Bose - QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones

I use the Bose quiet comfort 3 and attached an antlion microphone to it. It’s great because it’s magnetic, so I just take it off when I’m done at home and take it with me if I’d like to bring some headphones

I have both Bose QC3 and Sony XM4 They're both years old, I've replaced the ear pads on the Bose's 3 times so far. The Sound quality on the Sony's is FAR superior to that on the Bose, but the ANR sucks donkey balls. The sound quality on the Bose's is pretty good and the ANR is top notch. I would also look at the Apple Pro whatevers. Not what you asked, but I have switched to the latest Airpod pro's as daily drivers. Sound quality is good, ANR is really good, and they play SO well with my phone and are so portable and comfortable that they easily beat out any over ears for daily out and about use. The Sony's get pulled out when I want to listen to music and the Bose have taken over shop duty.

They're expensive, but the in-ear Bose QuietComfort headphones are great. I've had the wired ones for a few years now, and I take them everywhere with me. I believe they've been replaced by wireless Bluetooth ones in their product line now.

I have a very old wired QC and the newest version of Bluetooth QC...yeah the new one is better, but it's like a decade apart in technology. So to me it's not mind blowing. I will say bass is where the new one is much better. Sound quality was improved a lot more than ANC. But I don't have the Ultra and I'm so curious about that sound immersion.

The noise cancellation with the immersion mode is in a different ball game. I still have my old QC and the noise cancellation that I used to think was awesome now feels like a cheap headphone.

I have APMs and not even the highest Bose, but Bose QC (Not the most recent). I haven’t done a ton of testing but I think it is plain the APM’s sound better. I don’t care - I use the APM’s only when sitting stationary and watching TV under circumstances where the house needs to be quiet. They routinely disconnect if I make the mistake of brushing my head against the sofa. Sometimes the crown works for volume; sometimes it doesn’t. It doesn’t matter how good they sound when they work if they basically don’t work. I brought them to the Genius Bar, they sent it out for “repair”, it bounced back immediately stating they could find nothing wrong. This is just how it works. I traveled with the APM’s once. They are heavy and big and I had to carabiner them to the outside of my carryon to fit anything else in it. In the small airplane seat, they disconnected every few minutes. A pillow touching them - oops! Then I got the Bose. They are super light. They fold up into a small nearly flat case. They never ever disconnect. I think we have a winner.

same. Ive replaced the cushions twice, and they are still powering along just fine. If they were bluetooth, I honestly would not look to upgrade. Alas, Im tired of wires.

I use Bose quiet comfort with the NC on. Like you said, covering the ear helps tons and the bigger headphones have larger batteries for longer use-time.

Bose quietcomfort - they’re most comfortable NC headphones. The NC is also very good. The sound is enjoyable, but definitely mid tier for that price point though. If you can get to a shop, maybe try out the Sony wh1000xm4, they can be uncomfortable for people with larger ears, but the sound quality is a step up. The premium options are the Bose quietcomfort ultra and the Sony XM6 (do NOT get the xm5, they don’t fold up and the hinges break a lot).

From my experience the Bose quietcomfort line are pretty hardy, and I hear the Sony xm4 are similar. They’re in your budget

I with you on that! I did my time with Bose QCs back in the day...the name sounded good and I didn't know better. If I'm sitting in my garden or out taking photos...I'll have an extra device just for music pushing audio through a set of IEMs. I'm not bothered by notifications...nor am I worried about anything falling off me (wires have their benefits)