Bowers & Wilkins - PX

Got my pair of the McLaren edition yesterday. Had the original PX, Px7 and P3s. In between all that I bought the Sony series and Bose. The Px8 s2 is the biggest upgrade I’ve ever experienced. It’s on a level I never thought was possible. The engineering must have been done using 2000 agentic designers. How they’ve managed to perfectly balance the soundstage … every detail is there. Every detail punches you in the heart. I’ve fallen in love with music, again.

PX8s are great, I agree although the leather on the earcups is a bit scratchy. I'd suggest you to listen to original PXs which sound even more natural and detailed imo, although they lack a bit of bass. They don't sell anymore, but if you'll ever be able to listen to them, I'd suggest you to take a chance

I use the Denon D9200 daily. B&W PX when I'm wandering around, doing stuff. I also use the Meze Empyrean (almost) daily, but you might consider those bulky.

I have a pair of over-ear noise canceling headphones from Bowers & Wilkins that I love. They have 3 different levels of noise cancellation. They weren't cheap but well worth the money.

Quite a list you have! I'm only familiar with a few of them on your list, but here's my thought on them * Momentum 4 - Best sounding of all sub-$500 wireless that I've tried. These are the most accurate and balanced. What's the catch? The ANC is rather weak when compared to other brands' flagships. They also don't fold up so they take up more space when taking on the go. * Sony XM6 - Bass cannon. So much bass it hurts the clarity, but it's also a lot of fun to listen to. These also have the best ANC in the market right now. I wear them in a Starbucks and felt quiet like in my own living room. They also fold up which helps when taking them on the go. * Bose QC Ultra (not sure which gen I tried) is between the Momentum 4 and the Sony XM6. Better sound than XM6 but not as good as Momentum. Worse ANC than XM6 but better than Momentum. * Bowers & Wilkins products - yeah they sounded good when I tried them on, but didn't shine in any particular aspect. If I wanted a pair like this I'd have gone with the Bose instead and save some $$$. * AKG and Beyerdynamic make some really good traditional studio headphones, but I wouldn't buy their wireless sets. You mentioned that you prefer earbuds. If you still have another $100 to spare, check out wired earbuds too. You'd be blown away by their sound quality. I recommend either the Moondrop Aria 2 or Truthear Hexa.

I'd suggest looking elsewhere then. Bowers & Wilkins are a solid option imo. They run circles around the XM4 for both sound and build quality. ANC isn't the best, but it's serviceable.

i think sony is the best middle-of-the-way solution between sound quality and anc. Bose's sound signature is anything but neutral, which is what you want for good sound. B&W has best sound but anc sucks.