i purchased the sony wf xm4 and because i'm not an audiophile, i don't know much. i like the headphones, but the noise cancelling hurts my ears. i'm really sensitive to things like this so i accept it. i've just been using the headphones without the anc and i don't think i'd ever use the spatial audio mode. i either use them bluetooth or wired. i mostly will use them for studying or just sitting and listening to music, i don't think i'll walk around with them on (preference).
because the anc hurts my ears, is it pointless for me to have them? i never had ear/headphones before besides the wired earphones that come with the iphone. i feel terribly guilty for spending so much money on headphones if i'm not using one of it's greatest functions. again, i'm not an audiophile so i can't tell the difference between these headphones and my apple earbuds that come with my iphone.
i'm also afraid that in the summer (gets hot where i am) that i won't use them and will regret not getting earbuds because they'll be too hot to use.
i even am considering different headphones, but i'm afraid of anc hurting my ears. at one point i wanted airpods but i've heard they are bad for your ears (in comparsion to headphones) because they sit in your ear and i wouldn't want to wear earbuds for long time when i'm studying, but they would be nice if i'm walking around.
i have until january 1st to return the sony's because of my best buy's black friday deal.
The WH1000-XM4 (over ear) has the ability to do a scan and tune the ANC automatically, you trigger it by holding down the ANC button or through the app. Doing that made the ANC much more comfortable for me. Maybe the WF also have that.