Just buy the good ol' HD-600, or some sealed cans, or whatever fits your head the best and use an eq profile from AutoEq.

The quality x price curve is not linear. Expensive materials and engineering often produce only incremental quality improvements, if any. Sometimes the improvements are only cosmetic. So Apple's headphones would need to be a lot closer to the best of the best than 80-90% in order to justify their price.

The feature that applies a hearing test as an equalizer setting make the APM sound pretty damn good, so much so it ended my 20 year long headphone-collecting hobby.

Before hearing-tuned EQ became a thing, trying headphones was like trying food. No matter what someone else said it was no guarantee you'd like the sound. Conversely, you might find a cheap pair that sounded spectacular to you. The APM will sound very good to just about anyone, with the hearing test EQ applied.

I think every headphone maker (or better yet, DAC maker) should have this feature. Audiophiles are often old, a hearing test EQ can make them hear music like they're 20 again, and they'll pay for it.

You can't compare wired and open back design with Bluetooth headphones.

Anyway, I own a Meze 109 pro, and cheap iems with 3M hearing protection that I use when my commute is too noisy. Replace nicely my old ANC headphones.

> cheap items with 3M hearing protection

Can I ask which, please?

Something like that, comfort is crap, but then again, it's mainly to cut loud people chatters in bus or train. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/v101643027/

And also I am a bit apprehensive for long term hearing lose with ANC headphones.

You can get those kind of things with speakers also: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/c/ppe/communications/over-ear-...