This hidden Sony XM6 setting changed how I listen to music

It seems that almost every pair of wireless headphones have some sort of spatial audio gimmick nowadays. They go by many names — Cinema mode, Immersive Audio, 360 Reality, and sometimes even include head tracking. To be honest, outside of conducting a review, I mostly ignore any settings for virtualized surround sound. I just don’t find that they add much to my music or deliver a convincing sense of 3D space. However, I discovered a hidden listening mode while using the Sony WH-1000XM6 that might have changed my mind. After trying it on a whim during a particularly noisy afternoon at the office, I almost can’t work without it.

Background Music

The feature in question? Background Music mode. While all of us here at SoundGuys practice critical listening, I also listen to a lot of music in the background while doing other things, be it cooking, cleaning, writing, or reading. When I do so, I usually listen to instrumental music with few or no lyrics and at lower volumes because I don’t want it to intrude on my focus, especially when I’m working on things ike writing this very article. It’s supposed to be in the background, after all, and anything too high-energy can be distracting.

So when I was scrolling through the features on the companion app for the Sony WH-100XM6, one listening mode in particular caught my eye: a little coffee mug icon labeled “background music.” I enabled the feature and listened to a couple of songs, and to my surprise, the mode did exactly what it purported to do to my music. Instead of the typical headphone experience, where audio can be perceived to sit directly inside your head—what we call high internality—this mode extends the perceived spatial depth to push music back, as if it were coming from farther away.

The effect is striking. Music suddenly feels like it’s playing from speakers across the room rather than the drivers pressed against my ears. The presentation gains width and depth, transforming from something intimate and immediate into something more environmental and ambient.

For someone like me, who often wears headphones for 8+ hours a day while writing reviews and features, this shift is a game-changer.

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A cheat code for focus

Here’s the thing about music and concentration: when audio has high internality and close spatial depth, your brain treats it as a primary stimulus. It’s something you have to actively process, which splits your attention between the music and whatever work you may be doing, such as studying for an exam.

Now, yes, there are headphones that can literally measure your focus levels in real-time, but they are quite expensive. Sony’s background music mode is a simpler solution to help focus by creating psychological distance. The spatial depth reduction means music occupies mental space without demanding attention. Before, if my Discover playlist took a wrong turn into something too energetic while I was trying to read, I would have to skip or change the song. However, with this mode enabled, I felt I could listen to almost anything while multitasking without my mind feeling too busy.

But the real sweet spot I found was in the combination of background music mode with the XM6’s active noise cancelation. The ANC eliminates the unpredictable, attention-grabbing outside noise—conversations, keyboard clatter, HVAC hum—while background music mode provides a consistent, calm audio layer that my brain can safely ignore. It’s almost complete environmental control: distractions removed, pleasant atmosphere maintained, cognitive load minimized.

Which background setting should you choose?

If you delve into the app’s menu settings further, you’ll discover that Sony actually offers three different versions of the background music listening mode. Here’s how they all break down:

• Cafe is my default setting for the office. It creates the greatest perceived distance and the widest presentation of the three modes. Music sounds like it’s playing from speakers across a coffee shop. Present enough to enjoy, distant enough to ignore. This is the sweet spot for open offices or any situation where I need maximum focus with minimal intrusion.
• Living Room splits the difference. The spatial depth is less pronounced than Cafe, creating a more intimate but still removed presentation. It’s like having music playing from your home stereo while you work at the kitchen table. I find this works well for home office days when I want music slightly more present but still background.
• My Room is the closest of the three modes, though it still maintains more spatial depth than standard listening. The width narrows, and the music feels nearer. This mode works better for active relaxation—reading, browsing, light tasks—rather than deep focus work.

My new favorite way to listen to music

What’s interesting is that the Sony WH-1000XM6 is currently the only wireless headphone offering this specific background music processing. Other headphones have spatial audio features, sure, but they’re designed to enhance immersiveness for movies and games—to pull you into the experience. BGM mode does the opposite, creating distance and calm.

If you’re someone like me who wears headphones for extended work sessions, this isn’t just another gimmick. I found it a useful feature that addresses a need I imagine many people have: creating a music environment without cognitive overload.

I’ve tested dozens of wireless headphones this year, evaluating ANC performance, frequency response, codec support—all the technical factors we measure at SoundGuys. But the feature I actually use most on the XM6? It’s this barely-marketed Background Music mode that Sony tucked away in their app settings.

Try Cafe mode next time you’re facing a deadline with your XM6. Set your music to something light, such as lo-fi hip-hop, ambient electronic, or acoustic instrumental, and let it fade into the background. You might find, like I did, that you’ve been looking for this feature without knowing it existed.