Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Generation comparison, as someone who has purchased both pairs of earbuds with my own money.
I’ve conducted thorough testing of both wireless earbuds, and I will break down a winner for each category including:
- Comfort and Fit
- Features
- Battery Life
- Microphone Quality
- Noise Cancelling Performance
- Sound Quality
- Value
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNOW YouTube channel with over 17,000+ subscribers and over 4 million+ views, where you can watch the video versions of all of our reviews and comparisons.
Let’s dive right in!
Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Comparison in Short
The Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen are both at the very top when it comes to noise cancelling performance currently, but the XM6 has the superior audiophile sound quality that is in a level above the Bose. The Bose is still the more comfortable and secure-fitting pair. These are two of the best “daily driver” options for the wireless noise cancelling earbud class.
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Comfort, Features, Microphone Quality, and Battery Life
Comfort
The Sony WF-1000XM6 comes with 4 pairs of hybrid silicone-like and memory foam eartips.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen comes with 3 pairs of soft silicone eartips, and 3 wingtips.
Overall, I prefer the more comfortable and more secure fit of the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2 over the Sony XM6 earbuds.
The Bose features softer silicone eartips that are less stiff than the XM6’s hybrid material, and has a better “forget you’re wearing them” effect.
Also, the shape of the Bose earbud is simply more ergonomic than the rather odd shape of the XM6’s earbud.
Add in the wingtips to further secure the Bose, and it is the superior earbud for comfort and fit.
To improve the comfort and fit of the XM6, I’ve really enjoyed using these aftermarket ones I tested from SpinFit (note that this entire review is using the stock eartips):
Features
Both earbuds are pretty tied for features as they were originally released within 6 months of each other.
They both support high-res codecs, with the Bose using aptX Adaptive, and the XM6 using LDAC which was developed by Sony.
Both support Spatial Audio and have multi-point connection.
Microphone Quality
For microphone quality, these are two of the best options available currently, with the slightly newer Sony XM6 being the superior choice.
The Bose QC Ultra 2 did a good job of improving from the previous 1st Gen, but the Sony earbuds have had better mic quality beginning with the Sony WF-1000XM5, which introduced bone conduction sensors also used in the XM6.
I’d go with the Sony XM6 earbuds if microphone quality was a top priority.
Otherwise, the Bose is perfectly serviceable here.
Battery Life
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Battery Life
- With ANC on: 6 hours of battery life on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 6 hours on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 20 minutes = 2 hours of playback
Sony WF-1000XM6 Battery Life
- With ANC on: 8 hours of battery life on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 12 hours on a single charge / 36 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 5 minutes = 1 hour of playback
The XM6 earbuds have a decent advantage when it comes to battery life.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Score: 9.0 out of 10
Sony WF-1000XM6 Score: 9.0 out of 10
Winner: Tie
Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Noise Cancelling Performance Compared
Sony and Bose are two of the premier brands for noise cancelling technology in both headphones and earbuds in the market today.
I find the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen to be the two best noise cancelling earbuds available.
They are just very effective across the board for blocking out a large amount of frequencies and producing silence.
In order to find something better, you’d have to look at the over-ear headphone counterparts from both brands.
The transparency modes also work perfectly fine in both earbuds, some of the better implementations in the class.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Score: 9.0 out of 10
Sony WF-1000XM6 Score: 9.0 out of 10
Winner: Tie
Sound Quality
When it comes to their features, these two earbuds have been pretty tied so far…
But sound quality is where all of that changes.
Now, on paper, it’s cool to see both earbuds support high-res codecs.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 with aptX Adaptive, and the XM6 with the Sony-developed LDAC.
To conduct this test, I used my Questyle QCC Dongle Pro to unlock both aptX and LDAC support:
If you’re an iPhone user, or if your phone doesn’t support aptX codecs, then I highly recommend you pick up the dongle above which will cover both LDAC and aptX Adaptive high-res codecs. It’s the only one of its kind that supports both, to my knowledge.
Off the bat, there is a clear difference in sound quality to my ears in favor of the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds over the Bose QC Ultra 2.
Yes, they both support high-res codecs, but it simply sounds like the hardware on the XM6 is in a level above the Bose QC Ultra 2.
Starting with the sound profile, the Bose QC Ultra 2 is tuned slightly consumer-friendly while the XM6 is more neutral and tonally balanced.
Audiophiles would gravitate towards the more accurate and mid-range focused XM6 over the fairly mainstream sound of the Bose QCU2.
Both earbuds have prominent bass, but the Sony XM6’s is cleaner with better texture.
The mids is what sets these two apart in my opinion, with the XM6 sounding fuller and more natural, with a more realistic timbre over the Bose QCU2.
Then when we discuss the audiophile technicalities, I just think the XM6 is in a level above the Bose QCU2 for detail, separation, and layering.
Simply put, the Bose QCU2 doesn’t sound bad by any means, but I put its sound quality on par with the previous-gen Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds instead.
The newer XM6 earbuds compete with some of the best-sounding earbuds in this class.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Score: 7.9 out of 10
Sony WF-1000XM6 Score: 8.6 out of 10
Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6
Value
The Sony WF-1000XM6 is a new release that retails at $329.99 USD.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen retails for $299, but is found on sale for around $249 to $269 currently.
Comparing full retail, we’re talking a price difference of only $30 or so.
But on sale, the Bose QCU2 can get down to $80 cheaper than the XM6 earbuds.
Since both of these are fairly tied in most categories including noise cancelling performance and mic quality, you’d think the Bose is easily the better value.
But for me, I do find the Sony XM6 to be in another level of audiophile-worthy sound quality, justifying its price a little more. The audiophile earbuds the XM6 competes with can cost $400 or more, to put things into perspective.
If you’re not an audiophile, then the Bose would be the better value on paper, but I personally feel better about buying the XM6.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Value Score: 8.0 out of 10
Sony WF-1000XM6 Value Score: 8.5 out of 10
Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6
Overall Scoring Breakdown
- Best noise cancelling performance
- True audiophile sound quality
- One of the best mic quality
- Pricy
- Comfort could be slightly improved
- World-class noise cancelling
- One of the most comfortable fits
- aptX Adaptive support
- Improved mic quality over 1st Gen
- There’s better pure sound quality options
- On the pricier side
Our Verdict: Sony WF-1000XM6
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen is a fine wireless earbud in its own right, but the Sony WF-1000XM6’s superior sound quality is what steals the show for me.
They’re both elite when it comes to noise cancelling performance, features, and microphone quality.
But as an audiophile, I put the XM6 in a level above the Bose QCU2, competing with the sound quality of earbuds costing $400 or more.
Now the Bose still has its advantages, specifically with its superior comfort and fit, due to its more ergonomic design and more comfortable eartip material.
Overall, these are two of the strongest all-arounders for the wireless noise cancelling earbuds class currently.
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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