3 reasons why I will not buy the Sony WF-1000XM6

The Sony WF-1000XM6 has just launched and represents the company’s most accomplished earbuds to date. Packed with powerful noise cancellation, superior sound quality, and a comfortable new form factor, there’s a lot to like about Sony’s latest offering. However, despite their praise, they are not as perfect as I wished. Most notably, they don’t offer better features than their predecessors, and they don’t have advanced wear technology. To that end, here are three key reasons why I won’t be buying the Sony WF-1000XM6 at launch.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 still has the best battery life of any wireless earbuds on the market. This lasts 9 hours and 32 minutes on a single charge when playing music continuously at 75dB (SPL). You can expect 24 hours of full playtime with the charging case, and the buds can be charged with a Qi wireless charging pad. If you’re on the smaller side, Sony’s Super Quick Charge feature brings you 51 minutes of juice from a 3-minute charge.

The new Sony WF-1000XM6 is a step forward, but not as impressive as I would have liked. In total, you can expect the buds to last 9 hours and 41 minutes per charge, and 24 hours from a case. That’s only 9 minutes longer than the XM5, and Sony’s Super Quick Charge feature delivers just 45 minutes from a 3-minute charge. That’s 6 minutes less than its predecessor, which means you can’t listen for long if you need to charge the buds quickly.

Don’t get me wrong, both earbuds offer exceptional battery life — 8 hours is the average for the best ANC earbuds and compares to the AirPods Pro 3’s 8 hours and 42 minutes. However, the XM5 lasts about two hours longer than the XM4. If you use Sony’s flagship model a lot, it’s fair to expect the battery life to last longer. Even without the increased battery life, the XM6 could have used replaceable battery cells, like those found in the Fairphone Fairbuds. This is much better for the environment, as you don’t have to throw away the earbuds when the battery runs low. Sony missed a trick here.

Sony released its Bluetooth LDAC codec in 2015, which supports wireless listening of up to 990 kbps 24-bit/96kHz audio samples. Unfortunately, like all Bluetooth codecs despite the deceptive marketing jargon, LDAC cannot transmit Hi-Res content unaltered, and falls short of wired 24-bit/96kHz equivalence.

Of course, streaming LDAC at 990 and 660kbps delivers almost CD-quality sound. In Hi-Res mode, the codec must transmit audio data up to 48kHz and, in CD mode, it must reach 20kHz untouched before losing fidelity quickly. However, the LDAC setting of 330 kbps drops significantly to CD quality, regardless of mode. In particular, the codec includes a steep, high-ripple filter that occurs just before 18kHz. This is lacking with aptX and SBC, which extends up to 19kHz before showing a smooth roll-off, reaching just -6dB at 20kHz.

Due to the strength of the connection, most smartphones default to LDAC streaming at 660 or 330 kbps. However, LDAC’s low noise of 330kbps at 15kHz reaches -35dB, interfering with high frequency presentation. SBC is nowhere near this bad, and is the worst high-frequency performance of any Bluetooth codec. When set to CD quality, LDAC at 330kbps performs worse than aptX and SBC across the spectrum. They all use the same bandwidth, which means that a reliable “Hi-Res” connection is not guaranteed. However, the available resolution of LDAC and the cutoff frequency of 18kHz is significantly lower than Qualcomm’s aptX codec.

Sony has packed its Sound Connect app with many useful features. For example, the WF-1000XM6 earbuds boast a new background music mode. This extends the perceived depth of space to reflect the music back as if it were coming from a great distance away. The custom EQ has also been upgraded to 10 bands, each with ±6 dB of adjustment. Scene-Based Listening enables visibility, which selects music from your streaming program to match your current activity or location. Finally, Surround Sound Enhancement by Head Tracking takes over from Sony 360 Reality Audio to deliver an immersive listening experience.

However, apart from this and the new image of the skeleton inside the earbuds, the Sony WF-1000XM6 features limited improvements. For example, they only ship with one type of ear tip, while the XM5 includes both foam and silicone tips out of the box. Their capacitive controls are very similar, and both support LE Audio/LC3 and Auracast connectivity. noise cancellation with the XM6 is only 1% stronger than its predecessor, while the XM5 offers superior isolation with built-in foam tips. Unlike Apple’s AirPods Pro 3, the Sony WF-1000XM6 cannot be used as a hearing aid and does not support native Live Translation features.

Even worse, the Sony WF-1000XM5 sounds better than its new counterpart. This is especially true if the XM6’s ANC is enabled. Indeed, our MDAQS results show that most people will slightly prefer the XM5’s sound quality over its newer siblings. All this at a time when the Sony WF-1000XM6 is launching for $329.99 — $30 more than the original retail price of the XM5. This cost difference will only increase as time goes on, making it even harder to justify spending more on earbuds with the latest upgrades. Until the Sony WF-1000XM7 makes an appearance with significant improvements, I’m unlikely to buy the Sony WF-1000XM6.