Sony MDR-1000X vs Sony WH-1000XM6

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MDR-1000X compared with WH-1000XM6

	SonyMDR-1000X	SonyWH-1000XM6
Overview
Released
Released	September 2016	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	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX and LDAC	SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	–	No
Chip
Chip	–	QN3
Drivers
Drivers	40 mm dome-type drivers with aluminium-coated liquid crystal polymer diaphragms, CCAW voice coils and neodymium magnets; 4 Hz to 40 kHz wired frequency response; 46 ohms powered on or 14 ohms off 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	Sense Engine with dual noise sensors and a Personal NC Optimiser; Ambient Sound Mode offers Normal and Voice settings, and Quick Attention passes outside sound through while a hand covers the right earcup	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	LDAC, aptX, AAC and SBC over Bluetooth; DSEE HX upscaling and S-Master HX amplification; NFC pairing	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
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 20 hours	Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours with noise cancelling on or 22 hours off; up to 24 hours of talk time with noise cancelling on; full charge in about four hours	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	–	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	275 g	254 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.1	5.3
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Right earcup touch panel for playback, calls and volume; separate power, noise cancelling and ambient-sound buttons	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	Omnidirectional electret condenser microphone with a 100 Hz to 8 kHz frequency range	Twelve microphones for noise cancelling; six-microphone AI-based beamforming for calls; MEMS, omnidirectional
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Circumaural ear cushions; swivelling earcups fold into the supplied carrying case	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
Works with
Works with	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; 3.5 mm detachable cable allows listening with the headphones switched off; Micro-USB charges the battery	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, Grey Beige	Black, Platinum Silver, Midnight Blue, Sand Pink, Sandstone (Sony US; colours vary by region)
In the box
In the box	Headphones, carrying case, 1.5 m headphone cable, Micro-USB cable and in-flight plug adaptor	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