So almost 2 years ago I asked about upgrading my plantronics backbeat pro 2's and people suggested I hold them until the wheels fall off

https://lemmy.world/post/23922174

Well, now the wheels are falling off. Headband is coming apart.

What would be a modern day upgrade you'd recommend?

Based on what I've seen... It would seem the momentum 4 (I've seen them regularly under 200 usd new on reseller sites) or momentum 5 from sennheiser would be a good choice but curious to know if this community has a different or better recommendation.

I have the Momentum 4 and they sound good, but in my opinion the noise cancelling is really bad. I also really dislike the pressure they create on my ears, but i've been told all noise cancelling headphones do that so that might just be a thing i personally dislike. My friends swear on the Sony XM1000 series, though i remember them saying the older versions were better.

Sony MDR 7506 or similar are the best headphones I've ever owned. They are modular, designed to be repairable, and have great build quality. They're wired and have no microphone, but they retail for a third the price of a bluetooth set that can match the sound quality. (~$100)

Probably gonna get hate, but why not Quietcomfort? If you’re an audiophile and your phone is actually playing lossless high res audio, of course go for Sennheiser. If you wear your headphones everywhere often, prioritize ANC and don’t mind the Bose sound, I’d go Bose every day and save the hifi listening for at home.

They are designed to be repairable, but iirc the parts cost enough to make it hard to justify repairing over just buying a new pair

I use Panasonic ergofit everyday, good luck

I loved mine but the membranes aged quickly

Agree. There are some things that annoy me but my QC35 II are the most comfortable headphones I've ever had. I don't like anything touching my ears and I am very very sensitive to pressure, so if this matters to you then look at the quiet comforts.

Adding another +1 from personal experience.

I’ve happily used the same wired, over-ear Sennheisers as my daily drivers for 15 years, but tried switching over to Sennheiser’s wireless noise-canceling line a few years ago. Horrible mistake: the sound quality was acceptable but the firmware, the fit, and the ANC were atrocious.

Couldn’t believe the two products were made by the same company.

I recently bought Senheizer HD-650's. I'm very happy with them.

I completely agree with this. If I want noise cancellation, the quiet comforts are good, I am mostly playing music to mask sounds anyway, so the main exception is comfort, non-obtrusive sound, and good ANC. I also use them on flights, for podcasts when awake or background music when trying to sleep- so again, sound quality is secondary. My only problem with them is the faux leather cover of the ear cup flakes easily, needs replacing about every 2 years.
For listening to music at home, I use open headphones.

Beyerdynamic DT 150.

They are designed to be fixed and are built like a tank. I fully expect them to keep working for the rest of my life

I like my Sony XM4s

I've had a Momentum 4 and a WH-1000XM5.

I was not happy with the Momentum, and can't recommend it. I initially had some kind of connectivity problems with Linux. Then, it had a tendency to l cut out, which I eventually discovered was a problem with the infrared sensor in one cup used to detect whether you've taken the hesdphones off. When it fogs up with condensed sweat, apparently not enough IR light gets through and it thinks that you've taken the headphones off. I disabled that feature with the Android app. Then some problem came up where when moved slightly, it would play back loud, high-frequency "squeaky" sounds. Some sort of problem with the noise-cancelling setup. Oh, and I had problems with bumping the side triggering touch controls.

The XM5 was fine for me when used as headphones---and better noise cancellation than the Momentum 4. But when used as a headset, sometimes, especially when resting my head against a chair, the other party would say that I suddenly became muffled.

I currently use it as headphones, but pair it with a USB lapel mic when I need a mic.

That headset must've been crap if it only lasted 2 years...

No particular model to recommend, but if you use it primarily for music/movies at home and don’t have anyone around you to bother, go for open-back or half open-back headphones.

8 Years. They just posted about them 2 years ago...

What is the Bose sound?

It depends on your requirements.

I was gonna recommend the same. Have been using them for 2 month and absolutely love them.

Interesting, i've got the disconnects too, never knew why. Moisture in the IR sensors, who would have thought ^^

Anything on this list, its a list of high quality eq curves for tons of different headphones ranging from very cheap to very expensive, its also available on github and available to be accessed by a lot of different software.

https://autoeq.app/

Had an XM3 and now an XM5, these are top notch head phones indeed!

Yeah, if you get the proprietary Android app, you can permanently turn that functionality off from an Android device. Took me ages to discover that. :-/

I second the Beyerdynamic. I have the DT 770 myself, bought them 15 years ago and still going strong. I'd expect these to be the last pair of headphones I'll ever need. Mine are however fully closed, which can lead to hot ears. They are super comfy and I get cold ears quickly, so I prefer them. I also really like the sound isolation and the sound quality is absolutely perfect.

A friend of mine has the DT 990 which are open backed, so they don't suffer as much from hot ears. However the sound quality can be a bit worse as they have less isolation. It's a bit of a trade off, both have excellent sound and in a quiet room there is no difference. So it's just preference really.

