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I’m a fan of the “Lord of the Rings” films and books. In the movie, an evil force creates several magic “Rings of Power” to be worn by different “heroes” of Middle-earth. Then, unbeknownst to the wearers of those rings, the malevolent force creates one, all-powerful ring that controls the others and those who wear them.
I’m finding that, no matter my activities, Sony’s new WF-1000XM6 are the one ring pair of earbuds to rule them all, and there’s a lot to unpack with that statement.
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Categories |
Sony WF-1000XM6 |
|---|---|
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Conectivity |
Bluetooth® 5.3, Multipoint support |
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Drive units |
8.4mm driver |
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Codec support |
SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 w/Auracast |
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Waterproofing |
IPX4 |
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Battery life |
Up to 8 hours / Total up to 22 hours (ANC on) Up to 12 hours / Total up to 30 hours (ANC off) 24 hours total with case |
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Charging |
USB-C, wireless charging; Fast charging 5min = 60min playback |
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App support |
Android, iOS |
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Audio tuning |
10-band EQ (app), Sony DSEE Extreme |
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Microphone |
8 mics total |
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Colors |
Black, Platinum Silver |
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The new Sony WF-1000XM6 ANC earbuds arrive in minimalist packaging. You get a very small box, and inside you’ll find a manual, a laughably short charging cable, and three additional pairs of ear tips. Though I found a good fit with one preinstalled medium and one small ear tip, I’d like to see more options for a flagship product.
The USB-C and wireless charging-enabled case is pocketable, but it’s on the larger side compared to direct competitors like the Technics EAH-AZ100 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Its charging light sits behind the front face, like some of its competitors, although I had no problem seeing it when charging.
This year, it’s also taller and more angular than the previous gen. It has a very fine-grained texture that resists slipping in the hand, and laughs at your attempts to leave fingerprints on it.
Opening the case, you’ll find kidney bean-shaped buds that look bulky but are deceptively light and have the same matte texture as the case, unlike the XM5’s glossy finish.
You get eight microphones for calls and ANC, along with quite a long list of features, so the size is forgivable. Despite that, even during dynamic workouts, they never felt heavy. Likely a result of the earbuds’ ergonomic shape that conforms to your concha.
Normally, I’d get right to the sound quality notes here, but let’s get to that “One Ring to rule them all” analogy. I enjoyed the XM6’s in the gym for high-intensity workouts and slower powerlifting movements. Their excellent ANC filters out more low-frequency sound this year, thanks to the new QN3e processor that Sony says is 3x faster than the QN2 in the XM5.
This allowed me to stay locked in and focused on my mind-muscle connection while also doing an admirable job of mitigating and quieting high-frequency sounds, such as the sudden clank of plates, and nearby conversations. With music on, around 65% of max, I couldn’t hear any ambient gym noise.
That said, living in beach-friendly Southern California, I’d like to see more durability. They’re IPX4-rated, which means no submersion and no dust protection, but you’re good for sweaty workouts, splashes, and occasional light rain. I’ll have to be careful in the sand, though, especially during the many beach trips I take.
The ear tips aren’t as easy to clean as silicone ear tips, but the tradeoff is that the hybrid foam material does a great job of providing passive noise cancellation and great comfort. There are metal mesh screens in the ear tips to prevent wax from passing into the drivers (pictured above).
As usual, I had issues with the “Speak-to-chat” feature during workouts. It’s brilliant, but I often forget I have that feature enabled, start singing, and interrupt my music. I even accidentally triggered the feature during forceful exhales. You can control the sensitivity in the Sound Connect app, which helps, but I turn it off during exercise unless I’m working out with a partner.
For calls, the XM6s have improved over the WF-1000XM5s by adding bone conduction tech to the earbuds, delivering better call quality on windy days. The only part of the calling experience that was a bit jarring for me was activating ANC during a call. Audio dips briefly when you do that, so you’ll miss a few words from whoever you’re talking to until ANC fully kicks in. It’s quick, but in use, you will feel its effects.
