My opinion
In the previous post I mentioned that I regularly use both of these headphones, but which do I think are the better choice.
I purchased the Bose first to replace a previous pair of Bose Headphones that I had for many years but they were getting the worse for wear.
The Sony I bought because I travel a lot and having left a pair of ear buds behind in a hotel drawer and then dropping one of the buds on a plane and spending 20 mins with the aid of cabin crew decided to buy an additional set of headphones to keep in my travel bag!
Let’s start off by saying that these are both are excellent premium noise-cancelling headphones, but they have different strengths.
Noise cancelling: Its very difficult to choose between the two of them, though reviewers on sites such as techradar.com suggest that the Sony’s come out on top.
Comfort: This is where I think that Bose win out. It I know I am going to be wearing the headphones for a long period of time then Bose is my go to choice of headphones. These are the ones that I will choose to travel with as I find them more comfortable not only to wear over my ears but also to wear round my neck.
Sound Quality: For me there is not much to choose between them, although some people find that the Sony have the edge and find the app features enhance their listening experience. From that point of view I prefer the Bose as its a simpler experience. On this point I find it much easier to connect the Bose to my devices, whether its phone, computer or TV.
Controls: Once connected (see above) the Sony wins hands down on this. On the Bose the buttons are physical for features such as volume and track, on the Sony its finger touch on the right hand speaker. A feature that on a Bose that would tempt me to buy a new Bose pair!
Wireless Codecs: This was something that I didn’t really care about until recently until I changed my streaming service to one that provides higher quality music files than my previous provider. I noticed a small but perceptible difference when connect to the Sony.
To be honest I don’t use either of them for phone calls, so cant make a judgement, but reviews online suggest that the Sony is a winner here. If that’s important you, then you might want to read up some more on that.
Finally battery life: The Sony last a bit longer, but Bose last long enough for lengthy travels so I haven’t found that an issue.
Which should you buy?
The Sony WH-1000XM6 if:
- Noise cancelling is important for you.
- Arguably has better sound quality.
- You will be wearing your headphones whilst making calls.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra if:
- Comfort, especially during travel of long days at work is important.
- Your phone/device benefits from aptX Adaptive or Snapdragon Sound eg Sony Xperian and Motorola.
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Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphones (*Ad)
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