42% of 99 verified owners recommend the Sony WF-1000XM6, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
“So double design failure: can't be turned on without a charged case (silly) the case prioritizes charging the buds to the point that it can no longer turn them on”
“The anc is so good, it does make it very hard to notice the surrounding traffic while riding my bike.”
“Sony has better overall sound quality but unless you are a sound engineer, the differences are not groundbreaking.”
“its just not slippery and it hold itself in place very well due to the matte finish. Quite comfortable for me”
“earbuds fit perfectly in ears, you can't feel wearing them and the noise cancellation is scary quiet”
“I felt like 1) they stuck out so much further than my ears 2) I tried every tip they gave and none of them felt secure.”
“I’ve literally been having this issue on 4 different iPhones starting in 2017 and across all WF-1000X generations.”
“Problem is if there is a lot of outside noise your voice gets muffled and have to speak louder and clearer.”
“1000xm5 for 165€ is the best deal in that list. Compared to the others, you can't beat price/quality”
“For this reason alone..i would avoid sony like pleague, anti consumer tactics should be boycotted.”
“I feel like the sound quality and ANC is better on the XM6, but the XM5 fit better in my ears”
“Best ANC and they fixed the sound issues so they sound great. Have them s real world great review.”
“Sound quality (personal preference): XM6 with the right EQ settings paired with the right content”
“My personal order is the following - XM5 (haven't tried the XM6 yet) - best overall”
“overall I'm disappointed. There are just so many drawbacks. Ergonomics suck, they are just too big”
“The isolation is way better than the XM5 with the large eartips, not to mention more reliable.”
“Sounded good in noise canceling was great but the first pair broke, i needed a pair right away.”
“the first day was quite bad with pressure on both sides of my jaw. It's better now”
“The XM6 seems to have a wider soundstage and less "buzzing" and "crushing" at higher volumes”
“But always a bit loose in my left ear cause it's like a small cave in there lol.”
“will never buy TWS from Sony it have battery drain issue last time i bought wf xm4. sucks”
“My issues with the XM6 are more around how uncomfortable they are compared to the Jabras”
“Fit is surprisingly good as well but they just look funky in the ear yet super comfortable”
“the stage presence is amazing, but the noise cancellation is almost non existent”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“I got the wf xm6 today. I felt like there was a lot of white noise from the anc. I mean it's a lot more noticeable than the wh xm6 and a bit more than the wh xm4. What do you think?”
“I never use the buds 8h in a row, except long flights...is based on several youTubers reviews and my personal experience,what I get with 4h on, but yes, with battery care on...”
“I just picked up mine (white color) last week at a Don Q in Fukuoka, duty/tax free, for ¥36K, with exchange rate at ¥160 to 1USD at the time, cost only USD $223 brand new”
“I'd be interested in more comparisons between these and the XM5 because so far it seems that if you're satisfied with their sound, there is no reason to upgrade apart from a better microphone.”
“Japan XM6 earbud has slightly different tuning than international market. I think it sound great, lush/warm vocal with well done big bass. I am guessing Japan xm6 tuning is the original tuning.”
“I bought it at Bic Camera, which is their electronic store that's everywhere in Japan, for ¥40,500. Not yet. Only on my iPhone. I do plan to try it on my Switch 2 and Mac when I'm back from my trip.”
“Nice. I'm thinking I'll use my extended warranty to return my XM5s and basically trade them for the 6s whenever they come out. Hopefully it isn't too much longer”
“Really you can do that? I've got a pair of xm5 with a year left on the warranty as well but I figured they'd send another pair of xm5 especially since this is a brand new release and xm5 will be plentiful”
“Damn, I'm out, need a new set sooner and can't wait it out until next year. Does anybody know how the wf-1000xm5 are for phone calls? The xm3 are garbage”
“Don't forget to update them to the latest firmware, too, if you haven't already - the dead batteries were due to a broken update that killed the batteries. If you update the new batteries should last way longer.”
“Thanks for the review! I have app3 and they are awesome. But while I have an iPhone I also have a Samsung work phone, windows computer etc and the AirPods just aren’t good for multipoint. I may get these as well….”
“That's the key, really. It's well within the range that fit or other common factors could swing it one way or another. Our test head is a standardized thing, not a human, so your results will likely vary somewhat!”
“hey! does the exchange count for other buds? like fir example, i have linkbuds fit right now. if xm6 buds get released, could i exchange my linkbuds fit for the xm6 buds or do they have to come from the same family model”
“I guess that'll be because the AZ100 use silicone tips, whereas the Sony's use foam by default. The Sony's rely heavily on passive isolation for their noise cancelling. The AZ100's with foam tips are significantly better.”
“Have the exact same issue and same model Helps to keep the case clean and make sure the charging light comes on before closing the lid”
“They look odd, but almost every reviewer said they are comfier than the xm5, I think the extra size though is due to the microphones.”
“Hey, i would like to ask since alot of people seems to be complaining about wind noises, have you tried maybe jogging or cycling with it ? is it really true that the wind noises are loud ? Im curious since i might buy the XM6 soon.”
“The only reason I don't pull the trigger with the Sony buds is because if I'm on a call and watching a YouTube video or listening to something it will default to the shitiest audio quality. This happens with any earbud I've tested.”
“thank you for the review. Can you please tell if it is comfortable to wear for a few hours? do you feel pressure or pain in ears?”
“I was concerned about the advertised battery life, but with the numbers you have posted there I might pick these up as well then.”
“I recently bought new Sony WF-1000XM6 headphones, and when ANC and Ambient Sound modes are on there's a strange noise like wind.”
“Same (lost mine). Will probably wait till next summer / first sale (my xm5s arrived today after reading about filing delays etc)”
“Th Verge published their review and said they offer the best ANC, but only with the right fit and it’s difficult to find that. I’m not sure what Sony was thinking. They made big steps with the XM4 and then XM5 earbuds in terms of fit.”
“XM5s seem to be heavily discounted everywhere. Seems they're clearing out stock, I bet it gets released before the holidays.”