Wow, that's a high budget. My soundpeats earbuds cost £60, and seem to work fine for me. But I am not a connoisseur of earbuds, I just got something that had ANC and a long battery life.
this post was submitted on 16 Nov 2023
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BudgetAudiophile
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I mean the AirPods Max cost over 600€ and the latest and greatest XM5's by Sony cost around 300€. I'm just looking for headphones that have a really good design and great ANC/Ambient.
First of all, Apple always prices things 4 times their actual worth. But I would recommend the Soundpeats £60 headphones, personally haven't had any problems and the ANC works well. Plus you can easily control the music with touches to the earbuds.
Maybe you can find a deal for one of the earlier xm-s. Alternatively Bose has pretty good nc headphones, maybe you can find qc 35 on sale around that price (probably refurbished)
I bought the XM5 and I'm about to return them. They're not terrible, but they're not nearly as good as the AirPods Max (in the US, they cost about the same). The XM5 seem a bit cheap for me. The headband is a joke. Wearing it with glasses is uncomfortable sometimes. The transparency mode is usable (unlike every other headphone), but no ideal. Sound quality absolutely SUCKS! Too bassy, like the AirPods Max, but at least the AirPods Max sound clear, especially at the highs. ANC is good, but definitely not consistent. The touch controls are good, but adjusting the volume feels like a joke. Overall, the XM5 are good, but definitely not comparable to the AirPods Max. I'm someone who cares a lot about user experience and while the AP Max don't have the best sound quality and battery life for the price, it's definitely very feature-rich, well-made and RELIABLE. Most YT say the XM5 and AP Max are the same in sound quality and ANC, but they're only testing the two in ideal conditions, not for everyday usage.