Just picked up some XM3s last week. It’s the most I’ve ever spent on headphones, but as soon as I tried them on and the noise cancelling kicked in I knew it was money well spent. A little bit of high frequency still comes through but it works so well that the initial experience is a little eerie. I’m prone to finding many headphones apply too much pressure to the top and sides very quickly, these I can happily use for a few hours at a time. I’m not an audiophile by any stretch but I have found other Bluetooth headphones I’ve tried pretty lacking, and streaming with LDAC on these sounds really great to me, if a touch cool/clinical. Bass is well handled as long as you’re not producing, it isn’t monitor level flat, nor Beats muddy. Touch interface takes some getting used to, I’d probably prefer buttons, but it does avoid applying lateral pressure so it’s a win on the comfort front. I haven’t tried competing high end ACN products from Bose and Shure (wasn’t possible do to Covid restrictions here), but you won’t be disappointed with these… or the XM4 presumably, the 100€ premium was hard to justify for me.

The XM4 has superior ANC to the Bose QC-35, but the Bose has a much more comfortable headband. Almost loose enough to feel like it’s going to fall off my head, but not quite.

I find that comfort is most definitely my biggest consideration, when we talk about the best headphones with ANC. Nothing else really matters too much if the thing hurts your head so much that you can’t wear them for long.

Confirm. Tried the Bose against a lot of others last week, and the Bose was by far the best. But €300 is a lot.

You can get them used for 100-130

I have the 3’s and adore them. Can’t imagine life without them. I got my dad a set for his birthday and he also feels the same.

Only gripe is that if they are Bluetooth connected they will remain on forever. So it’s easy to forget they are on and they stay on all night and then are dead or low battery.

Another vote for Sony noise cancelling headphones from me. I have the WH-1000XM3, and they're fantastic. I easily wear them for 3-6 hours at a time.

The only thing I dislike is the lack of multiple device support, but that was added in the XM4, so yeah. Basically perfect.

I Have Sony's WHCH700N Bluetooth/NFC/Wired Noise Cancelling Over-Ear headphones, and I wear them for 3, 4, or more hours per day most days. Edit: Good for voice calls as well.

Agreed. I had a friend get these and they spread through our friend group. Absolutely amazing for flights too. I’ve had mine for 5 year I think. (This is one of two products that I happily advocate for, the other being the philips norelco oneblade)

If you take a lot of calls, the on-the-ear version is great too.

yep i agree. Got the XM4's in sept 2020 for £350 used them everyday until the dog got them. I immediately ordered another pair on amazon, and at £250 now i couldn't recommend them enough. - Sound is great for this type/price of headphone. - ANC is great and the wind noise-cancelling option is incredible. - comfort is great - battery is good recharge speed is great. - multi-device support is meh, airpods are better at this. - dog proofing sucks.

This is my go-to pair as well.