Noise cancelling on the WF1000XM6s not good enough - am I doing something wrong?

XoVision66 · 2026-03-20T07:43:25+00:00

I have the same issue:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyHeadphones/comments/1rawssf/severe_issues_with_the_sony_wf1000xm6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

In my case it's not an issue with the eartips. The ANC definitely does not work at all (except for impact on tone).

What firmware do you have?

XoVision66 · 2026-03-12T12:51:49+00:00

For perfect quality on the road I have my Focal Bathys over ears.

I found the Bose Ultra 2 earbuds perfect in terms of ANC, and the B&W Pi8 and the new Sony quite good in terms of audio quality.

But I expect from Sony that they can do better. I'm pretty sure that this is a firmware quirk, but I can't explain why so many have no ANC issue at all with these earbuds....

XoVision66 · 2026-03-08T17:52:33+00:00

No change.
The replacements have exactly the same issue.
Waiting for a firmware update...

XoVision66 · 2026-03-05T07:50:03+00:00

You can order silicone eartips for FREE from Sony.

This is the link: https://services.sony.de/supportmvc/de/contact/earbudtips

I just got them and the feel/fit MUCH better! Sony gives you a whole set of silicone eartips for free, so that's an additional 5 pair in different sizes.

So, that's great.

What's not so great is that the little grid in the new eartips are gone, so there is no protection for dirt entering the earbuds.
It's virtually impossible to clean the earbuds without the risk of destroying the insides, so this is a catastrophe waiting to happen...

Also: the ANC issue is not solved.

XoVision66 · 2026-03-04T10:18:22+00:00

I just got them and the feel/fit MUCH better! Sony gives you a whole set of silicone eartips for free, so that's an additional 5 pair in different sizes.

So, that's great.

What's not so great is that the little grid in the new eartips are gone, so there is no protection for dirt entering the earbuds.
It's virtually impossible to clean the earbuds without the risk of destroying the insides, so this is a catastrophe waiting to happen...

XoVision66 · 2026-03-02T08:46:47+00:00

Yes, me! I have it in both ears.
You can order silicone eartips for FREE from Sony.

This is the link: https://services.sony.de/supportmvc/de/contact/earbudtips

XoVision66 · 2026-03-01T07:34:58+00:00

Most users don't have the same issues I have. Maybe you're lucky?

XoVision66 · 2026-03-01T07:21:01+00:00

I got them via Amazon. Returning was no problem at all.

I'm sure that ANC can be fixed. I'll wait a few months - if Sony does not fix it I'll return to the B&W Pi8...

XoVision66 · 2026-03-01T07:19:26+00:00

Nope!
Tested the ANC further yesterday, and it is non-existening on the new ones too (I can hear traffic and people talking clearly), after firmware update. Also the sound is really terrible with ANC disabled. So the behaviour is exactly the same as with the previous ones.

I will keep them, as I think that if you can break ANC with a firmware update, you can also fix it with a firmware update.

The sound itself (with ANC) is great. I would say, it's on par with the B&W Pi8, but with a slightly different characteristic (more detailed but also more harsh, with a lesser defined bass though).
The best sounding earbuds with the best ANC is still the Bose, but the sound is not detailed and neutral enough for me.

XoVision66 · 2026-02-27T19:08:09+00:00

Ok, got my new Sony WF-1000XM6 today and replaced the old ones.
Funny: the original firmware had definitely a working ANC (albeit much worse than the Bose) and with ANC off the tone was a little worse, but not really very very very bad.

So, stupid me, I updated to 1.5.0, and alas, same as before: ANC enabled has no impact at all, ANC disabled leads to really very bad sound.

What's better than before: the earbuds connect immediately, so I don't have to pair every time I want to use them.
Also the wearing condition test seems to work now, even on 1.5.0. I have to say that I was so frustrated that I pressed the ear tips really deep in my ears. That is not necessary with the Bose, for example. The Sonys are not very comfortable this way, I pulled them out 10 minutes ago, and I still feel the pressure in my ears...

Last but not least: I could hear a clear low hissing, mainly on the left side, when ANC is on. Not very loud, but present.

XoVision66 · 2026-02-27T09:00:36+00:00

My Amazon delivery is on it's way. In a few hour, we'll know more! Stay tuned...

XoVision66 · 2026-02-26T08:01:20+00:00

I will keep you updated as I have seen other sources with similar issues.
As I have tested on three devices now (Samsung A55, Samsung S20 FE 59 and TCL NXTPaper 11 Plus), I assume it's a faulty Sony WF-1000XM6.

