QuietComfort 35 II

Here are my thoughts on each of the Blues Brothers as I call my collection lol Bose QuietComfort — Pros: good bass, quiet and aware modes solid, very lightweight, love the physical buttons, small case, super comfy Cons: Feels flimsy and cheap, creaking headband while wearing headphones, ratcheting headband, resets to Quiet mode when turned back on, treble harsh Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 1 — Pros: Feels pretty solid, sliding headband, immersive audio is fun with live music, even better quiet and aware modes than QC, small case, super comfy Cons: Weird button setup, volume controls are awful so I use my phone to control volume I use these the least. Only for live music Sennheiser Momentum 4 — Pros: Lost of slam and impact with strong bass even without bass boost tuned on, solid build quality, intuitive controls, awesome app, sound the best of all 3 headphones, crazy long battery life Cons: Transparency and noise cancellation not as strong as Bose, not as comfy as QCs, ear cups are smaller than QCs. My favorite and most used pair. Love that “Sennheiser signature sound!”

I have been on the hunt for a new pair of headphones for a long time now. I read pretty much every review I could find watched far too many YouTube comparisons and spent a lot of time trying different pairs in shops. Across audiophile spaces especially the Sennheiser HDB 630 came up again and again as the best reviewed closed back wireless headphones the brand has ever made. First off, top level findings: Sony WH-1000XM6 is generally solid for the average consumer but I have never personally found their mainstream offerings to be particularly exciting. The sound is fine but nothing special and I have always found the ear cushions a bit uncomfortable. I also tried the Bose QuietComforts. They are incredibly comfortable with excellent noise cancelling and very easy to live with. But sound wise it is good and not bad at all but it does not exactly blow your mind. What kept pulling me toward the Sennheiser HDB 630 was audiophiles consistently saying they are the best closed back wireless headphones they have ever heard. So eventually I bought them. Honestly they just didn’t land for me. The soundstage felt quite flat and on your ears rather than around you. The noise cancelling was underwhelming compared to Bose and they got hot so my ears were sweaty pretty much all the time. Comfort wise that became a real issue for longer sessions. The build quality also did not feel great. There is a lot of plastic and while I get that there is loads of customisation available in the app it actually became part of the problem for me. Because there are so many tuning options I never felt like I could just relax and enjoy a song. There was always a sense that I could tweak it further to make this track sound better or that genre sound better. As a bit of a perfectionist I spent more time fiddling in the app than actually listening to music. What I really want is something that sounds incredible straight out of the box which just works and sings without effort. I took the HDB 630 to my local store and compared them to the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 side by side and wow. I would strongly recommend anyone remotely interested to try the PX8 S2 in person. I had heard a lot of reviews saying the Px8 S2 was too bright and fatiguing but for me it was like hearing music in a way I have never heard before. It was unbelievably clear and full bodied. The sibilance was high but there was also a drive in the sound that was quite punchy. The soundstage absolutely blew me away. It feels full and immersive and in the room rather than technically precise but emotionally flat. It worked listening to classical, rock and dance music. All of them worked in their own ways and in ways that I just could not get the Sennheisers to sound. Plus they look incredible. The build quality is leagues ahead too. The metal construction feels like it will last years and the whole product just feels premium. Yes they are expensive but for the money you are spending compared to the HDB 630 they are on a completely different level in sound build and even looks. The Sennheisers have a slightly cyborg aesthetic while the Px8 S2 on the other hand actually looks good on your head. So that was my experience. I can see why audiophiles respect the Sennheiser HDB 630 but for me they were over tunable uncomfortable and ultimately less enjoyable than I had hoped. If you want something that just sounds incredible without constant tweaking I would seriously suggest giving the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 a listen. Curious if anyone else had a similar experience or if the HDB 630?

Hello everyone. I am wondering what is the best headphones I can buy under $300 in Canada. I am looking for closed-back headphones because I need them to focus on studies. Current setup: I currently use the Bose qc35ii as my only headphones. I used them for gaming, watching movies and tv, listening to a wide variety of music (Laufey, Don Toliver, Tory Lanez, Kate Bush, Olivia Rodrigo, Queen, and Radiohead are some that come to mind) What I'm Looking for: Closed-back wired headphones, preferably no amp required but can put in the money if needed for a cheaper one, under 300 CAD, preferably better sound quality than my qc35ii. I have been considering: \- Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro (80 ohm for $230) (250 ohm for $200) \- Sennheiser HD 569 for $200 \- Just noticed the FiiO FT1 for $230 \- Edit: Hifiman Sundara for $200 All of these are on amazon, I am open to other headphones as well. I am just looking for the best experience I can get at this price point

**TLDR:** Daily headphone user upgrading from 2018 Bose QC35 II. Narrowed it down to QC Ultra 2nd Gen (comfort/ANC) vs Px8 (sound/build) vs HD 650 (sound, but unsure on comfort). Leaning Px8 but worried about reliability. Looking for real-world opinions. **Context** I’ve been using Bose QuietComfort 35 II since 2018 and they’ve been great, but I use headphones a lot and want a proper upgrade. I care about comfort (big head, long sessions), ANC, and sound quality. **Use case** * Gym (rehab work, so ANC matters, usually rock and all its sub genres) * Studying/Work (2+ hour sessions) * Music listening (mainly) * Some laptop gaming use At home I use wired **Sennheiser HD 550**, so I do care about sound quality. I recommend those if you are on the fence. **What I’ve narrowed it down to** **1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen** * Best comfort + ANC (from what I’ve tried) * Sound is fine but not exciting * Tried them briefly and didn’t feel like a huge upgrade from my QC35 II at all but that was store only test * 550 CAD **2. Bowers & Wilkins Px8** * Seems like a clear step up in sound and build * Main concern is durability (seen some reports of issues with B&W over time) * 700 CAD **3. Sennheiser HDB 630** * Likely best sound (which obviously is a big deal!), PX8S2 seem close from reviews * Biggest concern is comfort * 600 CAD **Where I’m stuck** * QC Ultra 2nd Gen = safest pick (comfort + ANC), but might feel like a boring upgrade * Px8S2 = most appealing overall, but unsure on long-term reliability * HDB 630 = best sound, but might not fit my actual daily use **Questions** * Is the sound jump on Px8 S2 actually noticeable vs QC Ultra in real use? * How comfortable are HDB 630 for 2+ hour sessions? * Any Senn HDB 630 vs. B&W Px8S2 owners chime in? * If you were in my position, which would you pick? * Am I overthinking this and should just go QC Ultra again? **Extra** I’ve also looked at Focal Bathys MG, but they’re more than double the price here so I’ve kind of ruled them out for now at the price difference is ludicrous. Thanks!

Honestly, I would go in store to try them out yourself. Hit a Best Buy or a Staples or something and just try on the headphones. That's what I did. I ended up going for the Bose QC gen 2s since the noise cancelling was unrivaled and they were so comfortable.