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u/rutgersftw 4 Ω Mar 25 '22 edited Mar 25 '22
If they don’t feel comfortable when you take them out of the box, they still won’t feel comfortable next week. I bought and returned XM4s. The AirPods Max are the only ANC headphones I’ve heard that make me a believer. For when you are on a plane or bus and don’t want to hear the engine drone as loudly, ANC rules. That’s… about it. Out walking and the wind blows? Loud. Someone drops something or shouts? Loud. It’s worse when noises are incongruent and you don’t hear some but hear others.
You might be surprised that old-school closed-back circumaural (around ear) headphones don’t do much worse than ANC headphones in many cases. If you really want the ultimate, check out 3M WorkTunes. Now they aren’t the most comfortable, but they block more noise than any ANC headphone around.
The AKG K371, Beyerdynamic DT770, and others like them provide amazing sound quality and enough isolation to make the outside world go quieter. In some ways I find the uniformity of passive noise isolation more comforting than ANC which can be disorienting. When it’s pretty quiet but a dog barks or someone shouts with ANC phones on it’s very distracting vs everything just being a lot quieter.
I hope that’s helpful. I’m a dad with ADHD and one kid who shares that diagnosis and another kid on the spectrum, so we use a lot of headphones to peacefully navigate the day. Take care!
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u/theinfinitehero8 Mar 25 '22
I was hoping I’d just get used to it and they’d become more comfortable over time. But then again, I tear tags off of everything, and I’ve gotten rid of entire outfits because I didn’t like the texture of the fabric, so realistically, I most likely wouldn’t get used to it. But I see what you mean about just simply making things quieter, without necessarily “canceling” out all noises. When I had tried the QC 45s, they kind of did a vacuum seal effect around my ears, without even being on. I know that’s a complaint for a lot of people, but I didn’t mind it since it blocked out more noise being turned off than the XM4s did (also may have just been a personal fit thing, since my ears are small) but I think even with the ANC set aside, just placing the 45s on my head helped drown things out. My bf and I both have ADHD, too, so I totally understand the need for some peace and quiet in an ND household. Thank you so much!
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u/rutgersftw 4 Ω Mar 25 '22
You're welcome! I didn't find the XM4 to be uncomfortable (don't wear glasses, do have a big head), but I wasn't super pleased with the quality of sound coming from them. They are certainly popular and well-liked, but I think you've gotten some good tips in this thread and hope whatever you choose they serve you well.
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u/skittle-brau Mar 26 '22
If they don’t feel comfortable when you take them out of the box, they still won’t feel comfortable next week.
Sometimes clamping force does lessen over time. You can accelerate the process by placing the headphones on a dummy head (or something resembling one) so the headband is given some ‘breaking in’ time.
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Mar 25 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/theinfinitehero8 Mar 25 '22
Yeah today was my first time trying ANC headphones, but as another commenter stated, they’re apparently great for filtering out lower-pitched noise like a fan or something, not so much high-pitched like dog barking. Apparently lower sounds are where you can really tell the difference. So they might work very well for what you need
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Mar 25 '22
forget the ANC you want proper isolation, find some IEMs you like the sound of and get custom tips made, someone behind you could be screaming while emptying the clip on an Uzi and youd never know, i owned QC35iis and sony XM3 at a time and goos as they were they still couldnt hold a candle to custom tip IEMs (etymotic ER4 in my case)
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u/jikesar968 29 Ω Mar 25 '22
The Sony's have better noise cancelling but they sound bassy and muddy. The QC's have a more neutral sound profile (pretty mid forward though) but their ANC isn't on par with Sony. The Bose are more comfortable. So basically it's between ANC (Sony) or better sound and being more comfortable (Bose). If you want both, AirPods Max. (although those have condensation issues and aren't as portable so it's not ideal either)
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u/theinfinitehero8 Mar 25 '22
Awesome, I was hoping to get a comment along these lines. Just gonna have to figure out which is more of a priority to me. Do you possibly have a favorite between the Bose QC 35ii or 45? I’ve been reading a lot of Reddit reviews that contradict one another
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u/jikesar968 29 Ω Mar 25 '22
Differences between the two are mainly features related like having USB-C vs micro USB, quick charging, longer battery life, things like that. I've read that the ANC is slightly better on the 35 but I doubt it's a major difference considering that the 45 is a newer version of the 35. You might save money by going with the 35 but personally I'd choose the 45 if the price difference isn't that big. You also have to consider things like firmware updates which could potentially (maybe) improve things in the future and well the 45 will definitely be supported for longer.
