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Products
Sonos Ace
Sony WH-1000XM6
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jun 18, 2025 12:12 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Oct 30, 2025 02:32 PM
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Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountVery Emphasized (5 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountBalanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
Our Verdict
Sonos Ace
Sony WH-1000XM6
The Sonos Ace and Sony WH-1000XM6 both sit at the premium end of the consumer headphone market. While their performance is comparable in areas like noise isolation and battery life, the Sony benefit from years of refinement in this space, whereas the Ace, Sonos's first foray into headphones, misses the mark in a few areas. Notably, the lack of a graphic EQ is surprising at this price point. The Sonos' microphone performance also trails behind the Sony's, with voices rendered thinner and less intelligible in noisy environments. On the other hand, the Sonos offer a more comfortable fit and integrate neatly into the Sonos ecosystem. You can link them to a compatible soundbar for TV audio, though the feature requires an iOS device and is not without its quirks.
Variants
- Ace (Black)
- Ace (Soft White)
- WH-1000XM6 (Black)
- WH-1000XM6 (Midnight Blue)
- WH-1000XM6 (Platinum Silver)
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Black
Ace
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WH-1000XM6
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Ace
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WH-1000XM6
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WH-1000XM6
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Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.3
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,150 Hz
500 Hz
Bass Amount
2.8 dB
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (5 dB)
Treble Amount
-1.5 dB
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
6.7
6.0
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.69 dB
1.30 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.8
7.8
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.2 dB
4.6 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
1.49 dB
4.83 dB
Mid Bass
4.29 dB
4.8 dB
High Bass
3.46 dB
3.95 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.1
8.7
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.88 dB
1.74 dB
Low Mid
1.87 dB
2.33 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.78 dB
-0.8 dB
High Mid
-1.4 dB
-0.11 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
6.4
8.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.77 dB
2.82 dB
Low Treble
-2.95 dB
0.03 dB
Mid Treble
0.48 dB
-2.49 dB
High Treble
-6.66 dB
-1.17 dB
Stereo Mismatch
7.3
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.27
0.59 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.45
0.99 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
3.15
1.6°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
3.8
6.2
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
3.55 dB
4.49 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.54 dB
6.56 dB
PRTF Distance
4.68 dB
11.62 dB
Openness
0.5
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.6
Harmonic Distortion
9.4
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.688
0.06%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.226
0.12%
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
Dolby Atmos
360 Reality Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
3.1.4-e16e1c539
2.0.2
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
aptX HD, 24-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
No EQ
Off
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Imaging
8.6
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.14
Weighted Phase Mismatch
3.15
1.6°
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.27
0.59 dB
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.45
0.99 dB
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
6.9
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.688
0.06%
WHD @ 100
0.226
0.12%
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.5
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.7 lbs
0.56 lbs
Clamping Force
0.9 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
7.9
8.1
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
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
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
6.1
6.2
Portability Picture
L
7.9" (20.1 cm)
7.5" (19.0 cm)
W
7.2" (18.4 cm)
6.1" (15.4 cm)
H
1.7" (4.2 cm)
2.0" (5.0 cm)
Volume
94.79 in³ (1,553.33 cm³)
87.63 in³ (1,436.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
7.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
8.9" (22.5 cm)
8.3" (21.0 cm)
W
7.5" (19.1 cm)
7.4" (18.9 cm)
H
1.9" (4.9 cm)
2.6" (6.5 cm)
Volume
128.50 in³ (2,105.78 cm³)
157.43 in³ (2,579.85 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.0
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
-26.43 dB
-28.40 dB
Bass
-23.54 dB
-20.10 dB
Mid
-24.82 dB
-32.30 dB
Treble
-31.71 dB
-34.19 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.6
9.9
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-23.27 dB
-24.43 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-22.71 dB
-24.09 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-23.80 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
7.0
7.7
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
281 Hz
20 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.81 dB
4.24 dB
HFE
6,267.15 Hz
7,240.77 Hz
Weighted THD
11.345
N/A
Gain
27.95 dB
20.34 dB
Noise Handling
6.6
8.2
SpNR
26.04 dB
58.59 dB
Noise Gate
No
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
8.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.0
8.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.5
9.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
35.6 hrs
31.75 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
35.6 hrs
31.75 hrs
Charge Time
2.5 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
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
Sonos
Sony Sound Connect
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
Yes
No
Equalizer
Two Band EQ
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
On/Off
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
Yes
Playback Control
Yes
Yes
Button Mapping
No
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
6.3
9.8
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
USB-C
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
3.87 ft (1.18 m)
3.94 ft (1.20 m)
Connector
USB-C
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
43.2 ms
0.4 ms
Latency - USB
65.1 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
USB
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
7.8
8.8
Bluetooth Version
5.4
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
Yes
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
272 ms
212 ms
Latency - aptX
265 ms
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
353 ms
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
75 ms
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
230 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
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
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
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
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Black
Ace
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WH-1000XM6
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Ace
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WH-1000XM6
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WH-1000XM6
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Sonos Ace
Sony WH-1000XM6
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Sonos Ace vs Sony WH-1000XM6: Main Discussion
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