Sony XM6 Vs XM5 - They've Done It Again! ( AND, Mic, Bass, Sound Test )
If you're looking for the best noise-cancelling headphones for the music. You'll get a lot of recommendations. And among them will likely be the Sony Wf1000 XM5. Those are very good, but Sony has a new champion in 2025, the XM6. The XM5 at the time of this video is around £299, and the XM6 on launch will be £400. Day one colour options are Black, Silver, and Midnight Blue. Some of the questions you might have are: What's new? What can XM6 do that 5 can't? Is it worth the upgrade?
Do they sound better? And ultimately, should you spend more on the XM6 or is 5 the better sound investment? I'll do my best to help you answer all those questions so you can make a more informed decision & I'll even do a side-by-side ANC test and bass test, and at the end, I'll share my opinions on the sound quality differences. And there is something really important you need to know about Sony's EQ presets here. Which I only just learned about at Sony's own Studio 5020 in Madrid.
What's new?
Let's start with the design changes. The hinges have been redesigned with a new stainless steel folding mechanism. This allows for the headphones to fold right down. This is an instant win for XM6, as the XM5 could not do this. The hinges allow the earcups to twist, improving the overall fit. Also, the earcups can swivel outwards just like before, but another upgrade is that the earcups can swivel inwards to sit more comfortably on your chest. The shape of the touch capacitive area is slightly smaller & now more circular. The swipe and tap inputs remain the same, and a hand over the right earcup activates the handy quick attention mode just like before.
The headband shape has been slightly widened & the headband padding has also been widened. Which improves the weight distribution at the top of your head. And I instantly noticed a big improvement in comfort due to this. The power button is now circular and dips slightly inwards, making it much easier to feel and find and less likely to mistake for the ANC button. Which is something I did a lot with the XM5's
The analogue audio jack, the smooth headband slide adjustments, and the ANC buttons remain the same. The padding on the earcups and headband appears to be the same soft-fit leather. And they are replaceable... but you can't do it yourself, but they can be in a Sony service centre, but if you're outside of the warranty or misuse them, it'll cost you some money. Here is another subtle design upgrade. The earcups are now one seamless piece. On the XM5s, you can notice a little something that runs down the side. And I'm assuming fewer interconnecting elements here can reduce the risk of unwanted vibrations.
Another earcup upgrade is the XM6 earcups, which have an anti-fingerprint finish. This is actually something that I complained about on the XM5s when I tested them out. So that's a nice improvement. The XM6 Mic grills have been redesigned for wind reduction. The XM5 grills sat just below the surface, and the XM6 grills are in line with the top. They didn't have the gold accent colour this time, but they are less likely to collect dust & there are more of them.
The XM5 had 8 mics, and the XM6 now has 12 mics. There are 4 mics outside and 2 inside each earcup, which is a significant upgrade & this should improve the noise cancelling, the ambient passthrough & voice call quality. And, regarding ANC, something that you can't see is that it is a very big deal. The XM6 has Sony's all-new noise-cancelling QN3 chip. Sony says it is 7 times faster than QN1 in the XM5 while remaining just as battery efficient. And I was told that XM6 use a new algorithm that's been redesigned from the ground up & that the sound suppression in the mid & high frequencies has been improved. That's what I was told. But you should be the judge. So let's put it to the test XM5 vs XM6. QN1 vs QN3.
ANC Test - For the ANC Test, please check the video.
Mic Test - For the Mic test, please check the video
The Case
Before we move on to the App upgrades & my opinions of the Sound Quality vs the XM5s. There is another design upgrade, which many XM5 owners will appreciate. The carry case has been completely redesigned instead of the XM5's origami zip case.
The XM6 case now has a magnetic buckle and rigid hard shell with a smaller footprint. However, the XM5's case can squash down quite a bit thinner. In the new case, the cable pouch is now off to the side, and the holds are a USB C to C cable and a 3.5mm headphone cable. The XM5 had a magnetic door.
