Sony’s 1000X earbuds have been at the top of Engadget’s best wireless earbuds list since we first published them. With each new generation, the company has managed to retain its crown primarily due to its vast collection of features and its effective blend of sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC) performance. Today, Sony revealed the latest entry in the series, the WF-1000XM6, which offers another new design both inside and out. The company’s tried-and-true formula of features and audio performance still remains, but it may no longer be enough to lift the M6 above the competition.
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- full, detailed sound
- lots of facilities
- responsive touch controls
- Price increased (again)
- ANC’s performance lags behind the competition
- fit may be an issue
- poor call quality
design
For the third time in a row, Sony changed the design of the 1000X earbuds. While the WF-1000XM5 was a clear modification of the WF-1000XM4, the M6 is different from both of them. The company managed to reduce the overall size even further by using a round, pill-shaped enclosure for the main housing of the earbuds. I certainly applaud Sony for making these as small as possible, but I’m still not a fan of the company’s foam ear tips.
Sony introduced foam ear tips on the 1000XM4 earbuds and this led to an unstable fit during my testing. In fact, I started switching to silicone M3 tips for a better experience. Things were a little better on the M5, but the company lagged here on the M6. I tried every size of ear tips in the box, and the fit test in the Sound Connect app confirmed an air-tight seal only in my right ear. This can affect sound quality and ANC performance, and the earbuds don’t feel like they sit far enough inside my ears. I never got around to getting fit in my three-week trial.
The WF-1000XM6’s outer panel is still touch-sensitive, accepting a variety of taps for playback controls, calls, noise settings, and more. Sony has also included a repeated tap gesture that is used for volume control. Keep tapping on the right earbud to increase the volume and do the same on the left to decrease it. My dislike of touch controls is well-documented at this point, but the M6 gave me reliable and quick responses without having to repeat tap sequences.
WF-1000XM6 Features
The WF-1000XM6 accepts taps for touch-based controls.
As is usually the case with its 1000X earbuds, Sony has packed the M6 with features. Almost all of these are holdovers from previous models, including Adaptive Sound Control that can automatically adjust settings based on your activity or location. Speak-to-Chat still pauses the audio and activates ambient sound when you start talking, but it’s still easily tricked by a cough or clearing your throat. A Quick Access feature can put Amazon Music, Apple Music, Endel, Spotify, and YouTube Music away in two or three taps, depending on how you configure it.
The M6 earbuds also allow you to accept and reject calls with head gestures and you’ll have the option to pipe in your voice during a call. Sony has retained its existing option to operate the earbuds with voice commands: If you say “Assistant,” you can tell it to play, pause, skip, and replay songs. It will also adjust the volume for you, but that’s the extent of its capabilities.
Sony also included some useful power management features. First, there’s an Auto Power Save mode that will disable any custom EQ settings, DSEE Extreme Upscaling, Speak-to-Chat, and Voice Control/Voice Assistant to reduce power consumption when the M6 has 20 percent battery remaining. The Battery Care tool will extend the battery life of the earbuds by stopping charging before it reaches 100 percent. Finally, automatic power off will turn off the earbuds when they are out of the case and have not been worn for a period of time.
Basic features like multipoint Bluetooth, wireless charging and IPX4 water resistance are also here. The wear detection feature is onboard and you can use Sony’s EQ presets to change the sound profile, or create your own and save them for future use. The Sound Connect app puts the battery level of the individual earbuds and case front and center, and you can edit the main screen to hide the features displayed there if you don’t need them.
Sound quality and ANC performance
Sound quality is one of Sony’s strengths and this continues on the M6. (Billy Steele for Engadget)
If Sony’s long list of features is its top advantage over the competition, the overall sound quality is a close second. For the WF-1000XM6, the company created new drivers with softer edges for deeper bass and a stiffer, lighter dome for clearer treble. There are also notches around the edges for an overall “clear and smooth” sound quality, according to Sony. And of course, DSEE Extreme Upscaling helps recover details lost due to compression while 360 Reality Audio and Spatial Sound Optimization are available for more immersive listening.
