Launched earlier this year, the are Sony’s latest flagship pair of earbuds, featuring stellar active noise cancellation (ANC), excellent audio quality and more. Extra features make this premium pair of earbuds worth your consideration. First, there’s Background Music, which turns your music into an ambient sound, such as when you’re in a coffee shop. There’s also Speak-to-Chat, which registers your voice, swaps to transparency mode and reduces your audio volume so you can seamlessly converse with others.
I tested the Sony WF-1000XM6 wireless earbuds for over a month. In testing, I considered factors including audio quality, battery life, features and more. Here are my thoughts after testing, and for whom I believe they’re the best option.
Sony WF-1000XM6 Wireless Earbuds: Design
Not For Smaller Ears
Of all of the dozens of wireless earbuds I’ve tested recently, I found the Sony WF-1000XM6s to be the bulkiest pair—by far. They jut out of my ears more so than one of my favorite wireless earbuds, the , but not so much as the , which I recently named my top pick. Despite their heft, they feature a low profile when worn in my ears and fit securely in my ears. Their smooth, rounded shape gives them a sleek look, too.
Another thing to note: The ear tips are foam—not silicone. This ear tip is typically better suited to audiophiles. You can shove them in your ears without issue, but I recommend gently rolling the foam like a sleeping earplug and then inserting them into your ear canal. Expect to hear the difference in your ANC, as this creates a better seal. While this design enhances ANC, I found it collects more dirt and grime. It’s not a big deal; you just may need to clean them more frequently.
Sony WF-1000XM6 Wireless Earbuds: Performance
A Warm, Detailed Sound
Before you listen, download the Sony Sound Connect app. It’s where you can find the customizable EQs, including Heavy, Clear, Hard, Soft, Game and Manual. After cross-testing the different EQs, I recommend Clear to keep the bass from overpowering the other frequencies.
Once I finished setting up and pairing the earbuds, I found the audio quality stellar. Florence and the Machine’s “Dream Girl Evil” was the best rendering I’ve heard in a pair of earbuds to date: The frequencies were gorgeously balanced. The electric guitar and bass both sounded clear and warm without any muddled or distorted tones. Another one of the band’s tracks shocked me. For the first time ever, I heard a clarinet play low notes in the background. Sony nailed the audio quality: the earbuds clearly and warmly showcase every detail without feeling overbearing or overwhelming.
The Sony WF-1000XM6s feel like audiophile quality without having to spend thousands of dollars on a pair of wired headphones. Bass is excellent and the balance is truly lovely. One of my go-to test tracks, Ashnikko’s “Daisy,” features deep bass notes that many earbuds struggle to reproduce. These Sony earbuds easily hit those low notes and add a subtle fade-out effect that I hadn’t experienced in other earbuds. It elevated my listening experience.
Industry-Leading Adaptive ANC
The earbuds feature plenty of useful AI technology, too. For example, the earbuds rely on what the brand calls Adaptive Sound Control to note when I was stationary or on the move and then adjusted the ANC accordingly. As I wore them, they completely silenced lighter noises, such as my keyboard when I wore them while typing up this review. And, once I’d remained seated for some time, I noticed they automatically adjusted to accommodate the noise levels around me.
However, the moment they impressed me the most was when an ambulance passed by me when returning from my local library. As the sirens passed, I didn’t hear them. There is obviously a case for this silence to be problematic—one should, in theory, be able to hear emergency services—but so long as you’re mindful of your surroundings, it’s an impressive feat.
Extras Include Background Music And Conversational Awareness
However, my favorite feature isn’t the excellent ANC that rivals the , but it’s hidden in the Sound Connect app. In the app, there are two listening modes: Standard, which keeps audio sounding natural, and Background Music, which softens the audio into something closer to ambient sound, similar to what you’d hear in a coffee shop.
