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What’s the default STW’s go to Noise cancelling over ear cans?

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my Sony XM3’s are getting a bit long in the tooth, they still work well and as they did when new, but fancy a new pair - esp as I’m stuck recovering doing next to naff all.

I do fancy the bowers and Wilkins, but are they style over function? I did try the Sony XM5’s last year and had to return them as the clamping force was ridiculously uncomfortable.

so what’s the recommended go to from the STW massif?


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 11:55 am
 DrJ
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Reviewers are waxing lyrical over the XM6's. Might be worth checking them out again? When I bought my Bose QC it was because they felt more comfortable than the equivalent Sony, so perhaps they have a different design philosophy ?


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 11:58 am
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Bose QC are generally regarded as the best value for sound/anc quality/comfort, Sony xm4/xm5/xm6 all have bloated boomy bass and utterly daft upper treble response, focal bathys have the best sound and build quality but expensive.

 

Bowers & Wilkins?, fashion accessory for the name only..no one would choose to listen to them.


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 12:04 pm
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Not really feeling the love for the new Sonys, they look the same as the XM5, just a few hundred quid or so more.

bose QC Ultra are on sale.

Focal bathy’s even discounted are proper money for a set of cans, they’d have to be bloody amazing inf for the cash, even at £549.

didnt realise the bowers were so poorly thought of.


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 12:11 pm
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I have a pair of QC35 and if they broke I think I'd replace them with as close to the same as I could, although I might wince at the price, the last pair were a work perk! 

 

I do find they are uncomfortable after long spells when wearing glasses as well though, but I can't see how anything other than in ear headphones could avoid this. 


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 12:13 pm
 DrJ
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Posted by: walowiz

Focal bathy’s even discounted are proper money for a set of cans, they’d have to be bloody amazing inf for the cash, even at £549.

Then there's the Apple ones 🙂


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 12:13 pm
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Posted by: DrJ

Posted by: walowiz

Focal bathy’s even discounted are proper money for a set of cans, they’d have to be bloody amazing inf for the cash, even at £549.

Then there's the Apple ones 🙂

I’m an apple fan boy since 2000 and yet I gave my Apple headphones to a mates kid, too heavy and rather poor sounding. The AirPods Pro v2 are excellent though.

New Apple headphones are heavily rumoured to out late this year 

 

 


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 12:17 pm
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I picked up my MX4s in a sale some years ago and they work well for me and are still in good condition. I largely use them to listen to podcasts when cutting the grass with a petrol rotary mower and the noise cancelling is impressive.

For some reason I rarely use them outside of cutting the grass. EDIT: The OH said I was being anti-social 😀

I did note there was an article on the BBC a few months ago flagging that excessive use by some youngsters is leading to hearing issues as the brain becomes un-trained (sorry) in distinguishing the words you want to hear against normal background noise/hubbub.

EDIT:

Are noise-cancelling headphones to blame for young people's hearing problems?

 


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 12:49 pm
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Posted by: somafunk

Posted by: DrJ

Posted by: walowiz

Focal bathy’s even discounted are proper money for a set of cans, they’d have to be bloody amazing inf for the cash, even at £549.

Then there's the Apple ones 🙂

I’m an apple fan boy since 2000 and yet I gave my Apple headphones to a mates kid, too heavy and rather poor sounding. The AirPods Pro v2 are excellent though.

New Apple headphones are heavily rumoured to out late this year 

we tried the apple ones at a JL store last year and not a fan. Unless there’s a complete redesign (unlikely) I’m not waiting for a new model from Apple.

 


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 1:24 pm
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My children’s gotos have been soundcore Q30s and JBL 660NCs. I’ve tried both. They’re good. 

I’d favor Bowers & Wilkins PX8 or Apple AirPod Maxs for the style. But my most recent headphone acquisition has been some excellent Cosmic Ears C8As. CIEM rather than over ear though. 


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 1:48 pm
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Posted by: nickingsley

Are noise-cancelling headphones to blame for young people's hearing problems?

No. If anything open ear earbuds are likely to be more hearing damaging than ANC as folks punch up the volume to obscure external noise. 


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 1:50 pm
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The PX8’s do look good, definitely win on style


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 3:54 pm
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I gave up on wireless headphones, yes, they do cut out the background noise, but to get quality like the Sony, B&W, Apple, etc, you have to compromise on sound quality, ie no lossless playback, and apart from the Sony’s, if the battery dies, you can’t listen via a cable, which is bollocks for something costing several hundred pounds!

If I’m spending that, then I’m going for custom IEM’s, or what I ended up with are a pair of studio quality headphones that only cost a bit over £100, and carry a lifetime warranty, to boot! 
As it happens, after three years of using them, I’ve had to get them replaced or, hopefully repaired, after the headband adjustment mechanism broke, either way I get back a superb sounding pair of headphones that are light and comfortable enough for listening for hours.

https://rode.com/en/products/nth-100?variant_sku=NTH100


 
Posted : 05/07/2025 11:32 pm
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@CountZero they sound amazing, but I can’t go back to corded headphones.

Not for travel, commuting, music, watching iPlayer, Netflix, etc. 

I would like a step up in music sound from the XM3’s I currently have.

hell I don’t think I have a single device in the house that has a headphone jack anymore! 


 
Posted : 06/07/2025 5:27 am

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