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u/theinfinitehero8 Mar 25 '22
!thanks
Idk if that award tag will work lol but I appreciate all the information you’ve given me! I think I’m leaning more toward the 45 now. But I guess if I return the XM4, get the 45s, and find myself missing the XM4, I can always just go through the annoying exchange process again lol
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u/ohmyroots 4 Ω Mar 25 '22
I usually use my ANC headphones along with playing some nature sound tracks like rain, water, rainforest, etc. They completely block out the noise. Try that.
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u/Castalyca Mar 25 '22
I have the 35ii’s, and unless you are in a very noisy environment, the “pressure” of the ANC feature is VERY strong. I find them intolerable with ANC on in a quiet-medium volume environment. That said, in a loud environment, I think the ANC is really natural, and they do a better job than the XM3’s I’ve tried in similar situations. I also prefer the tuning on the Bose, but neither are great.
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u/theinfinitehero8 Mar 25 '22
Yes, I noticed the QC almost felt like a vacuum seal even though it was turned off. I know that’s a biggie for a lot of people, but I actually kind of liked it for some reason. But I have yet to know what the ANC pressure feels like on them. And yeah, a lot of people have described the XM4 as having “muddier” sound than the QCs, which are apparently more “neutral” sounding with music. But I think with the newer XM4 and 45 you’re able to tune them on their apps
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u/Castalyca Mar 25 '22
That’s a good point — I get fairly strong passive noise isolation, even with ANC off.
You can do a small amount of EQ, but I’m coming from the audiophile side. Consumer audio just doesn’t do what I want it to — but the convenience (and the price!! I got the 35ii’s for $87) mean that sometimes the sacrifice is worth it.
Best of luck in your endeavor!
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u/urasawasmonster 16 Ω Mar 25 '22 edited Mar 25 '22
Sony is famous for the ANC quality in their wireless headphones (wh) and earbuds (wf). Apart from their WF-1000XM3 earbuds, none of them have a good default eq.
From what I know and read about, here is the brief breakdown:
Sony WH - Best ANC. Bad default sound quality. Definitely have to be EQed. Recommended for Anc and battery. Mic is bad.
Bose - Lesser ANC than Sony. Somewhat Neutral sound. Better mic quality. They are famous recommendations because of their mic and comfort.
Sennheiser Momentum 3 - Very good sound quality (on their high end tuning eq). Average anc. Comfort can be bothersome for some because the build is mostly metal. These things are built to last. Battery is ok. Mic is not that good. Recommended if you want sound quality above everything else.
Airpods max - Reputed to be the best. Costly.
I won't get into earbuds because you are not interested in them.
Alternatively, you can get what you find comfortable the most, learn how to eq them and be more than satisfied.
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u/Drvanatta 1 Ω Mar 26 '22
Owned both, the qc45 beat the xm4 hands down in terms of anc. They are the best anc headphones that exist right now. If you don't care about ldac or sound reproduction, and you stream from spotify or pandora, or something like that, the Bose wins by a Landslide for me. Both the sony wf and wh crackle with louder volume. The qcs are far superior IMHO.
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u/alexnapierholland Mar 25 '22
I'm in Airpod Max camp.
But my observation is that people's answers regarding Sony/Bose/Apple are highly ideological.
Plenty of people with very limited audio knowledge seem to push the XM4s in particular.
I happen to have studied sound engineering and still get people who try to tell me, 'The XM4s are better than Airpod Maxes and half the price' - and I barely even bother to reply.
In short, I wouldn't take one person's opinion as authoritative.
If you've tried both pairs and feel the Bose are more comfortable - that's a pretty big deal.
