Both the Sony WH-1000XM6 and AirPods Max 2 are great over-ear, noise-canceling headphones that cost a lot of money. So which should you get? CNET executive editor David Carnoy compares their designs, features, performance and sound quality to help you make a decision.
You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Apple AirPods Max 2 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones
Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones
Sony WH-1000XM6 Wireless Headphones
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Headphones
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 Wireless Headphones
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Read more about it on CNET.com
Best Headphones We’ve Tested
Sony WH-1000XM6 Review: Hail to the New Noise-Canceling King
Apple AirPods Max 2 Review: Seemingly Small Changes Make a Substantial Difference
0:00 Price and Initial Comparisons
1:21 Build Quality and Design
2:45 Key Features and Ecosystem Compatibility
4:46 Noise Cancelling and Voice Call Quality
6:05 Sound Quality and Audio Performance
8:08 Connectivity, Battery Life, and Final Verdict
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#apple #airpodsmax2 #sony #headphonesly #sonyxm6 #bose
#airpods #best #tech #wireless #overearheadphones #AllThingsMobile
@CNET
April 14, 2026 at 7:22 am
Read more about it on CNET.com
Best Headphones We’ve Tested
Sony WH-1000XM6 Review: Hail to the New Noise-Canceling King
Apple AirPods Max 2 Review: Seemingly Small Changes Make a Substantial Difference
@csscott9803
April 14, 2026 at 9:24 am
XM6 is the winner you could adjust the EQ. Sony connect app is more fun. It has Ldac
@Aslam_Aliyu
April 14, 2026 at 9:38 am
I’m sorry Bose Qc ultra Gen 2 I have the AirPod pro Max but they are not made for long wear sessions they are still heavy
@Eee-cm4bv
April 14, 2026 at 9:50 am
CNET – you show an image of the XM5 as the broken headphones, not the XM6. More quality review and QC needed.
@davidcarnoy961
April 14, 2026 at 9:57 am
Agreed! I should have caught that in the edits. Thanks for pointing it out
@Armand-v5c
April 14, 2026 at 10:24 am
max 2 are horrible. took them back. expensive your right. in return alot of clamp force for big heads. just heavy. apparently the mesh headband gets wonky after 3-4 years. the diaphragm size remains the same no physical materials improvement just better tuning i agree. the loud was a disappointment.
cranking these up was terrible. i want mines to go so loud that i need to lower them. i like mines to be able to do this. theres no power off button. the midnight color is not black at all theres so much light grey accents and some aluminum blue hues. the cable that comes with it is not long enough and is not color matched either. battery life is terrible compared to others. and the bra case never got improved at all. at this point Apple doesnt want to give what people want and leadership keeping this cherade going even after 6 years later. just horrendous!!! supposedly rumor mill points to ultra headphones coming. at this point significant lightweight design and powering off feature will be the key factor for shelling out hard earned money to stay in ecosystem because my money is staying in my bank account.
@MrPun-yf5vv
April 14, 2026 at 11:05 am
Apple didn’t listen to their fans 😂
@TheGamingAudiophile
April 14, 2026 at 11:11 am
Bose QC Headphones Ultra 2nd Gen are better than both.
@tenkain3837
April 14, 2026 at 11:40 am
Apple max 2 i have tested it and its amazing
@PascalKeppa
April 14, 2026 at 12:03 pm
No change. the mesh canopy flattens out after a couple of months, confort is affected, and with no warranty from Apple (I’ve checked in an Apple Store). Too bad, really! Thank you for your review, I own the Sony and a iPhone, I will be comparing with the Max 2 soon and .. will make a decision. Cheers!
@WhatTheFragrance
April 14, 2026 at 12:32 pm
Sound is quite quiet
@DavidDatura
April 14, 2026 at 12:47 pm
The B&W Px8 Mk2 beats them both hands down on sound quality. They cost about the same as Apple phones too, if more expensive than the Sony. I have both the B&W’s and Sony Mk6, because I was so disappointed by the sound quality of the latter 🤷♂️
@peterring2714
April 14, 2026 at 12:51 pm
Was this video sponsored by Apple?
@Davesounds
April 14, 2026 at 1:22 pm
Apple’s aluminum > Sony’s plastic
@imax21i
April 14, 2026 at 1:44 pm
Just got the AirPods Max 2. ANC is insane, way better than Sony. Build quality is not even comparable to the plastic of XM5/6.
@sakenu16
April 14, 2026 at 7:55 pm
Yeah but it is heavy to wear for a long time. They could have at least make it lighter.
@jondavid4747
April 14, 2026 at 3:33 pm
The Max 2 look and sound fantastic but the weight, price and placement of the buttons (too hard to hit when putting on) made me send them back.
