Sony - WH-1000XM6

5 improved the ANC and call quality though. 6 seem to be a little more durable than 5,so let's hope the next iteration will be the big Sony's comeback.

Ur getting some wild answers from ppl who know a lot more than me; I have Bose QC45s and I love them. I’ve tried Sony XM6s and they’re also great.

Nah i tried both and the xm6 actually stays in place but it doesn’t put pressure to where it’s uncomfortable. Maybe i just have a big head but the xm4 kept slowly sliding off my head.

The XM5s suck. They were markedly worse than the XM4s and the XM6s blow them out of the water

NC700 are pretty light headphones (around 254 grams) so this surprises me a bit. The XM6 weight about the same, the QC a bit less and the really good ones I have (Bathys/Px8) and the Px7s3 a lot more. Would look at the XM6 which has a phenomenal microphone and ANC solid (if a bit bass forward) sound (EQ helps) and pretty comfortable although I don't like the shallow earpads. The Bose QC Ultra and QC are also right around the XM6 and NC700 in weight but may feel more comfortable for you as they don't use the same headband.

I have three of these and will give my opinions. Best for music is clearly the Focal Bathys with the onboard DAC. This rivals my DCA Noire and LCD-3 headphones for separation and clarity. Not as detailed as the LCD-3 but still clearly the best sound profile of the three. The ANC is the worst of the 3 especially for low dB noises. Microphone also worst of the 3. Comfort is ok but not phenomenal. Most comfortable with the best ANC for me is the Bose QC Ultra with the Sony right behind. Bose and Sony both need EQ and I don't see much of a difference between them for that. Sony has more bells and whistles with the APP with a better environment for adaptive sound control if that is of interest to you. And out of the box Sony sound better but for me still needs a lot of EQ to even out the low and high frequencies. Also I'm not a huge fan of the lack of deep cups for the WH1000X6 but that is just my preference for comfort. But agree just test all three by going to big box store or ordering and returning them. I also agree that the #2 for sound is the Sennheiser Momentum 4 which is the best deal of the four.

To be clear no "wired" headphone has ANC capabilities but almost all bluetooth headphones have wired abilities. Your pick for best in show ANC should come down to XM6 (stay away from the hinge issue with the XM5 unless you get the three year warranty), or the Bose QC Ultra. Step in price would be the Airpod MAX. And I think that studies have shown that for blocking out upper range noise (like crying) the XM6 is the best headphone although the differences are quite modest between it the Bose and the Apple.

I sold mine recently for 200 USD and then bought the XM6 for three hundred-ish. It was worth it because I got newer technology for almost the same as you, but if it wasn't for that, I would never give up on my XM4s. They are awesome. You won't regret it!

Have you tried different ear tips to find something more comfortable? A lot of folks prefer the memory foam tips you can get vs silicone as they can be more comfortable/less irritating/stay in your ears better. I can’t justify the size over ears take up in my bag now that anc has gotten as good as it is on earbuds. AirPod pros are the only ones I’ll bring now on a flight. I used to bring Sony xm3 overears. The xm3/4 fold up pretty well and I don’t see anything else taking up much less space (I believe the xm5 went backwards in design from a foldability/compactness standpoint, but the latest xm6 remedied that). I don’t think the xm6 price is justifiable over the 4s for instance as these are still just consumer grade/mediocre sounding headphones (just like all Bluetooth stuff for the most part outside of a few like the Focal Bathys). My go to these days from a cost vs sound quality perspective is a pair of refurb sennheiser momentum 4, but the anc isn’t nearly on par with Sony/bose/Apple stuff, and they aren’t the most compact

So today at the airport, I pulled the plug thanks to that sweet 25% off deal. I was actually saving up for the AirPods Pro 3 read tons of reviews, liked what I saw but the discount tempted me too strong, and I grabbed these instead. At first, I was hesitant because of the clamp force and the mixed opinions about sound quality, but man… these turned out to be the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn! The clamp feels totally fine, and the sound quality? Surprisingly awesome. During my flight, there were babies crying and the usual jet engine noise so I popped these on for two hours and forgot I was even on a plane. A guy next to me even asked for a pen, and I didn’t hear a thing 😂. When I finally took them off, the engine noises and crying kids hit me all at once and that’s when I knew Sony really cooked with this one.

I believe the hinge is solid ....some people had issues with the slider tho, but it varies per person, due to head size, how much they stress the headbands, for my personal experience its the perfect fit.

Case is awsome , compact and light. :)

Thats valid I have used my brothers XM4, and the 6 was way more superior but I believe 5 should be good enough as well. Case is also quite convenient for travels, i had it in my arms without any problems the entire time. Simple and easy.

So actually I folded the headphones incorrectly alot , it takes getting used to, I twisted the hinge with some fear when folding but turns out they're pretty solid but I would recommend try to minimize folding them each time after use as those can cause wear and tear in the future.

First time it took a while getting used to lol, ngl

Have a few teams call today, let's see how it sounds.

Okay update, everyone said the mic was pretty good, voice was loud and clear without screaming, this was a teams call FYI, and my audio output would suck as I previously used the galaxy buds 2 where the mic was trash ngl had to scream or my voice would be muffled, so the SONYS have definitely done a good job with the mic as well.

Actually, at first I picked up the platnium silver, looked premium and matte finish was clean, but cleaning amd taking care of it regularly and I also gym so just incase, I decided to switch for black last minute, and so far the prints come off really easily but I havent had any major prints or smudges after use. The cushions however tho do have these weird creases after wearing them even for a few mins , but they go back to normal once you remove the headphones and leave them for a while. Black would be a safer option for xm6 as the cushions are very different from the XM4's, i had a plat silver for them it holds up well

Hmm I shall report back if I notice any issues, used the headphones for a few hours last night, so far so good lol.

Probably..... that's not normal, I used it with default settings and it worked well, or maybe husband snores louder👀

Hi, This was the airport duty free section, it was 25% off on all sony products from prouds[jewelry store]

Very true, same is applied to big tech giants too, samsung, apple, Microsoft, the are brands that can do the job for 1/3 of the price if you feel that way, but if money is not an issue win win for the capitalists and the consumer in a nutshell

Totally agree on the comfort! I had the same issue with others feeling tight or hot after a while. The Sony WH-1000XM6 are great for long wear, but if you're in a hot spot, just keep an eye on that padding. Have you tried any specific models yet?

I’m glad Sony really paid attention to the tuning of the XM6. While it still looks to be too bass heavy, the mids and treble are on the right track Also 10 band EQ is fantastic! 6 band always felt limiting with how you could customize your sound.