When I first got these earphones, I had many issues with the foam tips, as I did with the XM5s. But the difference for me was the venting. The XM5s were horrible with the foam tips and the venting. This caused me headaches and pain in my ears. The XM6s have really nice venting, and this encouraged me to keep using them and trying different tips and tricks to allow time with the Bluetooth, because I truly believe this is the main key.
Because I was able to continue using them, I finally found out that the key to my comfort was to use the large tips without trying to push them too deep into my ears. This allowed me to use them comfortably in my ears with a great seal, no pain, and yet just a little more extension out of my ears, but still acceptable in appearance. This is important to me, as I don’t want to look like a science experiment or a UFC fighter with cotton in his ears.
All of this allowed me to appreciate and get into the sound. I believed it to be at least fifth on the sound scale, comparable to earphones like the Devialet Gemini 2, Pi8s, Az100, and Noble Rex 5. However, the more I listened to it and the more the foam became marshmallow-like instead of a stiff foam cushion, something started to happen. The sound became even more separated, the soundstage became even wider, and the details and bass extensions grew in liveliness and dynamics.
It took the mantle of details from the Pi8, while taking the dynamics of the Devialet Gemini 2, and the timbre of the Az100, creating a level I feel is now the second-best sounding Bluetooth in the world, second only to the Noble Rex 5. But of course, because it beats the Noble Rex 5 in features, price, ANC, and hear-through, there still isn’t any competition here. The Sony XM6s are still the best in the world, but now the sound is better than it was before.
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