The XM6 ships with Bluetooth 5.3, not the latest 5.4 standard. For headphones expected to last several years, launching without current connectivity feels shortsighted.
- Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR)
- Encrypted Advertising Data
- LE GATT Security Levels Characteristic
- Advertising Coding Selection
I have no idea what any of these are and whether they would bring any major new features to the WH-1000XM6. A user in the thread did add some context regarding 5.4:
- 5.4 is primarily aimed at large-scale IoT, with no mandatory features unless implementing optional capabilities. The 5.4 label is completely irrelevant on an audio product, but if you were to believe the spec-padders over at Sound Guys, this a transgression.
- In fact, the last Bluetooth upgrade relevant to a product using classical audio was 5.0's new transmission ranges and bandwidth specs.
- What matters more is whether a specific product supports 5.2's LE Audio
Sony shipping the WH-1000XM6 with 5.4 would NOT have brought any relevant features with regards to audio. The Sound Guys article fails to mention any benefits 5.4 would bring to the new model, just that it should have the latest version, which is not 5.4. They mentioned a few benefits in their video, such as range improvement and efficiency. Except there is no range improvement of 5.3 to 5.4, it is identical, up to 240m (800ft) like in version 5.0. Same for efficiency, no real benefits of 5.4 over 5.3.
Despite Sony’s documentation mentioning Auracast support, the feature didn’t actually work in our testing.
There is zero mention of the device Sound Guys used to test Auracast support, either in this article or their review. The problems they experienced with Auracast could be the fault of the smartphone they were using, and not the headset. If Auracast is not working as they say, why not expand on this in their review?
If the issue is on the headset side, then a firmware update should pushed out to fix any bugs. Remember the technology is still relatively new, very few devices support LE Audio and Auracast. The Apple AirPods Max which are mentioned many times the article, lack both LE Audio and Auracast support.
The most glaring omission in the Sony WH-1000XM6 is the lack of USB-C audio passthrough....Sony stubbornly sticks with only a 3.5mm analog jack.
The WH-1000XM6 is a wireless headset, if I need lossless audio on it, I will use the 3.5mm jack. And yes, 3.5mm is lossless, analog, but it is truly lossless. I am certain that even today, almost all mastering of music, when using a headset, is still through a phone connector, maybe not 3.5mm, but most likely a 6.35mm.
The user who posted the original thread, did remark in a reply that with USB-C audio, you can add a mic inline, which would provide excellent call quality. This is might be related to the rather poor mic quality on Windows. This is a fault of Windows and Bluetooth, not the headset. With LE Audio, the hands free microphone quality takes a significant leap and sounds much better. But you will need a computer and headset that supports LC3 to enjoy this increased call quality. The other issue is with a USB cable and an inline mic, you are tethered to the device, like PC or phone. The purpose of a wireless connection is to get rid of such a restriction. Cables are not necessarily bad, but the freedom of no cables is super nice.
Sony equips the XM6 with LDAC, AAC, SBC, and LC3 codec support but misses newer standards like Snapdragon Sound that competitors like Bose have already embraced. There are also compatibility issues with LDAC at its highest bitrate (990 kbps) on some Android phones, forcing users to downgrade to 660 kbps for stability. As wireless audio technology advances, these limitations will become increasingly apparent.
LC3 is the newest standard codec from Bluetooth SIG replacing SBC, so saying the headset is missing newer standards is ridiculous. Snapdragon sound is not a codec, it is a marketing term, aptX is the codec, along with its variants.
Both aptX and LDAC encoders are included in Android license free. This is great, because then a smartphone can send either codec to your headset. In order to pick up this codec, you will need a decoder for aptX or LDAC in the wireless headset. But neither the aptX or LDAC decoder is free, both require a license on the headset side.
I am confident that Qualcomm will not sell a decoding license to companies which use non-Qualcomm silicon, like Mediatek for example. But if anyone knows of a headset that uses non-Qualcomm silicon, and supports aptX, please let me know. If you want aptX in your headset, you will need to buy a Qualcomm chopset. which thankfully comes with all the decoding licenses included. For example, Sony's NW-A55 Walkman supports encoding of aptX, but not decoding.
I do not believe Sony has the same limitation, as their LDAC codec works on both Qualcomm and Mediatek silicon. aptX is also absent in a major ecosystem, iOS.
As for LDAC dropping to 660 when set to stability, it makes sense. Both aptX adaptive and aptX lossless use variable bitrates, so I would expect both codecs to lower the bitrate in scenarios when the connection is not ideal.
It is unfortunate Sony did not offer LC3plus on the new WH-1000XM6, as this would have greatly improved the audio quality as well. Maybe Sony does not want it competing against their LDAC? Strange, the Sony ECM-W3S Wireless Microphone uses LC3plus for its codec. so why not add it to the WH-1000XM6?
The XM6 continues Sony’s tradition of non-replaceable batteries—a critical oversight as consumers increasingly demand sustainable, repairable products. When the battery inevitably degrades after a few years, owners face a difficult choice: continue with diminished performance or replace the entire unit.
