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I think I can say that considering I have owned a lot of different headphones.
I also did music production for over 10
years.

I’ve tried at least 5 pairs of different Sony headphones and they were the worst sounding of all the headphones I’ve tried.

Xm3 to me sounded like a muddy mess, too much low quality bass.
1/3 of the price Audiotechnica headphones sounded better to me.
Sony has good ANC but that’s about it.

I now own the Airpods Max and they also sound worse than let’s say Sennheiser Momentum 3, but Sennheiser’s headphones have other downsides.

If you want good audio, you simply don’t choose Sony. People who praise them probably never tried other brands like Sennheiser.

The last pair I tried was the Sony’s PS5 headset and it sounded like 20£ headphones lol. Narrow and flat sound.
Change the sound profile for the headphones. AirPods are pre-tuned to the iPhone
 
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I like the idea of including a case that you, like, put the headphones inside.
I've used my air pods max caseless for months without any issues. The all metal construction doesn't really need a hard case imo. On the other hand, one of the XMs I've owned in the past developed a pronounced plastic creak even after using it with a case. Eventually the headband split open, all in the span of 2 years.
 
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I guess I'm inherently a bit suspicious of random third-party products on Amazon, because a lot of it turns out to be pretty crap even when it has good reviews. Is the design and quality really as good as Sony's case (compact, highly protective, and seemingly indestructible!), or a theoretical Apple-designed case?

If Apple endorsed one or more of the cases by selling them at the Apple Store, that might change my mind!

Well people often think that things Apple designs aren't the greatest either (such as the current "case" they provide with the AirPods Max, lol!). In any case, if you're buying from a retailer like Amazon, there's no risk involved. If a third party case looks promising, you can buy it, try it, and return it for free if it doesn't cut the mustard. It's not exactly a complicated thing and I suspect most of the highly-rated cases in the link I provided would work just fine for 99% of people. I don't see a reason to avoid purchasing the AirPods Max just because Apple doesn't make their own travel case anymore than I would avoid purchasing a MacBook just because Apple doesn't make their own travel case for it (I know they make a sleeve but that's not the same thing).
 
I have both the XM4’s and Air Pod Max and I prefer XM4’s by a long shot … Max’s are just so heavy, they have great sound, but I can’t complain about sound on the XM4’s in comparison … I have neck issues so the Max’s really affect that greatly in comparison …
 
Is it still the case in Bluetooth mode that enabling the mic, say during a video call, drops your audio quality down to crappy 50kbps or whatever? Cause my expensive Bose NC700s do that. Afaik that's entirely because of the Bluetooth standard, and AirPods work around that in proprietary ways.
 
Owning AirPods Max, Bose 700, 35, and Sony XM4s...those look really nice. If they got better nose cancellation

Also what do I use when?
Bose 700s - Bedside and mediation. No nonsense just put them on, and they pair fast.
AirPods Max - Work On Site. That said they weigh too much, but force me to take breaks when I take them off.
Sennheisers - Work Remote - External DAC and some high res love.
Sony XM4s - Travel - Use a portable Dragonfly DAC and it folds up nicely.
AirPods Pro - Workouts (non cardio) and Conference calls. They still fall out my ears. Maybe I didn't hit the analyst cut off to make these fit better.
PowerBeats - Workouts (cardio). Sorry when you're doing some yoga, I need something with clips.


Okay what you wanted to know: AirPods Max by a very slim margin are the best sounding to my ears, but the weight is kinda absurd.
Wow. Consumerism at it’s best.
 
And it has a power button.
…And Consumers generally don’t care that it does or doesn’t have a ‘power button’. I can’t think of one person that says, ‘Gee, I hope it has a power button.’

Consumers are basing their purchase on comfort, price range and sound quality dynamics.
 
I really hope they will fix the abysmally poor microphone sound quality of XM4. That is the single reason I can't consider buying XM4s. The sound quality is top notch otherwise, and the battery life. But the microphone sound in voice calls is just unbearable whenever I see someone using XM4s.
 
