Great Sound and an Improved Fit

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Today, Sony announced the release of the WF-1000XM6 earbuds, featuring a redesigned earbud and case shape and a slew of upgrades. The release was widely expected, as Sony has stuck to a pretty consistent schedule within the 1000X series, but there was no guarantee that the tech giant would totally revamp the design. The latest release follows the more modest upgrade to the similarly named WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones.

But the redesign was a good idea. These earbuds feature a more comfortable fit than their predecessor, while maintaining the same high-quality audio and noise-canceling that Sony is known for. There are some quirks, including the stiff foam eartips and the too-large charging case, but overall, Sony delivered on its reputation for high-quality audio. Whether they did enough to set themselves apart in the increasingly crowded market is another question — particularly at this price.

Design and Construction

Sony redesigned the case, giving it a more angular look. It looks high-end, but it's less pocket-friendly than the previous generation, much less slender rivals like Apple's AirPods. Likewise, the earbuds themselves were redesigned with a less spherical design that fits more securely.

That said, Sony stuck with the stiff foam eartips of previous generations, rather than the flexible silicone favored by many other earbud brands. The advantage is a secure fit in the ear, but I find it takes more effort to achieve it.

You'll likely want to try multiple of the included tips, and fortunately, Sony includes four total. A secure fit also ensures better active noise-canceling (ANC). When they fit properly, I found the ANC to be as dependable as the XM6 over-ear headphones, but again, it took more work to get there.

The earbud case has expected features, including wireless charging. The buds have a stated battery life of eight hours of playtime, with 24 hours total in the case.

Controls and Features

Sony added a major, long-overdue feature to these earbuds in the touch controls. Previously, customization was limited to presets, with different controls for the left and right earbuds. Now, the earbud controls are entirely customizable — you can set individual controls for single, double, and triple taps, as well as a long-press function on both the left and right earbuds.

As for controlling the earbuds from your phone, the Sound Connect app has an impressive number of features, from customizable EQ to location-based ANC that adapts to where you are. While the app is feature-rich, it's also cluttered, with a confusing number of sub-menus to go through.

Sound Quality and ANC

Sony claims to have enhanced the earbuds to deliver 32-bit processing, a leap over the last generation's 24-bit processing. Sonically, while there isn't a huge difference between the XM5 and XM6 earbuds, the XM6 earbuds nonetheless deliver excellent sound. They have rich detail and clarity, with a neutral performance that doesn't overemphasize mids or bass. The drums on A$AP Rocky's “PUNKY ROCKY” sound punchy and clear, while the synths on Robyn's “Dopamine” are glittery, bright, and balanced against the driving beat.

As for noise canceling, it capably cuts loud noises and ambient distractions alike, although a good fit goes a long way in improving ANC performance, and I sometimes struggled to get a properly secure fit with the stiff foam eartips. While the ANC strength itself isn't customizable, you can adjust the transparency level in the app to let in more or less ambient noise. In terms of pure ANC performance, Apple's AirPods and Bose's QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are still a step ahead, though Sony leads the pack in terms of audio quality.

As for the mics, my voice sounded crisp and clear when I recorded it in a quiet environment, although there was a slight drop-off on a busy street on a windy day. Still, even with a lot of background noise, my voice was decipherable enough for the average phone call.

Verdict

Sony yet again delivered when it comes to audio quality and active noise-canceling, and there are meaningful improvements in design and fit. The redesigned shape feels more secure while protruding less from the ear. In terms of features, the ability to fully customize the tap controls is a major upgrade, making these considerably more user-friendly.

There are still some quirks — I'm not a huge fan of the foam eartips, and the too-tall charging case is hard to justify given the just-average battery life. And the price is steep; it's more expensive than earbuds from rivals Bose, Technics, and Apple. But overall, Sony did just enough to keep itself on the shortlist of best noise-canceling earbuds you can buy.