Sound Guys use a photo of the Fairbuds XL headset, but are there any other brands that also provide easily removable batteries? Not even laptops now a days use such removable batteries. At least Sony has not soldered the connection to the board, instead using a connector, like in previous models. As for how easy it is to replace, it is not difficult. All you do is take off the right side earcup, remove 5 small phillips screws holding the driver housing, flip that out of the way, then remove 2 more phillips screws on the battery cover, and the battery then can be removed. Simple. Yes more steps then just taking out a battery, but not difficult. See my teardown post for the photos.
The ear pads present another durability concern. While technically removable for cleaning, the process involves peeling them away from snap hooks and isn’t designed for easy user replacement. A magnetic attachment system, like we’ve seen in the AirPods Max, would have made maintenance significantly more user-friendly and extended the headphones’ practical lifespan.
Sure magnetic attachment of the earpads would have be nice, but not a deal breaker. Apple's replacement earpads are not cheap, and from reviews on Amazon of non-original earpad replacements, some seem rather poorly made, and the magnets do not hold that well. Should Sony sell replacement earpads on their website? Yes they should, and for a reasonable price. And no, I do not mean encompass.
At $448 at Amazon, the Sony WH-1000XM6 demands a premium price without offering truly future-proof technology. It feels more at home in 2025 than it will be in 2026 or beyond. The company took its proverbial eyes off the future.
I agree the new model is expensive, and those buying them right now are paying a premium. But Apple's AirPods Max cost $549 USD, yet still use Bluetooth 5.0, lack aptX, lack a high-res wireless codec, and lack an easily removable battery.
Yes, the WH-1000XM6 is a new model. but devices are not developed here and now, they take time and development starts one, maybe even 2 years before the release.
I do not believe any of the issues raised by the Sound Guys article are valid. In my opinion, here the issues which might hurt the WH-1000XM6 in the future.
- Keeping 30mm drivers
- Lack of LC3plus support
- Marginal improvement in ANC
- Thinner and less comfortable earpads
- More prone to fingerprints
Perhaps the ANC performance can be improved overtime, an the addition of LC3plus with a firmware update. Whether Sony will improve the earpads or the fingerprint "resistant" coating is unknown.
The headset is not perfect, it is a decent upgrade over the WH-1000XM5, and a good upgrade over the WH-1000XM4. So I would not fret that the WH-1000XM6 is not future-proof, most devices are not, this is how the industry works.
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Sounded exciting at first that Bose had Snapdragon Sound, but apparently this was just a rephrasing of aptX, as they do not support the XPAN part of Snapdragon... (Unsure if any phones support it too)
ReplyDeleteLack of USB Audio is definitely a dealbreaker for me though. I don't understand why Sony are so hesitant to use it, after pioneering it with STH50C/SBH90C (did even MDR-1ADAC have it?). Since there are no wired noise cancelling headphones, why be opposed to 1000X having more wired options?
MDR-1ADAC doesn't have bluetooth. all of 1000x lines was wired, 3.5mm
DeleteIME not having USB-C audio wouldn't be a problem if the wired mode functioned properly like it does on XM4... On XM5 and XM6 it makes a hissing noise, XM6 made it worse than XM5 i believe...
Delete3.5mm TOSLINK could be the winner here for a hypothetical XM7, Sony could bundle an USB interface and it would work like wireless(immune to interference) but with no compression or latency.
What kind of review was that thing with soundguys? It's like they want to hate XM6 at all costs by just inventing things and trying to convince users of stuff that is irrelevant. What kind of review was that thing with soundguys? It's like they want to hate XM6 at all costs by just inventing things and trying to convince users of stuff that is irrelevant to audio or features that none technology gadget has right now, but with a YouTube video you should be able to replace it. With that article, they completely dropped their credibility for me. I'm not defending Sony but bro, just be honest and just talk about real things.
ReplyDeletetheir review was ok, not going to say if it is a good or bad review.
DeleteThe ADC in the XM6 has a huge problem, it's noisy enough even the ANC makes a small whistling noise in the left speaker the XM4 and XM5 didn't make.(it can be heard in a quiet room)
ReplyDeleteUSB-C audio would be a lifesaver considering the headphones make a permanent weird high pitched noise when the headphones are used wired.(it's possible to use it turned off but then no ANC and the frequency response becomes very bad because there's no EQ DSP anymore)
I waited weeks for my XM6 to arrive and the replacement unit had the same issue(whistling ANC in left speaker, noisy jack like XM5 but worse) so i'd expect all XM6 units to have the same issue...
I wholeheartedly recommend people to stay on their XM4/XM5 if they're happy with it, the ANC on the XM6 may be better but it's not worth it considering even the usecase where someone will never use wired mode is affected by poor engineering, it also sends a message to Sony that they can get away with poor engineering and noisy wireless audio when not having awful buzz or hisses was their strength compared to other headphone brands(looking at you beyerdynamic and sennheiser)
The frequency response is a downgrade IMO, the medium-highs are raised too much it felt like as soon as those frequencies are present it unnaturally grabs attention away from bass and treble even in tracks rich in those. i wonder what other people think of XM6's FR?