Sony has a new flagship pair of over-ear headphones in the WH-1000XM6, but if you’re looking to upgrade from an older ANC pair, is it worth making the jump to the Sony.

Promising to offer the “best noise cancelling” and “premium sound quality”, the Sony WH-1000XM6 are undoubtedly eyeing up a spot on our best over-ear headphones list. But how do they compare to the Bose QuietComfort 45 that launched back in 2021?

Considering the Bose QuietComfort 45 earned a four-star rating from us upon their launch, are they still a solid choice for consumers? Or should you upgrade to the newer Sony WH1000XM6?

To help you decide, we’ve compared the specs of the two over-ear headphones below. 

Price

The recently launched Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are available in three colours, Black, Midnight Blue and Platinum Silver, and have an RRP of £400 / $400 / €450.

While the Bose QuietComfort 45 are no longer available to buy new from the Bose website, you can still nab the headphones from third party retailers such as Amazon for around the £200 mark.

You can also buy a refurbished pair directly from Bose, at just £179.95.

Both headphones offer noise-cancellation

We’ll start with a key similarity between the two headphones, which is that both the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort 45 offer noise cancelling technology.

Although less expensive, we were very impressed by the QuietComfort 45’s noise cancelling back in 2021, with both Quiet and Aware modes working brilliantly to eliminate unwanted noise.

In Quiet Mode, we found everything from vehicles to voices were reduced with confidence.  However, this was back in 2021 and noise-cancellation has gotten better with time

While we haven’t reviewed the Sony WH-1000XM6 yet, in our early impressions of the headphones we found the ANC to be great and able to deal with the likes of plane engines to the London Underground with ease. 

The Sony 1000XM6 sound more natural

Sony’s HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3 boasts processing speeds “seven times faster than its predecessor” which helps to deliver a leap in noise cancelling, sound quality and call clarity. 

We found in our initial hands-on with the headphones that the sound quality on offer is “good” with a wider soundstage that sounds “good across a range of genres”.

Having said that, the Bose QuietComfort 45 offers a “clean, detailed and sharp presentation” however we found they can also sound “clinical and a little brittle in tone”.

Sony WH-1000XM6 has 12 microphones

With a total of 12 microphones, the WH-1000XM6 doesn’t just surpass the eight of the WH-1000XM5 but also the four of the QuietComfort 45.

Sony explains the microphones of the WH-1000XM6 are optimally placed in order to allow noise cancelling to adapt precisely to the headphone’s fit and environment. 

Plus, the microphones work to filter noise and let in potentially important external sounds like announcements and conversations.

Sony WH-1000XM6 has longer battery life

Sony explains that the WH-1000XM6 offers up to 40 hours of battery life with noise cancelling switched off or up to 30 hours with ANC enabled, making these headphones ideal for long-haul trips.

Plus, when it does come time to top up your headphones, a three minute charge via the USB-C port results in up to three hours of playback too (as long as you have the right USB cable). 

The QuietComfort 45 don’t boast as much in the battery department. They offer up to 22-hours on a single charge while a 15-minute top-up will result in up to three hours of use too. 

However, it’s worth noting that while Sony says it’ll take roughly three and a half hours to fully recharge the WH-1000XM6, Bose promises the QuietComfort 45 will recharge quicker in just two and a half hours instead.

Sony WH-1000XM6 features more ways to control

While both the WH-1000XM6 and QuietComfort 45 have on-device buttons to control the audio and settings, the WH-100XM6 has a selection of responsive gestures too.

Not only can you open your music app with a simple tap, but you can also operate your headphones using natural head gestures. For example, nodding or shaking your head can either answer or decline a call. 

Otherwise, the QuietComfort 45 has easy to reach buttons which are well placed to avoid any issue when operating the headphones. While the left earcup has a button for switching between noise cancelling modes, the right has buttons that double up for playback and volume.

Early Verdict

We’ll hold off from giving a conclusive verdict until we review the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. However, with a powerful processor, excellent sound quality and noise cancelling technology, the WH-1000XM6 promises to be a brilliant pair of headphones.

If you are still sporting the Bose QuietComfort 45, and think it’s time to upgrade, then Sony’s new flagships are a great choice.

However, if you want a more budget friendly set that still offers great audio quality and that we hailed as boasting “tremendous” noise cancelling, the Bose QuietComfort 45 still represent a solid pair of headphones.