This Background Music mode is one of the smartest choices Sony added to its earbuds. One of my biggest personal beefs when listening to music is that sometimes, especially if I’m really enjoying a song, I can easily get distracted by the song and just sit and listen. Background Music allows me to listen to my music without ruining my focus. It’s there, but it’s not overpowering and helps me to settle into a focus mode. The audio quality isn’t optimized in this mode, but it feels like a worthy trade-off for focus time to increase productivity.
Another useful feature I found in these earbuds helps you have conversations without removing them. As an example, if you’re trying to order in a coffee shop, you no longer have to remove the earbuds to converse with the barista. Instead, long-press and hold the left earbud. The ANC mode turns to transparency mode and the audio volume reduces, so you can quickly hear around you and speak.
This touch command only serves to respond to others around you in quick bursts. If you don’t want to have to hold your earbud, you can always turn on Speak-to-Chat, which is found in settings. Like Apple’s Conversation Awareness feature I tested in the Apple AirPods 4 and , Speak-to-Chat automatically swaps to transparency mode and significantly reduces your music volume so you can speak and hear around you. Once your conversation has finished, it takes about 15 seconds before it reverts. Keep in mind that if you have this feature enabled and you start humming along, Speak-to-Chat turns on.
Sony WF-1000XM6 Wireless Earbuds: Battery Life
Somewhat Mixed
The Sony Earbuds are supposed to last around eight hours with ANC on. I found the claims mostly lived up during testing; I logged 7.5 hours. However, when taking phone calls, I found the battery life drops significantly. If you plan to take a lot of calls, you’ll want to keep an eye on your earbuds’ battery life and the LED battery indicator on the charging case. It can help you double-check when you need a quick boost or to completely recharge the set.
The case also features wireless charging, which I found helpful. I’ve been spoiled by wireless charging cases: It’s easy to set them on a wireless charging pad to quick-charge when I need a boost before heading out the door. Sony thoughtfully added this feature, which feels like a must-have in all premium wireless earbuds.
Sony WF-1000XM6 Wireless Earbuds: Verdict
Excellent ANC And Audio Quality
After testing the Sony WF-1000XM6 wireless earbuds, I believe they’re one of the best premium options on the market right now. The audio quality is industry-leading. The ANC not only silences everything around you but adapts as needed, and the earbuds have intentional extras that are useful. If you have smaller ears, I recommend looking at other options simply because they are large earbuds and you may find them uncomfortable. Also, if you have any qualms about dirt buildup, you’ll want to skip this pair: The grime buildup on the foam earbuds can be pretty gross.
However, if you want the best audio quality without dipping your toes into audiophile territory, then the Sony WF-1000XM6s are an excellent choice. They would also be suitable for those who want to prioritize ANC and other focus-minded features.
How I Tested The Sony WF-1000XM6 Wireless Earbuds
I tested the Sony WF-1000XM6 Wireless Earbuds for over a month. Before popping them into my ears, I considered their design and installed the Sony Sound Connect app. Once I began listening, I listened for hours at a time to determine comfort.
As I listened, I considered frequency balances across different EQs and different music genres. During my testing, I listened to the following tracks:
- Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” and “Cosmic Love”
- Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherezade”
- Ashnikkos’ “Worms” and “Daisy”
- Fitz and the Tantrums’ “123456,” “Livin’ For The Weekend,” and “I Just Wanna Shine”
- Kendrick Lamar’s “tv off (feat. lefty gunplay,” “Not Like Us,” and “luther (with sza)”
- Barns Courtney’s “Hollow” and “You And I”
- Hayley William’s Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party album
- The entire soundtracks to seasons one and two of the Netflix show Arcane
- The true crime podcasts Morbid and Crime Junkie
I also reviewed the battery life. I listened for one hour and logged how much battery life I had left when listening in both ANC and transparency modes. I also logged calls and reviewed battery life after one hour of chatting with friends and family.
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- Consumer tech and electronics editor Rebecca Isaacs is a classically trained musician and has personally tested a variety of audio equipment, including wireless headphones, wireless earbuds and Bluetooth speakers.
- Most recently, Isaacs served as a judge for the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show Innovation Awards, which reviews and awards breakthrough technologies across multiple sectors.