this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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Headphones
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The APP2’s are good and all, they’re my daily driver ahead of the likes of the B&O H95 simply because of ease of use and lack of connectivity issues.
I think the real issue though is that the XM line has simply been greatly overstated in terms of sound quality. They’re just not that good but they’ve been marketed and hyped over the past 5 years by influencers and YT reviews as in and around the top tier in BT earphones for the average person’s when they’re simply not.
the galaxy buds 2 pro sounds amazing too.
Not sure what XM you have tried, but out of the dozen or so buds I have tried, XM5 are the best sounding, I would argue it might be as a whole package as my usage is mostly walking and gym, and in fairness there are not many buds I have hated, but if you put all the ones I have tried in front of me, APP2, AZ80, QC2, XM4 and XM5 being top 5, I would take the XM5 on my two most important features, sound and ANC. Devialet Gemini 2 might push the XM4 out of that list as probably the most "ok". But overhyped definitely not when the XM5 exist.
Then what are the best in terms of BT headphones?
Galaxy buds pro sound basically identical to the arias and the pro 2 are even better
The ones that are made with the power supply limits in mind, and aim for reproducing AAC or aptx type of streams. Trying to increase the sample rates, upping some number or other, getting higher peak effect -- it's like putting a turbo on a 1l Polo or something like that. Sure, it can get you more power in certain registers. But unless you change every part of the equation, including the usage scenario and the fuel - that car is not actually going to output that power in any useful part of the register for practically all of the time you're using it. Where you're also going to just have more noise and whine. Maybe it's good noise, but it's not getting you more power on the road.
So very svelte designs. Simple, 16ohm drivers, no extra tuning for "boost" or whatever, is going to get you the best overall results.
Headphones? In terms of sound quality?
Off the top of my head H95, Px8 (and Px7), Bathys and AirPods Max all sound much better than the Sonys imo.
What you like in sound is subjective though so it’s hard to pick although I’d put the H95 and Bathys clear at the top. That said, for BT sound quality is often not the only factor. Connectivity, battery, features, etc all play a part. I’d put any of these easily about the Sony but between them you should do research on which one would work for you beyond that.
I’ll probably get downvotes for saying this next bit but personally ease of use and connectivity is probably more important at this stage for me (as long as they’re good quality). So although the H95 sounds better than the APM and has better battery (seriously H95 is a battery monster), I still think APM is a better choice for most people IF they’re in the apple ecosystem.
Focal Bathys, B&W Px8, or the H95
Bathys is a great pick
Atleast when it comes to sound quality too be fair i have only tried them in store but they felt incredible cheap and alot of conectivity issues
Was it on iOS or Android that you had connectivity issues?
Yeah it's a great option if you have something like 600 bucks to spend. Would definitely go for them over the Airpods Max if you're getting up in that range.
Hmm most people I know who get XM line, it's because their noise cancelling works super great on the train. I haven't heard that many people hype the sound quality.
I did have one person who I have my old XM3s to tell me she thought they sounded better than her airpods, but "better" might have just meant "different", I don't know which model airpods she had (1st gen pros, I think), and everyone's preferences are different, etc.
And anyway apple only supports most of their features on iphones. Even if I had an iphone, I would want to reward moves like that.
I think the salient point to remember is that both the XM line and the apple ones have batteries that will die in just a few short years.