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I really hope they will fix the abysmally poor microphone sound quality of XM4. That is the single reason I can't consider buying XM4s. The sound quality is top notch otherwise, and the battery life. But the microphone sound in voice calls is just unbearable whenever I see someone using XM4s.
You are correct, the microphone quality is not very good on the XM4’s. That was one of the very first things I noticed as well, but in the same respect, I don’t care, because I’m not making phone calls or issuing any type of command controls. I really wanted the lightweight dynamic of the XM’s, sound quality and the outstanding battery life. The fit and finish on the XM’s really has a ‘luxury feel’, but doesn’t have the weight that a lot of competitors do.
 
I really hope they will fix the abysmally poor microphone sound quality of XM4. That is the single reason I can't consider buying XM4s. The sound quality is top notch otherwise, and the battery life. But the microphone sound in voice calls is just unbearable whenever I see someone using XM4s.

Yeah. The trick is to switch over to your Mac’s built in mic when on Zoom calls etc. I just wish there was a way to permanently disable the XM4’s mic so the Mac wouldn’t keep trying to use it!

To be fair, these types of headphones weren’t really designed/intended for calls. I suspect you’d really need a headset-style protruding mic to get great mic quality from them. AirPods Max isn’t all that great for mic quality either (although better than the XM4).
 
Exactly. So why are you comparing it to wireless noise cancelling headphones? Completely different products and use cases!
I was replying to Phil77354 (post#3) about his comment regarding V6. Then you quoted me and commented saying something about V6’s battery life and Wireless range. I corrected you saying that V6 is a wired headphone.

Now you are asking me why do I compare a totally different product with BT headphones?

Didn’t have your morning coffee yet or what?
 
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I've used my air pods max caseless for months without any issues. The all metal construction doesn't really need a hard case imo. On the other hand, one of the XMs I've owned in the past developed a pronounced plastic creak even after using it with a case. Eventually the headband split open, all in the span of 2 years.

My XM3s also had the “creaking” issue, but no such problem with the XM4s after 2.5 years of very heavy use.

XM3s also developed a faint but annoying hiss/static when the NC was active. Sony actually replaced them with XM4s which is how I got the XM4s (I paid extra for the upgrade, but it was a fraction of the XM4 retail price).

Only prob I’ve had with the XM4s is that the proximity sensor has failed, which means auto-pause/auto-off doesn’t work amongst other minor annoyances. I use/abuse them very heavily, often for 10+ hours every day. Sometimes I fall asleep with them on and they’re still going in the morning. Failed sensor aside, they’re build like tanks!
 
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Doesn’t Sony have someone who works in advertising to come up with an actual product name?

Sony does occasionally come up with catchy product names, but there’s clearly a pretty high bar before a name is good enough for Sony and before a product is good enough for a name.

Some well-known Sony product names/trademarks from the past:

Walkman
Trinitron
Handicam
Playstation
Memory Stick

And also some maybe lesser known ones:

Mavica
Xperia
Cybershot
Aibo

I guess despite years of research and brainstorming, they just haven’t come up with a name that’s catchy enough for their headphones yet?
 
My XM3s also had the “creaking” issue, but no such problem with the XM4s after 2.5 years of very heavy use.

XM3s also developed a faint but annoying hiss/static when the NC was active. Sony actually replaced them with XM4s which is how I got the XM4s (I paid extra for the upgrade, but it was a fraction of the XM4 retail price).

Only prob I’ve had with the XM4s is that the proximity sensor has failed, which means auto-pause/auto-off doesn’t work amongst other minor annoyances. I use/abuse them very heavily, often for 10+ hours every day. Sometimes I fall asleep with them on and they’re still going in the morning. Failed sensor aside, they’re build like tanks!
Glad to hear they’ve fixed the creaking issues and made them more durable. Sounds like the case is now all the more optional, like for the AirPod Max. I don’t see why people insist on having a hard shell case when it’s not a necessarily needed to protect them from damage.
 
Wow, these look nice! Am I detecting a hint of "AirPods Max" design inspiration there?

I love my Sony XM4s, pretty near perfect headphones and I use them constantly. However, the proximity sensor (which detects whether you're wearing them or not) seems to have failed on my pair, leading to various annoying behaviours. Can't wait to try out these XM5s!

On the other hand, if Apple came out with a decent travel case for the AirPods Max, I'd certainly be tempted to get those instead. Sony's travel case is one of its best features!
Not an AP Max inspiration at all. Clearly the latest Bose are the inspiration.
 
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