Sony WH-1000XM6

Pushing the boundaries of ANC headsets

- ANSHUMAN GHOSH

I must admit, few headphones get as much attention as Sony's latest active noise cancelling (ANC) cans, and the Sony WH-1000XM6 probably stands out as the most-anticipated of its line. Topping the lists of “best ANC headphones” from outlets online, do these new cans stack up to the rest of the lineup, or do they fall flat? Let's discover!

The Sony WH-1000XM6 is for commuters, travellers, or anyone who needs an all-rounder set of wireless noise cancelling headphones. Interestingly, it's the story of Sony, hunting and removing gripes from its past models, in the same line. The fragile hinge has vanished, gone is the odd lay-flat-only design of the WH-1000XM5, and gone is the difficult-to-distinguish power button on the earcup! The company even fixed the ANC mic cover issue by replacing the shield with a grille. Looks like Sony, very intently addressed what people found objectionable about past headphones and attacked each gripe, head-on! This is good: you wouldn't have to worry about these little things any longer! As these headphones are meant to assume the roles of a primary music vehicle, telecom headset, and noise attenuators, guess they've got a lot on their plate!