Battle of the best Bluetooth ANC Headphone
EDIT / UPDATE:
I am based in Dubai/UAE, so in-person auditioning is not very practical for me. Availability is uneven here, some models are hard to find locally, and I am also busy with work, so ordering online is the easiest way for me to test them.
I added a photo of the headphones I have received so far in the comments.
I ended up ordering several of these because there were good Prime deals.
Ordered / received so far:
- Focal Bathys MG — received
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) — received
- Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) — received
- Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless — received
- Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 — arriving July 4
- Écoute TH2 — expected September
I am still tempted to test the DALI IO-12, T+A Solitaire T, and Noble Audio FoKus Artemis, but I am trying to avoid chasing tiny sidegrades if I am already close to the top of the Bluetooth ANC category.
Very early impressions after a few hours of listening:
- Focal Bathys MG
So far, these sound the cleanest to me. Instruments have more weight/body, and the overall presentation feels the most refined. I did not like the personalized hearing-tuning result because it increased the treble too much for me, so I am currently using the Dynamic preset.
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
These surprised me. To my ears, they give me maybe 90% of the Bathys MG’s overall enjoyment, while being much lighter and more comfortable. I reduced the bass to -3 in the EQ and like them much more that way.
- Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)
They sound good, but the presentation feels too forward/upfront for me. I normally like an upfront sound, but this is a bit too much. They are also heavy and clamp more than I prefer. On some songs, they feel less emotionally engaging than the Bathys MG or Bose.
- Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless
Very boomy/bassy to my ears in stock form, and currently my least favorite of the ones I have tested. That said, I could still live with them if I had to. They are not bad; they just do not sound as refined to me so far.
What surprised me most is that the differences are smaller than I expected. I know Bluetooth ANC headphones have diminishing returns, but I expected a bigger gap. My wife and I did some informal A/B listening and came to similar conclusions, even though she has not been reading reviews, measurements, specs, and Reddit threads like I have.
My question now:
Based on these early impressions, should I stop testing and just choose between the Bathys MG, Bose QC Ultra 2, and Px8 S2 once it arrives? Or do the DALI IO-12, T+A Solitaire T, Noble Audio FoKus Artemis, Loewe Leo, B&O Beoplay H100, or HDB 630, offer something meaningfully different enough that they are still worth trying?
What I care about most is sound quality, long-term comfort, ANC (last), and choosing the lowest-regret blind buy. Price is secondary, but I do not want to waste time and energy chasing tiny sidegrades.
Original Post- Focal Bathys MG- Dali IO 12- B&W Px8 S2- T+A Solitaire T- Loewe Leo- Sennheiser HDB630- Ecoute Th1/Th2- BO BH100
Who wins?
