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Comfortable noise cancelling headphones

uncl_nigel

pfm Member
Recent traveling has led me to look for a new comfortable pair of noise cancelling headphones.

The current pair of Plantronics work well but squash rather than surround my ears and are definitely not heatwave comfy with their artificial leather ear pads. Inner ear pad diam. approx. 5cm
The pair of Beyer 990 Pro headphones which I use with the iMac are comfortable and fit around my ears but are neither bluetooth nor noise cancelling to say nothing of being open-backed. Inner ear pad diam. approx. 6cm.

The Sennheiser PXC 550 II would probably have been adequate but they seem to be on the way out (sure indicator - Sennheiser no longer list the replacement ear pads on their official French site and the phones are "out of stock").

Suggestions?

Budget - up to 400€
 
I’d also suggest the 1000XM4, I love them for travel, comfortable, decent sound and class leading noise cancelling. Just remember they’re never going to be as good as top sennheiser, focals, beyers etc.
There’s a few reviews that still put them ahead of the newer 1000XM5 due to some changes they’ve made (the hight adjustment coming in for a lot of complaints). The 5 is supposed to be a smidge better sound but considering the price difference!
 
I use the B&W PX7s - previously used the Senheisser PXC550s. I think the B&Ws sound better. In terms of comfort they are similar. I use them as a headset when I am in the office and for music/podcasts when I am out walking... I know the PX7s have just been updated with an S2 version but I have not tried them.
 
Bose Quietcomfort. Much as it’s cool to dislike Bose, the QCs are very good indeed. I have no desire to change.
 
Sony range of headphones is very good, even the lower end ones are perfectly adequate for travelling. Make sure whatever you buy has a wired option so you can plug into airplane entertainment system when flying long haul.
 
I have both the Sony 1000XM4 and Bose QC25.

In my opinion, the Sony sound better than the Bose. However, the Bose are more comfortable. The Bose are the only headphones I can wear for hours without any discomfort at all.
 
I got a pair of Bose NC700s free with my Pixel 6 Pro. Never had noise-cancelling headphones before and as others have said, I'd normally be sniffy about Bose - however these things are fantastic. So comfortable, the NC is phenomenal, battery lasts around 15+ hours and I can even use them as a bluetooth headset for Teams calls on my phone when working remotely.

In-depth review vs. the Sony 1000XM5s here: https://www.soundguys.com/sony-wh-1000xm5-vs-bose-noise-cancelling-headphones-700-71868/ - the Sonys win, however the Bose can be had for around £250 vs. £380ish for the Sonys.

Comparison with the 1000XM4s here as well: https://www.soundguys.com/bose-noise-cancelling-headphones-700-vs-sony-wh-1000xm4-38630/ XM4s around £230ish on Amazon.

I've not heard the Sonys myself but I honestly don't think there's anything I'm disappointed with from the NC700s. I think the Bose are better looking too.
 
I also find the Bose headphones very comfortable. I had the wired QC-15 for several years and these are very comfortable, but the fake leather earpads start to disintegrate after a few years.

The wife got me some QC45 for my birthday. These were faulty - they wouldn’t charge. After a lot of faffing around trying to change firmware and do hard resets they still didn’t work we ended up doing a warranty claim. After the bad experience with the QC45 I decided to avoid that model so chose QC700 for the replacement. These worked perfectly. I find them quite comfortable, but not quite as good as the QC-15s due to the heavier weight and slightly higher clamping force.
 
Bose Quietcomfort. Much as it’s cool to dislike Bose, the QCs are very good indeed. I have no desire to change.

Same here - use them for long periods everyday on calls and also for Amateur Radio contests - not the last word in fidelity fo’sho but very comfortable long term
 
I have both the Beyer Dynamic ANC Lagoon and Sony WH-1000XM4. There are pros and cons to each.

Connectivity. I connect to my mobile and my laptop so I can switch music source easily. The Beyer supports this with AptX to both devices. The Sony can connect to two devices but does support LDAC simultaneously and drops to "normal" Bluetooth on both. I you want LDAC you must toggle the Sony to "single connection" in the app.

Build. The Sony is better built than the Beyer. They are both strong, but the Beyer suffers from plastic on plastic creaking occasionally. The Sony has slightly bigger earcups (internal diameter) than the Beyer, but unless you are Dumbo, both should fit over ear easily. Comfort is great on both.

Sound. This will be a matter of taste. I prefer the Beyer as they have a tuning app that runs through a series of hearing tests and adjusts the equalisation curve to suit your hearing. I'm over 60 and have some high frequency loss on one side. The Beyer adapts to this.

Noise cancelling. Both good. The Sony is widely praised as "best in class" but what is not mentioned is that it focusses on the most prevalent low frequencies. If you are on a plane this looses most of the ambient noise, but it leaves voices annoyingly clear. IME the Beyer has more useful NC. The Sony adapts to your surroundings whereas the Beyer just has two settings.

All the other stuff, controls, case, cables etc. are a wash. If I could just pick one then it would be the Beyer. For me the customised equalisation and sound quality is the key factor. It's NC may not be as fancy as the Sony, but it works better in the environments in which I need it. Both are EOL and can be picked up for a song. I see the Beyer at £140 on Amazon.
 
I've had the Sony xM2 and now the XM3. I chose Sony because I found them more comfortable than Bose, maybe I just have big ears!
My son has now had my xm2 for a few years and they are still going strong.
My M3 have some wear on pads now but I assume that's because I sweat into them a lot when exercising.
I will probably upgrade to the M4 soon, I was interested in the M5 but it's a completely different physical design and doesn't fold down as much
 
Sony WH-1000XM4. They do a great job and are very comfortable. Also decent for listening to music in transit. I’ve switched to IEM Noise cancelling (also Sony) for general commute et. Only time I actively use noise cancelling headphones is on flights so if anyone is looking for a very lightly used XM4, pm me.
 
Another vote for Sony XM4. Lightweight, foldable, excellent ANC and good app with plentiful enough customizability. Should be found discounted now and XM5 while perhaps slightly better also more expensive (and not foldable if that matters).

New Momentum Wireless 4 and B&W Px7 Series 2 worth a look but Sony, Apple and Bose still rule when it comes to effective overall ANC.
 
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Sony XM4 too here, I agree with everything posted about them…they also take a bashing too; I travel lots and am amazed by how careless I’ve been with them and how robust they are
 
Just found a stockiest of the Sony WH-1000xm4 and it does feel nice and actually (just) fits around my ears.

Took the precaution of not having the Visa card with me - I'll have a think about it over night :)
 
I found the Sony XM4s a little bass heavy and lost out in detail to the Bose NC700s. So I bought the Bose NC700s. They also seemed better built than the Sonys.
 
I use this EQ in the Sony Headphones Connect app (remember to download from your store and set up) to tame the bass a bit and bring forward the mids - try it.

XM4.jpg


Which I found here:

https://www.headphones.com/communit...-great-noise-cancelling-but-how-does-it-sound
 
I have the Sonys XM4's, and had the Bose Quiet Comfort II's before them.

Sony - a better SQ and overall a better package, they are a much later product than the QCII's but the QC's were slightly more comfortable, and the SQ was very good with them also.

The later Bose 700's which were released as competition to the XM4's are utterly terrible.

I stuck with the Sonys.
 


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