Lower than a month after making their debut, the WH-1000XM6 are on sale at Amazon in black, blue, and platinum with a $30 present card for $448. It’s not a straight money low cost, certain, however in case you had been already debating selecting up Sony’s newest pair of noise-canceling headphones, it makes the $50 value hike over the last-gen XM5 simpler to abdomen.
Should you had been to disregard the steep value hike, the brand new XM6 are a welcome enchancment over the XM5 in each manner. They’re outfitted with Sony’s newest noise-cancellation chip, which permits them to do a greater job at drowning out the ambient noise you may encounter on the road, at your native espresso store, or in your subsequent cross-country flight. Their transparency mode is as natural-sounding as ever, too, and due to a brand new set of drivers, they ship clearer vocals and the identical dynamic, wealthy sound for which the XM sequence is thought.
Design-wise, additionally they characterize a superb return to type, albeit with just a few minor tweaks for added consolation and comfort. They sport a wider headband that’s designed to alleviate stress throughout longer listening classes, together with a redesigned energy button that’s simpler to differentiate from the onboard ANC button. Extra importantly, nonetheless, they as soon as once more collapse with assistance from a joint in every arm, permitting them to take up much less room within the included carrying case. As somebody who incessantly travels with the XM5 — the one pair within the XM sequence that can’t fold down — I can say the change is enormously appreciated.