I found the M6 earbuds best with the stock EQ and DSEE Extreme Active, as I had on the previous 1000X model. The sound is deep and warm, with thick bass that’s just ample without ever overpowering the mix. The highs are cut and there’s ample mid-range, which keeps those fine details from getting lost. Erica de Cassier’s environment lifetime This is a great example of what the WF-1000XM6 can do. The vocals seem to float on top of the bassline and drums, with the percussive piano sounds and subtle synth details coming to the fore. When the strings come in on “Seasons”, the M6 takes them to a prominent position rather than pushing them to the back of the beat.
On the WF-1000XM6, the chaos of Spiritbox’s “Holy Roller” isn’t limited to a dirty heavy metal rumble. And the synth-driven noise of Nine Inch Nails’ “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” has plenty of texture. Even more straightforward rock tracks like Jimmy Eat World’s “Bleed American” have ample punch, with a wide soundstage that never feels claustrophobic or compressed. Overall, the WF-1000XM6 hold their own among the best-sounding earbuds you can buy right now, though some competitors, like the Technics, have an edge in the way they handle the tiniest of nuances in songs.
If you were expecting knock-out ANC capabilities, I have to report that the WF-1000XM6 aren’t the noise-canceling powerhouse that Bose’s QC Ultra earbuds are. The M6 struggles mightily with human voices. Although this is a downfall of many ANC earbuds, you may want to keep it in mind if you plan on wearing these to the office. I found that even when wearing the M6 I could still hear persistent noise sources like fans and white noise machines – items that the QC Ultra earbuds effectively combat.
Using the WF-1000XM6 for calls
The WF-1000XM6 isn’t as efficient at making calls as Sony advertises. (Billy Steele for Engadget)
For calls, Sony says the M6 uses AI for both background noise reduction and voice capture with a beamforming microphone. Additionally, the earbuds are equipped with a total of eight mics for ANC and calls, as well as bone conduction technology for better voice pickup. Unfortunately, all this doesn’t lead to great performance during calls. While the WF-1000XM6 is perfectly usable for voice and video calls, the overall quality is far from pristine. To make matters worse, the earbuds give you highly processed sound when you encounter significant background noise. Since the company prides itself on upgrades here, the results are disappointing.
battery life
Sony says the WF-1000XM6 will last for eight hours on a single charge, or up to 24 hours when considering the full duration of the charging case. During the battery test, which I ran mostly with ANC active, I had no trouble reaching that single-charge figure. This is with the volume around 75-80 percent and this includes calls and virtual meetings where I switched on ambient sound mode.
It’s worth noting that I had DSEE Extreme Upscaling active the entire time, which can affect battery life. Also, if you use the above auto power save mode, you can extend the playing time when you have about a quarter of the tank left. Going without some of the M6’s best features in the interest of keeping tunes for workouts or travel is a fair tradeoff in my opinion.
Competition
The WF-1000XM6 is still an attractive option, but it’s clearly no longer the favorite. (Billy Steele for Engadget)
When sizing up the competition for the WF-1000XM6, you’ll have to choose your priorities. Simply put, no other company offers as comprehensive a range of features as Sony. This has been true for some time and it continues with this model as well. If you want the strongest active noise cancellation, that would be Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. If best sound quality is your goal, then Technics AZ100 is the best choice for you in this price range. I’d also mention Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 4 which offers great sound quality, respectable ANC, and a more comfortable fit than the M6, but that set is about two years old at this point.
wrap up
Sony continues to showcase its great earbuds with the WF-1000XM6, but this model isn’t as sophisticated a package as some of its predecessors. The two most obvious places where the company is lagging behind the competition are ANC performance and overall sound quality, not to mention my continued dissatisfaction with the fit provided by Sony’s foam tips. The M6 is more expensive than the previous version, making any flaws even harder to overlook. On the WF-1000XM6 you’ll get a ton of features, great sound quality and reliable touch controls in a small package. And for some, it may be enough to make you forget about the rest.
The WF-1000XM6 are available today in silver and black for $330.
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