Sony Just Launched the WH-1000XM6 Noise Canceling Headphones

Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones have spent the last three years occupying the podium of audiophiles’ best-sounding over-the-ear headphones. It’s time to give them a rest. After five generations of WH-1000XM, it was a given that a sixth generation was on its way.

On May 15, Sony spilled the beans and showed off the WH-1000XM6, its new, top-of-the-line pair of headphones and the successor to the stalwart model before it that debuted in mid-2022.

There’s nothing revolutionary about the WH-1000XM6. It’s more evolutionary. But Sony hit upon a good thing with the previous design, so a bit of tweaking sounds good to me.

what’s improved

Sony says the WH-1000XM6’s HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3 is seven times faster than the processor of the previous-generation WH-1000XM5, and its 12 microphones “(allow) for more accurate and adaptive noise cancellation to fit the user’s environment” compared to the WH-1000XM5’s eight microphones.

“The team of Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated engineers who contributed to the WH-1000XM6 commitment to deliver the artist’s intended sound includes Randy Merrill (Sterling Sound), Chris Gehringer (Sterling Sound), Mike Piacentini (Battery Studios), and Michael Romanowski (Coast Mastering),” read a Sony press release on May 15 announcing the WH-1000XM6’s release.

On the comfort side of the equation, the synthetic leather headband has been widened to spread out the pressure and weight of the headphones over a bit more surface area, meaning (in theory) more comfort for those long sessions where the headphones don’t leave your noggin for quite some time.

The WH-1000XM6 is available in three colors: black, platinum silver, and midnight blue. While its $450 represents a $50 price increase over the WH-1000XM5, the real-world difference is larger, as it’s easy to find a WH-1000XM5 for $350 or less these days. If you’re looking for a deal, the previous generation might still be the best bet. But if you’re looking for Sony’s best, the WH-1000XM6 is your horse.

I’ve yet to try them, but I already have a slight criticism that’s been kicking around in my mind for the past six generations of this pricey pair of headphones: it needs a name that’s less of a mouthful to say. Whenever I say it, I feel like one Terminator talking to another.