Apple AirPods Max 2 vs Sony WH-1000XM6: Two great headphones, one clear winner

The Sony WH-1000XM6 and Apple AirPods Max 2 are two of the biggest names in the over-ear ANC space right now, but they take very different approaches to earning your $450—$550. Sony has rebuilt its headphone from the ground up — fixing old complaints and loading up on features. Apple, on the other hand, has kept its iconic design intact and added the H2 chip to unlock a suite of software features for ecosystem loyalists. If you’re trying to decide between the two, here’s everything you need to know.

What’s it like to use the Apple AirPods Max 2 compared to the Sony WH-1000XM6?

The AirPods Max 2 is essentially unchanged from the outside — same aluminum ear cups, same stepless metal frame, same mesh “canopy” headband, same magnetic ear cushions. If you’ve worn the original, you already know what you’re getting. That’s mostly a good thing: it’s a distinctive, well-made design. The downside is that it still weighs a hefty 386 grams, still lacks a dedicated power button, and still ships with that sports bra-shaped carrying case that offers almost no real protection. The clamping force is strong out of the box, and combined with the weight, long sessions can become uncomfortable — though it does ease up with wear over time.

The WH-1000XM6 tells a different story. Sony took a long, hard look at what frustrated people about the XM5 and fixed nearly all of it: the fragile hinge is gone, the lay-flat-only form factor is gone (the headphones fold up compactly), and the hard-to-distinguish power button has been replaced with a clearly separated control cluster. At 254 grams, the Sony is noticeably lighter than the AirPods Max 2 (over 130 grams), which makes a real difference throughout a full day. The magnetic snap-shut case isn’t the most confidence-inspiring in the world, at least it’s a real, hard-shell carrying case, which can’t be said for the AirPods Max.

Neither headphone carries an IP rating, so neither is recommended for workouts or heavy outdoor use.

The one comfort note worth flagging on the Sony side: the ANC mic protrudes a couple of millimeters from the mesh on each ear cup, and for some users, it makes contact with the ear. It’s a minor annoyance, but worth knowing, as you may want to grab some third-party earpads if you run into that problem.

Do the Apple AirPods Max 2 or Sony WH-1000XM6 have more features?

The AirPods Max 2’s big upgrade is the H2 chip, which brings a handful of capabilities previously reserved for the AirPods Pro 3 (and the AirPods Pro 2 before it). Live Translation lets you hold conversations across language barriers in real time, though there’s a noticeable delay that makes it feel stilted in practice. Personalized Volume automatically adjusts your media level as your environment changes, and it works well when moving between quiet and loud spaces. Conversation Awareness lowers your music and amplifies nearby voices when you start talking — handy in an office, but it will also trigger mid-sing-along. Adaptive Mode, Loud Sound Reduction, and Personalized Spatial Audio round out the list. However, there’s still no custom EQ, which is a real omission at this price.

The catch — and it’s a significant one — is that every single one of these features requires a compatible Apple device. AirPods Max 2 on Android is essentially just Bluetooth headphones.

The Sony WH-1000XM6 doesn’t have that limitation, and its feature list is long. Through the Sony Sound Connect app, you get a 10-band custom equalizer, EQ presets, Speak-to-Chat, head gestures, 360 Reality Audio spatial audio, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling, and a volume limiter, among others. It’s the kind of feature depth that rewards power users without being required just to get good sound. Sony also supports Auracast, which lets Android users receive broadcast audio at compatible venues like airports and stadiums — a feature that’s still growing but genuinely useful when you encounter it.

One place the Sony falls short relative to the AirPods Max 2: there’s no USB-C audio passthrough. More on that in the connectivity section.

How do the Apple AirPods Max 2 and Sony WH-1000XM6 connect?

The Sony WH-1000XM6 supports LDAC, AAC, SBC, and LC3 — giving Android users in particular meaningful options for higher-quality wireless audio. LDAC at 660kbps hits the best balance of stability and performance. Multipoint is available too, though you’ll need to drop to a lower-bitrate codec to use it. Wired connectivity is limited to 3.5mm analog — there’s no USB-C audio, which is increasingly conspicuous as the rest of the market catches up.

