I compared flagship earbuds from Sony and Bose in 2026 - and the winner was a tough choice

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If you're looking for top-tier wireless earbuds and you're not successful Apple's ecosystem, you're apt deciding betwixt the latest earbuds from Bose oregon Sony -- either the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) or the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds. Both earbuds dependable large and connection exceptional sound cancellation, but Sony offers much elaborate dependable and customization, portion Bose offers a simple, easygoing experience.

Also: I tested Sony and Bose's champion headphones for months - however my buying proposal has changed successful 2026

So which ones should you buy? The reply to that question lies successful your idiosyncratic preferences. Both person a batch to offer, but they're not precisely the same. Here's however to determine betwixt the two.

Specifications

You should bargain the Sony WF-1000XM6 if...

Jada Jones/ZDNET

1. You privation amended audio prime

Sony says that it worked with Grammy-winning audio engineers for its latest earbuds, and it shows -- they dependable excellent. They consistently delivered a rich, detailed, well-balanced listening acquisition that pulls up of what the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Gen 2) tin do. 

The bass is creaseless and contiguous without steamrolling everything else, the highs are elaborate and balanced, and instrumentality separation is fantabulous throughout. There's a bully roundness to the sub-bass that gives tracks genuine fullness and weight.

Also: The champion Sony headphones and earbuds: Expert tested and reviewed

The Bose earbuds dependable great, too, but their tuning leans much sculpted, with bass and highs that are pushed forward. Some radical volition gravitate toward Bose's V-shaped dependable signature, but the Sony buds spell for a much neutral, earthy response. If you attraction astir audio accuracy and balance, the WF-1000XM6 are the mode to go. 

And if you privation to signifier the dependable adjacent further, Sony's app gives you mode much country to enactment with (more connected that below).

2. You privation much customization

Sony's Sound Connect app offers entree to a immense scope of features and settings. You tin power sound modes, interaction controls, location-based settings, and a afloat 10-band EQ that spans 31Hz to 16kHz. That's much than capable flexibility for astir radical to truly get the dependable precisely however they privation it, and it's acold much susceptible than thing Bose offers successful its software. 

The Bose app works good and is casual to navigate, but its EQ offers conscionable 3 bands labeled bass, mids, and treble. You get immoderate quality to signifier the sound, but it's not successful the aforesaid ballpark arsenic Sony's.

Also: Spotify vs. Apple Music: I've tried some and my prime is clear

Outside of EQ, Sony's app besides lets you remap interaction controls successful ways the Bose app can't match, and it offers a wide scope of further listening features and settings to excavation into. It tin get overwhelming with conscionable however overmuch Sony has packed successful there, but honestly, that's a overmuch amended occupation to person than feeling limited. 

If you're idiosyncratic who likes to tinker and fine-tune your listening experience, the Sony WF-1000XM6 paired with Sound Connect is hard to beat.

3. You attraction astir hi-res audio

When it comes to high-resolution audio support, Sony has a meaningful advantage. The WF-1000XM6 supports LDAC and LC3 codecs, successful summation to the modular SBC and AAC. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Gen 2) enactment aptX Adaptive (including aptX Lossless), which is simply a coagulated codec successful its ain right, but LDAC and LC3 are much wide supported crossed devices and streaming services. 

If you've built up a hi-res euphony room oregon you're paying for a lossless streaming tier, the Sony earbuds are amended equipped to reproduce that content.

Also: What is Bluetooth 6.0? How the latest modular is changing audio close earlier our eyes

That said, support successful caput that for astir listeners, the spread betwixt high-quality AAC and LDAC is beauteous subtle, and a batch depends connected your root worldly and wherever you're listening. If you're connected a noisy commute, you're astir surely not going to perceive the difference. But if you're the benignant of idiosyncratic who cares astir this benignant of thing, Sony gives you much to enactment with.

You should bargain the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Gen 2) if...

Jada Jones/ZDNET

1. You privation amended ANC

I was hoping Sony's latest earbuds would connection the aforesaid generational leap successful ANC arsenic its over-ear counterparts, but that didn't rather happen. Instead, ANC is an country wherever Bose retains the crown. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) present the champion progressive sound cancellation disposable successful immoderate wireless earbud close now.

Also: I listened to earbuds with Bose's AI sound cancelling, and can't spell backmost to regular ANC

Bose's earbuds trim wide ambient dependable measurement much efficaciously than the Sony WF-1000XM6 and bash a amended occupation zeroing successful connected the circumstantial frequencies that really disrupt your listening, specified arsenic inheritance chatter.

The ANC successful the WF-1000XM6 is precise bully -- and it is simply a measurement up from the WF-1000XM5 -- but it doesn't rather adjacent the spread with Bose. Across aggregate investigating environments, the Bose earbuds came retired connected apical each time.

2. You privation a much relaxed acceptable

Comfort is ever idiosyncratic and subjective, but the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Gen 2) present a much secure, comfy acceptable for astir people. The stem-based plan distributes value otherwise than Sony's rounded bud-style approach, and the Bose earbuds beryllium much securely without the fiddling and readjusting that the Sony WF-1000XM6 tin sometimes require.

A stable, comfy acceptable matters for much than conscionable comfortableness during agelong listening sessions; seal prime is simply a large origin successful however good sound cancellation performs, and a much unafraid acceptable translates straight into much accordant ANC results.

Also: I tested Sony and Bose's champion headphones for months - however my buying proposal has changed successful 2026

The Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds are noticeably bigger than the erstwhile generation, and portion Sony says the redesigned signifier was meant to amended travel the earthy contours of your ear, the larger assemblage means the buds don't nestle arsenic securely arsenic you mightiness hope, peculiarly during movement.

To beryllium fair, neither brace of earbuds is uncomfortable. The Sony buds enactment perfectly good for astir listening sessions erstwhile you get the acceptable locked in. But if you're delicate to however earbuds consciousness oregon program to deterioration them for hours astatine a time, Bose's earbuds are the safer choice.

3. You similar a boosted bass experience

Not everyone wants to person to tweak an EQ to get the dependable they're looking for. Yes, the Sony earbuds connection a much refined response, and you tin inactive get big, heavy bass from them with the built-in EQ. But if you privation a V-shaped EQ with boosted bass and scaled-back mids, past the Bose earbuds person you covered.

Writer's prime

I similar some the Sony WF-1000XM6 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), but mostly similar the Sony buds. I find that they dependable better, positive I similar being capable to customize the audio effect much finely. While the Bose buds person amended ANC, I usage over-ear headphones connected agelong flights, truthful the still-very-good ANC of the Sony earbuds is much than capable for me.