Sony
Sony WH-1000XM6
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Released 2025-05
Best Over Ear Headphones · head-to-head
A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Sony WH-1000XM6 is cheaper at —. Every spec and price links to its source.
Sony
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Released 2025-05
Sennheiser
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Released 2022-09
The Sony WH-1000XM6 wins 1 of the 1 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 0.
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✓ marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.
| Spec | | |
|---|---|---|
| US price | — | — |
| Brand | Sony | Sennheiser |
| Released | 2025-05 | 2022-09 |
| ANC | Yes | Yes |
| Driver (mm) | 30 | — |
| Battery hr | 30 | 60 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive |
| Wired option | Yes | Yes |
| Weight (g) | 254 | 300 |
| Release | 2025-05 | 2022-09 |
Sources — Sony WH-1000XM6: headphonecheck.com (verified 2026-06-15). Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless: headphonecheck.com (verified 2026-06-15).
Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (4 of 7). Matching specs are omitted.
Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.
Three whitelisted testers (SoundGuys, What Hi-Fi, Tom's Guide) rate the WH-1000XM6 a strong flagship. SoundGuys (5-day test) logged 37 hours 14 minutes of battery with ANC and a 4.8/5 MDAQS score, praising excellent ANC, sound and microphone but flagging thin pads and no USB-C audio. What Hi-Fi (Awards 2025 winner, five stars) calls it the best-sounding Sony flagship with class-leading calls and rates comfort a full 5/5. Tom's Guide's 3-months-later follow-up is the outlier, judging the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 better-sounding and the Bose QC Ultra better at blocking noise, and calling the build cheap-feeling for $449. Reviewers split on comfort, value and how much the XM6 improves on the XM5. (3 sourced reviews, 1 lab-tested.)
Praised: Excellent, refined active noise cancellation; Best-sounding Sony WH-1000X flagship to date; Class-leading call/microphone quality.
Flagged: Comfort compromises: thin pads, ANC mic can rub the ear, headband pressure point; No USB-C audio / lack of cutting-edge connectivity; ANC gains over the XM5 feel marginal; Bose still blocks more noise (Tom's Guide).
Four whitelisted testers (SoundGuys, Engadget, Tom's Guide, What Hi-Fi) rate the Momentum 4 Wireless a top-value ANC over-ear: class-leading battery life and refined, neutral sound draw praise, though ANC trails Bose/Sony flagships and the restyle looks generic. SoundGuys lab-measured 56h21m of playback with ANC on; Engadget clocked 57h at ~75% volume. All four quotes and both measured battery figures were confirmed verbatim in the fetched pages. (4 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)
Praised: Exceptional, class-leading battery life (far beyond ~30h rivals); Refined, balanced, neutral sound quality; Comfortable, lightweight fit with plush padding.
Flagged: ANC is effective but trails Bose/Sony flagships; Generic, anonymous restyle drops the classy older Momentum aesthetic; Buggy/unreliable Smart Control app connectivity.