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Noise cancelling headphones

editor How are you finding the Q45s v the old Q20s (today the Anker Q45 is £105 on Amazon)

Reason for asking - Nick minor has has Q20s for over 3 years and they have started disintegrating (pads ripped after being replaced once already etc) . They've had a good run
Expressing desire for something better, and they deserve something nicer because good A Level predictions just came in (They already have some in-ear P3's that they use at school as sometimes they find external noises overwhelming)
Thinking of moving up the Anker Hierarchy for them, but I occasionally read that some models can be duff. Don't want to go to Sony MX3/4 or Bose QC cost levels.

Are there any sweet spots that people can recommend (for over ear models) that are better than Anker Q20, but not as pricey as Bose QC or Sony MX?
The Q45s are great but nowhere near as impressive price-wise as the Q20s. I'm totally happy with them though.
 
For value, it's hard to beat the Anker Soundcore Q20s. They're astonishingly good for £50 or less.


I have these. They’re great.

I got the in ear version of those and they're incredible value.
For over ear ones, I splashed out on the top of the range Sonys during lockdown as I was in need of a treat. Supposed to be the best on the market according to numerous audiophile sites but tbh there's no way they are worth £200 more than Anker if the OP is mostly listening to podcasts.

My pair are still delivering after 2 years of regular use. I don’t listen to podcasts tho, mostly just Reggae/Dub. To think they were less that £40 at that time.

This, for the price & ANC combo, is a big win.

I have these and a pair of Bose QC35ii and they are both great. The Bose are better and were 7 or 8 times the cost of the Ankers.

Bose has a nifty app where you can amend the amount of ANC that is happening Nil, Mid, High I suppose. That's useful in some settings. Plus you can use them wired or BTooth. Can't recall if the Ankers have a cable port.

I think that’s really instructive, actually. It’s quite clear that this is where the money is.

Just like everyone else I have a pair of these and they are fantastic for the price.

I don't really use the noise cancelling but I notice it completely kills traffic noise as it is on by default when you power up. I just turn it off to boost battery and increase awareness.


The ear pad on mine has torn so the foam is visible but it has not impacted performance.


Still prefer my senhieser hd25-II for listening (recently got a new paur after 15 years of service. Am planningto try to fix the old ones)
However I could get 3 or more pairs of the sondcores fir what I paid for the hd25-II
 
Just like everyone else I have a pair of these and they are fantastic for the price.

I don't really use the noise cancelling but I notice it completely kills traffic noise as it is on by default when you power up. I just turn it off to boost battery and increase awareness.


The ear pad on mine has torn so the foam is visible but it has not impacted performance.


Still prefer my senhieser hd25-II for listening (recently got a new paur after 15 years of service. Am planningto try to fix the old ones)
However I could get 3 or more pairs of the sondcores fir what I paid for the hd25-II
Same for me, but after 3.5 years of almost daily use it's expected.

Anker.jpg
 
The Q45s are great but nowhere near as impressive price-wise as the Q20s. I'm totally happy with them though.
Just bought some q20s for my daughter based on your recommendation (forwarded to me by someone else).
If the cancelling is good then that's an incredible price. It's actually an incredible price anyway.
 
editor How are you finding the Q45s v the old Q20s (today the Anker Q45 is £105 on Amazon)



Are there any sweet spots that people can recommend (for over ear models) that are better than Anker Q20, but not as pricey as Bose QC or Sony MX?
Definitely recommend the Sony CH720…around £100.
 
PSA - Initially the recipient told me the Q45s were "not as good as the old ones" (Q20). Much less bass etc.

After playing around in the app (apparently it measures your ears' response and adjusts the sound profile accordingly, or some such woo-woo) - it has been established that they are "alright"/ "better"
This is all from Nick Minor's feedback - I've not tried them myself.

So see above re law of diminished returns (as delivered via a grateful, but brutally frank, teenager)
 
Definitely recommend the Sony CH720…around £100.
On offer at £79 at the moment but the Anker Q20s are also in offer at £38. Hard decision as I like Sony design.
Better make my mind up soon before they go back up again.

