Apple - AirPods Max

I actually went with apple ones. The build quality seems better and the warranty is better and easier to do claims form. Having so many of the sony ones break in two years is too much. One of them only lasted a couple months before it broke. It sounds like my issue is not uncommon and they just are not designed to hold up to a lot of use.

To be clear no "wired" headphone has ANC capabilities but almost all bluetooth headphones have wired abilities. Your pick for best in show ANC should come down to XM6 (stay away from the hinge issue with the XM5 unless you get the three year warranty), or the Bose QC Ultra. Step in price would be the Airpod MAX. And I think that studies have shown that for blocking out upper range noise (like crying) the XM6 is the best headphone although the differences are quite modest between it the Bose and the Apple.

I use the AirPods Max now but honestly my favorites were the Sony XM4. Very comfortable and good sound quality.

I wasn’t blown away either, sound quality wise! I’ve even tried tinkering with the app and although they sounded pretty good I ended up going with the APM. So far all I can say is that the reviews were very honest: sound quality wise, the APM are wonderful, however they can run pretty hot and they are kinda heavy. Maybe it will take some getting used to, or a few short breaks :)

The AirPods Pro are fantastic earphones and i love mine. The consensus on the Max’s (over ear) is they do not have as good noise cancellation, and have no water resistance whatsoever (including even moisture in the air) and the mesh at the too will (when not if) sagg over time. The charging “bra” is not a hit with many user either! They are very comfortable though!

AirPods Max the best I’ve ever had. Much better than Bose.

I have 2 sets, 1 for cardio and 1 for weigh lifting. Cardio is airpods 2, for weight lifting airpods max, para sa noise cancelling since di naman nagpapawis kapag nagbubuhat

I personally disagree. The Ontrac bass was kind of blurry and not defined as well as the AirPods Max’s excellent control of the sub-bass

I find using the balanced tone accessibility setting on the maxes essentially eliminates any sense of darkness. Even stock I’ll always go for the incredible low end the maxes produce. Watching Atmos mixed films in it is a game changer, I don’t think anything comes close. I do hope Dyson makes a third headphone but that’s closer to the original Dyson Zone tuning, that was actually really good for a first attempt.

As a pretty invested audiophile  going on 5ish years now with many wired headphones and IEMs, I have to say that I hold these in high regard above most other wireless headphones out today. They have a very modern Bauhaus-inspired design with a great quality build, and of course a very deep, rich cinematic-type sound that is detailed but a lot of fun to listen to. I’m going to start with sound as that is the most important to me; I personally own both the Sony WH-1000XM5 and XM4, and these absolutely \*demolish\* them. The AirPods Maxes have some of the most detailed and cleanest sub-bass extension I’ve heard in a headphone period. Even when comparing to other high-regarded wireless headphones like the Focal Bathys, I would still pick the Maxes simply for their slimmer, more discrete profile, and a cleaner more impressive low-end kick, not to mention the better noise-cancelling and transparency functionality. The Maxes do have some mid-range and vocal scoop present, but it doesn’t feel \*dirty\* or masked like the Sonys. And, if you have an iOS device simply enabling the “balanced tone” + slight accessibility setting brings back those higher notes in a more natural and pleasing way. (Though for me personally, it does introduce some shimmer to the treble, so I like the more meatier vocal presentation in its default configuration)  Where the Maxes gave me grumbles at first was with its comfort and USB-C lossless functionality. These gave me wicked ear and head pains for the first couple of days, but seemingly overtime that completely went away. I can now wear these all day with no issues, but I would still say that this is where most other headphones excel at better. I found that the trick to have the best fit is to make sure the lower part of the ear cup doesn’t touch the upper part of your jaw. The USB-C functionality used to be bugged when it was first introduced, but with a recent firmware update it now works flawlessly on windows. However, it is still picky about certain DAPs. So to sum up, these headphones are excellent! It may be hard to justify these in terms of price, especially when things like the AirPods Pro 2s exist, but I don’t think anything will give you the same type of movie theatre-like low end. These are incredible for watching Atmos content in, and do an excellent job at providing a nice coloured sound response that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to suffocate you with muddy bass or shrill highs.  *If I were to consider this headphone as an all-in-one package (sound, ANC, comfort, smart features), I would put these at #1 above pretty much everything else on the market. Others may excel in certain areas, but no headphone will do all of it, as well as the maxes in my opinion.* Now some quick comparisons:  **Sony WH1000-XM6**: I can actually see these being a very good alternative to the maxes if you need something lighter, and more space friendly. The XM6s have much more natural sounding tuning than its predecessors, but It still sounds “compressed” and dull compared to the maxes. The maxes seem to sound “bigger”, with easier to separate details and better overall perceived technicalities. **B&W PX7 S3**: If you took my maxes away and forced me to use a different headphone, this would be it. It is B&Ws best tuning and headphone yet, it’s super slim, sleek, rich design, and good feeling materials in hand. The sound is much more exaggerated but it does so in a way where you don’t lose detail, it sounds as or more wider than the maxes at times with its much more brighter highs. The bass is a tad boomy, but it feels textured and fun. Some quality of life features also surprised me, like when you move one cup off the side from your ear, the music will automatically pause.  **Bose QC Ultra**: The QC ultras are more comfortable and lighter than the maxes, but don’t do much to inspire me sound wise. Very bland, and sometimes too bass heavy with thin vocals. It feels more like a “tool” for travel rather than a headphone to enjoy.  **Momentum 4**: I did not like the momentum 4s at all. Super boosted sub-bass that masks the rest of the frequency response, and what sounds like a scoop in the upper mids. Design and ANC also leave a lot to be desired. **Focal Bathys and MG**: Right off the gate the MGs just did not do it for me, sounded very tubby and echoey, heavy, big, mediocre ANC, and what felt like an overall worse product than the cheaper Bathys. I would still choose the APM over the bathys for being cheaper, and better a noise cancellation while still providing that really deep and rich bass response. 

I can easily say that the maxes have some of the best extended and textured sub bass response I’ve ever heard in any headphone period. They of course have some draw backs but they excel in low end performance.

Understandable! It did hurt my head for the first couple of days, but I ended up just stretching the headband with my hands, and that seemed to fix the issue entirely. I can wear them for 6+ hours now

Not long ago I got the Logitech G PRO X2 Lightspeed - excellent headphones, with good 7.1 sound. They’re compatible with PS5 thanks to the included dongle, have quick switching between two devices (dongle/Bluetooth), and also support wired connection (3.5mm jack). The mic is detachable. The battery life is very solid (compared to Sony’s exclusive PS5 headphones). All in all, if I were to recommend something, it would only be these. For music, I mostly use Apple AirPods Max and Pro.

It mostly depends on the fit and material. You chose wireless/portable so I assume you need it for outdoors, which eliminates open backs and most pad types due to isolation, at which point you should stick to buds instead. But if you want a headphone, the AirPods Max have one of the best ANCs on the market, Sony XM5 is close second.