@chris_panda
April 14, 2026 at 3:40 pm
Definitely not B&W! I had 3 (three!!) PX7 and all of them broke! Not even under heavy use, under minimum use, maybe after 20 time of use max. And I am super careful with my devices. Sound started crackling, cushion got separated (maybe unglued) while it was in the case, LED indicator doesn’t show charging or when they are on, just so many issues! Never will buy any B&W products again.
@Alex-uy8zx
April 14, 2026 at 4:24 pm
awesome review! Thank you for the detailed comparison.
@CNET
April 15, 2026 at 6:16 am
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed—subscribe for more! 👍
@hotdavesweet
April 14, 2026 at 5:28 pm
Nobody is talking about replacement earpads 😢 is like replacing glass jar of coffee maker 😢 yea yea I know: “buy a new one man”.
@hotdavesweet
April 14, 2026 at 5:31 pm
What about broken sliders of each sony headphones since wh-ch710n?? 720 same, xm4, xm5 same, 910 same 😢😢😢 no more Sony
@IntrovertClint
April 14, 2026 at 7:27 pm
go to rtings for better tests
@steevehudon8941
April 14, 2026 at 7:52 pm
They both look weird on you
@sakenu16
April 14, 2026 at 7:53 pm
I think the least Apple could have done in addition to making better ANC, etc, was to make it lighter. That alone would have been a big difference.
@nathanthomas5133
April 15, 2026 at 11:31 am
The only way to make them lighter would be to switch metal for plastic. For the price i would prefer the extra weight & better build from using metal over plastic.
@Jorven-w1z
April 14, 2026 at 8:00 pm
Where is Bose Ultra 2? the excellent sounding king of ANC and comfort ?
@hop101
April 14, 2026 at 8:45 pm
luv da design n aesthetics of airpod max. i c younger peep airpod maxxing, honestly i wood pay a lil extra n choose max2 ovr xm6 just based on design
@dwaynealwyn
April 14, 2026 at 10:27 pm
You my friend are dishonest. Max 2s are not better than the XM6’s. You only say that to stay in Apples good graces. The fact that there is no EQ on the Max 2s alone tells you that Apple is not serious about sound quality just premium status symbol. The price for the Max 2s compared to what it offers requires that XM6s are rated higher. Not only that, but the heaviness should count against the so called “build quality” argument. Headphones are to be comfortable so you could focus on the listening experience. The Max2s are too heavy and causes the ear to sweat. What’s the benefit of better build quality if it sacrifices the most important part of headphones…that they disappear and you only experience the sound.
@cheeseinabag808
April 14, 2026 at 10:57 pm
AirPods Max 2. The ANC on the XM5 and XM6 is absolute trash. It can’t keep up with changing environments since it’s only adaptive and not full strength.
@KrishnaSingh-rg4qk
April 15, 2026 at 12:30 am
I got my AirPod max2 monday
@CNET
April 15, 2026 at 6:20 am
congrats!
@MrModikoe
April 15, 2026 at 5:19 am
Not being able to adjust EQ on such expensive headphones is really puzzling…but its typical of Apple🤷🏽🤦
@ChicagoBob123
April 15, 2026 at 9:06 am
Have Sony 1000 for years. Use them 5 days a week and they have been flawless.
@IamIanVoss
April 15, 2026 at 9:48 am
I am Apple User so choice is clear, it would not make sense to go to competitor when you get so many features getting Apple. Just a simple switch from iPhone to Mac is worth going for Max
@kuchikopi3624
April 15, 2026 at 9:54 am
I watch more YouTube content, tv shows, and movies. How are the XM6s when it comes to cinema mode?
@NOstr1215
April 15, 2026 at 10:50 am
As an android user who has macbook do you recommend to buy airpod max 2 or go for xm6?
@lotusdentalstudio
April 15, 2026 at 2:22 pm
No equaliser, no party
@KenShew325
April 15, 2026 at 2:37 pm
My XM6s have an issue where I have to turn Bluetooth off and bank on before it will connect to my iPhone. I am also a little worried about durability. Nothing has broken yet but it feels like it could .
@Mark-lu8re
April 15, 2026 at 3:04 pm
Bahahahahha was this a comparison or the max 2 review? hahaha
@gurugamer8632
April 15, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Best over-ear headphones for an 18-year-old iPhone 17 Pro + MacBook Air user?
Options:
Sony WH-1000XM6
AirPods Max 2
Bose QC Ultra
@J___derlust
April 15, 2026 at 5:15 pm
I’m sure I’d like them if I had them…
but the max’s may be in contention my least favorite Apple product of all time
@user-ws6nu4mq8k
April 15, 2026 at 7:46 pm
Even as an iphone and ipad user I had to go with the XM6s because of that ridiculous 386g weight.
@AdamIndikt
April 15, 2026 at 9:08 pm
I have the max 1 and for airplane travel they are way too heavy and uncomfortable when lying for me. When the time came to update I went for the Sony.
One positive that isn’t mentioned is that the AirPods Max ear cups are probably the most long lasting of all I’ve had.