Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Sony WH-CH700N
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| SonyWH-1000XM6 | SonyWH-CH700N | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | May 2025 | 2018 |
| Sound | ||
| Type | Over-ear | Over-ear |
| Noise cancelling | Yes | Yes |
| Transparency mode | Yes | – |
| Spatial audio with head tracking | Yes | – |
| Driver size | 30 mm | 40 mm |
| Back | – | Closed |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3 | SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX HD |
| Lossless over USB-C | No | – |
| Chip | QN3 | – |
| Drivers | 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) | 40 mm dome drivers with neodymium magnets; wired response 7 Hz–20 kHz (JEITA), or 20 Hz–20 kHz powered on. Impedance 22 ohms powered on and 48 ohms off; sensitivity 97 dB/mW on and 98 dB/mW off at 1 kHz. |
| Chip | HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3 (Sony says seven times faster than the WH-1000XM5's) and Integrated Processor V2 | – |
| Noise cancelling detail | 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 | Digital noise cancelling; hold the NC button for AI noise cancelling to analyse surroundings and choose between three modes. |
| Audio features | 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 | DSEE; app equaliser and VPT surround settings. |
| Battery | ||
| Listening time (maker's claim) | Up to 30 hours | Up to 35 hours |
| Battery life detail | 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 | Bluetooth playback with aptX/aptX HD: up to 35 hours with noise cancelling, 40 without. SBC/AAC with DSEE enabled: 35/40 hours; with DSEE off: 40/45 hours. Powered wired playback with noise cancelling: up to 50 hours. Actual duration depends on settings and conditions. |
| 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 | Micro-USB; approximately seven hours for a full charge; ten minutes gives about 60 minutes of music playback. |
| Design | ||
| Weight | 254 g | 240 g (better) |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 4.1 |
| Two devices at once | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone cable | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Physical power, volume, playback/call and NC buttons; phone voice assistant access. NC button can be reassigned to Google Assistant or Alexa with compatible firmware, app and phone; availability varies by region. |
| Microphones | Twelve microphones for noise cancelling; six-microphone AI-based beamforming for calls; MEMS, omnidirectional | Omnidirectional electret condenser microphone, 50 Hz–8 kHz. |
| Fit and ear tips | 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 | Adjustable headband; inward-angled drivers; earcups swivel flat; approximately 240 g excluding cable. |
| Water resistance detail | No water resistance rating; Sony says the headphones are not waterproof | Not waterproof |
| Works with | 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 | NFC; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP. Multipoint assigns music and calls to different devices; unavailable while using Google Assistant or Alexa. Up to eight paired devices. Wired listening works with power off and disables Bluetooth; calls use the connected phone's microphone. |
| Colours | Black, Platinum Silver, Midnight Blue, Sand Pink, Sandstone (Sony US; colours vary by region) | Black, Grey and Blue; regional availability varies |
| In the box | 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 | Headphones, approximately 1.2 m detachable headphone cable and micro-USB charging cable. |
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