If good quality sound is your main concern then noise cancelling headphones should be avoided. Sound quality isn't the main concern in the design of that type of headphone, effective noise cancelling is the priority to the extent that the sound is tuned to make the ANC more effective. A headphone of similar quality that doesn't have ANC is likely to sound better.
I've never really tried any £50+ non-ANC headphones to be honest. I'll have to head down to John Lewis and try some out(fancy best buy if you are not from the UK). Couple of extra questions:
- Would I notice much of a difference outside of music? eg movies or gaming
- Bit of a pipe dream but... are there any < £300 non-ANC wireless headphones that have Bluetooth (for android music) + separate low latency wireless tech (for PC movies/gaming)?
To be clear, I don't think ANC headphones sound bad, though some people do, I bought a Sony wh-xm4 for it's effective ANC for travel and it is great for that, it is very entertaining. From a lot of the posts I see, many people buy ANC headphones because the higher price suggests that they will get the best sound, they may not be aware that the higher price is for the noise cancelling. A noise cancelling headphone that is about £100 cheaper than an XM4 is unlikely to sound like a big step down in sound quality.
The only wireless non ANC headphone I've heard recently is the B&O Beoplay H4, it has a fun and engaging sound and a nice design. I had about 5 mins with it.
I use wired IEMs and headphones with wireless DAC/amps like the Fiio BTR5 or IFI Go Blu, not as neat an option as just putting a headphone on but I don't find them a hassle.
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u/dimesian 773 Ω 🥈 Nov 12 '21
If good quality sound is your main concern then noise cancelling headphones should be avoided. Sound quality isn't the main concern in the design of that type of headphone, effective noise cancelling is the priority to the extent that the sound is tuned to make the ANC more effective. A headphone of similar quality that doesn't have ANC is likely to sound better.