Sony WH-1000XM6

The noise-cancelling benchmark — and the folding hinge is finally back. At $449.99, Sony's 2025 model sits at the premium end of the category — the headphones we compare run from $89 to $549. It scores 8.6/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 10 categories rather than from a subjective impression.

Its strongest showing is Noise Cancelling at 9.8/10 — how well ambient noise is blocked. The weakest is Durability at 7.5/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.

Worth knowing before you buy: no USB-C audio playback — the port charges only, a real omission at this price; and 30mm drivers are the smallest here. Every specification on this page comes from Sony's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.