JBL Live 780NC vs Sony WH-1000XM6

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Live 780NC compared with WH-1000XM6

	JBLLive 780NC	SonyWH-1000XM6
Overview
Released
Released	March 2026	May 2025
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	–	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	40 mm	30 mm
Back
Back	Closed	–
Impedance
Impedance	32 ohms	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3	SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	No
Chip
Chip	–	QN3
Drivers
Drivers	40 mm dynamic with compound diaphragm; 10 Hz–40 kHz response and 98 dB SPL sensitivity at 1 kHz	30 mm driver unit with a high-rigidity carbon fibre composite dome and neodymium magnet; 4 Hz to 40,000 Hz (wired, switched on); sensitivity 103 dB/mW switched on, 102 dB/mW switched off; impedance 48 Ω switched on, 16 Ω switched off (1 kHz)
Chip
Chip	–	HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3 (Sony says seven times faster than the WH-1000XM5's) and Integrated Processor V2
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0, Ambient Aware and TalkThru	Twelve microphones for noise cancelling; Adaptive NC Optimizer tunes noise cancelling to the fit, surroundings and air pressure; Ambient Sound Mode with Auto Ambient Sound; Quick Attention Mode; Speak-to-Chat; Adaptive Sound Control
Audio features
Audio features	Spatial Sound, Personi-Fi 3.0, Low Volume Dynamic EQ and Auracast; LDAC maker-confirmed, SBC, AAC and LC3 confirmed by Les Numériques	LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); Hi-Res Audio over the headphone cable; DSEE Extreme upscaling; 10-band EQ and Game EQ; 360 Reality Audio; 360 Upmix for Cinema; spatial sound with head tracking; BGM effect; LE Audio with a low-latency mode and Auracast broadcast audio
Hearing health
Hearing health	Personal Sound Amplification and left/right balance; VoiceAware own-voice monitoring	–
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 50 hours	Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 80 hours with ANC off or 50 on; calls 33 hours with ANC off or 28 on; 870 mAh, 3.7 V lithium-ion battery; two-hour full charge	Up to 40 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC, SBC or LC3); with LDAC, 26 hours with noise cancelling on or 36 hours off; talk time up to 24 hours (28 hours with noise cancelling off); up to 28 hours on the headphone cable with noise cancelling on (38 hours off); can be used while charging
Fast charging
Fast charging	Five minutes supplies up to four hours; UK page's hours label is erroneous	3 minutes gives about 3 hours of playback with a USB PD adaptor (9 V/2.3 A or more), or about 1 hour with a 5 V/1.5 A adaptor; full charge in about 3.5 hours
Design
Weight
Weight	260 g	254 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	6.0	5.3
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	Yes	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Customisable button and touch controls	Touch sensor control panel (double-tap to play, pause or answer calls; swipe forwards or backwards to skip; swipe up or down for volume; hold for the voice assistant; cover with your hand for Quick Attention Mode); power and NC/AMB buttons on the left unit (double-press NC/AMB to mute the microphones during calls, once enabled in the app); nod or shake your head to answer or reject calls; proximity sensor pauses music when the headphones are taken off and switches them off after 15 minutes
Microphones
Microphones	Maker prose, PDF and US press table say six microphones including two beamforming call microphones; current UK specification table instead lists four	Twelve microphones for noise cancelling; six-microphone AI-based beamforming for calls; MEMS, omnidirectional
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Foldable over-ear design with metal hinge, silicone headband and soft ear cushions; closed back confirmed by Labo Fnac	Closed, over-ear; wider soft-fit headband in synthetic leather; stretchable earpads; folds flat and folds up to fit the supplied carrying case, which has a magnetic closure
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	No water resistance rating; Sony says the headphones are not waterproof
Dimensions
Dimensions	Outer cushions 98.6 × 80 mm, inner 60.4 × 41.5 mm; cushion height 23 mm	–
Works with
Works with	Two Bluetooth devices; optional Smart Tx transmitter sold separately; supplied 120 cm USB-C-to-3.5 mm cable is analogue and requires power, without USB digital audio or passive listening (Les Numériques)	Sony | Sound Connect app for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; LE Audio and Auracast with compatible devices; the headphone cable also works with the headphones switched off, without noise cancelling
Colours
Colours	Black, White, Sand, Green, Blue, Purple and Orange	Black, Platinum Silver, Midnight Blue, Sand Pink, Sandstone (Sony US; colours vary by region)
In the box
In the box	Headphones, USB-C-to-3.5 mm analogue cable, carrying pouch, warranty and quick-start guide. Maker US March 2026 shipping schedule corroborated by Les Numériques' March retail availability; UK announcement followed in May. Current UK RRP £169.99 differs from the £179.99 launch price	Headphones, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C), headphone cable (about 1.2 m, gold-plated L-shaped stereo mini plug), carrying case, documents