Meze Audio - 99 Classics (2nd Gen)

You could go for a Meze headphone and add their boom mic accessory (https://mezeaudio.com/products/boom-mic) Depending on your budget you could go for a 99 Neo https://mezeaudio.com/products/99-neo for $199 99 classic walnut for $309 https://mezeaudio.com/products/meze-99-classics-walnut-silver-wood-headphones Or the open back 105 AER for $399 https://mezeaudio.com/products/105-aer In my opinion they sound really good for the price, and they look really good, at least to me. All locally crafted in Romania so you're directly supporting the European economy. The one caveat being that they're not wireless. Edit : and I think they'd look dope in meetings, no flashy lights, and the walnut is really classy if you're going for that one. No gamer design here

So, there is a lot to unpack here. 1. AirPods Pro are actually great sounding earbuds, so you’re starting from a good place. 2. You’re right to move away from the APMs and XM4/5, although you may enjoy the Apple sound. Bang for the buck, it’s good about tech, though, not sound. 3. You can do a LOT with just wired headphones, if you’re OK with that. Not all of them need amps. A great example is the Grado sr325x: great sound, easy to drive. There are plenty of others in the wired world worth considering. If you prefer bass, for example, the Meze 99 Classic or 99 Noir would be good. For something more neutral, the HifiMan Ananda. All of these work great with just a $9 Apple dongle. And even if you DO need an amp, something like an iFi Go Link Max would fulfill any needs you have with modern headphones, so a Sennheiser 6xx + one of those would get you where you want. 4. If you’re dead set on wireless, check out the Sennheiser Momentum 4, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (which often sells for under $400), and the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 or S2e. (The S3 comes in at over $400.) All of these have decidedly different sound, and it will depend on what you like. Given your experience with the AirPods, the Sennheiser is probably your best bet. 5. Finally, for $350, you can find an incredible IEM, which might get you exactly where you want: the best sound for the money. But “best” is very relative here, since physics starts to play into the overall picture. Best of luck!

Grado SR80e's or the AKG K240s. I have a pair of Meze Classics but they mostly live in the case.

Meze 99 classics has Sony-esque bass and a rolled off treble, which is a very good set without fatigue sounding, but FT1 destroys it in terms of tonal balance and detail retrieval without sounding sharp. FT1 just sounds like a fairly neutral headphone with a big bass boost slap into it

Meze audio, made in Romania. The 99 classics are beautiful and sound great

Meze 99classics. Everything is fixable

Fun headphones are the way. Have owned lots of Sony headphones over the years, including the MDR-V6, but not the 7506 or M1. Loved the V6es when I owned them as they were vastly more resolving than the best loudspeakers I could afford - definitely a fun headphone with pronounced V or maybe a U-shape. Generally, I avoid anything that's too studio oriented as they tend to be brighter and more fatiguing to listen to for long periods. Haven't listened to the XM6 myself yet, but I have the XM4 and they're not terrible flat and you can EQ them with the Sony phone app. For my money, it would be hard to beat the Hifiman Edition XS at $270 or whatever for a good all-rounder. The Meze 99 is another good choice, albeit with closed cup design perhaps better suited to an office or noisy environment, if you want warm/fun without spending too much ($200 from Drop still?). Ultimately, it all comes down to personal preference. Speaking of Sennheiser, I prefer my 580X Jubilees to the Drop 6XX, though I think that may be a minority opinion. And I wasn't impressed with the 2020 Hifiman Sundaras, which along with the 6XX some really like. Sold the Sundaras and replaced them with the Edition XS which I really dig.

I just got a pair of 99 Classics this weekend. Very happy with them so far.

Meze are great for comfort. In every review I’ve seen of any Meze product from any reviewer is that comfort is always the amazing. Not sure what that price point is but it’s definitely worth looking on eBay for the 105s, 109 pros, or the 99 classics if the other 2 are out of reach. I’ve had the 99s (looking to get the 109s or liric) and they are very comfortable.

Meze 99 Walnut are high-res headphones and the parts are replaceable. The ear cups say vegan leather so that could also be pleather. They're not cheap (\~$300) and you should have hardware to deliever high-res audio if you want to hear a difference, a cheap DAC will work. [https://mezeaudio.com/pages/99-classics](https://mezeaudio.com/pages/99-classics)