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.
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.