New Sony WF-1000XM6 Earbuds have bad Case Design but better Sound Quality, ANC and Mics

Earbuds from Sony are well-known for their top-tier Active Noise Cancellation, but never had the top-tier transparency and sound quality. The AirPods Pro buds are known for their remarkable natural transparency and great balanced sound signature. You should check out my AirPods Pro 3 vs Pro 2 comparison for more details on the AirPods. I liked the previous Sony WF-1000XM5 buds but never loved the design. They always looked kinda bulkier than other better players in the design aspect. The new Sony WF-1000XM6 buds have a promising smooth design, but the case looks less compact. So, let's take a look at the whole picture in this article, I am feeling kinda mixed about these new Sony WF-1000XM6 Earbuds.

I was expecting a design change for the buds, but not for the case. The Sony WF-1000XM5 had a great case-design, it was a pretty compact case. The case had gotten pretty small and pocketable from the WF-1000XM4 to WF-1000XM5, but this new WF-1000XM6's case looks bulkier which is a step backward in my opinion. I was expecting an even more refined and smooth case, which will look more compact than the previous WF-1000XM5. The new case has pointy flat edges and looks quite a bit bigger, this is a backward direction in case-design and practicality.

So, I think this is totally a wrong approach in the case-design, but the buds' design is pretty cool. The new Sony WF-1000XM6 Earbuds look very different but better. Even though the new design may not look smaller but it is a more refined, smooth and a more compact design. The pill-shape kinda make them look small, cute and cooler than the previous WF-1000XM5 model. It's not a design that I love but I think it's a better design and a move forward in the earbuds' design. This new design is more comfortable and suitable for a wide range of ears.

Sony earbuds are not known for great sound quality, but they always offer good sound quality. These Sony WF-1000XM6 Earbuds are Sony’s premium-grade in-ear buds. So, one can expect a premium sound from them. But unfortunately, the sound is just decent like their previous model. Neither the old XM5 nor this new XM6 buds have great details and soundstage. However, they have decent bass and clarity, which is good enough for most people. There is no major issue with the sound quality of these new Sony WF-1000XM6 buds. Let's take a look at their frequency response analysis for a better understanding.

Sony has developed a new version of their 8.4 mm driver that is in the XM5 buds. This new driver for the WF-1000XM6 is soft, lightweight and delivers better audio performance. If you take a look at their bass response, it is on the bass-heavy side. It is an okay response but not a great response. There is a roll-off that starts well-before 20 Hz, which is not an extended bass response. You should expect an extended bass response but not a boosted response from a high-end earbud. The Sony WF-1000XM6 buds have good bass performance that will satisfy most people. You may like this little bassy and powerful sound.

This is not a major issue, but I think the lower midrange is a bit recessed. The response shows a dip but it's not a wide dip, so you will get less details from the lower mids. This is those sort of things that don't let buds have a great soundstage. The midrange is just fine and the overall clarity is pretty good. It has a little boosted bass and treble, but slightly recessed mids. So you have kind of a v-shaped sound signature here with the WF-1000XM6, and that gives a mediocre soundstage. The sound isn't overly bass or treble heavy, the mids are also not that bad. It's just not a very tastefully defined sound.

I would be pretty happy to have that kinda sound in a $100 buds, but these are not that cheap. They cost more than three times of that, which is kinda justified if we consider the whole picture. I think these XM6 Sony Earbuds have decent details in the bass and treble but lacks in the mids, but no major problem in the sound. Also, you can increase the midrange using their built-in custom eq. The default sound is good enough for people who loves party-type listening experience. But not gonna be good enough if you take your time while listening to music like an enthusiast.

These XM6 buds have 8 mics meaning 4 mics on each earbud vs total 6 mics on the old XM5 buds. The previous model already had great ANC and this new XM6 takes it to even further. Especially there is great improvement in the microphone quality. The mics are very much involved in the call quality, ANC and transparency. Call quality is significantly better with improved noise reduction coming from your surroundings. Your friends will be able to hear you better when you are in traffic. The mics with Sony's algorithm help pick up your voice better and kinda like ignore the outside noise.

Check out this video by Short Circuit that demonstrates the call quality. The mics have a top level performance but I still think that the AirPods Pro 3 may have a slight edge. The performance in transparency mode has a more natural outcome than the previous WF-1000XM5, which is a clear step up. But the Sony WF-1000XM6 is still a level below the Apple AirPods Pro 3 for transparency. The Crazy thing is that both Apple and Sony have God-tier Active Noise Cancellation that it's kinda impossible to pick one over another for ANC. I hope Sony catches up to the transparency game soon.

Check out those articles from above, you can click on those linked images to read the articles. A while ago I published a review of the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G smartphone, check that out if you are into budget phones. In case you are interested in portable speakers, I compared 3 Boombox type speakers from 3 different brands such as Soundcore, Tribit and JBL. So don't forget to also check out that detailed comparison article about the JBL Boombox 3 vs Tribit Stormbox Blast vs Soundcore Boom 2 Plus.

I don't think there is a significant improvement on the sound quality over the XM5 buds. The new WF-1000XM6 buds do have improved call and transparency. The buds have a better smooth and cool design but the new case-design is worse for practicality. A more bulkier and less pocketable design for the case. I would have called these new XM6 buds an upgrade if the case was just slightly more refined on top of the XM5's case as the old case was smaller than this new one. The new buds have very smooth curved shape, which is totally opposite of the new case's design. The case and buds don't match up in terms of this new design.

The big case doesn't offer big battery, which is unexpected. You get total 24 hours combining the buds and the case. The buds offer around 8 hours and the case gives you additional 2 full charges. The buds' 8-hours with ANC at a moderate volume is good but the new big case should have had one more full charge to justify the size. I just don't like the case design but I like the buds design, so I don't have any major negatives about these new Sony WF-1000XM6 buds. You can buy these new buds if you didn't have the previous one, but I will not upgrade from the XM5 model. I think they are not upgrade-worthy - overall they are still top-level.

Also, please check out the JBL Charge 6 vs Charge 5 story for highlights.
IF you're interested in mid-sized portable speakers, check my JBL Charge 6 vs Bose SoundLink Plus article. The JBL Charge 6 did better in the head-to-head comparison.