The headphones thread! [Sorry about your wallet]

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › The headphones thread! [Sorry about your wallet]

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Jaxson

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#3460109 10-Feb-2026 02:18

Keen to hear how you find these after a longer period of use @Networkn.

Debating these vs B&W PX7/8 options.
I don't mind the 'commercial tuning' so if I can get the new Senns to that at times it would be good.
You can typically go that way but not in reverse to flat if that makes sense.

If looking at the B&W then becomes a sound quality/headphone clamp force and comfort with glasses conversation - especially over time on an aircraft and getting hot ears/head crushed etc.
I don't know enough about the B&W range yet, but they appear to review well against the M4s I have currently.
As I've said before I wanted to like Bose but find their audio lacking despite excellent ANC.

mrgsm021

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#3461167 13-Feb-2026 10:43

So...WF-1000XM6 is finally here for $549.95 at Sony online store.

What are people's thoughts?

I feel like I've seen that design before but can't quite put my finger on where.

timmmay

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#3461235 13-Feb-2026 14:48

I just returned the WF-1000XM5 because it was really large, painful in the ear, the XM6 looks quite large as well.

I'm replacing Jabra Elite 5, for use on outdoor calls, as the noise cancellation straight out doesn't work on teams calls most of the time, and they're pretty loud in the wind.

The XM5 had great sound quality, great noise cancellation, but if you can't keep them in your ears it's not much good to you. I also had and returned the Technica AZ100 which was better than the Sony, but again too large and painful. Bose QuietComfort Ultra v1 were terrible in the wind, a gentle breeze sounded like a hurricane, and they felt weird. I'm going to try the Sony Linkbuds S and / or the JBL Live Beam 3 next, but also interested if anyone has suggestions for someone who apparently has smaller outer ear (concha - the little bowl outside the ear canal) than average.

Jaxson

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#3461250 13-Feb-2026 15:49

Side note @timmmay but in teams you can now record a short 30s clip of your voice and AI will block anything else coming into your mic.
So whilst noise cancelling might not be great on your headset, the recipient on the other end of the call won't here your surrounding noise.

(Not sure if that works on mobile if you're out and about vs on laptop/pc etc.)

Also note you'll need to temporarily disable this if you're in a shared meeting room, as this will block any other speakers ;)

timmmay

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#3461275 13-Feb-2026 16:11

Thanks @Jaxson. I use earbuds with Teams on Android while I'm outside walking, it has some noise reduction but I think it helps others with noise around me rather than helping me hear the call better.

Dunnersfella

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#3461346 13-Feb-2026 20:54

Jaxson:

Keen to hear how you find these after a longer period of use @Networkn.

Debating these vs B&W PX7/8 options.
I don't mind the 'commercial tuning' so if I can get the new Senns to that at times it would be good.
You can typically go that way but not in reverse to flat if that makes sense.

If looking at the B&W then becomes a sound quality/headphone clamp force and comfort with glasses conversation - especially over time on an aircraft and getting hot ears/head crushed etc.
I don't know enough about the B&W range yet, but they appear to review well against the M4s I have currently.
As I've said before I wanted to like Bose but find their audio lacking despite excellent ANC.

The Px8 S2 stay a lot cooler than other headphones I have tried recently, probably due to the leather earpads and not the plastic / fake leather found on other cans.

They don't quite match Sony or Bose for noise cancelling and the app doesn't do much in the way of overloading you with features (ie the Sony app that I find needlessly over-designed)... but the sound quality of the Bowers is streets ahead.

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Jaxson

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#3479444 9-Apr-2026 12:32

See Sony has a new premium 1000X line coming called 'ColleXion' around May 16th apparently...

networkn

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#3479446 9-Apr-2026 12:36

Jaxson:

Keen to hear how you find these after a longer period of use @Networkn.

Debating these vs B&W PX7/8 options.
I don't mind the 'commercial tuning' so if I can get the new Senns to that at times it would be good.
You can typically go that way but not in reverse to flat if that makes sense.

If looking at the B&W then becomes a sound quality/headphone clamp force and comfort with glasses conversation - especially over time on an aircraft and getting hot ears/head crushed etc.
I don't know enough about the B&W range yet, but they appear to review well against the M4s I have currently.
As I've said before I wanted to like Bose but find their audio lacking despite excellent ANC.

So far my experience mirrors that of all the positive feedback everywhere else. It's ANC is very good, they are comfortable to wear and the sound quality is exceptional.

It's annoying it requires an extra Dongle, I live in constant fear of losing it.

Jaxson

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#3479555 9-Apr-2026 17:24

networkn:

So far my experience mirrors that of all the positive feedback everywhere else. It's ANC is very good, they are comfortable to wear and the sound quality is exceptional.

It's annoying it requires an extra Dongle, I live in constant fear of losing it.

That dongle was available separately for a while too, so interesting move on their part to bundle it into this offering.
You don't need the dongle right, just obviously unlocks a better quality connection if you do use it over standard Bluetooth connectivity.

nitro

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#3479984 11-Apr-2026 10:17

networkn:

So far my experience mirrors that of all the positive feedback everywhere else. It's ANC is very good, they are comfortable to wear and the sound quality is exceptional.

