ANC headphones that last

[White-Noise]

My sonys from 2018 are still working fine I'm quite surprised and happy. They look a bit knackered but that's OK with me. I've also a pair of jabra in ear from 2021 going no issues.

[Lovey1]

Silverbullet767 said:

For anyone with a set of XM4s with battery drain, mine were only laying 5 minutes tops. You can buy replacement batteries, I got a set from eBay and also a replacement charging case battery. You need a hairdryer to soften glue, a set of small plastic tools to pry them open, some patience and a YouTube guide. I replaced mine and the battery life is better now than when they were new.

Don't chuck your old ones away. Give it a go.

Great tip. thanks. just ordered a set. Patience may be my downfall though

[rottenegg]

Goldfever4 said:

My Bose QC35s are going strong after 9 years of abuse.

Wow! Impressive!

Just to close this out from my perspective, I picked up the Bose QC Ultra from John Lewis as the price has dropped from £449 to £349. That suggests to me there will be a newer model coming out soon, but regardless, when tested in store, the QCs comfort, ANC and sound signature hit the spot immediately.

I compared them to the B&W PX8, Marshall Monitor 3 and Sony XM5 and they were all decent apart from the B&W as they needed a lot of volume to come alive. The closest 2 overall were the XM5 and Bose. Both very decent. The Marshalls sounded great but the ANC wasn't up to the Sony and Bose's standards.

[Goldfever4]

rottenegg said:

I compared them to the B&W PX8, Marshall Monitor 3 and Sony XM5 and they were all decent apart from the B&W as they needed a lot of volume to come alive. The closest 2 overall were the XM5 and Bose. Both very decent. The Marshalls sounded great but the ANC wasn't up to the Sony and Bose's standards.

Sounds about right (heh). Congrats on the new toy!

[nordboy]

nordboy said:

I have over ear Sony WH-1000-xm3's which are still going well, but my WF1000-XM4's (2021) have recently started to have issues with them only charging to 70 or 80% but then the right ear dying after 30-40 mins.

So, I'm looking for some replacement in ear buds, maybe waiting for the XM6 release which may be this year sometime?

The xm4 buds are getting worse, I think the battery is near enough dead. I'm getting an hour or two max out of them and if i use them they'll now only charge to 60-70% in their case.

So I'm going to change them at some point, there's nothing about XM6's yet, only rumours. So been looking at other makes, the Sennheiser tru-wireless 4's are creeping up my list.

trouble is, unless you but some, then you never really know how you're going to get on with them, especially the in ear comfort and fit.

[Silverbullet767]

nordboy said:

The xm4 buds are getting worse, I think the battery is near enough dead. I'm getting an hour or two max out of them and if i use them they'll now only charge to 60-70% in their case.

So I'm going to change them at some point, there's nothing about XM6's yet, only rumours. So been looking at other makes, the Sennheiser tru-wireless 4's are creeping up my list.

trouble is, unless you but some, then you never really know how you're going to get on with them, especially the in ear comfort and fit.

If they're fit for the bin soon then spend a few quid on replacement batteries and give it a go. It's surprisingly easy if you take your time.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Sony+WF-1000XM4+Wirel...

[nordboy]

Silverbullet767 said:

nordboy said:

The xm4 buds are getting worse, I think the battery is near enough dead. I'm getting an hour or two max out of them and if i use them they'll now only charge to 60-70% in their case.

So I'm going to change them at some point, there's nothing about XM6's yet, only rumours. So been looking at other makes, the Sennheiser tru-wireless 4's are creeping up my list.

trouble is, unless you but some, then you never really know how you're going to get on with them, especially the in ear comfort and fit.

If they're fit for the bin soon then spend a few quid on replacement batteries and give it a go. It's surprisingly easy if you take your time.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Sony+WF-1000XM4+Wirel...

Thanks, but like loads of people, I love new stuff

Now looking at the Technics az100's which are new out this year and getting great reviews.

[paralla]

I think I’m on my 3rd pair of replacement ear pads for my Bose QC 35’s after trashing them through general use, wear and tear/neglect.

The black paint (or whatever it is) has worn off the edges of the cans but they are still comfortable and they still work great. I bought them in 2012 so they are 13 years old.

[shirt]

nordboy said:

nordboy said:

I have over ear Sony WH-1000-xm3's which are still going well, but my WF1000-XM4's (2021) have recently started to have issues with them only charging to 70 or 80% but then the right ear dying after 30-40 mins.

So, I'm looking for some replacement in ear buds, maybe waiting for the XM6 release which may be this year sometime?

The xm4 buds are getting worse, I think the battery is near enough dead. I'm getting an hour or two max out of them and if i use them they'll now only charge to 60-70% in their case.

So I'm going to change them at some point, there's nothing about XM6's yet, only rumours. So been looking at other makes, the Sennheiser tru-wireless 4's are creeping up my list.

trouble is, unless you but some, then you never really know how you're going to get on with them, especially the in ear comfort and fit.

I found my 4’s in a draw at work, thought I’d lost them for good. Charged and played just fine, in fact a very pleasingly welcome sound given my experience with the over ear 5’s the other month.