Battery
Now, just quickly, the battery life remains the same as the XM5's, with 30 hours of playback with ANC On. The quick charge functionality is still incredible, with a 3-minute charge = 3 hrs of playback with ANC on. I put these headphones through a 24-hour burn-in process, and I managed to drain the out-of-the-box 75% charge to zero. And, of course, this allowed me to test the recharge time.
So, in just 10 minutes, the XM6s went from zero to 23% at 15 watts charging speed & this is when I discovered another upgrade that a lot of people might overlook. You can now charge and listen at the same time with the XM6. You can't do that with the 5's. That could be a big deal when on a long-haul flight. However, the charging speed drops to just 2 watts whilst powered on. So this means you need to charge them while they're off for the fastest recharge time. I wish someone had told me that because it completely ruined this test.
Software Upgrades
Let's quickly dive into the software upgrades built into Sony's Audio Connect App. The Adaptive NC Optimiser has been improved, and a new Adaptive Ambient Sound algorithm adjusts the audio according to the surroundings. There is a new 360-upmix feature for movie content. This takes your typical stereo signal, transforms it & upscales it into 360 audio. There is also the background listening mode that changes the EQ to make your audio sound like it's in the distance & there are three scenarios to choose from. And this is a big deal, as there's a brand new 10-band EQ to play with. Previously, it was the 5 Band. There's also a dedicated Gaming EQ now.
You also got LDAC support, Sony's DSEE extreme upscaler, the speak-to-chat feature, which has been improved, multipoint pairing, and Sony's own voice controls that allow you to switch tracks, change volume, and perform basic functions using voice commands; this could be handy for the gym. And now there is support for BT LE, Ultrawideband, and Auracast. And if you're not familiar with Auracast, one source device can output an Auracast signal and allow an almost unlimited number of Auracast-capable devices to tune into it if within the broadcast radius. So, this means sharing your music or movie audio from a phone or tablet with the people on a flight, for example, will be much easier, thanks to Auracast.
Audio Hardware Changes
Alright, now let's talk about the physical audio upgrades. The XM6 uses a brand new 30mm carbon fibre composite driver with a soft edge that, in theory, should allow it to be more flexible & more powerful. Here's a newly designed noise shaper to better disperse the sound waves.
The circuitry has been optimised, and Sony has thrown in some Sony Walkman tech in the form of a low-phase crystal oscillator & gold solder. This sounds good, but does it sound better than the XM5? Well, here is a little sample. Have a listen. Please watch the video to listen to the Test.
My Thoughts on the Sound Quality
Ok, so I tested these side by side, track for track, with Sony's LDAC codec. And here's what I noticed. When testing the XM6 with more classic styles of music, You can feel that there's more power in the vocal range & more power overall. The vocals sound cleaner due to audibly clearer separation in the mid and high hi-frequencies. This also gives me a sense of more space and a wider soundstage. Now, when I tested this with more bass-heavy tracks, honestly, the XM5s still blow my mind. Side by side default EQ, the bass levels are quite similar, but the bass seems to me to be more controlled and introduces less muddiness in the mid-frequency range. Then, I tested them with some Rage Against the Machine. And yes, the XM5s sound good. They sound very good, but the XM6 just sounds better.
I think it's their ability to deliver those higher-pitched details & nuances in the music whilst at the same time being able to hit those power levels that you'll want if you're into heavy bass that is so impressive. So yeah, if you have the XM5, I'd say these improvements in sound quality and comfort alone are worth the upgrade. As for noise cancelling & voice pick-up, let me know your thoughts on the improvements there. However, if the price of the XM5s drops closer to £200, well, that would be an amazing deal. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about that important bit of info that I learned about Sony's signature sound. The one that the Sony sound engineers modified the driver to create & worked tirelessly on fine-tuning to perfection is actually only activated when the EQ is set to OFF. So, with that in mind, I based my opinions on these with the EQ off.
