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Side By Side Comparison - AirPods Max, B&O H95, Dali iO-6, B&W PX8, ML 5909, M&D MW75, Focal Bathys and more

Aug 4, 2023 at 9:29 AM Post #316 of 856
mainguy said:
Beats competing with Sennheiser. Jesus!
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Aug 6, 2023 at 12:14 AM Post #318 of 856
Caipirina said:
Nice thread! Any reason you stay away from Bose? I have tested (and owned) a shutload of ANC wireless headphones but I keep using most my 7 or so years old Bose QC 35 MK1 ... they are super comfortable, sound just how I like them AND they have the best multipoint management out of all my headphones, which do include the Airpods Max! Those behave awkward on occasion with several macs and iphones and iPads around, not so the QC35. Also a big fan of the XM4, but those turn into ear saunas for me after a while. I also cherrish a few older models, like the very first Parrot Zik. Or my old wired Beats Studio SE in honey yellow :)
I had those Jabra 85h for a hot minute, bought used and returned because one side started failing ... i might try to get those again, they were nice.

Basically I am buying a lot of 2016/17 models used, back then they were way out of my price range :D Like the first B&W .. they are still pretty awesome.

Yes, I am a hoarder :D
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That is what I did. Got several generation back ANC Headphones. The tech is still good and the price is right. I'm selling them because of buying a Susvara, but keeping some Bose QC15's with Wireless Adapter for plane rides. Otherwise I use mostly buds on the go.
 
Aug 6, 2023 at 11:30 AM Post #319 of 856
I have the following ANC Headphones. Sony WM1000xm2, Sennheiser Momentum 3, Bowers & Wilkins PX, and Bose Quiet Comfort 15 (with wireless dongle that can stream AAC to the Bose from my iphone.

My ranking of the Noise Canceling Headphones I've had is as follows:
Noise Canceling Best: Sony WM1000 and Bose Q/C (tie). the Momentum and PX are ok, but not as good in this category.

Best Sound Quality: B&W PX and Sennheiser Momentum (tie), though Sony is also quite good. Bose is just ok.

Looks: Sennheiser Momentum 3 (so much better looking than the redesigned Momentum 4), B&W PX (gorgeous looks with the channel wires visible and the color combination makes a statement), Sony is a standard looking ANC headphone (though because it is so popular a lot of other companies have copied the look. It's very low key which if you are worried about being out and about and getting robbed these don't stand out.) Bose Q/C look good but kinda goofy with my wireless dongle sticking out.

Battery Life: Sony has the best on this generation for battery life. The others are just ok. The Bose Q/C15 take a single regular battery (either AAA or AA) which makes it easy to replace, and are much better in the long-term as you don't have to perform surgery to fit in a replacement battery.

Overall: My plan was to keep the Sennheiser Momentum 3 as the audio quality is top-notch and the noise-canceling while not that of Sony or Bose, was still good. Also, they are a gorgeous design and look premium. Sony would have been a close second as all of the WM1000 line are amazing performers. However, since I made an unplanned $5,000 purchase (Susvara- wonderful sound, but not jogging or outdoor friendly), I'm now going to keep the Bose Q/C 15 with dongle and sell the rest to fund my purchase. I'll just use my Creative Gold earbuds for exercise and the Bose for plane rides.
 
Aug 7, 2023 at 8:56 AM Post #320 of 856
Hi Maukey Will you be re reviewing the PX8 with version 3 of the firmware? Unusually B and W state that they have improved audio performance with this firmware. I guess you should only do this if a manufacturer states this in the release otherwise you would be on a testing merry go round. My ears and others on the PX8 thread seem to confirm this. Are all these cans reviewed with ANC Off to give the best performance? Thanks
 
Aug 17, 2023 at 10:34 PM Post #321 of 856
Curious about the Bose Ultra rumors that have been popping up. Will probably be announced in the next few weeks. Bose headphones have never sounded bad to me, but maybe they'll up their game with this Ultra. Pricing rumored to be around $500-$550. Bose headphones have always been super comfortable for me with large and deep earcups.

