u/Lord-Severus

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy over-ear headphones and I especially focus on the following models: B&W Px7S3, B&W Px8, Bose QC Ultra 2.gen, CA P100 SE

I managed to test the P100SE and the Px7S3 in a headphone store. The px7s3 were really comfortable and the sound was good but very much too v-shaped. The P100 SE just were amazing with their sound and also the ANC performance but they are quite heavy and I found them to be uncomfortable. I think it's mostly due to the weight and the headband and I wanted to ask the following:

Did the comfort of the P100SE get better for you, after you used them for some weeks?*

* For reference: I have pretty small ears and a rather small head.

I really want to buy these headphones but I might have to go for the Bose QCU2 or Px7S3 if the comfort really doesn't get better / one gets used to it after some time.

Thank you all in advance for your comments.
Have a nice day and a lovely weekend.

I am currently looking to buy a pair of Over-Ear headphones to study (café sound environment) and listen to music at home. I already have the In-Ear JBL Reflect Aero for my daily commute, jogging and listening at home.

My budget is 400 CHF (Swiss francs).

Prices I found...
Px8 => 380-410 CHF
Px7S3 => 320-350 CHF
Bose QCU 2 => 380 CHF
CA P100 SE => 290 CHF
Apple APM 1 => 200 CHF (used in good condition)

My priorities (not really in that order but needs to have all):

A, PNC / ANC:
I want headphones that offer good to great passive and active noise cancellation (PNC/ANC) so that I can dampen the many voices at my universities study areas to study in the longer study sessions. They don't need to create a sound vacuum but dampen the voices enough so that it's noticeably quieter and I cannot understand the talks so I can focus on studying.

B, Sound Quality:
I also want them to have good audio quality and enough EQ settings so I can listen to music at home and on long train trips (not daily commute). The audio should be universal since I listen to classic, pop, rock, movie soundtracks and those have a wide variety. I heard that the Bose tend to have a more popular sound with too much bass and voices that loose the mid instrumentals. I can hear minor differences sadly quite well for example when I listen to a concert (live) which makes me scared that I would not be happy with the Bose.
Also, it's ok if the shipped EQ sucks but then it has to offer a good app to create good custom EQs.

C, Comfort:
I have pretty small ears so the cups don't need to be huge or very deep cushioned but I would still be interested in which models you folks found the most comfortable. It's important that they seal the ears off well (again, I have small ears) so I can also wear them for longer periods of time and maybe don't need to have the ANC on all the time.

D, Quality / Materials:
As I'm prepared to spend around 400 Swiss Francs for the headphones, they should look and feel like that price (not completely cheap plastic). They should also be durable enough to last me more than 6 years.
I do prefer materials like Metal, High quality texture mesh, Leather (real or good vegan ones) but they don't matter as much as the headphones as a whole lasting long. Exchangeable earcups are nice but I prefer them to be good enough so I don't have to buy new ones in 2-3 years.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has read this far and especially everyone who comments and helps me out. Please be kind to each other in the comments and accept other peoples preferences.

Have a lovely day and may the music be with you ;)