WF-1000XM4

I'm not really someone who can speak to as new price since I tend to be happy with buds in Open Box, Used - Like New, or Refurb'd condition. I feel like I get a lot more for my sound dollar. That said, I am able to comment on sound and fit/comfort. I find the Sony WF-1000XM5s to have excellent sound, but their fit and long-term comfort let me down. I find the WF-1000XM4s much more comfortable and their sound is very good in its own right. I've owned many other Technics earbuds, but never the AZ100s. I recall their sound as being good to very good, with very good noise cancelling. Fit and long-term comfort were very good across the board. The controls were also solid. I moved on from them because I always thought the midrange was a touch veiled and they were not the last word in dynamics. I only own the Bose QuietComfort earbuds, but I find their sound and noise cancellation excellent overall. Long-term comfort is good for me, but I feel the fit could be a touch more secure. The Ultras are less interesting to me because I don't really like earbuds in the mic boom form factor. I've only owned the Sennheiser Accentum earbuds. They aren't bad, but I found the fit a bit odd. I feel like it's possible to get better sound for similar money. The Technics EAH-AZ40s would be a huge upgrade. I should like the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro for their compact form factor, but I feel the fit and long-term comfort should be better than good or very good. Sound is good but nothing spectacular. The multipoint connectivity between my phone and laptop could also be more seamless. I feel like my Sony WF-C700Ns have flawless multipoint and at least 90% of the sound + noise-cancelling for a lot less money. I've never owned the Liberty 4, but if you're on a tight budget the Anker Soundcore Space A40s are tough to beat. Very good sound, NC, fit, and long-term comfort. If you are on a super tight budget and can live with passive isolation the Soundcore Life A1s are worth a listen. I own a ton of Jabra Elites over the years, including the 75ts, 4s in Black and Blue, 5s (currently missing), and 7s. I tend to find them cheap on eBay. I find their sound and NC good to very good. I like their tiny form factor, which makes the long-term fit and comfort excellent for me. This makes the Jabra Elites my favorite workout buds. My 75ts have held up to years of runs and workouts in all manner of conditions. Because of this, I'm bummed Jabra are leaving the earbud segment. In conclusion, I need to declutter and sell off my ridiculously large collection of earbuds!

I find that the base Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds are a good balance of sound quality and very effective ANC. Not sure what your budget is, but you \*could\* save a few hard-earned dollars by looking for a set of refurb'd Sony WF-1000XM4's or XM5's from a reputable seller on eBay that has a 30 or 60-day return policy. I find that both of the earlier Sony sets have very good ANC with excellent sound quality. My personal preference are the XM4s because they fit almost like they were custom-designed for my ear canal.

I don't necessarily think that they do overcharge. AirPods are excellent. I've had a pair of AirPods Pro for six years, and AirPods Pro 2 for three. I also had Sony WF-1000XM4s and XM5s, which have better noise cancellation than those, but are significantly more expensive. Apparently the AirPods Pro 3 have even better noise cancellation than the Sonys. If you're someone with an iPhone, MacBook or iPad, the AirPods are even better. If you don't use any Apple products, I wouldn't even consider them.

The xm4 have a known battery issue. Unless they have fixed this which I haven’t seen (maybe I’m wrong).I was very disappointed after spending that much money on headphones for them to only last a little over a year before the battery drain issue.

I got my XM4s that still are great

Just wanted to ask, what Sony buds have you used before? I was deciding between the OnePlus buds 4, and the Sony WF-1000XM4s, to replace my nothing ear(a) which had terrible features and most of all transparency and ANC. I eventually chose the XM4s, since they were about 70€ 2nd hand which was actually about the same price I got the ear(a)s for. Of course, the OP buds 4 should be a bit worse than the buds pro 3 but they should be somewhat comparable.