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Sony headphones: which model, and what the letters mean

Updated by Lucian Bergstrom. Sony noise cancelling headphones and Sony earbuds: four models, one decision tree, and the colour trick that saves real money.

  1. Flagship

    Sony XM6

    $450 and up

    Check price

    Read why

  2. Value

    Sony XM5

    $150 to $250

    Check price

    Read why

  3. Under $100

    Sony CH720N

    $60 to $100

    Check price

    Read why

What to buy, briefly

Buy the WH-1000XM6 if you want the best measured noise cancelling available: RTINGS ranks it first and measured 31.75 hours of battery. Buy the WH-1000XM5 if you want most of that for far less. Buy the WH-CH720N under $100. Buy the WF-1000XM6 if it has to fit a pocket. WH means over-ear, WF means earbuds, and that single letter is the most common ordering mistake in the range.

What to settle first

Which headphones cancel the most noise?

On measurements, the Sony WH-1000XM6: RTINGS, who test isolation on an instrumented head, call them the best noise cancelling headphones they have tested. What Hi-Fi? gives the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen the edge for raw blocking and the Sony the edge for sound. Both are a tier above everything cheaper, and the gap between them is smaller than the gap between either and a $100 pair.

Sony XM6 leads RTINGSRTINGS; What Hi-Fi? 2026

Our pick: the Sony WH-1000XM6Go deeper: pick by where you sit instead

Is the previous generation good enough?

Usually, and this is where the money is. In our own 25 October listing data the Sony XM5 sat $278 below the XM6, and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 sat roughly half the price of the Momentum 5. You give up measured ANC at the extremes and some microphone quality. You keep the battery, the app and the build.

$278 between XM6 and XM5Our listing data, 25 Oct 2026

Our pick: the Sony XM5Go deeper: the price desk

How much battery do I actually need?

For a single long-haul flight, anything claiming 24 hours is fine. How often you are willing to charge them is the question that settles it. Sennheiser's Momentum 4 claims 60 hours, the flagships claim 30, and RTINGS measured 31.75 hours on the Sony with ANC on. Earbuds are a different animal: six to ten hours per charge, with the case as the reserve tank.

31.75 h measured on the XM6RTINGS

Our pick: the 60-hour Momentum 4Go deeper: the battery planner

The picks, in order

1

The flagship

Sony WH-1000XM6

$450 and upon Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
Check price on Amazon

Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

Buy it if you fly, commute or share an office, and you want the strongest measured noise cancelling with the longest battery.
Skip it if you wear them six hours at a stretch and value padding over the last decibel. See the Bose QC Ultra 2.
RTINGS lab93/100On a planeIn an officeOn a train or busAt home with kids

RTINGS' top-ranked noise canceller, with LDAC, multipoint and the best microphones in the range.

Where each number comes from
SpecThe box saysTesting and sources say
Noise cancellingSony: HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3RTINGS calls them the best noise cancelling headphones they have tested, with outstanding isolation across the range
Battery30 hours with ANC onRTINGS measured 31.75 hours continuous with ANC on; SoundGuys clocked 37 h 14 m in their test
Versus BoseNot statedWhat Hi-Fi? makes the Bose 2nd Gen marginally stronger at blocking, the Sony better for sound

Sources: RTINGS, best noise cancelling headphones; SoundGuys, XM6 versus QC Ultra; What Hi-Fi?, best noise-cancelling headphones 2026. Full write-up: on the main list.

$450 and upon Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
See it on Amazon

Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

2

The value play

Sony WH-1000XM5

$150 to $250on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
Check price on Amazon

Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

Buy it if you want flagship noise cancelling and would rather put the savings toward the flight itself.
Skip it if you need the quietest possible cabin or the best call mic. See the Sony XM6.
Two labs agree85/100On a planeIn an officeOn a train or busAt home with kids

The model the XM6 replaced, and the one our price desk says is the deal of the moment.

Where each number comes from
SpecThe box saysTesting and sources say
PedigreeSony's previous flagshipWhat Hi-Fi? held this pair at the top of its noise-cancelling list through three award years before the XM6 replaced it
Noise cancellingSony: V1 and QN1 processorsReviewers put it a step behind the XM6 and the current Bose, well ahead of anything cheaper
Battery30 hours with ANCSame claimed figure as the XM6, which is why the upgrade is about ANC and mics, not endurance

Sources: What Hi-Fi?, best noise-cancelling headphones; Our listing data, 25 October 2026. Full write-up: on the main list.