[nordboy]

nordboy said:

Thanks, but like loads of people, I love new stuff

Now looking at the Technics az100's which are new out this year and getting great reviews.

So, forgot about this thread. I did go for the Technics AZ100's. After doing some research I was a bit concerned that they were going to be a bit of a let down.

They're good, really good. I thought after some Bose and Sony's (I know they're buds and it's not going to be 100%) that the sound etc wasn't going to be on par with the others. Needn’t have worried, the range of sound are far better, clarity, all great. They looked a bit big in the ear in some of the photos, but the comfort isn't a problem at all. I can even lay on a pillow and there's no pressure in my ear at all. So wearing them for long periods is fine.

Case size just fits on a pocket and battery so far exceeds the Sonys.

App is as good as Sony, and the soundmagic app which I also have for my cheapy in ear buds (liberty 4). But tbh, since I've had the Technics, none of my others have had a look in and are just sat in a draw.

Overall, really happy with them. Sort of glad I didn't wait for the XM6's and I tried something new.

Oh, ANC, probably not as good as the Sony's, but I'm still out on that as I think that was partly my fault. I don't think I've been using the correct size buds. Only last night I did the Technics app noise leakage test andit suggested that I needed to go up a size. Changed them and redid the test and the app says I now have the correct size. So, hopefully the ANC will be better now, wasn't bad before, just not quite as good as I expected. like I said, that may well now improve somewhat?

Edited by nordboy on Saturday 29th March 07:52

[tonyg58]

Have any of you long term users of ANC headphones seen this -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkjvr7x5x6o

[egomeister]

tonyg58 said:

Have any of you long term users of ANC headphones seen this -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkjvr7x5x6o

Interesting. Anecdotally, I have started to find them more tiring to wear recently and have been actively reducing the amount of time with them on. On that basis I wouldn't be surprised if there were negative effects from long term use

[nordboy]

tonyg58 said:

Have any of you long term users of ANC headphones seen this -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkjvr7x5x6o

The headline alone excludes me.....'Young'

[Goldfever4]

Each generation will be saved by technology from health risks experienced by older people, and will be more susceptible to other new health risks.

Wouldn't be surprised if ANC is one of the latter. It's been on my mind for a long while that, given how it works, users might experience higher sound levels than they realise. Though it might not be worse than pumping the volume on regular headphones.

[Mars]

Bought my Bose QC35ii on 27th March 2020 - so just passed 5 years. In that time I've used them for work while I'm in data centres (on calls for hours at a time in very noisy environments), and more recently I use them, with a long cable for my e-drums.

I replaced the pads once in May 2022, however those are holding up so much better than the originals.

They're the comfiest headphones I've ever tried and hold-up well for long term wear. Battery life is spectacular. My usage pattern is irregular so I can only take a guess that it's in excess of 18 hours.

[48Valves]

Another vote for the Bose QCs. Mine are over 10 years old and are still going strong. They look well lived in and have had a couple of new ear pads off Amazon, but cannot fault the battery life or sound quality.

[adamInca]

Bose QC35 here too. Mine still going strong since being purchased in 2017 and heavily used. Had one or two pairs of replacement ear pads but they are cheap and simple to fit so no bother.

[shtu]

Just to add to the other fans, I've had a set of QC25s for years, they get used mostly on long-haul flights, and are still absolutely fantastic things to have. They make the journey far less tiring.

I do tend to be careful with them, as they're not cheap things, but I like them for their simplicity. They're headphones, with a cable, a switch and a AAA battery. No recharging, no bluetooth, no overcomplication.

[rottenegg]

Good to hear QCs are standing the test of time! So far I'm loving my QC Ultras. Really good all rounders and comfortable enough for all day wearing.

tonyg58 said:

Have any of you long term users of ANC headphones seen this -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkjvr7x5x6o

ANC has been around long enough for health concerns to be known about by now. And naturally, coming from the BBC, such click baity 'studies' are a load of old bks by default. The article seems to be mostly about noise anxiety and poor concentration, but are trying to sensationalise headphones as being 'damaging' to hearing. Load of typical BBC carp.

[egomeister]

rottenegg said:

Good to hear QCs are standing the test of time! So far I'm loving my QC Ultras. Really good all rounders and comfortable enough for all day wearing.

tonyg58 said:

Have any of you long term users of ANC headphones seen this -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkjvr7x5x6o

ANC has been around long enough for health concerns to be known about by now. And naturally, coming from the BBC, such click baity 'studies' are a load of old bks by default. The article seems to be mostly about noise anxiety and poor concentration, but are trying to sensationalise headphones as being 'damaging' to hearing. Load of typical BBC carp.

How about this addressing the topic from a hearing loss perspective then?

https://www.centreforhearing.org/wiki/hearing-loss...

As I said in my reply to Tony when he initially posted that, I have found ANC increasing tiring to use over time. They are still the go to for travel, but I rarely use them out and about now (instead going back to some wired in ear), and I have tried to limit how much I use them during the day when working. Obviously it's hard to isolate the change from other factors, but I do feel better for having done this.