Sony's $450 WH-1000XM6 are reportedly breaking in a brand new way

Sony’s WH-1000XM series may have some of the best-sounding wireless headphones in their price bracket, but they’re troubled by one pressing issue: unsatisfactory build quality around moving parts. Owners of the previous-gen flagship, WH-1000XM5, widely echoed issues with hinges breaking left, right, and center. The issue was so widespread, it earned Sony a class-action lawsuit in the US.

With the newer WH-1000XM6, Sony attempted to address these complaints by pivoting to a new two-fold mechanism and fixed the issue to a fair degree. Meanwhile, another breakage issue has transpired and is now haunting Sony’s high-end headphones, and the complaints seem to be growing.

Last month, we reported on rising complaints from owners of the WH-1000XM6s irked by breakage on their new headphones. Instead of the hinges themselves, people have been reporting physical damage around the headband, especially along areas where different parts meet. Now, we’re seeing far more similar complaints, with a common theme: cracking of the plastic ring at the end of the headband.

Folks over at The Walkman Blog have curated a substantially long list of reports (13, at least) spread across Reddit reporting similar ruptures of the rings on the headband. In certain cases, the rings have completely fallen off, letting the sliding part out completely and basically dismantling the headband. The headphones launched in May 2025, and some people haven’t even owned them for a year, so the wear must really hurt.

It hurts even more to know that Sony doesn’t cover these damages under warranty, despite the scale of complaints. Some solution-oriented users have also attempted to fix the cracks using tape or superglue, but haven’t succeeded in their pursuits. The rings seemingly can’t bear the load of the headband being stretched out laterally.

Since redressal may involve Sony having to redesign the part, or using another, sturdier material, we may not see that happening until the next generation — which might still be a few years away. As a Sony WH-series connoisseur myself, I’d love to be wrong on this. But for clarity, I’ve written to Sony to ask if it has seen reports and how it plans to move toward addressing them.

The reports pour in on the sidelines of Sony launching a new Olive Gray colorway for the WH-1000XM6.