Sennheiser HDB 630 vs Sony WH-1000XM6

Sennheiser HDB 630

The HDB 630's clearest weakness relative to its $500 rivals. Reviewers agree passive isolation is good, but active cancellation is the weakest of the premium flagships — outclassed by Sony, Bose and Apple, particularly in the mid frequencies where voices and chatter sit.

• SoundGuys says the real improvement over previous Sennheisers is the passive isolation, not the ANC, and that achievable noise attenuation varies significantly with fit.
• In SoundGuys' lab test the HDB 630 reduced outside noise by an average of 83%, versus 87% for the Sony WH-1000XM6.
• RTINGS notes the very lowest rumbles of a bus or plane engine can still creep in and mid-frequency attenuation is weaker than competitors, though most everyday noise is heavily reduced.
• Crinacle calls the ANC the biggest weakness of the 630 — absolutely outclassed by the 'big three' for maximum isolation.
• The Headphone Show steers buyers whose top priority is cancelling noise toward the Sony WH-1000XM6 instead.
• RecordingNOW says the noise cancelling and build quality are the two areas keeping the HDB 630 from a perfect score.
• Running ANC at 100% applies very high acoustic pressure on the ears — one reviewer dialled it down to 75% for comfort.
• Switching on transparency (passthrough) mode noticeably degrades sound quality — bass loses power and volume drops, because the processor favours the wired/clean path.
• Owner take: one Reddit user finds the ANC fine for everyday use but notes that on flights it can cause headaches and is more annoying to toggle than rivals.

Sony WH-1000XM6

The XM6's headline strength: a QN3 processor seven times faster than the XM5's chip, 12 microphones and AI trained on 500 million voice samples. Reviewers near-unanimously call it the best, most natural ANC on the market, with measurements showing it edging Bose — though it remains a close fight with the AirPods Max 2.

• The XM6 packs 12 microphones (up from 8) and a far more powerful QN3 chip, and Sony trained the headphones on 500 million voice samples to better separate human voices from environmental noise.
• The new QN3 processor is seven times faster than the XM5's chip, and that unlocks a new level of noise cancellation.
• In measured testing the XM6 blocked up to 43.9 dB versus 41.4 dB on the Bose QC Ultra in a silent environment — a measurable real-world ANC win.
• The XM6 offers class-leading noise cancelling, and the adaptive two-stage ANC now activates in roughly 0.5 seconds versus about 3 seconds on the XM5.
• RTINGS rates the XM6's noise cancelling best-in-class, with a microphone system that separates speech from background noise more effectively than rivals.

Sennheiser HDB 630

At ~311g the HDB 630 has plush, beefed-up padding and folds for travel, and most reviewers find it comfortable for long sessions with a lighter clamp than the Momentum 4. The recurring criticism is the mostly-plastic build, which several reviewers say feels under-premium for a $500 headphone, and ear pads that are not the most spacious for larger ears.

• At 311g (up from the Momentum 4's 295g) the extra mass is barely noticeable and comes from significantly beefed-up padding.
• The Headphone Show finds the HDB 630 more comfortable than the Momentum 4 because the clamp force is lighter and the headband distributes pressure more evenly.
• Picky Audio notes the ear pads still aren't the most spacious — ears touch the inside — but says it's easy to get used to and wear either headphone for long periods.
• One comparison reviewer found the HDB 630 needs a short break after about 2 hours of wear, where the lighter 263g Bose QC Ultra can be worn for hours without one.
• Joshua Valour likes the headphones but wishes the build quality felt a little more premium for $500.
• BrandsWalk wishes the design were more premium at the price — even just swapping plastic for metal on the headband — but rates it the best Sennheiser of recent years.
• Super Review points out the cups look like aluminium but are actually plastic, and the reviewer wishes they were finished in plain black.
• Moon Audio praises exceptional all-day comfort, premium Japanese leatherette pads, a fingerprint-resistant matte finish and a travel-friendly folding design.
• RTINGS warns the HDB 630 may not be the best choice for people who wear thicker-framed glasses, as the seal can be affected.
• GadgetryTech notes generous ear clearance — about 5mm — which makes the difference between taking the headphones off mid-flight or leaving them on for hours; aftermarket pads (e.g. Wicked Cushion freeze pads) expand the cavity further at the cost of ~50g of added weight.

Sony WH-1000XM6

The big design news is the return of the folding hinge — earcups fold and swivel into a smaller, zipper-free case. At ~252g the XM6 is among the lightest flagships and most reviewers find it comfortable for long days, but the plasticky, scuff-prone build draws repeated criticism at $450 and a minority report lingering clamp pressure.