My favorite feature, which the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro and some LinkBuds variations had but the WF-1000XM5 didn’t, is offline Voice Commands. Sony takes things a step further by offering more commands. Additionally, through the Sound Connect app, you can set up the earbuds to activate your Voice Assistant by simply saying “Assistant,” then giving your command.
All of this worked quite well in my testing, but know that you have to choose between one or the other, and how well the Voice Commands or Assistant feature works will depend on the level of background noise. Not ideal for a concert, but on busy streets with heavy traffic noise, I was able to operate the earbuds by voice just fine.
Voice commands are well complemented by the Head Gesture feature. Just like AirPods, you can simply nod or shake your head to answer/end calls, and more.
Flagship ANC hasn’t always meant flagship sound quality. Not anymore. Bluetooth sound quality has come a long way, decreasing the gap in sonic fidelity between wired and wireless connections, and the Sony WF-1000XM6 exemplifies this growth. With an LDAC or LC3 connection, the XM6 is about as good as it gets for Bluetooth.
Wearing them during the review period, and A/B testing against some of my current favorite earbuds, they truly shine as The One Buds to rule them all. Their clarity has a sparkle that feels live, and the dynamic range provides an insightful listen with hi-res audio formats. The detail retrieval is illuminating, teasing out nuances in music that you may have missed before.
Soundstage is really open and large. The bass extension will delight bass lovers like myself, with transients handled quite well, making it a good fit for those with eclectic tastes who might be listening to bass-heavy Boom Bap one minute and classical analog instrumentation the next.
One of the A/B tests in which the XM6s showed their dominance was a comparison of how they handled the frenetic, multilayered instrumentation of the wild Jazz romp, Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’.” This song is a serious stress test for any headphones or earbuds, and the XM6s handle it with aplomb, in their default settings (EQ off, DSEE off). During the most energetic moments in the song, other wireless earbuds turn the mix into mashed potatoes, losing the character of individual horns. However, these earbuds keep the sound well separated, so you can still pick out individual instruments.
That same track showcases how smooth the treble handling is and how well it retrieves detail, which is further exemplified on the XM6 with the song “Violin Duel” from the Chevalier soundtrack. The attack of bows across violin strings is realistically reproduced when listening to hi-res audio. You feel like you’re right there, sitting with the orchestra and first chair violinist. The presentation is as holographic as I’ve heard from Bluetooth earbuds.
Ambient Sound Control and Scene detection are awesome. They use your location and/or activity to automatically change ANC settings. They work so well that I had to turn off the Walking detection because it would turn on ANC and start my Apple Music playlist when I’d walk out of the house to my car.
I kept running detection activated, as well as the geolocation-based gym scene detection. The only downside is that if you are in a place or doing an activity that activates scene detection and you try to change the ANC setting manually, it will revert to the automatically set ANC settings.
With all of that turned on, I’m seeing a little more than seven of the eight hours Sony says you’ll get out of the earbuds with ANC on.
LC3 with Auracast is also very important for future-proofing! We’ve written quite a bit on what Auracast promises to do for consumers and for those with accessibility needs. For the reasons we’ve covered, you’ll want this feature baked in and easily accessible.
For roughly $300, the Sony WF-1000XM6 aren’t an impulse buy, but they are the best premium daily carry earbuds you can buy right now.
In the past, I’ve had to say that something was good, but others may be better in specific areas. This “One Ring” rules them all and delivers a product with not just excellent ANC but also engaging, enlightening sound, well-executed smart features, solid call quality, and competitive battery life.
If you’re in the market for new, flagship earbuds, these are indeed worth making the perilous journey through Mordor to acquire.
The best just got better
The Sony WF-1000XM6 are some of the best wireless earbuds money can buy, thanks to a more stable and comfortable design, improved ANC, and superior audio.
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