Sony WF-1000XM6 launched with 32-bit Audio processing and better ANC

After a two-year gap, Sony has finally announced the WF-1000XM6, the successor to the WF-1000XM5. The company says these are its best earbuds yet, and they're backing that claim with some hardware upgrades. Let’s see in this article whether the new earbuds are really transformational or merely incremental, just as we have been seeing in the last couple of years.  

Sony WF-1000XM6 Overview

Design and Build

The WF-1000XM6 drops the glossy egg-shaped look of the XM5 for an elongated oval pill-shaped design with a matte finish. The textured surface is now apparently easier to grip than the previous glossy coating. .

The earbuds are about 11% slimmer than the XM5, though they're still some of Sony's chunkiest buds. Each earbud weighs 6.5 grams with the medium ear tips. There's a subtle indentation that sits in your conchae, using your ear's anatomy as an anchor instead of relying on the ear tip seal. You get four sizes of memory foam ear tips in the box, same as before.

The case is slightly taller now with flat top and bottom surfaces instead of the XM5's rounded design. It measures 61.6 x 41.1 x 26.5 mm and weighs 47 grams. It stands upright on a desk or wireless charging pad and still fits just anywhere. The front LED is hidden under the surface and only lights up when active. Sony also upgraded to a metal hinge from the plastic one on the XM5. Both the earbuds and case have a matte texture. The Black version has a smooth finish, while the Platinum Silver adds metallic accents. The case opens easier with one hand, and the earbuds are simpler to pull out.

Oh, and there's a new ventilation structure inside the earbuds that increases airflow. This helps cut down on internal noises like footsteps or chewing sounds that sometimes get amplified with in-ear buds.

Audio Hardware and Processing

Sony's using an updated Integrated Processor V2 that now handles 32-bit audio processing instead of 24-bit. Its  a jump in resolution that in theory, should give more depth and detail in music. The chip works alongside the QN3e noise-canceling processor, which Sony borrowed from the WH-1000XM6 over-ear headphones. The drivers are 8.4mm dynamic units with a newly developed diaphragm design.. There are also notches cut into the edge structure to smooth out the frequency response and reduce distortion. Sony brought in Grammy-winning mastering engineers to help tune these. 

You get support for AAC, SBC, LC3, and LDAC codecs. If you are an Android users, you can take advantage of LDAC for hi-res wireless audio up to 24-bit/96kHz, but iPhone users are stuck with AAC. The frequency response ranges from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz over standard Bluetooth, and 20 Hz to 40,000 Hz when using LDAC at 96 kHz sampling. There's also DSEE Extreme, which is Sony's AI upscaling tech for compressed audio files, and 360 Reality Audio with head tracking for spatial sound.

The Sony Sound Connect app now has a 10-band equalizer with 6dB adjustment per band. That's an upgrade from the XM5's 5-band EQ. You also get a handful of presets if you don't want to mess with manual tuning.

Noise Cancellation

Sony claims the XM6 offers 25% better noise reduction than the XM5, particularly in mid-to-high frequencies. The earbuds now have eight microphones total (four per bud), up from six on the XM5.

Besides, you get that QN3e chip, which enables an Adaptive NC Optimizer that analyzes external noise and how you're wearing the earbuds, then adjusts the ANC in real time. It also compensates for sound leakage through gaps in the ear tip seal by adapting to your ear shape.

The transparency mode gets 20 levels of manual adjustment in the app, plus an auto ambient mode that changes the volume based on your surroundings. There's also a voice passthrough option that filters in voices while suppressing background noise. Sony also includes a Quick Attention mode.

Call Quality and Microphones

Each earbud has two microphones and a bone conduction sensor for picking up your voice. Sony's using AI-powered beamforming that was trained on 500 million voice samples to isolate your speech from background noise. The system directs audio pickup toward your mouth and cuts out ambient sound.

Battery and Charging

Sony rates the WF-1000XM6 at 8 hours per charge with ANC on, the same as the XM5 and XM4 before it. With ANC off, you get 12 hours. The case adds two full recharges for 24 hours total. You can charge via USB-C or drop the case on a Qi wireless charging pad. For calls, you get 5 hours with ANC on or 5.5 hours with it off.

Quick Charge is also back. Sony says three minutes of charging gets you 60 minutes of playback. The earbuds also have IPX4 water resistance.

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Connectivity and Features

The WF-1000XM6 uses Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint support, so you can connect to two devices at once. The effective range is 10 meters, and it operates on the 2.4 GHz band. Sony didn't jump to Bluetooth 6, which means you won't get any exclusive features that standard might bring later. That might be a bit of a miss at this price. LE Audio is supported with ultra-low latency for gaming and real-time apps. 

There's Adaptive Sound Control that detects your activity and location, then switches between noise cancellation and ambient sound. If you're sitting, it'll turn on ANC. If you're walking, it switches to ambient mode. Scene-Based Listening is also included, which is supposed to pick music from your streaming app based on what you're doing. 

You get head gesture controls that let you accept calls with a nod or reject them with a shake. These can be turned off if you don't want accidental triggers. The larger touch surface on the earbuds makes tap controls easier to register than before. By default, the right bud handles playback and the left manages ambient modes, but you can reassign everything in the app. Buying the AI Hype, Sony has also added Google Gemini integration. 

Sony WF-1000XM6 Specifications

• Design, Build: IPX4 rating, matte plastic, 6.5 g per earbud, 47 g case, 61.6 x 41.1 x 26.5 mm case, metal hinge, Color: Black, Platinum Silver
• Drivers: 8.4 mm dynamic drivers
• Chipset: Integrated Processor V2 (32-bit), QN3e noise-canceling processor
• Software: Sony Sound Connect app, 10-band EQ, Adaptive Sound Control, Speak-to-chat
• Audio Codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz (Bluetooth), 20 Hz - 40,000 Hz (LDAC 96 kHz)
• Noise Cancellation: 8 microphones (4 per earbud), Adaptive NC Optimizer, 25% better than XM5
• Microphones: 2 per earbud, bone conduction sensor, AI beamforming
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, 10 m range, multipoint, LE Audio, Auracast, A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
• Battery: 8 hrs (ANC on), 12 hrs (ANC off), 24 hrs total, 5 hrs calls, USB-C, Qi wireless charging

Sony WF-1000XM6 Price in Nepal and Availability

Sony WF-1000XM6 will be available in silver and black colors for USD 330 in the US. When it makes it to Nepal, expect it to start at no less than NPR 48,000.