u/Peter_Niko

Airplane: Boeing 787-10, front part of the economy cabin.
In both cases, I used Sony foam ear tips.

I compared both earbuds in the following scenarios:

• ANC performance for relaxing and sleeping.
• Music + ANC.
• Pass-through during announcements and when talking to flight attendants.
• Comfort for sleeping and wearing

Observations:

• WF-1000XM6 clearly outperforms XM5 in cancelling cabin noise, especially engine rumble. XM6 removes almost all noise, while XM5 still lets a small part through. That said, XM6 does not deliver complete “dead silence” — some hum remains, but at a lower level and less defined, more like white noise. High-pitched sounds (e.g., crying babies) are reduced by both earbuds, but not completely.
• Music + ANC performance is comparable between the two. In most cases, even mid-volume music masks the ANC differences between XM5 and XM6.
• Pass-through performance on XM6 is significantly better. With XM5, I had to remove one earbud a couple of times to hear the flight attendant clearly, and always during announcements. This was not needed with XM6 at all.
• Comfort: Both earbuds are reasonably comfortable to sleep on in a Boeing economy seat, as long as they don't touch any hard surfaces, which can increase noise transfer. Using a soft pillow is recommended. The XM6 may feel slightly bulky at first, but this sensation usually fades quickly. However, individuals with small ears may have a different experience.