Even better now! 😲 Sony WH-1000XM6 Firmware 3.1.5 (GMAP update)
So firmware 3.1.5 just dropped for the Sony WH-1000XM6, and what’s interesting is that this update adds GMAP support, which is actually Bluetooth LE Audio’s gaming profile. It does two things. First, when you’re playing games on supported devices, the XM6 can switch into lower latency so bluetooth lag is reduced even more. And second, you can use the microphones for voice chat without the sound quality getting destroyed.
But do note that not all devices support GMAP even if they do support LE Audio. So to ensure that you get to use GMAP, you will need a dongle which you can simply plug in over USB, if you need quality voice chat and low latency audio for gaming. (I was about to recommend the Creative BT-W6, but when connected to the Sony WH-1000XM6, that one has playback issues when in LE Audio mode. The search continues!)
Aside from that, the update note says ‘other functions improved’. So we’re going to see if this new update has any impact on the WH-1000XM6’s performance, such as mic pickup, noise canceling and sound quality. So buckle up!
Microphone Quality
In terms of microphone quality, there doesn’t seem to be a difference, but maybe, voice filtering is a little cleaner in noisy conditions. But it’s such a small difference that I could barely tell. This is what is sounds like in both quiet and noisy conditions using really loud cafe noise, and wind noise from this fan.
👉🏻 Have a listen to the mic quality samples
Active Noise Cancelling
As for active noise canceling, it doesn’t seem like a huge difference, but from this frequency sweep, compared to the previous firmware 3.0.0, canceling under 150hz seems a bit weaker, but the canceling of midrange noises does seem to be improved a lot more. So if you listen to the following samples that I’ve recorded, you are going to get a bit more silence from them on the new firmware.
👉🏻 Have a listen to the ANC quality samples
Transparency Mode
In terms of transparency, there doesn’t seem to be a huge change, except that there seems to be a bit more passthrough in the sub bass region. But from what I’m hearing, transparency seems to sound just as clear and natural as before the update.
Sound Quality
For sound quality, frequency sweep show that there aren’t any significant differences, except for some boosting in the lower midrange that could shift the timbre in vocals to sound a bit fuller. Apart from that, as far as I can hear, not much difference versus the previous firmware. I’ve recorded some sound samples comparing the new firmware to the previous one.
👉🏻 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
So that’s how the XM6 on firmware 3.1.5 compares to 3.0.0, let me know if you’ve spotted any difference not mentioned in the article.
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