The Sony XM6 must fix this Achilles heel of the WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones do many things right, including great sound quality, ANC, mic quality, and app functionality. That’s why they frequently top many of our best lists. But, like anything, they aren’t perfect, and one particular weak point that has shown its age over the years is in build quality, particularly the earcup hinges.

Here at SoundGuys, our office pair of XM5s looks pretty sad. The once-plush ear cushions have flattened considerably, and the earcups have developed a concerning looseness in the hinge that many users report precedes failure. This shouldn’t be happening to premium flagship headphones merely three years old. With rumors of the XM6 on the horizon, Sony needs to address these durability concerns head-on, especially if they plan to maintain or exceed the XM5’s $400 price point.

A tale of frail hinges

If you’ve spent any time browsing Reddit threads or headphone forums over the years, you might have come across one or more posts showing a pair of broken XM5 headphones. Curiously, users consistently report the same failure point: the headband-hinge connection. At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss these breakages as user error. After all, headphones require careful handling, and carelessly tossing them in a bag without a case or dropping them will certainly cause damage.

But the sheer amount of similar complaints has become impossible to ignore. When scores of users report identical breaking points in the same hinge area, following the same pattern of failure, it stops looking like user error and starts looking like a design flaw. The consistency of these failures is too precise to be coincidental.

Looking at the headband-hinge connection, this crucial joint, supposedly engineered to withstand daily use, appears to split over time. One culprit could be Sony’s switch to recycled plastics, which, while environmentally conscious, may have compromised structural integrity. But it could also just be the structural integrity the hinge mechanism.

Given that Sony’s warranty only covers one year, many buyers are unsure if their headphones will last beyond that. While the warranty does cover manufacturer defects to its hardware components, it doesn’t cover accidents, misuse, cosmetic damage, or unauthorized repairs. In other words, if it happens to break, you are likely to be held responsible.

While an extended warranty for the XM6 would be nice, this pattern of structural failure is unacceptable for a premium product line that commands a $400 price tag. There is cause for hope, however, as recent FCC filing drawings suggest Sony may have already taken these durability concerns to heart.

Going by the above technical drawings, the WH-1000XM6 appears to feature a significantly redesigned hinge mechanism.  Where the XM5 had a straight, flat connection at the hinge point, the XM6 looks to bring new structural elements including a curved seam line and an additional supporting seam above it. The surface under the hinge has also been reimagined, replacing the XM5’s convex curve with a concave design that may provide better structural integrity.

While we’ll need hands-on time with the final product to verify if these changes truly address the durability concerns, it’s encouraging to see Sony apparently rethinking this problematic weak point.

Other little things that would go a long way

Aside from the hinge, the XM5 presents comfort issues that need addressing in the XM6.  One gripe I’ve always had is the shallowness of the ear cups, causing my ears to press against the inside walls. It’s a step backward from previous models like the WH-1000XM4 and a genuine concern for people like me who wear their headphones for hours at a time.

Another significant issue is the padding deterioration. I want my premium headphones to stay plush and comfy, yet the ear cushions in our WH-1000XM5 headphones went flat after the first year. Granted, these are popular headphones, and so we frequently grab them to compare to whatever other new models grace our desks for testing. But we also have headphones that are just as old and cost half as much and don’t look nearly as deflated.

I’m sure the Sony WH-1000XM6 will have even better sound quality and noise canceling capabilities, and who knows what fancy AI features, but I can’t help but be concerned that Sony overlooks the smaller creature comforts of wearing headphones every day. While the redesigned hinge mechanism shown in FCC filings suggests Sony has heard user concerns, the real test lies in execution. The XM6 represents Sony’s chance to prove they can match their audio engineering prowess with the kind of build quality that is truly worthy of the flagship title and your hard-earned money.