Wireless headphones buying advice

S

SkullSmazer

Disciple
Use case
- Traveling (airport and bus) - Good ANC
- Listening to music - Good sound signature
- Gaming (competitive mostly), should have detachable wire for gaming in wired mode

Budget
Around 20k (new), used with decent discount

Consideration
Sony XM4, Sony XM5 as I have tried XM4 once but not the XM5.
Bose 700
 
I have an XM5, would definitely recommend for the ANC alone, especially if you're travelling
I've used it in transit to and from office everyday and it blocks out the traffic and any noise in the cab really well
The sound signature is pretty flat IMO, not as bassy as the XM4 but the Sony app has sound profiles and an equaliser, and I'm happy with it after playing around with those profiles
I believe the XM4 is more bassy out of the box, and is more comfortable for longer durations ( even though I have no complaints about the XM5 especially as it's so light )
XM4 is more portable as it's foldable so that's one thing to consider
 
SkullSmazer said:
Do you get sweat wearing it for long sessions or it is manageable?
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In hot and humid conditions like during the summer, I did feel quite some sweat on the earpads, which is expected for pleather earpads like these. However, they were big enough to not be right on ear and therefore quite manageable, I'd take them off every 30 mins or so, give them a wipe and continue. If you're under a fan or in AC, it's not noticeable at all, at least wasn't for me


SkullSmazer said:
Also how much should I pay for XM5 and XM4 both new and used?
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I've seen used XM4s in good condition go for 10-12k and new ones for around 18-20
New XM5s are around 28-30 but I've seen it go as low as 26 during sales. Amazon might not have a sale on them but my local Sony shop did. I got my XM5 refurbished on Amazon for 18k and well worth that price IMO. Other good-used ones go around 20k.
 
ash110 said:
I got my XM5 refurbished on Amazon for 18k and well worth that price IMO
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How will you compare them to XM4? I have seen that they are not foldable and portable as XM4
I did feel quite some sweat on the earpads, which is expected for pleather earpads like these
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I used to have Sennheiser 458 BT with leather pads and used to get sweat in summers after around 1 hour of use, just wanted to compare that with these one
 
@ash110 I bought the XM5 only. Sound is good and the ANC is pretty sweet I liked the transparency mode the best.

Although having issues with wear detection as that is not working.

Have you tried using them in wired mode? I tried playing valorant today but wasn't able to hear the footsteps clearly as I'm able to with EC10 earphones
 
SkullSmazer said:
Although having issues with wear detection as that is not working.
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Maybe try doing that ear shape thing in the app? It works fine for me, so not sure what the issue could be

SkullSmazer said:
Have you tried using them in wired mode? I tried playing valorant today but wasn't able to hear the footsteps clearly as I'm able to with EC10 earphones
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I do use it in wired mode 90% of the time, but I also switch on the headphones so it has my equaliser mode and noise cancelling. If you aren't switching on the headphones, see if that helps. If that also doesn't, maybe create a manual equaliser setting in the app with more bass for games
 
ash110 said:
Maybe try doing that ear shape thing in the app? It works fine for me, so not sure what the issue could be
Click to expand...
I guess that is for having a optimizing the sound quality right?
ash110 said:
I do use it in wired mode 90% of the time, but I also switch on the headphones so it has my equaliser mode and noise cancelling. If you aren't switching on the headphones, see if that helps. If that also doesn't, maybe create a manual equaliser setting in the app with more bass for games
Click to expand...
I will try this, thanks
 
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