The AirPods Max 2 supports SBC and AAC only over Bluetooth — no LDAC, no aptX — but it makes up for that with wired USB-C audio support, enabling lossless playback when connected to a compatible source. That’s a meaningful option for listeners who care about audio quality. Automatic device switching works seamlessly within the Apple ecosystem, and the headphones are added to your Apple account on the first pair. On non-Apple devices, though, you lose multipoint, firmware updates, and everything else beyond basic Bluetooth.

Both headphones are competent for most users in their target environments. Sony is more capable across a wider range of devices; the AirPods Max 2 is better optimized for Apple users who want the full experience.

Is battery life better on the Apple AirPods Max 2 or Sony WH-1000XM6?

This one isn’t close. The Sony WH-1000XM6 lasted 37 hours and 14 minutes in our standardized battery test — placing it well ahead of most ANC competitors. Apple claims up to 20 hours for the AirPods Max 2 with ANC enabled, though we haven’t completed our own battery test at the time of publishing.

Even taking Apple’s figure at face value, that’s nearly half of the XM6’s tested runtime. For commuters and travelers, this gap is hard to ignore. Sony’s larger battery also means fewer charge cycles over the headphones’ lifespan, which is good news for long-term durability.

The Sony charges via USB-C and supports a 3-minute quick charge for 3 hours of playback. The AirPods Max 2 also charges over USB-C, but without a dedicated power button, putting it in the included Smart Case is the recommended way to preserve battery between uses.

Do the Apple AirPods Max 2 or the Sony WH-1000XM6 block noise better?

Both headphones are excellent at blocking noise, and averaged out across the frequency range, the difference is slim. The AirPods Max 2 attenuates about 89% of outside noise by perceived loudness versus the Sony’s 87%. Most people won’t notice that 2% in practice. But the chart reveals where that gap actually comes from.

At the low end — roughly 20-200Hz — the AirPods Max 2’s ANC has an advantage, providing 30–40dB of attenuation across the bass range. The Sony XM6’s ANC is comparatively weak down there, contributing little until frequencies climb higher. That means the AirPods Max 2 is meaningfully better at blocking the low-frequency drone of airplane engines, HVAC systems, and road noise. Above 1kHz, the two headphones converge, and both do a strong job through the midrange and highs where voices, keyboards, and other daily annoyances live.

One quirk worth noting on the AirPods Max 2: with ANC disabled, there’s a small but measurable increase in noise under 150Hz. It may be addressed in a future firmware update, but it’s present now. For most environments, both headphones will feel similarly effective. But if you’re a frequent flyer or commuter, the AirPods Max 2’s stronger low-end ANC could be an advantage.

Do the Apple AirPods Max 2 sound better than the Sony WH-1000XM6?

No, and our objective measurements back it up.

Both headphones emphasize the bass more than a reference tuning would, and both have some behavior in the upper frequencies worth noting. But the Sony lands in a better overall position: its response through the critical midrange is cleaner, its high-end peaks are less extreme, and the result is a tuning that sounds engaging without being overpowering. Bass-heavy tracks come through with weight and energy without overwhelming the mix, and the treble extension adds perceived detail without tipping into harshness. There’s a slight over-emphasis in the upper frequencies on certain atmospheric tracks, but it’s far from a dealbreaker.

The AirPods Max 2 is more uneven. The bass is emphasized, which is enjoyable at louder volumes, say, while hitting the gym, but is fatiguing for, say, general office work. There’s a dip around 5kHz and some weirdness in the upper octaves that the Sony avoids. The treble boost helps with perceived spaciousness — vocals and synths sound clear and open — but without any EQ options, there’s no way to dial it in if the tuning doesn’t work for you. That’s a real limitation when spending over $500.

Objective Measurements

Both headphones sit above our preference curve in the bass region: the Sony more so, with around 7–8dB of emphasis at the low end versus the AirPods Max 2’s 5–6dB. Neither is a dealbreaker, but the Sony is the warmer, bassier-sounding headphone of the two. Through the midrange, both track the curve closely and largely match each other, which is the cleanest region for both.

