Wireless Headphones with Good Sound and Strongly Built - Budget $600

tigs6969 on 06/12/2021 - 19:11
Last edited 06/12/2021 - 19:28 by 1 other user

I have a pair of Sony WF-1000XM4. The sound is fine (though my pair of Quiet comforts that got stolen did sound better), the noise cancelling is the best part but the build quality is terrible. They have not lasted me a year and throughout the last eleven months they have had a myriad of problems. Even the guy at the Sony store said they are dead but told me to go to the retailer I got them from (who ironically told me to go to Sony over them).

Well I am getting a refund from Catch cause I don't want another pair. Give me good stuff. I'll take the refund money and get some great stuff even if I have to add a couple hundred. Over ear, I don't care about noise cancelling, I want good sound and strong build. Preferably wireless as me and headphone wires don't agree.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 06/12/2021 - 19:19

  OK

  

  [Deactivated] on 06/12/2021 - 19:19 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
• 

  achew on 06/12/2021 - 19:45

  -1

  nuraphones

  achew
  'scuse me

• 

  Drakesy on 06/12/2021 - 19:47

  Out of interest How do you kill Ozbargain's favourite NC headphones in a year?

  • 

    tigs6969 on 06/12/2021 - 19:57

    Cause they are flimsily made? You tell me. I ain't bashing on Sony either. I had a pair of WH-CH710N's and (profanity) hell they lasted a long time.
    Also I can't get over the okayness of the sound quality. The only way I got a really good sound out of them was by using Wavlet and that app's usage randomly appeared during a reddit search.

    • 

      Drakesy on 06/12/2021 - 20:03

      +2

      Out of interest what do you use them for?
      My 1000xm3's have lasted 3 years without issues and feel as good as the day i bought them.

      • 

        kakarot123 on 06/12/2021 - 20:04

        Second this, have a pair of 1000xm2 since start of 2018 and they are still going strong today.

      • 

        tigs6969 on 06/12/2021 - 20:05

        General listening I guess? Bus, train a bit of a walk, hanging at work.

        • 

          Drakesy on 06/12/2021 - 20:29

          @tigs6969: I feel there's more to this.
          The sony's are some of the most durable headphones out there.

          Although if you're sweating in them at the gym/walking etc this would affect the life span

          • 

            tigs6969 on 06/12/2021 - 20:36

            +1

            @Drakesy: CH710N's were very durable I agree.

            Nope, I figured sweat and earphones wouldn't go well together.

• 

  cille745 on 06/12/2021 - 20:23

  +2

  Spending $600 on wireless headphones would be a massive waste to be honest

  You're best off with the AKG N700MC2's. They're the best sounding ANC cans around (Better than the Sony and the Airpods Max). While the build won't be much better than the Sony's you already own, when on sale these are going for as low as $100, but can usually be had at around $150.

  • 

    Hamlet on 06/12/2021 - 21:37

    +1

    You're claiming that a sub $200 pair of headphones can beat Sony's flagship $400 and Apple's flagship $700 headphones in sound quality? Tell me more.

• 

  Hamlet on 06/12/2021 - 21:42

  OP, do you mean the WH (overear headphones) instead of WF (in-ear earphones)?

  • 

    tigs6969 on 06/12/2021 - 21:52

    WH (overear headphones) Ah just realised i wrote the wrong ones in the op. Cheers

• 

  Poppin on 07/12/2021 - 08:41

  How about the AirPods Max? Close to $600 nowadays. Although I haven't had problems with the XM4s, the AirPods are sturdier at the cost of weight.

  • 

    plague69 on 07/12/2021 - 09:28

    nooooooo…. don't throw your money down the toilet. Audio wise, not much better than a Bose 700 ($sub $400) for most music and exaggerates the bass because it's inherit from Dre headphones. I don't know how I feel about paying over $300 more for the Apple experience.

    It depends on what you normally listen to. Different headphones are good at different types of music/content

• 

  plague69 on 07/12/2021 - 09:32

  Disregard following as OP is asking for wireless and not semi wireless
  If OP is after audio quality, buy yourself an entry level DAC for about $200 and a tried and true pair of over the ear headphones with the rest of the $$.
  Open ear if you only ever listen in quiet areas. Closed year if you want to travel with it.
  Fiio btr3k if you buy an average pair or the Fiio btr5 if you need some extra power more demanding headphones

  Shure SE535

  • 

    tigs6969 on 07/12/2021 - 17:30

    "Shure SE535"

    At uni they stressed over and over and over and over never buy in ear, only over ear.