• The earcups fold up again, with a new significantly smaller case that fits cables and no longer uses a zipper — putting the XM6 back near the top of travel-ready noise-cancelling headphones.
• Sony heard the complaints and made the XM6 fold and swivel so it rests neatly on your head and packs down for travel — the case shaves roughly 30% off the previous model's bulk.
• Among flagship headphones the XM6 is one of the lightest tested at 252.8g, versus 262.2g for the Bose QC Ultra 2 and far lighter than the AirPods Max.
• The clamp force is light enough not to be fatiguing yet firm enough to keep the ANC seal intact — Bose still edges it slightly on comfort, but Sony is not far behind.
• For a flagship $450 headphone the materials and build quality feel on the cheaper side, with a lot of high-frequency creak from handling the plastic.

Sennheiser HDB 630

An unambiguous strong point. Sennheiser rates the HDB 630 at up to 60 hours with ANC on, and independent battery tests confirm it lands in the 53-54 hour range — roughly double the Sony WH-1000XM6 and triple the AirPods Max. A 10-minute quick charge returns ~7 hours and a full charge takes only 1.5-2 hours.

• Sennheiser rates the HDB 630 at up to 60 hours of playback per charge, with a 10-minute charge providing hours of playback in a pinch.
• In SoundGuys' standardised battery test the HDB 630 lasted 53 hours 46 minutes with ANC on.
• RTINGS measured just over 54 hours with ANC on against Sennheiser's 60-hour claim, and confirmed a ~1.5 hour full charge.
• Picky Audio gave battery a 10/10 — 60 hours advertised with ANC on, 10 minutes for 7 hours of playback, and a 2-hour full charge from dead.
• Battery life drops to about 45 hours when using the BTD 700 dongle in its highest-quality mode — still far ahead of rivals.
• GadgetryTech notes a full charge takes about 2 hours, where rival headphones often take 1.5-2 hours to reach only half their (much shorter) battery life.
• RecordingNOW frames it directly: the HDB 630's 60 hours is double the Bose QC Ultra Gen 2's 30 hours and triple the AirPods Max's 20.
• Owner take: a Reddit user reports going three months between charges in light use, with reliable standby behaviour.
• The lithium battery is rated for around 500 charge cycles before degrading to ~80% capacity — but it is not user-replaceable, which some see as planned obsolescence at this price.

Sony WH-1000XM6

Rated 30 hours with ANC on and 40 with it off — RTINGS measured just over 31 hours ANC-on, so the rating holds. A 3-minute charge returns 3 hours of playback and a full charge takes about 3-3.5 hours. The catch: 30 hours is merely competitive when Sennheiser and JBL rivals push 50-60.

• Rated up to 30 hours of playback with ANC on and up to 40 hours with it off — unchanged from the XM5.
• RTINGS measured over 31 hours of continuous playback with ANC on — north of Sony's advertised 30 hours, so you're covered for long-haul flights.
• A 3-minute quick charge with a USB-PD charger returns about 3 hours of playback, and a full 0-100% charge takes roughly 2.5-3.5 hours depending on the charger.
• Unlike the XM5, you can now listen over USB-C while charging — and the 3.5mm jack remains for passive wired listening.
• Battery is starting to lag the competition — 30 hours ANC-on is far from the best result from over-ear cans, with the JBL Live 770NC claiming 50 hours and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 around 60.

Sennheiser HDB 630

A weak spot. Reviewers say call and microphone quality is mediocre and that the mic hardware is optimized only to about 10kHz, so even the BTD 700 dongle's wideband voice codec brings little real-world improvement. Fine for casual calls, not for serious conferencing or recording.

• jakkuh's verdict: the HDB 630 is excellent unless you need to record audio with the mics — in which case just buy a dedicated microphone.
• Weekend Gear Guide explains the mic frequency response is optimized for 50Hz-10kHz, so the BTD 700 dongle's super-wideband voice codec can't deliver its full benefit.
• In a three-way call test against Bose and Sony, the HDB 630 scored equal overall — solid but not a standout for voice pickup.
• The Headphone Show says the mics aren't perfect — you'd still want a standalone microphone — but the progress is visible.
• GadgetryTech reports USB-microphone issues across platforms — including on PlayStation — that they hope a firmware update will address.
• Careful Optimist notes a useful counterweight: you can test and tune call quality yourself through the companion app and adjust settings to taste.

Sony WH-1000XM6

Call quality is the area Sony worked hardest on — 12 microphones, bone-conduction sensing and AI voice training noticeably improve pickup over previous XM models. Reviewers find it clearly better than before, though a minority and long-time Reddit users still rate Apple's mics ahead for calls.

• The microphones are definitely better than before — call quality is impressive enough that the reviewer expects buyers to be 'floored' by it.
• Four additional microphones over the XM5 plus AI voice processing meaningfully enhance call quality in the XM6.
• The XM6 also uses bone conduction to help isolate your voice, and in a quiet environment the microphone performance is very good with minimal sound leakage.
• Despite Sony's bone-conduction system, one 30-day tester still felt the AirPods' microphones were better for phone calls.

Sennheiser HDB 630

The Smart Control Plus app is a genuine highlight — its 5-band professional parametric EQ is widely called the best in any wireless headphone. Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX Adaptive, four ways to connect, and a 30ms low-latency gaming mode are all positives, though touch controls are the slowest of the premium pack and early units had multipoint bugs.

