[bulwnkl]

Anyone have microphone comparisons for the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Sony XM5, and possibly one of the Bose units? I'm looking for something I can use for _lots_ of webinars and conference calls. I must have very good ANC, and a good mic with NC as well. I have an older set of Bose QC20 ear buds which are really excellent for me for ANC. They're so good I use them instead of foam earplugs on my motorcycle. However, the mic is not very good. I sound like I'm far away and my voice is not clear over them.

I do want to use these to listen to music, too. However, the mic performance and ANC are somewhat higher priorities.

Thanks for any experiences you can share.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

Anyone have microphone comparisons for the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Sony XM5, and possibly one of the Bose units? I'm looking for something I can use for _lots_ of webinars and conference calls. I must have very good ANC, and a good mic with NC as well. I have an older set of Bose QC20 ear buds which are really excellent for me for ANC. They're so good I use them instead of foam earplugs on my motorcycle. However, the mic is not very good. I sound like I'm far away and my voice is not clear over them.

I do want to use these to listen to music, too. However, the mic performance and ANC are somewhat higher priorities.

Thanks for any experiences you can share.

Based on reviews, my (short) experience with M4 and your intended usage, I's say go with Bose QC45.
Sony XM5 might have better ANC but looses points in comfort. M4 is better for music but in my experience its touch controls are problematic and has some reported build issues (creaking).

 

[bulwnkl]

Well, I've had the XM5 for a couple of weeks now, and had a Momentum 4 for just a few days. As music-listening headphones, I prefer the Sennheiser by a bit. Their noise cancelling is clearly deficient compared to the Sony, though, as well as compared to my older Bose QC20 ear buds. However, as you said, the Sonys are uncomfortable to me after a relatively short amount of time. The headband is distinctly unpleasant on the top of my head, and the ear cups aren't as deep as my ears want them to be.

I think your sugestion to use the QC45 is on target, KopaneDePooj. Very unhappily, the receipt for the Sonys has disappeared. That means I can likely(?) not swap them for the Bose units, but I certainly can't get reimbursed for them. I think I'll ask BestBuy if they'll swap anyway...

 

[Jmop]

TLDR (cuz it’s over 200 pages lol), what’s a decent over-ear in this category that’s non-fatiguing and is great on ergonomics/comfort? Price doesn’t really matter as long as it’s nothing too crazy. Bose feels nice to me for reference but bass is usually a bit uneven which makes the sound a bit suffocating despite fitting the non-fatiguing category. I’m thinking the popular Sonys might also be a little too closed-in sounding for me as well due to early treble roll-off.

 

[iampivot]

TLDR (cuz it’s over 200 pages lol), what’s a decent over-ear in this category that’s non-fatiguing and is great on ergonomics/comfort? Price doesn’t really matter as long as it’s nothing too crazy. Bose feels nice to me for reference but bass is usually a bit uneven which makes the sound a bit suffocating despite fitting the non-fatiguing category. I’m thinking the popular Sonys might also be a little too closed-in sounding for me as well due to early treble roll-off.

Used beoplay h7.

 

[Jmop]

Used beoplay h7.

Decent graph, circular ear cups I’m not crazy about.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

TLDR (cuz it’s over 200 pages lol), what’s a decent over-ear in this category that’s non-fatiguing and is great on ergonomics/comfort? Price doesn’t really matter as long as it’s nothing too crazy. Bose feels nice to me for reference but bass is usually a bit uneven which makes the sound a bit suffocating despite fitting the non-fatiguing category. I’m thinking the popular Sonys might also be a little too closed-in sounding for me as well due to early treble roll-off.

If you can stretch to the B&W PX8 price, they are great headphones, very good resolution, on the warmer side, superb midrange, soundstage a bit narrow/intimate. If your ears are not too large, they fit well.

Next would be their little brother the PX7 S2 but everything is "less" than the PX8. Still a good headphone though.

 

[RaeCarruth]

Am I the only person who prefers touch controls? I keep hearing about people complain about the Momentum 4's controls but they're easily my favorite from any wireless headphones that I own or have tried.

 

[Jmop]

Am I the only person who prefers touch controls? I keep hearing about people complain about the Momentum 4's controls but they're easily my favorite from any wireless headphones that I own or have tried.

Momentum 3 almost graphs well to me, a bit peaky in the upper range but good extension.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

Am I the only person who prefers touch controls? I keep hearing about people complain about the Momentum 4's controls but they're easily my favorite from any wireless headphones that I own or have tried.

Well, my main gripe with Momentum 4's touch controls is that they use single tap which can easily trigger accidental pause/play, and secondly swiping up/down for volume change can result in two or three steps of volume change, it is not consistent, hard to control. My more detailed thoughts about this here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/introducing-momentum-4-wireless.964459/post-17532390
I have nothing against and actually like Sony's XM5 and older models control scheme in this regard. Much more consistent, and no single-tap used.
But to each his own, if M4 controls work for you that's great.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

Momentum 3 almost graphs well to me, a bit peaky in the upper range but good extension.

I wouldn't recommend Momentum 3 if you're looking for a non-fatiguing signature as you mentioned before. They can be very harsh in the upper mids, and the lower mids are very recessed.
Momentum 4 - another story, they sound very good and can be labeled as "non-fatiguing". But be aware that their ear-pad opening is on the smaller side.
I prefer the PX8 though, which will arrive to me next week

 

[Jmop]

I wouldn't recommend Momentum 3 if you're looking for a non-fatiguing signature as you mentioned before. They can be very harsh in the upper mids, and the lower mids are very recessed.
Momentum 4 - another story, they sound very good and can be labeled as "non-fatiguing". But be aware that their ear-pad opening is on the smaller side.
I prefer the PX8 though, which will arrive to me next week

I typically figure if it’s balanced it’ll be perceptively less harsh, but yeah I know that’s what those Senns are known for. PX8 has a good slope to it but my ears likely won’t agree with the energy at 4kHz.

 

[TooFrank]

Used beoplay h7.

+1 - still love mine