Been using the EX for the past few weeks on a daily basis. The EX has quickly become my go to set and with me most of the time. The volume is loud enough to compensate the what the ANC cannot filter out without affecting my listening experience. The more that I listen to the EX, the more I am drawn to it. I like the SQ on the EX more than the XM4, and the touch control on the EX is way more intuitive than the Sony ones. Not to mention the EX is a lot more comfortable than the XM4.
So in terms of SQ, my preference will be:
PI7>EX>EQ~XM4
EQ and XM4 are equal in SQ to me but they have very different sound signature. Different, but one is not better than the other.
And in terms of ANC
XM4>>EX~PI7>EQ
EQ's ANC was rather weak for me, and coupled with lower volume makes them last place on my preference in terms of ANC. PI7 has great passive noise blockage already so hard to tell if they are better than EX. But XM4 is definitely better in this area.
In terms of comfort
EX>>PI7>XM4>EQ. But this is really subjective. However, EX feels lighter and easier to get it into the right position and have it stay there. PI7 stayed in my ear pretty well, but the XM4 and EQ are just BIG in my ears. None of them feels that they are about to fall out, but the EX is definitely comfy for me.
In terms of control
EX>XM4>EQ>PI7. EX is just a lot more customizable than the others. On the EX, my touches registers very accurately, most accurate among the lot.
In terms of connection stability
EX>EQ>XM4>PI7. I experienced very little drop outs from the EX throughout the past several weeks, even in quite crowded areas. The XM4s are about equal to the EQ if LDAC is not used but definitely worse if LDAC is enabled. PI7.... well, bad.
In terms of useful tech features
XM4>PI7>>EX>EQ
XM4 definitely has the most tech stuff in conjunction with the app. I the location based auto mode switching, speak to chat (auto transparent mode), wind noise cancellation, multiple graphics eq, DSSE.... etc. EX (and EQ) is not bad in that it as multipoint, and somewhat of an equalizer. I rank PI7 higher than the EX/EQ due to the one of a kind transmitter case and the app controllable device connection switching which is very useful for me.
All in all, the EX has become my favorite and is almost with me. To me, it has the balance of comfort/SQ/usability, and couple that with multipoint and stable connection, makes it a easy choice for me to have most of the time.
That's my 2 cents.....