Easy choice! 🤔 Sony WH-1000XM6 vs ULT Wear Review
Comparing the WH-1000XM6 to the ULT Wear might be unfair in terms of price point. Obviously there are reasons why the XM6 is premium tier. Spoiler alert: Yes, the XM6 with its 12 microphones are going to outshine the ULT Wear. The question is, is the difference so big that it justifies paying double, or even triple? But as you’re going to see quickly, there are reasons you might want to go for the ULT Wear instead of the XM6. We’re going to compare them in terms of sound, mic pickup, noise canceling, transparency and features.
Microphone Quality
In terms of mic pickup, they’re both very comparable in quiet conditions, but in noisy, windy conditions, the XM6 is far better than the ULT Wear at reducing background noise, and cleaning up my voice so that it sounds clearer.
👉 Have a listen to the microphone quality
Active Noise Cancelling
The ULT Wear’s active noise canceling is decent, but the XM6 is on a totally different level of quiet. This measurement shows that the ULT Wear’s noise canceling is weaker throughout the frequency spectrum, from the lows to the mids to the highs.
And it even has some damping issues, because we’re seeing a lot of resonance in the sub-bass frequencies which means you’ll also be hearing some rumble in certain situations, like on a plane. Not so the XM6, you can see that sub-bass noise is under control, aside from being a lot quieter throughout.
👉 Have a listen to the ANC quality
Transparency Mode
In terms of transparency, both the XM6 and the ULT Wear are quite comparable. Of course, the ULT Wear’s sub-bass resonance is still there but they both follow the base noise level pretty closely, so background sounds are going to sound quite natural, good for quick awareness and verbal exchanges with people.
The XM6 transparency is more crisp and airy though. You can tell that it’s sponging up more of the background, and is closer to not wearing headphones at all compared to the ULT Wear.
Sound Quality
When it comes to sound quality, the XM6 and the ULT Wear are for two totally different clientele. Obviously the bass heads and people who like more volume will go for the ULT Wear because it has the ability to put out more thump and rumble than even the XM6 at max bass settings.
👉 Have a listen to the sound quality
But even on normal settings, which is ULT mode ‘off’ the ULT Wear still sounds pretty decent. Just needs a bit of tweaking in the mids and highs to sound good. I’ve even got them to sound close to the XM4 and XM5 headphones in a previous video.
But even with tweaking,it’s still not going to sound as clean as the XM6 in terms of track separation, and it won’t sound as detailed in the highs. Maybe it’s because the XM6 can reproduce double the frequency range of the ULT Wear, and it has DSEE Extreme which restores more treble detail, in any case, it sounds more open and clean in the mids and highs, and bass is cleaner and tighter.
With my SINGAPORE SPRING custom EQ, its sound quality gap with the ULT Wear just widens even more. So go for the ULT Wear for bass and a fun listening experience, but the XM6 is for more discerning listeners.
Which one should you buy - WH-1000XM6 or ULT Wear?
Sound quality aside, with the 12 microphones and the new QN3 processor, the XM6 is also more advanced in terms of noise canceling tech, mic pickup, and transparency. It also has Auto-Ambient mode, Speak-to-Chat, head gesture and voice controls, as well as new Spatial Audio modes, one that recreates a cafe background music experience, and a Cinema mode which lets you upmix any stereo source into 360 Spatial Audio.
In terms of build quality and finishing, the XM6 also feels more premium and substantial right down to the foam material. So all of these factors combined could justify the premium tier pricing of the XM6, which is 2 or 3 times of the ULT Wear.
However, my argument in favor of the ULT Wear is that it’s still compelling for people who want deeper and louder bass, and slightly better comfort, because even though they are the same weight, the ULT Wear’s clamping pressure feels a little less tight than the XM6, and the cushioning is deeper, both on the earcups and the headband.
Furthermore, if you’re concerned about durability issues of the ULT Wear, specifically in the hinges, I have been told by Sony that the year 2025 batches have reinforced hinges and all those affected by earlier batches can get them replaced up to January 2027. That is reassuring, that is why the ULT Wear is still compelling to me as a value for money alternative to the XM6.
Check latest prices:
Sony WH-1000XM6 - https://amzn.to/3SMPzRa
Sony ULT Wear - https://amzn.to/4khqVV1
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