Looking to get a pair of over the ears headphones. Price under £500. Wireless. ANC. Comfortable. Possibly water resistant.
Have been looking at the following:
Sony WH 1000XM5
Bose QuietComfort Ultra
B&W PX8
Focal models
Apple Air Pods Max
Any recommendations please?
Not tried the PX8 but have had my PX7s for probably 5 years now and very happy with them. Used mostly when travelling they do a reasonable job on the noise cancellation front, there may be better in this respect.
I can wear them for hours without issue,
They are built solidly, no quality complaints from my side.
SQ wise I’d say they are erring on the warm side, but plenty of detail and clarity… Bass is well controlled. There are probably better options if you want thumping bass but that’s not my sort of music.
You’ve short listed pretty much the comparison list from several YouTube reviews, if that is the case them be open to other suggestions. Quality audio dealers may well have less obvious rivals
The Sony’s certainly will meet all your requirements listed and are excellent value for money. I have had the 4’s and now have the 5’s.
I usually do the demos on headphones but the Sony’s were so good I didn’t feel the need for my usual OCD habits of research and get the best for my budget!
I would have a different list for home only listening but sounds like you want these for on the go.
I’ve got AirPods Max and whilst they sound good, I believe they do tie you to Apple Music if you want to get the most out of them in terms of Dolby Atmos. ANC is good and I do find them relatively comfy.
I recently gone back to my Grado SR325e, which are a more demanding listen, as they’re open and on-ear, which is not what you’ve asked for. But I do enjoy the sound profile of the Grados.
The Sony XM6 may be released in May so you might want to hold back a bit. I’m hoping they reintroduce a folding mechanism for convenience (I have the folding XM4s and am very happy with them).
I have this and I like it a lot!
I bought PX8’s at a great price in a Black Friday sale last year and love them.
I have Sony XM5, mainly for use on the train with iPad or iPhone.
I also use it for each of my main systems which are in different properties. It works well, although I always prefer speakers.
Sennheiser Momentum 4.
See: Darko’s review on YouTube.
I’m sure there’s bargains to be had now we’re some way away from the launch.
Fantastic audio entertainment.
You’ll need to tell us where you’ll use these cans. At home, on the move, on an airplane, etc. I use Momentum 4 on a plane, but not at home.
I am looking for a model which will be generally universal use. Walking, on plane and sometimes even at home.
I’d support the Sony recommendation. I have XM2s which I use when travelling, on holiday and sometimes when doing tasks round the house. The XM5s are sonically even better, though I prefer the folding design of the earlier models.
Roger
Go for momentum 4 then. Great out and about and on the plane. Not the last word in detail. Typical at this price, bassey at the cost of mid range.