I had recently picked up the Airpods Max, but tempted to return them and see what happens with the Bose. One advantage of those will be that they're rumored to be folding headphones, so you can make them nice and compact. The Airpods Max are quite bulky in my backpack when bringing them on a plane, but they're otherwise quite comfortable with very good ANC and SQ.
 
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Aug 17, 2023 at 10:53 PM Post #322 of 856
starfly said:
Curious about the Bose Ultra rumors that have been popping up. Will probably be announced in the next few weeks. Bose headphones have never sounded bad to me, but maybe they'll up their game with this Ultra. Pricing rumored to be around $500-$550. Bose headphones have always been super comfortable for me with large and deep earcups.

I had recently picked up the Airpods Max, but tempted to return them and see what happens with the Bose. One advantage of those will be that they're rumored to be folding headphones, so you can make them nice and compact. The Airpods Max are quite bulky in my backpack when bringing them on a plane, but they're otherwise quite comfortable with very good ANC and SQ.
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You definitely have my attention…!
 
Aug 18, 2023 at 1:00 PM Post #323 of 856
starfly said:
Curious about the Bose Ultra rumors that have been popping up. Will probably be announced in the next few weeks. Bose headphones have never sounded bad to me, but maybe they'll up their game with this Ultra. Pricing rumored to be around $500-$550. Bose headphones have always been super comfortable for me with large and deep earcups.

I had recently picked up the Airpods Max, but tempted to return them and see what happens with the Bose. One advantage of those will be that they're rumored to be folding headphones, so you can make them nice and compact. The Airpods Max are quite bulky in my backpack when bringing them on a plane, but they're otherwise quite comfortable with very good ANC and SQ.
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I just hope the Ultra's sound leakage is better than the QC45. Ultra's folding design is just great but if the sound leakage isn't improved from the QC45 then it's a no go for me.
 
Aug 18, 2023 at 4:26 PM Post #324 of 856
Aug 21, 2023 at 6:51 AM Post #326 of 856
Maukey said:
I will say this about the Beats Studio Pro, they are the most accurate sounding Beats headphones ever in my opinion. It actually sounds more natural (less digitized) than the AirPods Max to my ears. When I first listened to them, I was actually shocked. I've been a fan of the Beats loud, super punchy, in your face sound. Beats has always been my workout headphone. These Beats are the exact opposite. They're quieter, less mid and upper bass heavy, and closer to neutral. Don't get me wrong, they still have some bass impact, but I'm actually getting more sub bass than the Studio 3. It sounds to me like Apple dropped the mid and high bass down a little and upped the sub bass which gives you less punch, but a more even bass response. It still doesn't give you the level of sub bass the AirPods Max give you, but it's more than the Studio 3. Compared to the AirPods Max, the Beats are more portable with better battery life. They're comparable in phone call quality with Beats actually having a better noise filter system to block outside noise while on a call. I'd give a slight edge to the AirPods Max in mic quality though. Comfort is subjective, but I can say they are comparable. The Beats are much lighter with a higher clamping force and more stable fit if you like to be active with your headphones. The AirPods Max material on its headband make it more comfortable on top of the head. The AirPods Max still get the nod for anc and transparency. I don't see anyone touching the AirPods Max transparency mode. As far as build quality goes, obviously the AirPods Max are leagues ahead. Only time will tell what small modifications, if any, Apple made to the design. Just looking at it and holding it though, it feels the exact same as the Beats Studio 3. I will save my final verdict for my comparison, but I will say that if you already own the AirPods Max, I wouldn't sell it for the Beats Studio Pro unless you just desire a better workout headphone. If you're trying to decide on a new purchase between the two, I personally would take Beats Studio Pro. It gets you 95 percent of the performance of the AirPods Max for over $100 less. You don't get the seamless switching between your Apple devices since it doesn't have an Apple chip, but in return you get USB-C lossless listening and a more versatile sound signature in my opinion. The best way I can describe it is the AirPods Max sound more cinematic while the Beats sound more natural. In saying all of this, I think the ultimate decision would be to wait on the AirPods Max 2. I have a feeling Apple is going to hit that one out of the park based on how good these Beats Studio Pro are.