ETA Stuck with Sony. They're 50g lighter and better looking :)
 
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So, after a week or so with the Sony CH720 I can conclude they're nice, lightweight and worth the money but nowhere near as good as the Sony XM3s I have.
They were pricey but for good reason (the current model the XM5 is just north of £300 which is a lot!)
 
Had an annoying 12 hours last night where my headphones kept turning off... I eventually figured out it was whenever I spoke, and I now realise I inadvertently activated the 'speak-to-chat' function which mutes the headphones when you're talking. :facepalm:

Despite being abit lazy about reading instructions, the one thing I find annoying on the Sony headphones is the touch sensor control pad.. I'm not sure its possible to disable it.
 
I see the Sony XM4s are down to £200 now... mine didn't last much beyond a year.. but kind of expected given the daily use.
 
I see the Sony XM4s are down to £200 now... mine didn't last much beyond a year.. but kind of expected given the daily use.

I've had XM4s for over 2 and a half years and used them for about 12 hours a week during that time. If you put them away in the case daily they'll last really well. Mine look like they've got another 3 years in them.
 
My XM3s are still going strong. I bought them at the beginning of 2019. I use them for at least a couple of hours every day, and they still hold around 24 hours of charge. Probably the best audio purchase I have ever made.
 
I think the problem with mine, is I wear them in bed, all night... so basically not treated that well.. I have them out for repair, but somewhat dubious how they'll come back.

The XM5s have got good reviews in terms of noise cancelling, they're now going for £270.
 
I think the problem with mine, is I wear them in bed, all night... so basically not treated that well.. I have them out for repair, but somewhat dubious how they'll come back.

The XM5s have got good reviews in terms of noise cancelling, they're now going for £270.

The XM5s don’t fold down in the same way, though, I think. Which is a shame, that is an endearing feature.

I’d possibly get them if they allow you to switch off the stupid mechanism where an accidental touch of the right earphone causes the track to skip. I can see why they thought it would be helpful, but it isn’t.
 
The XM5s don’t fold down in the same way, though, I think. Which is a shame, that is an endearing feature.

I’d possibly get them if they allow you to switch off the stupid mechanism where an accidental touch of the right earphone causes the track to skip. I can see why they thought it would be helpful, but it isn’t.

You know you can turn off that touch mechanism... I managed to do it after I'd figured out what was happening - it was driving me nuts..

As for my XM4s much to my suprise the insurance repair company appear to have fixed them... I'm still expecting them to explode. If not, £20 well spent.
 
You know you can turn off that touch mechanism... I managed to do it after I'd figured out what was happening - it was driving me nuts..

As for my XM4s much to my suprise the insurance repair company appear to have fixed them... I'm still expecting them to explode. If not, £20 well spent.

How? I’ve tried everything I can think of.
 
On the mobile app go:

Headphones/System/Touch Sensor Control Pad - then toggle to off

Not on my app, which I updated quite recently in the hope of disabling the touch sensors. I think that system option is available for later models but not the XM3.
 
They're good. I have the MX3's and the design is essentially the same. I'd be tempted to go for a used/good condition pair of MX5's though for just £10 more as the design is so much more comfortable.
That's a damn good call! I just took a look and bagged a pair of 'open box' Mk5s with 3 year warranty for £219.

I'll not have to look online to see the detaiks of what I've actually bought!
 
Really? Shame that - what's the issue with it/them?
They just never seem to reliably pick up a call - sometimes it's fine, other times I just hear the other person going, "hello? hello!"
I've never liked the 'hold to skip track' control either - don't hold it quite long enough and the bloody volume goes up!

The lack of weatherproofing is a bit of a concern too, but I'll still be using the q45s most days as the sound is still fantastic.
 
That's a damn good call! I just took a look and bagged a pair of 'open box' Mk5s with 3 year warranty for £219.

I'll not have to look online to see the detaiks of what I've actually bought!

They're real comfortable. Every time I find myself in a Curry's PC world or an airport gadget shop with time to kill, I do the side by side comparisons and they're a big improvement on the XM3/4 in that they feel so much more lightweight. Over long periods of wearing this really matters.
 
Can anyone recommend some Bluetooth headphones that are noise-cancelling BOTH WAYS, so they can be used out and about as well as at home? Even better it you could also plug them into your telly?
 
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