$150 to $250on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
See it on Amazon

Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

3

The cheap one

Sony WH-CH720N

$60 to $100on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
Check price on Amazon

Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

Buy it if you want real noise cancelling at the lowest sensible price and you will mostly use it at a desk.
Skip it if you travel with it and want it to fold into a bag. See the Sony XM5.
Hands-on tested78/100In an officeOn a train or busAt home with kids

Three What Hi-Fi? awards and 35 claimed hours, at a quarter of flagship money.

Where each number comes from
SpecThe box saysTesting and sources say
ClassSony's affordable ANC over-earWhat Hi-Fi? calls it the best over-ear ANC pair they have tested at this price, with a third consecutive award
Noise cancellingDual Noise Sensor technologyWhat Hi-Fi? found it reliably dampened commute noise, an achievement most cheap sets miss, while noting the flagships block more
Battery35 hours with ANCLonger on paper than either flagship above

Sources: What Hi-Fi?, best cheap noise-cancelling headphones; Our listing data, 25 October 2026. Full write-up: on the main list.

$60 to $100on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
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Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

4

The earbuds

Sony WF-1000XM6

$250 to $350on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
Check price on Amazon

Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

Buy it if you want flagship-class ANC that lives in a jacket pocket.
Skip it if you want maximum silence and battery and do not mind a bigger bag. See the Sony XM6.
RTINGS lab83/100On a planeIn an officeOn a train or busRunning or the gym

The flagship cancellation in the pocket-sized body, with the same LDAC support.

Where each number comes from
SpecThe box saysTesting and sources say
TestingSony's flagship earbudsRTINGS lists the WF-1000XM6 among the noise cancelling models it has bought and tested
Noise cancellingSony's flagship ANC in earbud formEarbuds seal with tips rather than pads, so isolation depends more on your ear than on the electronics
BatteryHours, not daysAny earbud trades the flagship's 30 hours for a case you top up daily

Sources: RTINGS, noise cancelling tested list; Crutchfield on codecs; Our listing data, 25 October 2026. Full write-up: on the main list.

$250 to $350on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
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Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

Sony WF-C510

Cheap Sony buds, no active noise cancelling
  • Passive isolation only: there is no ANC in this model
  • Very small and light, with 11 hours claimed per charge
  • Around a third of the price of the Space A40 in our data

We list it because people land on it while shopping for ANC and assume it has some. It does not. If you want cancellation at a low price, the Space A40 is the pair.

Buy it if you want tiny cheap Sony buds and do not need ANC.
Skip it if noise cancelling is the reason you are shopping. See the Space A40.

Sources: Sony published specs; Our listing data, 25 October 2026.

$60 to $100on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026
See it on Amazon

Check the Sold by line before paying. Why

Reading a Sony model number

WH is over-ear. WF is true wireless earbuds. WI is the neckband style. After that, 1000X is the flagship line and CH is the affordable line, so WH-CH720N is an affordable over-ear and WF-1000XM6 is a flagship earbud.

The generation is the last digit: XM5 then XM6. Both are still sold side by side right now, and that is why the price gap below exists.

Colour codes sit at the very end of the ASIN rather than the model name, which is why two listings of the same headphone can be priced very differently. Our price desk found exactly that on the XM5.

Asked and answered

Which Sony headphones should I buy?

The WH-1000XM6 if you want the best tested noise cancelling, the WH-1000XM5 if you want most of that for a lot less, the WH-CH720N under a hundred dollars, and the WF-1000XM6 if it has to fit in a pocket. The letters matter: WH is over-ear, WF is earbuds.

Does the colour change the price?

It can, by a lot, and nobody tells you. In our 25 October listing data the silver Sony WH-1000XM5 was $179.99 while the black one was $298.00: the same headphones, the same day. Always open the other colours before you check out.

Do codecs like LDAC and aptX matter?

A little, and only if both ends support the same one. LDAC is the higher-bitrate option on many Android phones and is Sony's; aptX Lossless and Snapdragon Sound are Bose's route on recent Android phones; iPhones use AAC. No codec fixes a bad seal.

When do noise cancelling headphones go on sale?

Flagships fall hardest when the next generation arrives, which is exactly what our price desk is showing right now. Our own 25 October capture had the Sony XM5 at $278 below the XM6, and two colours of that same XM5 $118 apart on the same day.

What are the best noise cancelling headphones in 2026?

The Sony WH-1000XM6 on measurements, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen if raw blocking and padding matter more, and the Sony WH-CH720N if the budget is under a hundred. RTINGS calls the XM6 the best noise cancelling headphones it has tested; What Hi-Fi? made it their overall 2026 pick.