The main divergence happens in the upper frequencies. The AirPods Max 2 has a notable dip around 4–5kHz — the presence region that shapes clarity and definition on vocals and instruments — before spiking back up sharply around 9–10kHz. That swing is what gives it that spacious but uneven character. The Sony XM6 has its own deviations above 5kHz, but they’re less dramatic, and it stays closer to the preference curve through the presence region overall. Since the AirPods Max 2 has no EQ, that tuning is fixed — what you hear out of the box is what you get. Whereas with the Sony XM6, you can adjust the tuning to fix any issues you may have.

How would most people rate the sound from 1 to 5?

The chart below shows the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS) earned by the Apple AirPods Max 2 and Sony WH-1000XM6. The algorithm uses a mountain of data from real people to predict how a group of 200 or so humans would rate the sound of a product on a scale from 1.0 (very bad) to 5.0 (very good), and return a mean opinion score.

Across the full pool of devices, the Sony WH-1000XM6 earns a 4.8 overall, with a Timbre score of 4.9, Distortion of 4.3, and Immersiveness of 4.6. The AirPods Max 2 scores a 4.3 overall, with Timbre at 4.4, Distortion at 3.8, and Immersiveness at 4.1. The Sony leads in every category — most significantly in Timbre and Immersiveness, which together reflect how faithfully the headphones reproduce the frequency spectrum and how convincingly they place sounds in three-dimensional space.

When the comparison is narrowed to headphones only, the AirPods Max 2 drops to a 3.8 overall, while the Sony holds at 4.2. Neither score is bad, but the gap widens when context is tightened.

Do the Apple AirPods Max 2 or Sony WH-1000XM6 have a better microphone?

The Sony WH-1000XM6 is the stronger performer here, and it’s not particularly close.

Sony uses a six-microphone beamforming array with AI-trained voice extraction, and it shows. In office noise, street noise, and windy conditions, the microphone handles itself well — rejecting background noise while keeping voices clear and intelligible. The reverberant space sample is the weakest result, but even there it’s acceptable.

The AirPods Max 2 microphone tells a more complicated story. In Standard mode, noise rejection is underwhelming — background chatter, street noise, and reverberant environments all bleed through noticeably in our samples. Voice Isolation mode addresses most of this and performs well across most tested conditions, but it isn’t the default. If you don’t know how to switch modes in Control Center (or don’t have an iPhone), you’ll likely frustrate the people you’re calling.

Apple AirPods Max 2 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Sony WH-1000XM6 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Apple AirPods Max 2 microphone demo (Street conditions):

Sony WH-1000XM6 microphone demo (Street conditions):

For voice calls, especially outdoors or in busy environments, I think the Sony is the more reliable choice out of the box. But let us know if you disagree by taking part in our poll below:

Apple AirPods Max 2 vs Sony WH-1000XM6: Price and availability

The Sony WH-1000XM6 launched at $449.99 and is widely available. The Apple AirPods Max 2 launched at $549 — a $100 premium over the Sony — and is available through Apple and major retailers.

Sony WH-1000XM6 price history

Apple AirPods Max 2 price history

On the discount front, the two headphones behave quite differently. The Sony XM6 has already dipped below $400 a few times since launch. At that price, it’s an easy recommendation. Apple headphones tend to hold their retail price and only see meaningful discounts during major sale events like Prime Day, typically around $50 off. That would bring the AirPods Max 2 to roughly $499, which still leaves a $100 gap over a discounted Sony. If you’re not in a rush, I’d recommend waiting for the XM6 to dip back under $400.

Should you get the Apple AirPods Max 2 or Sony WH-1000XM6?

For most people, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is the better buy. It’s lighter, has dramatically better battery life, sounds better by the numbers, has a stronger microphone, and works well across Android and iOS alike — all for $100 less. The AirPods Max 2 makes a compelling case if you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem and value the H2-powered software features, wired USB-C audio, or simply prefer the look and feel of Apple’s hardware.

Both headphones earn their place at the top of the ANC market, but the Sony covers more ground for more people. If the $100 price difference doesn’t move you, the feature parity, sound quality gap, and battery life advantage should. And if both feel like too much to spend, check out our best headphones and best ANC headphones lists for strong options at every price point.