Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Bose - QuietComfort SC | Sony - WH-1000XM6 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 24 h | 30 h |
| Driver size | 35 mm | 30 mm |
| Weight | 240 g | 254 g |
| Spatial audio | false | true |
| LDAC | false | true |
Between the QuietComfort SC and WH-1000XM6, the QuietComfort SC comes out ahead in driver size / weight, while the WH-1000XM6 wins on battery life / spatial audio. Overall, the QuietComfort SC scores 70.2 and the WH-1000XM6 scores 69.4 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (70.2 vs 69.4). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the QuietComfort SC if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. The biggest gaps in its favor are driver size, weight. The single most decisive one: Driver size — 16.67% more. 35 mm vs 30 mm.
Pick the WH-1000XM6 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are battery life, spatial audio, ldac. The single most decisive one: Battery life — 25.00% more. 30 h vs 24 h.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, multipoint, water resistance, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Bose - QuietComfort SC or Sony - WH-1000XM6?
Bose - QuietComfort SC leads the current Mars Score by 0.8 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare driver size, battery life, weight against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Bose - QuietComfort SC if…
Bose - QuietComfort SC has the measurable edge on driver size mm, weight g.
Choose Sony - WH-1000XM6 if…
Sony - WH-1000XM6 has the measurable edge on battery life h, has spatial audio, supports ldac.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Bose - QuietComfort SC wins
- ▲Driver size — 16.67% more. 35 mm vs 30 mm.
- ▲Weight — 14.00 g less. 240 vs 254.
Why Sony - WH-1000XM6 wins
- ▲Battery life — 25.00% more. 30 h vs 24 h.
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
- ▲Has LDAC.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Bose - QuietComfort SC | Sony - WH-1000XM6 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 240 glead | 254 g |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Bose - QuietComfort SC | Sony - WH-1000XM6 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 35 mmlead | 30 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 32 Ωlead | 16 Ω |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 98 dB | 101 dBlead |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | false | truelead |
Battery
| Spec | Bose - QuietComfort SC | Sony - WH-1000XM6 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery lifeⓘ | 24 h | 30 hlead |
| Fast chargeⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | Bose - QuietComfort SC | Sony - WH-1000XM6 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.1 | 5.3lead |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| 3.5mm jack | true | true |
| LDACⓘ | false | truelead |
| aptX HDⓘ | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, QuietComfort SC or WH-1000XM6?+
WH-1000XM6 lasts 30 hours vs 24 hours.
Do QuietComfort SC or WH-1000XM6 have active noise cancellation?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.
Which supports LDAC, QuietComfort SC or WH-1000XM6?+
WH-1000XM6 supports LDAC; QuietComfort SC does not.