• The Smart Control Plus app offers a professional 5-band parametric EQ — you can adjust each band's frequency and Q factor, add high/low shelves, and use undo/redo; Picky Audio calls it the best EQ available right now.
• GadgetryTech calls the parametric EQ massive — Sennheiser already makes good-sounding products, and giving listeners the keys to custom-tune is a huge advantage.
• The app handles EQ, ANC modes, firmware updates and a find-my-headphones location feature; pairing is straightforward.
• There are four ways to connect — Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C wired, 3.5mm analog, and the BTD 700 dongle — covering essentially any source.
• The BTD 700 dongle has a low-latency gaming mode that drops latency to a claimed ~30ms — good enough for lag-free video and competitive gaming.
• Touch-and-hold swipe gestures vary volume precisely and work well; a 15-minute auto power-off helps preserve battery.
• Touch-control response is the slowest of the premium pack — about 0.8-1 second from touch to response, versus roughly half a second for Bose and Sony.
• On an early review unit the touchpad and wear detection were frequently inoperative, especially in multipoint mode — a likely early-firmware bug.
• Owner take: one Reddit user singles out the app as the area where the HDB 630 clearly justifies its premium over the Momentum 4.

Sony WH-1000XM6

The Sony Sound Connect app is deep — 10-band EQ, Speak-to-Chat, head-gesture controls, adaptive sound and a background-music ambient mode. Multipoint is reliable, and firmware updates have added Auracast/LE Audio, head tracking and Gemini Live. Two physical buttons stay, but the touch panel still handles playback and volume — a divisive choice.

• A background-music mode makes audio sound like it's coming from tinny speakers about 20 feet away, as if you're in a cafe — a distinctive ambient listening option.
• A firmware update added Bluetooth LE Audio / Auracast support, letting you share audio with another pair of headphones or broadcast to a group.
• Sony has rolled out a firmware update bringing Gemini Live AI assistance and audio sharing through Fast Pair to the XM6.
• A later firmware update added head tracking over a Bluetooth LE Audio connection, improving the headphones' behaviour with Samsung phones.
• Multipoint works well — the XM6 pairs with two Bluetooth devices at once and switches automatically when a call comes in or playback starts on either device.

Sennheiser HDB 630

At a $489-500 launch price the HDB 630 sits exactly alongside the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QC Ultra and AirPods Max. Reviewers frame it as the pick for buyers who prioritise sound, battery and wired flexibility — and the wrong pick for buyers who want the best ANC or a luxe build.

• SoundGuys: while it doesn't take the crown for best ANC ever tested, the HDB 630 sounds far better than the Sony WH-1000XM6, the Bose QC Ultra and the AirPods Max.
• The HDB 630 launched at $489-500, the same bracket as the Sony XM6, AirPods Max and B&W PX7 range.
• The Headphone Show recommended the HDB 630 as the ANC headphone to get in its buying guide — though it concedes the Bose QC Ultra is more impressive in certain ways, making it a genuinely difficult choice.
• Crinacle loves the 630 as an audiophile but cautions that the average buyer who prioritises ANC should still consider the big three.
• Headphones Pro Review calls it the most honest answer a wireless headphone has given at this price — 60 hours of battery, a $60 dongle included and a mastering-grade parametric EQ.
• Versus the cheaper Momentum 4 (~$300-350), reviewers say the HDB 630 is a clear sonic step up but the Momentum 4 remains one of the best values for buyers who don't need the new app, EQ and wired hi-res features.
• Owner take: a Reddit user who tested three $500 flagships found the HDB 630 the best-sounding of the trio but ultimately kept the Bose QC Ultra for its better blend of ANC, comfort and connectivity.
• Owner take: a Reddit user calls the HDB 630 the best they've ever heard over Bluetooth when shopping for an AirPods Max alternative.

Sony WH-1000XM6

At a $450 launch price the XM6 is expensive, and the still-available XM5 (now ~$350) and discounted XM4 undercut it. But against the AirPods Max 2, Bose QC Ultra 2 and Sennheiser Momentum 4, most reviewers conclude the XM6's all-round polish — ANC, comfort, features, folding design — justifies the price, and Amazon discounts have already pulled it below the XM5's launch price.

• At $450 the XM6 is really expensive, but the whole premium ANC category is full of rivals that try to beat it and don't — which makes it still feel like the one to get if you want the flat-out best travel and work headphones.
• The WH-1000XM6 is an improvement over the XM5, but the older model is still sold and arguably offers more value for buyers who don't want to pay the higher price.
• Factoring in best-in-class ANC, the XM6 is priced fairly — the only headphone that clearly beats its noise cancelling, the AirPods Max 2, costs more.
• Against the Bose QC Ultra 2 the call is close, but for travellers, open-office workers and long commutes the XM6 wins on stronger ANC and longer battery, while Bose keeps the comfort edge.