It's annoying it requires an extra Dongle, I live in constant fear of losing it.

do you notice the difference in sound via the dongle? it might be more obvious if it's aac and aptx adaptive, and you're using good source (tidal, etc.). you can get a source that supports aptx adaptive and do away with it. 😁

i did buy the BTD 700 to pair with my Px7 S3. in my case, with youtube music on an s24 ultra (aptx), i don't think it's worth it. you have to be really looking for a difference and even then it's only perceptible on some tracks, i.e. enter sandman won't expose it. or my ears just aren't good enough. in fact, given youtube music's streaming quality, i could just be imagining it.

i'm also concerned about possible damage to the phone's usb port when i slide it into my pocket, and given that it makes hardly any difference i leave it plugged into my laptop for playing flac from my server. the difference is obvious there, especially with clarity, separation and sound stage. Sennheiser Dongle Control (using on Win) makes it easy to switch codecs for testing. tracks like caramel (suzanne vega) and corcovado (getz-gilberto) are so much more enjoyable.

nitro

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#3479985 11-Apr-2026 10:21

Jaxson:

See Sony has a new premium 1000X line coming called 'ColleXion' around May 16th apparently...

they don't really have to do much. just repackage the xm6 in something akin to the b&w px7 s3, and i'm running to the shops the first time they're available. if it's similar to a px8 s2, i might even pre-order. actually, maybe not. i need to be sure the earcups are deeper than the xm5/xm6.

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dafman

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#3480050 11-Apr-2026 16:22

nitro:

i did buy the BTD 700 to pair with my Px7 S3. in my case, with youtube music on an s24 ultra (aptx), i don't think it's worth it. you have to be really looking for a difference and even then it's only perceptible on some tracks, i.e. enter sandman won't expose it. or my ears just aren't good enough. in fact, given youtube music's streaming quality, i could just be imagining it.

i'm also concerned about possible damage to the phone's usb port when i slide it into my pocket, and given that it makes hardly any difference i leave it plugged into my laptop for playing flac from my server. the difference is obvious there, especially with clarity, separation and sound stage. Sennheiser Dongle Control (using on Win) makes it easy to switch codecs for testing. tracks like caramel (suzanne vega) and corcovado (getz-gilberto) are so much more enjoyable.

Thanks for this. I’m waiting patiently for my Sennheiser TW2 to die (which they steadfastly refuse to do) so I can upgrade. I was intent on getting the Technics AZ100, but am now leaning to the TW4 paired with the BTD 700. I am an iPhone user with Apple Music, so this would give me aptX lossless, whereas I would be unable to access the LDAC on the AZ100, so would miss out on their potential. I’m picking that aptX lossless will be noticeable over standard AAC on the TW4.

Fair point re damaging phone port - I think I would reserve the BTD for when I place the phone in one place and would not use it if on the go. I have also read that Sennheiser recommend using a pigtail cord with the dongle for this reason, which is also an option.

timmmay

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#3480058 11-Apr-2026 17:28

Technics AZ100 sound awesome. They're also huge, and I found them uncomfortable as the pushed on my lower concha so had to return them :( Same thing for the Sony WF-1000XM5, too large, uncomfortable. Currently I have a couple of Tozo in-ear wireless, which aren't as good in terms of sound quality or noise cancellation but they're smaller and more comfortable. JBL Live Buds 3 were pretty good, fairly comfortable, fairly good sound, but I returned them because noise cancellation wasn't great particularly for the microphones and I mostly use in-ear for teams calls.

If there was a decent set of wired USB-C in-ear headphones that had decent noise cancellation I'd give them a go. I found some somewhere but they didn't look great.

nitro

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#3480093 11-Apr-2026 20:17

timmmay:

Technics AZ100 sound awesome. They're also huge, and I found them uncomfortable as the pushed on my lower concha so had to return them :( Same thing for the Sony WF-1000XM5, too large, uncomfortable. Currently I have a couple of Tozo in-ear wireless, which aren't as good in terms of sound quality or noise cancellation but they're smaller and more comfortable. JBL Live Buds 3 were pretty good, fairly comfortable, fairly good sound, but I returned them because noise cancellation wasn't great particularly for the microphones and I mostly use in-ear for teams calls.

If there was a decent set of wired USB-C in-ear headphones that had decent noise cancellation I'd give them a go. I found some somewhere but they didn't look great.

the thing about ears is that they're pretty much unique to individuals. i wasn't comfortable with the technics (original) AZ80, so used the A800 for years. daily use at work has proven its battery life. actually, i had 2 sets of those. the first one having had the left ear break off after a year and a half which technics/panasonic promptly replaced. the replacement has started acting up with crackling noise on the left year - can be fixed by folding that ear cup.

for some reason, IEMs and active noise cancelling are almost mutually exclusive. i guess for most people the passive seal is sufficient, and there are third-party options such as from comply.

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