Best over-ear Bluetooth noise-canceling headphones
May 15, 2017 at 10:18 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9

DioBrando

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Within 2-3 months I'm about to take a pretty long intercontinental flight and I'm evaluating to buy a noise-canceling headphones, in order to reduce as best as I can sound pollution.

Characteristics that I'm looking for:
- over-ear
- comfort
- good battery
- wired option
- balanced sound (not too much bass-oriented
- good noise-canceling
- controls on headphones

I found some usual name like Bose QuietComfort 25, Sennheiser Momentum 2.0, Sony MDR-1000x, Plantronics BackBeat Pro2.

I'd like to read some owners' opinions or why not even alternative products suggestions.
Volevo avere qualche parere magari da possessori, consigli e magari anche prodotti alternativi.
Budget? Kinda none, just what better satisfies requirements above.
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Thx
 
May 28, 2017 at 9:23 AM Post #4 of 9
i can recommend the bose qc35.. great noise cancelling, sounds decent, and is by far the most comfortable portable headphone i have owned.. i do not own the sony MDR 1000X but I have auditioned this headphone and i chose the bose qc35 over it due to comfort, which is really exceptional on the bose.. I have also tried the Bowers & Wilkins P7 wireless. which sounded great, definitely a little better than the QC35, but again due to comfort issues i returned it, the P7 doesnt have noise cancelling either, just noise isolation..
 
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May 28, 2017 at 11:57 PM Post #5 of 9
I can recommend the QC35, exceptional noise cancellation and comfort. Sound is not too bass heavy but it's certainly a little bit veiled in the high frequencies. I auditioned the MDR-1000X and found it was tilted to the bass way too much.

You should try looking into the PSB M4U2 and the upcoming M4U8. Those are way more balanced sounding Bluetooth ANC options.
 
May 29, 2017 at 7:26 AM Post #6 of 9
Sennheiser PXC550 - very much under-rated for some reason, I sold my Bose QC35's and went with the 550's and not looked back - both are very very good but the 550's are *almost* as comfortable as the QC35's but with better audio (IMHO), switchable ANC, can be used as USB speakers from a PC, can also be used via BT whilst being charged via USB, they have really good touch controls - not too sensitive, just right.
Bose have some current issues with firmware upgrades upsetting some owners, also the Bose App is next to useless, the PXC550 app is very useful and you can tune the headset to your liking via the app...
It's all very much a personal thing, you really need to check out all the contenders yourself rather than rely on someone else's opinion although I doubt you would be unhappy with any of them, they all have plusses and minuses....
I also have the B & W P7 wireless - love these very much but would not recommend them for portable use or where noise cancelling is needed. Great for relaxing with at home though :)
 
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Jul 11, 2017 at 11:55 AM Post #7 of 9
Thx guys. I read Sony has an exceptional sound quality and nice features overall but comfort is lacking if context is for example long flight journeys.
Bose stood up for comfort but feels a lil bit cheap due to ecoleather use and ANC is not switchable and overall sound is not that great and pretty flat.
New B&O offer really premium material but at the same time 500$ make's look pretty overpriced even though quality is not in discussion.I may give Denon a try, because they AH-GC20 has being sold for 139€ and they've got pretty much all features of the other ones (except replaceable battery that's a plus for B&O).
Thx in the meantime and I'll give u a feedback about em, yet aware that probably "I still haven't haven't found what I'm looking for" :D
 
Sep 30, 2017 at 1:14 PM Post #8 of 9
Sennheiser PXC550 - very much under-rated for some reason, I sold my Bose QC35's and went with the 550's and not looked back - both are very very good but the 550's are *almost* as comfortable as the QC35's but with better audio (IMHO), switchable ANC, can be used as USB speakers from a PC, can also be used via BT whilst being charged via USB, they have really good touch controls - not too sensitive, just right.

Hi Graham...

I've been looking for a phone in this category that fits better. I've have the QC35s, and I just got the XM2 version of the Sonys, but both of them put too much physical pressure on my largish ears. I can't find the PXC's to try, but comfort is the big deal as I do a lot of x-country flying. Any thoughts about these for the "large of ear" type user. My ears hurt after 2 hours with either of these. (And everybody talks about how comfortable the QC's are...I feel like a freak!)

Thanks...N
 
Sep 30, 2017 at 4:47 PM Post #9 of 9
I auditioned a lot of different wireless ANC headphones this past September and here is what I have found in the headphones I test (this is coming from memory so I might forget some of them).

Definitive Tech Symphony 1 : Great phone, comfortable, poor ANC, has usb dac and a good price (the usb port broke on my first flight they had only been used a week, returned DO NOT RECOMMEND)
Sony MDR-1000x : Solid headphones, lightweight, amazing anc, lots of bells and whistles (this is probably your best and safest bet for a ANC headphone, my concern is I did not like the touch options, and the buttons it has are too small and too many)
Sony h.ear 100?: Another solid headphone, got them on clearance for like 190 to try, ok ANC, decent sound (just did not care for them in the end, felt too cheap to me)
Beats Studio 2: These are very comfortable and easy to use, terrible ANC (I returned them as I just didnt want to be like 99/100 people)
Sennheiser BT450: These were awful headphones, sounded like music was trying to come through a pinhold, no soundstage either.
Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2: Decent ANC, lots of bass, awesome battery life (I actually kept these in the end)

I would have kept the DT's if they did not break on my first trip, the sound I think is amazing in the headphones feels like you are in a concert hall, all metal design to boot. I went back to the plantronics but though real hard about the MDR-1000x being only $50 more but decided against it. They just have too much crap and too many options and the touch buttons were not my thing. The plantronics offer a open mic just like sony, not as great anc but I thought pretty good for my use and having a 24 hour battery.

I did not purchase the QC35, I thought about it but I am not a bose fan and just didnt want to be like everyone else.

If you're looking for the PXC I see them at the magnolia section of best buy everywhere I've been.

Also the B&O P7 wireless are the best I have heard of any headphone, no ANC though.
 
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