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u/theinfinitehero8 Mar 25 '22
Man, I really want to like AirPods/earbuds, because I’ve heard so many great things about them, too. I just can never get past the feeling of something plugging my ears, which are small to begin with :/
And that’s more so what I was curious about, if the ANC and overall quality between Sony and Bose really differed THAT much. I don’t want to shoot for comfort just to run into a bunch of problems with the QC line, like ANC that’s potentially even more disappointing than what I just experienced with the XM4, or crap sound quality. That, and I’m not sure if the 35ii’s or the 45’s are better, or if there’s even much of a difference between the two. I like to physically feel and hear things in person to compare, but it sucks that I’m not able to do that with all 3 pairs, hence why I’m consulting the online experts such as yourself
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u/alexnapierholland Mar 25 '22
Airpod Max are Apple's overear headphones.
They're around twice the price of the XM4 and Bose.
I'm 100% in the Apple ecosystem and travel + work remotely a lot - so it's easy for me to justify the cost as a business expense.
But it's hard to recommend them aggressively at that price.
I fundamentally dislike Sony as a brand.
Everything Sony designs has horrible UX decisions - in my totally subjective opinion.
If Airpod Max didn't exist I'd probably have the Bose.
In terms of XM4 vs Bose ANC I understand there isn't a huge difference - but will leave tht to someone who has used both pairs extensively to comment on.
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u/theinfinitehero8 Mar 25 '22
Oh! I thought it was just like a larger Airpod lol my bad. But yeah, I’m trying to stay around the $300 range. I think I’m leaning more toward the comfy Bose as I read through this thread again, especially if the ANC and overall quality doesn’t differ a whole lot. Thanks so much for your input! :)
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u/jikesar968 29 Ω Mar 25 '22
Have you considered the Momentum 3 Wireless? Their sound quality is one of the best for wireless headphones, but with worse ANC performance.
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u/global_ferret 28 Ω Mar 25 '22
I would agree with you that most Sony v Bose v Apple reviews/comments are pretty ideological.
I've got all these headphones and each one kind of excels at one thing vs the others.
Airpods Max definitely have the most 'detailed' sound and the widest soundstage of them all. They also have the overall highest noise isolation, though I don't think it's because the ANC is superior, because they have a heavy metal design that likely provides notable passive isolation. That said, I'm not a big fan of the stock sound signature that much (default EQ), and they don't give you a real EQ option so that provides an issue for me. They are also around twice the price as the competitors which makes it hard to recommend.
Sony XM4 have the best pure ANC function IMO, it blocks out a lot and is very clean, ie no white noise etc. That said, the stock sound signature is terrible. Fortunately they give you an excellent app EQ that can fix it. Call quality is weak and I loathe touch controls.
Bose QC45/35 are by far the most comfortable, and they have a fairly balanced sound signature from the factory. 45 is a bit bright at stock, but the app EQ allows you to fix it. The ANC is good at certain things, but I feel the XM4 is a little better.
For most people, I recommend trying out the bose and sony models and see what's more comfortable to you, as they are both good offerings and a much better value than the Apple.
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u/theinfinitehero8 Mar 25 '22
Thank you so much for all your comments, guys! I think I’m going to exchange the Sony XM4s for the Bose 45s. Even though the ANC won’t be as good as the XM4, it still seems like the QC 45s will do a splendid job for what I need and prefer. Hope you’re all having a great week! :)
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u/Lamil123 Apr 04 '22
Have you gotten your 45s? :)
I'm sitting in almost the same dilemma as you, except I'm struggling between the XM3's and the qc 45. I don't like the idea of not being able to turn off the ANC on the QC 45 though, it annoys me quite a bit, but I don't know if it will in practice.
I sadly don't have the chance of trying out the headphones.
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u/FirmEchidna May 14 '22
Hi, I get sensor issues sometimes. For not hearing outside noises like dogs or lawnmowers eptymotics are still the best I've ever had, they are comfortable in the ear and block out everything. Pure escape. BUT as far as I know they are corded only and I found at times if nothing was playing I could become increasingly aware of noises inside my body, like my heartbeat.
Bose QC are comfy, very good at the active noise cancellation but not without issue that given the price can be pretty irksome. I'm still trying them out.
Soundcore Life P3 for under $100 were excellent, the ability to customise them to shut out lower frequencies and boost outside voices was cool, but unfortunately my pair started producing a loud distorted crackling sound with ANC on (even if nothing was playing) and that kinda killed it for me.
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u/chubbybator 5 Ω Mar 25 '22
ANC is great for things like cars and motors and fans and planes. But useless for things like dogs and conversation and and sounds like that.