouch for the accessory cords/adapters. Although the Bose’s case was a little more compact, it had a side pouch for the wires/adapters that sometimes got in the way when closing and the cords could easily fall out if you’re not careful in the dark, and the case was a little klugy trying to zip the case closed especially if the headphones were not properly in their fitted cavity. The Sony was much easier to put the headphones in the case and the magnetic latch was a breeze to open/close. I’d say the Sony designers put a little more thought into the case design whereas Bose failed to improve what it had from their Gen 1 headphones. Big opportunity miss there.

But are they enough of an upgrade over what you already have?
I have a headphone problem, or so my wife says. I’ve owned the Apple AirPods Max, the Sony XM5’s, the Bose QC and QC Ultra the QC 45’s and 35’s both I and II, the Sonos Ace, and the Beats Studio Pro. Going into my XM6 purchase, my favorite are/were the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. I bought the QuietComfort Ultra during Prime Day for an unbelievable $329! I have found that they offer the best combination of comfort, sound and ANC for the price. So, how does the XM6 compare? The ANC is second to none. I augment our central air with a window unit, which sits right behind my head, and I can completely eliminate its sound. But static sounds are pretty easily muffled by most of newer ANC headphones, so how about dynamic sounds like a tv or normal conversation? The XM6 excel there, too. Put simply, they offer the best ANC of any of the aforementioned headphones. They are also pretty comfortable and clamp down relatively tight, though I haven’t found anything to be as comfortable as either the QC or QC Ultra. The XM6 are designed to be over ear headphones, yet my ear doesn’t seem to fit inside the cup like other over ear headphones. This, in my opinion, makes them less-comfortable then they could/should be. However, the memory foam is a nice touch and does help.The sound is well-balanced and pretty good right out of the box, though I had to make use of the ten-band EQ to get them to sound just a tad better than my QC. With my current EQ settings, I would say they offer the clarity of the Apple AirPods Max, but with the bottom end of my Bose QuietComfort. The bass isn’t overpowering, it’s actually pretty accurate (after EQ tinkering).In the final analysis, the XM6 offer the best sound of any of the headphones I mentioned, but not by much. Furthermore, the ANC is superior to everything else I’ve owned, but not by a staggering amount.So, which should you buy? If you’re like me and in search of the best possible sound, and won’t settle for anything less than the best ANC, then get the XM6. If, however, you prioritize comfort and value, and don’t mind making some very minor concessions regarding sound and ANC, then get the Bose QuietComfort or the QC Ultra (wait until you catch them on sale, which is pretty often). I hope that helps. Happy listening!Update: “6/02/2025: Intermittent crackling in left speaker. Had to return them. I have replaced them, though.Update 06/07/25: I received the replacement pair and everything seems great.I neglected to mention in my previous review how great the Sony app is and how customizable the XM6 are. First, you get a ten band EQ, instead of the Bose three bands. Additionally, there are some awesome (optional) features that are missing from Bose. Sony has speak to chat, which mutes your music and puts your headphones in aware mode when you speak. Also, there is an option to accept or reject calls by simply nodding or shaking your head, which is very cool. If you’re into features like that and general customization, then the Sony XM6 are for you.UPDATE 06/17/2025. Started hearing crackling again in the right speaker this time. This time I did a Google search to see if others were having the same problem, and it seems like turning on DSEE Extreme could be the culprit at high volumes. The DSEE Extreme setting is supposed to upscale compressed files. I turned off the setting and no more crackling. I replayed the same part of the same song with and without it engaged, it it’s definitely the DSEE Extreme. Consequently, I’ve turned off that setting and now everything seems fine.

Áudio incrível, realmente impecável. O ANC também é excelente. Quando coloquei na cabeça achei um pouco desconfortável e apertado no começo, mas fui me acostumando com o uso. O preço é meio alto, mas a qualidade de áudio compensa demais. O microfone não é excepcional, mas dá pro gasto. No geral, produto excelente!

Öğrenciyim ve birkaç haftadır bu kulaklığı kullanıyorum. Benim için önemli olan gürültü engellemesi ve aynı zamanda uygulamadaki sinema modu fon modu gibi modlarla müzik dinlemiyor gibi hissederek ortamdan soyutlanmak. Önceliğiniz bu ise bu kulaklık tam size göre. Ses kalitesi için üst düzey bir performans beklemeyin bence çünkü zaten kulakligin kullanım amacı üst düzey ses kalitesi almak değil en azından bu kulaklık için. Eğer ses kalitesi benim için ikinci planda gürültü engellemesi ve farklı modlarıyla uzun süre fokuslanbilmek istiyorsanız almanizi öneririm.

Very comfortable. No fatigue or head/ear pain even after several hours. ANC is strong; I’ve used them at home with a blisy window a/c, and at work in a shared office space. Sound quality is clear, the controls are easy to use, and the mobile app on iOS and Android is easy to use to change advanced configuration. They charge by USB-C fairly quickly (I haven’t timed it – I usually leave it overnight).They can connect to two devices simultaneously. I’ve found this to be fairly good. Occasionally when connected to a phone and a computer ar the same time the sound has started breaking a bit till I disconnect one, but this might be a Bluetooth interference issue and not a headphone-spwcific one.It has something called 360 Reality Audio, for which it needs to go through a setup process to create an individual sound profile. It’s supposed to be able to give you a much more immersive dynamic experience. However, I was unable to complete the setup. It involves playing two sounds and asking you to answer a question about the two sounds. Then another two sounds and another question, etc. Maybe my ears don’t work or something, but when it asks me which of the sounds I hear as if it is directly in front of me at eye level, my answer is neither – they both sound identical and as if they are in my ears. I’m not being facetious or obtuse – as hard as I try, I cannot imagine that the sounds are in front of me.Nonetheless, aside from such gimmicks, these are really great headphones.