Sony Says New Wireless Earbuds Bring Big Quality Upgrades For The Price

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If you've been shopping for wireless headphones or earbuds with active noise canceling (ANC) over the past several years, you've probably heard about Sony's offerings. The brand may no longer dominate portable audio with the Walkman, but has instead found a large measure of success further down the audio chain, releasing products that often land at the very top of recommendation lists for the best wireless earbuds or headphones.

Now, Sony has released a successor to the WF-1000XM5 true wireless earbuds, which it released in 2023. The WF-1000XM6 are a technically capable pair of earbuds that go toe-to-toe with competing products from Apple, Bose, and Samsung, to name a few, and come hot on the heels of Sony's over-ear WH-1000XM6 headphones. Notable improvements include upgraded microphones for better call audio, noise canceling, and transparency mode, alongside claimed improvements to sound quality. There's also a new, custom chip for ANC processing. However, those upgrades come with a price hike: The WF-1000XM5 retailed for $300, already a pretty penny compared to other premium offerings in this product segment, but the WF-1000XM6 earbuds are now priced at $330.

As alluded to above, Sony faces stiff competition. Moreover, the previous WF-1000XM5 were still going strong even after three years. Can the Sony WF-1000XM6 maintain, or even improve on, Sony's reputation as one of the best consumer audio brands? Here's how the new buds stack up in the market, and what reviewers are already saying about them.

For most consumers, the top alternatives to the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds will be the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Generation), the Apple AirPods Pro 3, and the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro. There are several other brands in this segment, including names like Sennheiser, but that's where things begin to tip into enthusiast territory.

On paper, the WF-1000XM6 easily competes with those competitors. It supports high-resolution Bluetooth codecs such as LDAC, which enables up to 24-bit audio at a sample rate of up to 96kHz — great if you're looking to optimize your Bluetooth for the best sound quality. The AirPods Pro 3 use Apple's AAC codec, which does not support high-resolution. Bose offers the comparable aptX Lossless, while Samsung uses its own SSC codec with just a small difference in resolution. That said, while high-resolution audio potentially improves your listening experience — letting you hear the faintest brush on a drum in your favorite song or every bit of grit in a distorted bass – tuning matters more for earbuds' actual sound quality.

The WF-1000XM6 offer a rated 8 hours of battery life with ANC enabled. It's far better than Samsung's 7 hours (an optimistic figure in practice) or Bose's 6, and matches Apple's top buds. Its bulbous design uses outer touchpad controls; Apple and Samsung use a classic stem design, while Bose's buds look a bit like a 2020s take on those old Bluetooth headphones from the mid-2000s. Sony's buds house eight microphones, up from six on the WF-1000XM5, and use its new QN3e noise canceling processor in tandem with its Integrated Processor V2. The company claims a 25% improvement in noise reduction over the WF-1000XM5.

On paper, Sony's brand new premium earbuds promise to impress, but how are they shaking out in the real world? Let's take a look at some reviews to see how they're holding up in the real world.

SlashGear's review of the WF-1000XM6 found them comfortable thanks to Sony's use of foam eartips. We were also impressed by the ANC, which managed to remove lower-frequency sounds as well as those that are typically hard to eliminate, such as human voices. Sound quality was a high point, with our reviewer rating it higher than Bose or Apple thanks to its detailed presentation of musical recordings. However, the software remained unimpressive due to Sony's overcrowded Sound Connect app. It's incredibly packed with features, yet surprisingly little customization.

The Independent found the app similarly clunky, but appreciated the inclusion of a 10-band EQ. While it's not parametric, it's still better than what many competitors offer. Sound quality and ANC were impressive, but The Independent's reviewer was especially thrilled with the Sony buds' ambient sound mode, which they felt was better than the AirPods Pro 3.

Lastly, The Verge published a nearly glowing review, calling the WF-1000XM6 the best ANC earbuds on the market and praising the sound quality. However, fit was a pain point, as Sony's earbud design wasn't particularly suited to the reviewer's ear, forcing him to use different eartips to get a decent in-ear seal. All in all, Sony clearly has another winner on its hands. It may not be for everyone, but it's shaping up as one of the top choices for premium true wireless earbuds.