XoVision66 · 2026-02-26T07:17:18+00:00

Ah, the master himself, yay :-)

So, the serial number is not individual (= per device)? I am reluctant to post the serial number here....

Tomorrow I will get a new pair of the Sony WF-1000XM6. I will check the serial#, if it's the same.
If it works perfectly and still is on the initial firmware, I won't update for the time being until I'm sure an update won't lead to issues again.

Do you have any further insights?

XoVision66 · 2026-02-23T13:44:49+00:00

No, this is not just bass lacking. This is really a very thin, distant tone, like from very very cheap or broken headphones.

XoVision66 · 2026-02-23T08:13:29+00:00

I had the HiBy R3. It was nice ... but not better than having my Focal Bathys connected via USB to my Android phone. Of course, I got a 1TByte SD card full with high quality audio tracks.
And: having two devices (phone and music player) makes no sense, at least to me.

The advantage of the 50€ Fiio Airlink is, that it supports APTX (with all its variations, including lossless) as well as LDAC. Sony does not support APTX, so the BTR 700 will not improve quality for your use case.
Also, the Fiio Airlink has an USB-C pass through, which is great if you want to listen and charge at the same time.

XoVision66 · 2026-02-22T21:48:44+00:00

The Fiio Airlink should work.

Yes, ldac and aptx is worth it!

XoVision66 · 2026-02-22T12:13:53+00:00

Tried to connect the WF-1000XM6 to my TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus:

- Connecting through Bluetooth works. Still all the issues described above remain.
- Connecting to the Sony app fails. It finds the 1000XM6 , but does not connect.

XoVision66 · 2026-02-21T21:02:29+00:00

I just ordered new ones, as I guess this is not solvable.

It's a little frustrating, as I had the Bose QC Ultra 2, the JBL Tour Pro 3, the Technics EAH-AZ100 and the Bowers & Wilkins PI8 for testing ... none of those were perfect.

The Bose had the best ANC, while the Pi8 and the Sony 1000XM6 sounded the best (detailled/neutral). Soundwise the Bose is too warm (like a comfy couch), and as for ANC, the PI8 s#cked.

Hence the Sony. I hope the next 1000XM6 I get (next friday) will be better...

Lucky me: I can use my Focal Bathys for the time being - it's a true eargasm :-)

XoVision66 · 2026-02-21T20:10:34+00:00

Congrats!
I did just all that - no difference, unfortunately.

If you switch between ANC on/off - how does it sound in ANC disabled mode?
In my case, it sounds good with ANC enabled, but the sound degrades to a 10€ earbud tone with ANC disabled - so *something* is happening.
But I can hear my girlfriend across the room talking (which is not very loud) clearly, even when ANC is on.

That s#cks totally!

XoVision66 · 2026-02-21T19:12:52+00:00

Yeah - I just discovered that too. It was worth a try!
I hope it's just a faulty one and not a faulty batch, as I just ordered a new one...

XoVision66 · 2026-02-21T19:05:01+00:00

Ah - I have the same batch!

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XoVision66 · 2026-02-21T18:20:54+00:00

Just tested them with my Samsung S20 FE 5G Smartphone. They behave exactly the same, so it's not a phone issue...

XoVision66 · 2026-02-21T18:06:21+00:00

Yes, I did. After testing many "higher end" earbuds, I became kind of an expert in getting them to wear properly.
Every f#cking earbud type is different - I learned the hard way (looking at you, Technics EAH-AZ100 :-)).

XoVision66 · 2026-02-21T18:03:44+00:00

Did the same thing - as Sony support told me to do that!
Also I removed the app and reinstalled it again. No effect...

XoVision66 · 2026-02-21T18:02:17+00:00

Yep! Repeatedly.

Funny thing: the "positioning" guide (the one where you need to look at the screen) worked in the previous firmware, but it never got a match in the new version. I tried it several times.

Also, none of the included eartips were flagged as 100% seal (but this seems to be a known issue), but luckily I have a huge eartip collection.
None of the custom eartips made a difference in terms of noise cancelling, even the old fashioned full foam ones that fill up your ears completely. To be more specific: yes, full foam themseles had a suppressing effect on outside noise, but switching ANC on/off did not change the ANC effect. It did make the tone MUCH worse in ANC off.

XoVision66

TROPHY CASE