How big are your ears? I'm on Sennheiser 598 because it's good stuff but also because they accept my big ears ☺️. They are definitely home only though so I'm looking for some sturdy nice ones for outside.

Yeah, I've had two pairs of DT 770 Pros now, and they're probably my favorite non-active-noise-cancelling headphones. Good passive isolation, comfortable, fairly light, durable.

I think that the cable used to be detachable and isn't on current models, but my current model also cost significantly less, so...shrugs

If OP wants ANC headphones, though, which I assume he does if he's looking at Momentum 4s, might not be what he wants.

https://www.technics.com/ca/products/headphones/eah-a800.html

I don't know exactly where they stack up, but when using a headphone jack the audio quality and volume are much better than just bluetooth. I've been very happy with them, also have a set of earbuds from them I use everyday and they've been around for about 3 years and are holding up very well compared to Sennheiser earbuds I had. I also only really bought them because it's what a local shop sells.

Had the exact same IR problem with the XM4. Bit disillusioned with basically all the brands.

OH

Damn

QC35 II

Can you even still buy those? I've been using mine for 4-5 years now and they work great. I had to buy bunch of replacement cushions over the years but other than that 0 issues. Super comfortable, great noise cancellation, physical buttons instead of some gimmicky gestures... When they die I would happily just get same model again but looking in the stores I don't see QC35 II anymore. There are bunch of other QC models with cryptic names like SE, SC, Ultra but I don't see 35 II anywhere.

There’s a specific space or soundstage that it produces and lower mid punch with a little dullness in the mids and highs but still good color.

Looks like somebody mapped the sound profile. Not sure if it fits how I hear them.

https://www.soundguys.com/bose-qc35-ii-review-14264/

I haven't tried the XM3, XM4 or XM5 but I would recommend the XM6.

I have a similar approach. Keep the headphones basic for repairs. I have a fiio Bluetooth receiver and a Zen DAC at my desk. I then have a series of custom made cables for different headphones and jacks (balanced 4.4mm, stereo 3.5mm and balanced 2.5mm).

I can run any headphones with this setup, I might need a new cable made up depending on what pair I next buy.

I have some 770's and fit a mini XLR socket on them. I then balanced them too. It's nice to have cable options. It was years ago I did this, there were a few videos on how to convert them, probably more these days.

Do not buy Jabra products. I use them for work (work pays for them) and have had multiple models. They have all failed for various reasons. They do replace under RMA but it's annoying as they should not break someasily, especially the upper premium models. I wouldn't touch a pair of I was personally paying for them.

The replacements from brainwavz last a lot longer.

Just hope that a different part breaks on the second pair and then you can put off ordering a third.

I'm still on my xm2 from almost a decade ago, if that helps anyone with the decision. Just had to buy new earpads from AliExpress a few years ago.

XM5 have hinge problems I hear, but my 4s have been great

Audiotechnica ath-m50x. I bought it for 100€ in 2019 and they still make it, cord is replacable. They are super popular, tons of units sold, so there are parts everywhere.

I bought earpads replacement for them from aliexpress, theres headband too, they were not original but they fit perfectly. Maybe you should check for replacement, sometimes they go for under 10$

These are basically the lowest price good headphones worth actually getting. They're the Toyota Corolla of headphones.

Are you looking for the exact same featureset (wireless, closed back, anc, overear )? What about quality/pricepoint?

Hearing is a highly personal thing. I like sheinunser but I prefer a balanced audio stage some prefer more base and might wants beats or similar.

If you can get to a micro center or computer store listen to them .

Otherwise it best guess

Sennheiser HD 650 with a good DAC and your all set

I have a pair of QC 35’s that i bought in 2015 that still work. They’re at the end of their third battery and just had their 5th set of ear cups.

ANC no longer works.

People like to say stuff like "no highs, no lows, must be Bose".

Bose has earned a reputation for selling high-priced devices that don't always live up to the hype. That doesn't mean they're bad, but the fancy audiophile people like to piss on them.

Most people who don't own $30k stereo systems are pretty happy and they still lead the pack with their active noise cancelling.

I really like my QC35, but man these components are not built to last. I’ve had to replace my ear cushions and cable a few times now to the point where I wonder if I should be looking at other options. I respect that you can replace individual parts but I never have had issues like this with the ATH-M50 for instance.

If you want wireless, good sound. I am very happy with my Cambridge P100se. (I like full sound that isn't sharp, like velvet for my eardrums).
They support aptx Lossless. Not cable quality, but good for wireless :)

MX2 was great, broke mine. Just recently realized how much better mx3 is to mx4. MX4 dropped aptx support and the mics refuse to work with macOS, mx3 hums(less) along working great (aside from the bent wired jack from more stumbling)

I second these as well