I tend to use wireless in-ears but as my ears developed wax blockage I decided to get over-ears for those occasions (computer, long trips/commuting) the portability isn't a must. I wanted something wireless and with good ANC as at times I need to focus on writing etc. and my cats (and spouse) can make it difficult. I did extensive research and, like many others, ended up deciding between the Bose and the Sonys. It seems the most reviewers say Sony has the better SQ and ANC while Bose has better build quality and comfort. I've tried both on (I have medium ears with XL-XXL head) and they are indeed polar opposites. The Bose feel like you are wearing two clouds around your ears which is obviously comfortable but perhaps a bit too comfortable as they felt kinda awkward on my head (I would describe it as a feeling of not being completely sure if you are wearing headphones or another type of headgear). The Sonys feel firm, perhaps a little too firm in terms of weight and slight clamping force. My ears did fit inside the tightly-spaced cups so that wasn't a problem. The deciding factor was really all the other extras you get with the Sonys that you don't with the Bose: the codecs (my 2010 iMac supports aptX and my Sony X Compact with Android Oreo supports LDAC) and the intuitive features such as EQ and Quick Attention. I probably wouldn't have bought the Bose anyway, as 350 dollars is a lot of money for me and even the 290 dollars I ended up paying for the Sonys was a bit high.
Currently I'm enjoying the Sonys but have still a window to return them. I keep them on a headphone hanger rack and I do find myself constantly checking if they have developed the infamous cracks. I do realize that there have been a lot less issues with cracking with the Mark II's and while the issue still persists, it's only an extremely small number of people who experience it. So you really do have to be unlucky. I am experiencing a bit of warmness inside the cups around my ears (even if I use them for under 30 minutes) but I would imagine even the Bose make your ears a bit warm because of the closed structure and because of the cups that have been made ANC in mind. All the other issues I don't mind: the white noise that the ANC emits is pretty quiet and even soothing, as a non-power user I don't have the need to connect the headphones to multiple devices and the auto off -feature can be fixed going wired or staying connected to BT with Adaptive off. I too have noticed that the Sonys cannot be worn around the neck comfortably but then again I would never take over-ears over IEMs into situations where I feel the need to take the headphones off without putting them away inside a case or a bag.
I played around with the EQ a a bit according to the suggestions in this thread and got slightly better SQ results. By the way, has anyone compared LDAC to aptX HD and chose the latter.
