Yes, the WF-1000XM6 has a full ambient sound mode, and Sony actually gives you a few different ways to hear what's around you.
The main Ambient Sound mode works like you'd expect – it uses the microphones to pipe outside sound through while you listen to music. You can adjust the level in the app across 20 settings, from barely noticeable to "basically not wearing earbuds." There's also an auto mode that adjusts based on how loud your environment is.
Voice passthrough is a nice option that specifically boosts voices while keeping other background noise quieter. It's helpful when you want to have a conversation without taking your earbuds out but don't want to hear every car horn and jackhammer.
Quick Attention is super practical. Just touch and hold the left earbud and your music drops while ambient sound comes through. Let go, and everything goes back to normal. Great for quick interactions at checkout counters or when someone's trying to get your attention.
Speak-to-Chat takes it a step further by automatically detecting when you start talking and switching to ambient mode. When you stop talking, it goes back to your music. The only catch is it can be triggered by coughing or humming, though you can adjust the sensitivity.
One thing to know: while the ambient mode works well, it's not quite as natural-sounding as the AirPods Pro 3 or Bose. There's a slight electronic quality to it. Not bad, just not invisible.
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Where this comes from: this answer draws on the product's published specifications and the reviews ShopSavvy collected for it, alongside prices from 1 retailer in ShopSavvy's price data, most recently seen Mar 18, 2026.
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