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Products
Apple AirPods Max
Sony WH-1000XM6
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Sep 22, 2025 03:42 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Aug 11, 2025 07:07 PM
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BestBuy.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountSlightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountUnderemphasized (-4 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountVery Emphasized (5 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountBalanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods Max
Sony WH-1000XM6
While the Sony WH-1000XM6 are certified Made for iPhone (MFi), the Apple AirPods Max are still the better option for use in the Apple ecosystem. Although the Sony have better performance in most metrics like noise attenuation, microphone quality, and customizability of both function and sound, the AirPods Max have more replicable audio delivery across individuals and between reseats, making their sound reproduction more predictable and consistent. That said, if you're not in the Apple ecosystem, the AirPods Max probably aren't the pick for you, as you'll lose a lot of functionality. If you're on iOS or running macOS, it's a toss-up between the two products, depending on what you prioritize, though it's worth mentioning that you won't have access to head tracking on the Sony outside of Android.
Variants
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Blue)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Green)
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Midnight)
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Orange)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Pink)
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Purple)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Silver)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Sky Blue)
- AirPods Max (Lightning) (Space Gray)
- AirPods Max (USB-C) (Starlight)
- WH-1000XM6 (Black)
- WH-1000XM6 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM6 (Platinum Silver)
Check Price
Blue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Amazon.comBlack
WH-1000XM6
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BestBuy.comGreen
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Walmart.comMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comMidnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Amazon.comPlatinum Silver
WH-1000XM6
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BestBuy.comOrange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEARCH
Amazon.comPurple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Amazon.comSky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Amazon.comSpace Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Walmart.comStarlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Amazon.comMain Differences forSports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
6.9
7.4
Stability
6.5
7.0
Bluetooth Connection
7.9
8.8
Comfort
7.0
7.5
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,250 Hz
500 Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
Treble Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
Balanced (-1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
8.1
6.0
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.83 dB
1.30 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.7
7.8
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.5 dB
4.6 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
1.71 dB
4.83 dB
Mid Bass
1.08 dB
4.8 dB
High Bass
1.43 dB
3.95 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.2
8.7
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.27 dB
1.74 dB
Low Mid
0.42 dB
2.33 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.05 dB
-0.8 dB
High Mid
-1.35 dB
-0.11 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
6.3
8.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.91 dB
2.82 dB
Low Treble
-4.96 dB
0.03 dB
Mid Treble
-2.98 dB
-2.49 dB
High Treble
-2.68 dB
-1.17 dB
Stereo Mismatch
9.1
7.3
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.10 dB
0.59 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
0.67 dB
0.99 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
0.6°
1.6°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
4.4
6.2
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
4.28 dB
4.49 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
6.81 dB
6.56 dB
PRTF Distance
5.22 dB
11.62 dB
Harmonic Distortion
9.5
9.4
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.06%
0.06%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.10%
0.12%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
119.5 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
103.2 dB
104.9 dB
Virtual Soundstage
2.9
7.3
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
Presets
Head Tracking
On/Off
On/Off
Virtual Surround
Spatial Audio
360 Reality Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
6A326
2.0.2
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Adaptive EQ
Off
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.0
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.85 lbs
0.56 lbs
Clamping Force
1.2 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
7.9
8.1
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
iOS
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Great
Good
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Portability
6.0
6.2
Portability Picture
L
7.8" (19.8 cm)
7.5" (19.0 cm)
W
7.5" (19.1 cm)
6.1" (15.4 cm)
H
1.7" (4.3 cm)
2.0" (5.0 cm)
Volume
99.00 in³ (1,622.31 cm³)
87.63 in³ (1,436.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
6.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Soft case
Hard case
L
7.9" (20.1 cm)
8.3" (21.0 cm)
W
8.5" (21.6 cm)
7.4" (18.9 cm)
H
1.7" (4.3 cm)
2.6" (6.5 cm)
Volume
114.00 in³ (1,868.12 cm³)
157.43 in³ (2,579.85 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
9.4
9.7
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-26.06 dB
-28.40 dB
Bass
-19.54 dB
-20.10 dB
Mid
-30.62 dB
-32.30 dB
Treble
-28.95 dB
-34.19 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.0
9.9
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-21.85 dB
-24.43 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-19.98 dB
-24.09 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-21.92 dB
-26.88 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.6
7.7
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
273 Hz
20 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.77 dB
4.24 dB
HFE
3,466.89 Hz
7,240.77 Hz
Weighted THD
3.025
N/A
Gain
15.85 dB
20.34 dB
Noise Handling
5.0
8.2
SpNR
9.61 dB
58.59 dB
Noise Gate
No
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
5.0
8.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.0
8.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.3
9.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
21.6 hrs
31.75 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
21.6 hrs
31.75 hrs
Charge Time
1.5 hrs
1.75 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
Yes
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
6.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
iOS Interface
Sony Sound Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
On/Off
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
Yes
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
No
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.3
9.8
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
N/A
3.94 ft (1.20 m)
Connector
Lightning
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
1.7 ms
0.4 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
7.9
8.8
Bluetooth Version
5.0+H1 chip
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
No
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
Yes
No
Line Of Sight Range
328.00 ft (99.97 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
185 ms
212 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
230 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
LDAC
AAC Support
Yes
Yes
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Blue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
WH-1000XM6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comGreen
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Walmart.comMidnight Blue
WH-1000XM6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comMidnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPlatinum Silver
WH-1000XM6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.comOrange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEARCH
Amazon.comPurple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSilver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSpace Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
SEE PRICE
Walmart.comStarlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Apple AirPods Max
Sony WH-1000XM6
Comments
Apple AirPods Max vs Sony WH-1000XM6: Main Discussion
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