Reviewed: Sony’s latest WH-1000XM6 headphones deliver booming bass and a battery life that lasts 30 hours

Sony has been on the forefront for some of the best headphones ever made with its WH-1000X series, but ever since its last release in May 2022, fans have been wondering when the next iteration will hit the market.

Well, worry not, because the Sony WH-1000XM6 have finally released and they’ve been well worth the wait.

These Sony headphones have been a long time coming and the newest gen is finally foldable again.

It packs 30 hours of battery life, a lightweight design, and you can currently shop it in three colors.

I tested it for a week and loved the lengthy battery life and stellar sound quality — including the booming bass.

Shop

Boasting a similar over-ear design to the previous gen, you can shop these headphones in midnight blue, black, and silver.

They have plush leather ear cups, an adjustable design, and are surprisingly lightweight, weighing just 254 grams.

One of my favorite parts is the included book-fold case it comes with (an upgrade from the previous gen’s regular zipped case), which easily snaps open and close and can hold the now foldable headphones with ease. The WH-1000XM5 were not foldable, which was a gripe for many users, so it’s nice to see that Sony introduced the foldable design again.

I spent the past week consistently listening to music at work, at the gym, and even during my morning commute with these headphones to really see how they stacked up against every other pair on the market.

Let me start by saying yes, they are on the more expensive end. But, they are 100 percent worth it and here’s why.  

First off, they’re incredibly comfortable. The memory foam-style, soft plush design keeps these headphones feeling snug and comfortable on my ears and head, all day long. And I mean all day, as I had them glued to my head for the eight hours I was at work.

The new headphones are foldable and come with a snap case. 

Battery life was stellar too, with Sony saying they boast 30 hours with noise cancellation on, and up to 40 hours with noise cancellation off. Given I only lost about 20 percent of battery life after eight hours of use, I’d say this stacks up.

You definitely need to download the Sony Sound Connect app to get use out of these headphones though. While they come with an included wired cable, using the Connect app will help you with a bunch of things, like keeping track of battery life, toggling listening modes, and setting up something called ‘Scenes.’

Scenes helps you set up automatic detection via location and time so that your chosen music starts playing exactly at that moment. Like listening to ‘Cowboy Carter’ when you’re driving to work? No problem, the app can help you set that up. It functions with Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music, and can usually just resume your favorite music or play from a specific playlist — if your music streaming service supports it.

Sony headphones are known for their amazing sound quality, and the WHX10006 deliver that and more

I’m not going to lie — I barely used this feature. First off, I have shuffle syndrome, so playing back a specific playlist is never really of interest to me. And two, I pretty much always have my headphones on, so I didn’t really need to program them to only play at specific times. That said, it could be a useful feature for some, especially those trying to limit their music listening time, or those who only enjoy listening to tunes while they’re on a run or at the gym for example — and only have a specific running playlist in mind.

Without the app too, you can use on-ear cup touch controls to play/pause your music, toggle noise cancellation, or even skip songs. And, like other headphones on the market, these do support voice assistant compatibility to control your sound and music.

I love how lightweight these headphones are, I literally wear them all day long!

Head gestures is another way you can control your headphones. If you toggle this on in the app, you can nod to accept incoming calls or shake to reject. The app has lots of small nifty features that really make a difference to your listening experience if you do use them.

Software updates and other device control setups are also through your app — it’s also an easy way to discover what all your headphones can truly do, since we know no one is reading the manual they come with.

Now we’re getting to the real nitty gritty though: the sound. I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile truly, but I do like a good bass and clear vocals on all my tracks — I want to really listen to the lyrics!

The best part about this Sony gear is truly their bass. It’s balanced, booming, but never overwhelming. Songs like ‘Take My Breath’ by The Weeknd, and ‘Darkroom’ by You Not Us — which has a particularly bass-heavy tune — stack up quite well and were a generally enjoyable listening experience for me.

Zone out with these over-ear picks, no matter where you are. 

I had them set to ‘standard’ mode most of the time and didn’t play with the equalizer much so it’s nice to see that sound quality still held up.

Vocals sounded pretty clear to me, and overall I was pretty impressed with the ‘surround sound’ quality of these headphones. It felt just immersive enough, without giving me that plugged-in ‘private concert’ experience — which honestly, I’ve never been a fan of.

I do think highlighting instruments is where these headphones truly shine though. All Time Low’s deep drum beats sounded amazing on these headphones, and I was able to pick up every individual guitar riff — something which I probably never paid attention to before.

Noise cancellation works pretty well too. When I was at the office, the typing of my keys and background chatter of my coworkers was fully muffled. Outside, I could still hear traffic and birds chirping, but it was substantially muted. It wasn’t a super vacuum-y experience like some other headphone brands but I liked that, as it meant I could keep an eye on my surroundings even with noise cancellation on.

Of course, you do also have an ambient mode and you can turn on adaptive sound so your headphones automatically adjust to your surroundings.

One place I did have trouble with these Sony headphones is during phone calls though. While I could hear the other person just fine, a ton of people told me my voice didn’t sound super clear and a little more muddled than they’re used to.

Great sound quality, long battery life, comfy ear cups — what more do you need?

It’s a very small con, but definitely something to keep in mind if you take most of your meetings on headphones — like me.

As someone who’s been a fan of Sony headphones for years, I do think they’re worth the price. They pack great sound, stellar noise cancellation, and are incredibly comfortable. I would easily pick these up over the previous gen for their compact, foldable design, and convenient extended 30-hour battery life that works well for a person like me who always forgets to charge her devices.

Key specs: 

Battery life: 30 hours with ANC, 40 without

Weight: 254 grams

Multipoint Bluetooth (connect two devices at once)

Fast charging available  

3.5mm audio cable included 

Shop

I know a lot of you readers are probably wondering why it’s worth going with Sony, when there are wireless earbuds or other over-year options for half the price. 

Well, unlike earbuds, these are truly an accessory that aid your style, have much, much longer battery life, and can be charged simultaneously while they’re used — a game changer for me. And, unlike other on-ear headphones, their sound quality is truly one of the best I’ve ever tried — and anyone who knows me is familiar with the fact that I’m ALWAYS testing a new pair of audio gear, so this is high praise.

You can shop the new Sony WH-1000XM6 in three colors now for $449.99, and orders should ship ASAP. Shop now and give them a try for yourself.