Sony’s WH-1000XM6 Wireless Headphones Are Deeply Overrated

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 are among the best-regarded wireless headphones on the market, and understandably so. Released in May 2025, they refined the formula established by Sony’s legendary, nearly ten-year-old 1000X series: excellent noise canceling, strong sound, and a confusing names. Most tech journalists rushed to praise them as the best flagship noise-canceling headphones on the market. If you were looking for a pair, the reviews’ message was simple: You had no choice but to buy the Sonys.Sony leaned into that reputation in May 2026 with the even more confusingly named 1000X THE COLLEXION, a $649.99 metal-festooned version wrapped in vegan leather and celebrating the series’ tenth anniversary. It has new drivers, upgraded sound processing, and a richer build. Many reviewers have argued that the average person should skip the premium and buy the standard WH-1000XM6 instead — Sony’s ordinary top-of-the-line noise-canceling headphones.In a certain sense, they are correct. The Collexion is not the value-for-money buy; it is Sony’s attempt to take on the AirPods Max. But I would not recommend that people buy the standard Sonys, because that advice mistakes what actually makes a pair of headphones great and ignores the quality of the competition. Quite simply, I do not understand why anyone would buy the Sonys rather than Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, now in their second generation.Both sound excellent. The Sony has a bigger, thumpier, and louder sound, but its bass is under-detailed and a little flat. A few tweaks to the Bose’s volume and equalizer can have it sounding otherwise close to the Sony sound profile, but no amount of tuning gives the Sony the Bose’s bass depth and solidity. Try each pair with no music playing, and the Sony removes slightly more ambient rumble — and I do mean slightly — but play even a faint bit of music, and the difference all but disappears.What does not disappear, no matter what is playing, is the difference in on-ear pressure. Both are high-end plastic headphones built around noise canceling, but the Bose rests more lightly around your ears, while the Sony surrounds and engulfs them. The Sony’s pads are thicker and larger, as are the earcups. On paper, the Sony is about a third of an ounce lighter, but its larger body and stronger clamp make it feel heavier.The Sony’s bulk also creates the boxed-in quality common to noise-canceling headphones. It feels a little like the pressure in your ears while flying. I can wear the Bose until its battery runs out without getting that sensation; the Sony creates it almost at once. For me, that is basically a deal breaker. That is not where the issues stop.The Sony does have a far better case. Rather than a classic zipper, it uses a really cool magnetic buckle that is easy and satisfying to open. The headphones themselves also use a nicer matte plastic that is satisfying to handle, and a small bump on the left earcup makes it easy to tell immediately which side is which. Yet they do not fold as neatly or intuitively as the Bose, and the controls rely heavily on the flat touchpads.The Bose also uses touch controls, but a ridge on the right earcup guides your finger as you slide it up or down to adjust the volume. Once you learn the interface, it is the best touch system I have tried.It’s not the best interface on any headphones — the paddles, buttons, and roller of the Nothing’s Headphone 1 are unbeatable — but Bose’s interface is a massive step above Sony’s. The WH-1000XM6 touchpad gives little feedback and takes time to learn, and when you go into the app, everything just feels cheap. My frustrating attempt to pair the headphones with an iPhone made me long for the convenience of the AirPods Max.Sony WH-1000XM6. Courtesy of SonyThey’re still a good pair of headphones. But for the same money, I could never recommend them over the Bose.

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 Wireless Headphones Are Deeply Overrated

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 Wireless Headphones Are Deeply Overrated

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