Sony’s incredibly popular WH-1000XM series has remained a flagship of noise-cancelling headphones since its introduction in 2017. Now, their latest iteration has been unveiled and released to the world in the form of the WH-1000XM6. Coming out three years after the previous version, it boasts a number of new features as well as quality-of-life updates. While many will be eager to get their hands on a new pair of the top-of-the-line headphones, others may be wondering if it’s worth it to swap out their WH-1000XM5s in favor of the XM6. Let’s take a look at the differences and see if it’s a worthy replacement.
Retail Price:
WH-1000XM5 – $398
WH-1000XM6 – $449
What You Get
XM5:
WH-1000XM5 headphones
Carrying case
3.5mm cable, 1.2m in length
USB-A to USB-C charging cable
XM6:
WH-1000XM6 headphones
Carrying case
3.5mm cable, 1.2m in length
USB-A to USB-C charging cable
Look and Feel
When you open up your Sony XM headphones, the difference is already noticeable. The XM6 is packaged in a magnetic case that is easy to flip open and closed, whereas the XM5 uses a zipper case, which is not to say it isn’t also easy to open or close, but zippers do run the risk of getting stuck or snapping off.
The XM5s were the first in the series to not have foldable hinges, instead being stored flat and at full size. The XM6 returns to the folding hinge design, something that Sony fans have been asking for.
Because the XM6 returns to the folding hinge design, the case is smaller and more compact than that of the XM5, and is easier to pack and travel with.
The XM5 and the XM6 have similar minimalistic designs, allowing for the sound quality to speak for itself. Sony forgoes having too many buttons, instead having only the power and ANC controls next to each other on the left cup of both models, and reserving the right cup for customizable touch controls. One change has been made to the XM6, with the power button now an indented and flattened switch, likely to avoid confusion with the raised ANC button.
Both are fairly comfortable to wear, although I have felt some pressure from the XM5’s headband after a long day of listening to music or podcasts. The XM6 seems to have corrected this with a wider and flatter headband, allowing for better weight distribution. The slightly less curved design of the XM6 headband also feels as though it’s taking the shape of the human head more into account. The XM6 cups have a more snug fit against my head in comparison to the XM5, which feels more secure and comfortable to me. Additionally, the cups of both models are approximately the same size, and while I haven’t had an issue with them, some may experience discomfort after prolonged use, as a few people have told me after borrowing my XM5s over the years.
It is worth noting that there has been some concern over the hinges on the XM5s. While my XM5s have lasted me over three years in good condition, others have reported snapping and breakage. Sony claims to have addressed this issue by designing an, and I quote, “advanced metal injection process for its hinge components”. While this does seem to be an improvement, there are still reports of damage to the XM6 hinges. My recommendation is to treat these headphones with care, and keep them in their case when not in use.
Design and Functionality
Both models have 30mm drivers in each cup; however, the XM6 utilizes a new design constructed from carbon fiber, keeping it light and able to produce crystal clear audio. For ANC, each has an adaptive function, wherein the ANC can automatically adjust to account for louder or quieter environments as your surroundings change. The XM5 uses eight distinct microphones, but the XM6 adds another four to its count, allowing it to process more noise-cancelling data, as well as improving call quality. There’s also an improvement in the XM6 when it comes to filtering out background noise, in that the XM6 is able to push into the higher frequencies and scoop out more sound. I do have to rate the XM6 slightly above the XM5 in this department. The XM5 uses a processor combination of QN1 and V1 for its ANC, whereas the XM6 employs a QN3 processor, which Sony boasts is 7x faster than its previous iteration.
The XM5 and XM6 each come equipped with DSEE Extreme and LDAC codec capabilities, improving the quality of compressed audio. The XM6 also comes with new customization options, accessible in Sony’s Sound Connect companion app. These include an expanded EQ, with ten bands over the XM5’s five, though with the tradeoff of removing the Clearbass feature. There is also Background Music mode, which simulates a distant audio source as though listening to speakers in a cafe. Lastly, the XM6 has Cinema mode, which takes advantage of Sony’s 360RA technology to simulate a 3D sound by upmixing stereo audio, a fun feature for those looking for more immersive movie or TV viewing. It is worth noting that both the Background Music and Cinema modes will deactivate EQ and DSEE Extreme settings while in use.
Bluetooth
The XM5 uses Bluetooth version 5.2, while the XM6 comes equipped with version 5.3. Both have an approximate range of 10m, or roughly 32.8ft, and each has a multipoint connection, allowing the headphones to pair with up to two devices simultaneously.
Battery
Both models are capable of up to 30 hours of playback from a single charge while using ANC, and up to 40 hours when ANC is turned off. This can also be affected by whether or not you are utilizing DSEE Extreme. Likewise, each has a quick-charge function, allowing up to 3 hours of playback off a 3-minute charge.
Soundstaging
The XM6 appears to open up the sound a bit more in the sides, with hard-panned instruments sounding more distinct and isolated. Utilizing the Cinema mode’s 360RA upmixing technology can also increase the simulated space of the headphones; however, this is mainly intended for use with video.
Low-End:
Out of the box, I found the XM5 to be heavy on bass, with a bit of mud that spread into the rest of the mix. This was corrected with some EQ settings, sliding down the low-end fader, then boosting the Clearbass to make up for the lack of body that was created. The XM6 improves on this, with low frequencies mostly contained to the center with bass guitar and kick drum. In general, it feels more focused and punchier before even adjusting EQ.
Mids:
Both headphones feature mids that sound a little cramped together and in need of separation. With the XM6, I noticed that sometimes the vocals would become swallowed by other mid-range instruments (such as electric guitar during heavy rock choruses) that later needed to be compensated for with EQ. I did not experience this to the same degree with the XM5s.
Highs:
The highs in both the XM5 and XM6 sound fairly dark out of the box and will require tweaking in the EQ to give them more definition. The stronger of the two in this instance was without a doubt the XM6, simply because there are more faders, giving me more options for how to curate the sound to my taste. I pushed the 4kHz, 8kHz, and 16kHz until I found a setting for hi-hats I liked that I felt would work well for other instruments in the same range.
Summary:
While the overall appearance between the XM5 and the XM6 may be similar, the variety of options is not. The XM6 provides more customization that expands upon the XM5’s capabilities and enhances ANC, along with other quality of life improvements, such as returning to the folding hinges for storage that other XMs had before the XM5. If the choice of a first-time buyer is between the XM5 and the XM6, Sony’s newest update to the series is by all means the superior model. When it comes to upgrading from the XM5, however, I’m not sure I can say the same thing. This will mainly come down to how much one values variability in their headphones, and if these new customization options are worth another $450 purchase.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6 are available at Audio46.
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