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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- The Sony WF-1000XM6 are disposable for $330 successful Platinum Silver and Black.
- Sony's earbuds are undeniably apical performers successful the dependable and idiosyncratic customization categories.
- The XM6's caller bud plan tin rapidly go uncomfortable and fatiguing to some.
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It's been astir 3 years since Sony released a brace of flagship earbuds, and it has returned with a bang with the WF-1000XM6. The XM6 earbuds debut with upgrades to sound simplification hardware, much microphones for improved telephone quality, a caller design, and Google Gemini integration.
After wearing the XM6 earbuds for 3 weeks portion working, exercising, and moving errands, I tin confidently accidental the XM6 entreaty to Sony's legion of powerfulness users. With almighty sound cancellation, high-performing microphones, Bluetooth LE Audio compatibility, and a database of customization options successful Sony's companion app, there's nary uncertainty the XM6 earbuds are Sony's champion yet -- astatine slightest connected paper.
The existent question is: are they worthy the $329 upgrade fee, particularly if you already person the WF-1000XM5 oregon are considering switching from brands similar Bose oregon Apple? Let's dive in.
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Design changes: inferior first, comfortableness 2nd
Sony redesigned the WF-1000XM6's buds, offering a slimmer physique than their predecessor. According to Sony, this plan alteration is intended to amended suit the earthy curves of the interior ear, reducing discomfort and enabling a amended acceptable and seal.
That sounds great, but I couldn't get these earbuds to acceptable comfortably successful my ears. Although the XM6 earbuds are slimmer than the XM5 buds, they are longer and protrude farther from my ears. As a result, they consciousness bulkier and heavier, and the tiny receptor extremity bore excessively overmuch value connected the wrong of my receptor canal to comfortably enactment the bud's body.
Sony WF-1000XM6 (left) and Sony WF-1000XM5 (right)
Simply put, my ears aren't suited for these earbuds. I person a shallow concha and smaller tragus, 2 receptor structures that, erstwhile prominent, tin enactment earbuds of this signifier and support them securely successful place. While exercising, the earbuds often fell out, and during hours retired connected the play moving my errands for the week, I had to springiness my ears predominant breaks, thing I don't person to bash with my AirPods.
If your ears are similar mine, but you don't privation the accepted bud-and-stem earbud design, see earbuds with wider eartip bases that tin connection enactment wherever your anatomy can't. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 oregon Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are bully examples.
New hardware nether the hood, unthinkable show
Even if the XM6 earbuds and my ears don't agree, they can't contradict the XM6's unthinkable audio quality. Out of the box, the XM6 dependable smoother than their predecessor, trading brighter treble and a somewhat overemphasized bass for softer peaks and valleys.
The XM6 earbuds' dependable illustration is little fatiguing and much balanced than the XM5's, without sacrificing Sony's committedness to offering consumers a much detailed, analytical dependable acquisition than its contemporaries. Sony says an enhanced digital-to-analog converter amplifier powered by an upgraded QN3e processor, combined with the Integrated Processor V2, each lend to the XM6 earbuds' audio performance.
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Additionally, Sony fitted the XM6 buds with Bluetooth LE Audio, offering users with a compatible smartphone entree to the higher-quality LC3 codec. This codec supports little latency and higher sampling rates and spot depths with little powerfulness depletion than the AAC codec. Sony's Integrated Processor V2 falls close successful line, promising 32-bit processing compared to the XM5's 24-bit.
As a result, erstwhile the XM6 earbuds are operating connected the Bluetooth LE Audio radio, their capabilities radiance adjacent more, unlocking Auracast audio sharing, high-fidelity audio, and debased capable latency for gaming. Sony's XM6 earbuds are an undeniable superstar successful the audio category, and a LE Audio-compatible smartphone opens much opportunities than what Apple oregon Bose tin offer.
Sorry, didn't perceive you; ANC is connected
On the noise-canceling front, the XM6 aren't a lightweight competitor. Their noise-canceling show is strong, providing robust sum successful respective environments. Sony's adaptive noise-canceling algorithm is adept astatine recognizing dynamic environments and swiftly addressing abrupt distractions.
The clanking of squeaky buying carts successful market stores was instantly quieted, and radical slamming weights successful a crowded gym were little distracting (when I could get the earbuds to enactment successful my ears). Compared to Bose's and Apple's adaptive noise-canceling algorithms, which are overmuch smoother and little noticeable to my ears, Sony's is stronger and much aware.
According to Sony, an further microphone offers much opportunities for the Adaptive Noise Canceling Optimizer to process and filter outer noise, and the upgraded QN3e processor promises faster sound processing. With this galore shiny caller pieces nether the hood, it's nary wonderment these earbuds are hefty.
Sony's sound cancellation targets little frequencies precise well, importantly minimizing engine, fan, and instrumentality rumble. Sony acknowledges that erstwhile WF-1000X models struggled successful the mid-to-high frequence scope and asserts that the XM6 performs better.
The XM6 bash execute amended than the XM5 earbuds astatine dampening higher-frequency noise, but they're inactive not arsenic beardown arsenic Bose here. Human voices and inheritance chatter unrecorded successful this frequence range, and Bose's premium earbuds' sound cancellation turns voices into murmurs, offering that "dead silence" feel.
Rounded earbuds often conflict with dependable pickup compared to bud-and-stem models due to the fact that the microphones are truthful acold from your mouth. Sony says a bone-conduction sensor, 2 AI-powered beamforming mics, and its AI-powered noise-reduction algorithm lick this problem.
Controls and astute features galore
Sony offers respective customization options successful the Sony Sound Connect app, including a 10-band equalizer and presets, integer adjunct access, sidetone, quick-access functions, Bluetooth multipoint, and adaptive dependable power based connected your determination and habits. Additionally, Sony offers DSEE Extreme, its audio upscaling bundle that improves the prime of compressed audio files, Sony 360 Reality Audio, and Spatial Sound with caput tracking erstwhile paired with a compatible Android phone.
Some of these features I didn't request oregon attraction to use, but enthusiasts and powerfulness users volition find overmuch much power and enjoyment successful the database of customization options. Sony gives consumers overmuch much granular power implicit their devices than Bose and Apple do, but with large powerfulness comes large responsibility. To much casual users, immoderate of these features whitethorn beryllium overwhelming, truthful if making less choices is indispensable to you, spell with Apple oregon Bose.
ZDNET's buying proposal
The Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds won't disappoint you if almighty and dynamic sound cancellation, unthinkable sound, and a agelong database of customization features are important to you successful mundane earbuds. From an audio perspective, Sony's latest premium earbuds are the astir susceptible you tin find successful the user audio terms range, though they're astatine the precise precocious end.
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You don't request to unreserved to upgrade if you person the WF-1000XM5. If you bargain the WF-1000XM6, beryllium alert of its instrumentality model successful lawsuit the caller signifier doesn't acceptable your ears. If you can't warrant the terms oregon don't spot yourself utilizing each of Sony's customization features and privation thing little costly and analyzable without wholly compromising dependable and noise-canceling performance, see the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 oregon the Apple AirPods Pro 3.
We awarded Sony's latest flagship earbuds an Editors' Choice grant for their highly awesome audio and sound cancellation performance, delivering tangible upgrades implicit their predecessor. Additionally, we admit Sony's integration of recent, innovative Bluetooth audio technologies, a class successful which its nonstop competitors lack.
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