As far as the PX7 S2 goes, I no longer own that headphone, but from memory, the Beats would obviously be my choice if in the Apple ecosystem. As far as sound quality goes, the PX7 S2 are darker, and I can't believe I'm saying this, more fun in nature. The Beats are the more neutral sounding.

I honestly haven't listened to the Beats Solo Pro in years. From memory, the Beats Solo Pro were the first Beats pair to truly dial back the bass. The Beats Studio Pro are the same in this regard.
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Anyone know if lossless works with a lightning to usb c cable? My assumption is that it should.
 
Aug 21, 2023 at 6:53 AM Post #327 of 856
Aug 23, 2023 at 5:13 AM Post #328 of 856
Aug 30, 2023 at 8:30 AM Post #329 of 856
Went though several wireless headphones from the comparison in the first post, and my impressions are mostly the same:

- Sony XM5: very comfortable, best ANC, worst sound. Pretty terrible really, boomy and muddy even after EQ

- T+A Solitaire T: medium comfort due to the small pads. Best sound, but with some caveats. First, i couldn't shake the feeling that this sound doesn't cost so much. Second, sound stage is small even comparing to my HD600

- Momentum 4: medium comfort, not sure if it's the clamping force or something with the pads construction, but i couldn't use these for a longer time. Really decent sound, if sony had the same, i would take it and quit the search. Best price/performance. Somewhat inconsistent ANC though, and i wish there was an option to turn it off.

- Bowers & Wilkins PX8: i'm keeping these :D. Sound is on the darker/warmer side, but i like it. A step above M4, might be less detailed than SolT, but also not as narrow. Plus for half the price i can forgive more imperfections. ANC is good enough. Comfort is very good too, except for the clamping force, but it should loose over time.
 
Sep 4, 2023 at 5:28 PM Post #330 of 856
Could anyone please suggest which ANC HPs could suit my preferred some signature better?

My current daily setup is DX300 w/AMP13 (NuTube amp) and either MSR7b (made a bit warmer and intimate with copper cable and Yaxi pads), 7Hz Timeless or Oriolus Isabellae, listening to all kinds of music from Niels Frahm and Yoshi Horikawa through Lana Del Rey, Dolores O'Riordan and Barry White to The Offspring, Jhené Aiko and Melanie Martinez.

What I value most are natural (well, maybe a bit warmer and full than brighter and airy) timbre, especially in midrange, fluidity and overall cohesiveness: details are important but ability to feel and reflect singers/musicians emotions and listen to the performance in the most authentic way are of much more value.

Unfortunately my life is now full of Zooms and calls with 1-2h breaks between them which might happen till late evening so traditional wired setup is barely touched till weekend, so I started looking at newer ANC HPs which are becoming much better than Shure Aonic 50 and Dali IO-6, let alone Sony/Bose which did not impress me at all several years ago.

Initially I thought of PX8 but then started considering Solitaire T as many reviewers describe these as the most natural sounding ones which could sound great using BT in office / on the go but also scale well in passive mode with a decent DAP.

What made me hesitant though is them using Sabre DAC which I didn't like at all for many years, much preferring AKM/CS or even R2R (like Musician Pegasus I'm happy with in my loudspeakers setup): could these provide full-bodied yet natural, detailed yet cohesive sound I'm accustomed to, or I'd better look elsewhere (or wait for Dali IO-12)?

Unfortunately I can't try any of PX8/Bathys/5909/ST before pulling the trigger or return them after purchase, so good advice won't hurt here :)

UPD: some extra info: last year I also auditioned several wired closed HPs and liked Denon D9200 and DCA A2C most while WP900 were way too V-shaped and "fun" with recessed mid-range for me and AP2000Ti were quite nice but definitely lacked some subbass rumble when needed.
 
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