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skaertus

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
4,252
1,405
Brazil
I am looking for a comfortable over-ear headphone. The AirPods Max looks great, but is also completely out of my budget. It costs close to $1300 here in Brazil, and I am not willing to spend this kind of money on a headphone. To be honest, I would probably not even be able to tell the difference from a much cheaper model.

So, I am looking for an alternative which costs much, much less, to really put my toe on the water on this kind of headphone, which I basically know very little about. I want a headphone which is very comfortable to use and with large earcups (I have large ears), and this is basically the core of what I want. A good, deep sound, is also welcome. Good battery life and ANC would be nice. I know I will not get AirPods Max quality, but I want to pay some 5-10% of the price.

The Anker models looked really nice to me. My preferred choice would be the Anker Soundcore Life Q30, which costs about $120, has a USB-C connector, lots of battery life and ANC. It looks nice, and there are favorable reviews. Then, there is the Q20, which is about $80, but apparently has a smaller earcup. And there is the Q10, for $65. The Q10 does not have ANC, but it apparently has larger earcups (which seems to be a plus for me) and a USB-C connector.

I was leaning towards one of these models when I came across some Chinese brands which I had not heard about, but which seem to be very well-reviewed on Amazon. A Bluedio T7 costs some $70 and has a 57mm driver (the Anker models have a 40mm driver). A Oneodio Pro-C costs some $50, and has a 50mm driver. User reviews say these models have great sound. However, there are not many specialized websites that review those models.

So, any recommendation? Thanks.
 

Tdevilsg

macrumors regular
Jan 23, 2021
182
235
Audio technica m30 and m40 is quite nice for the bang for your buck in the low to mid 100 dollars. And although more expensive than that, you can get the Sony XM4 for relatively cheap especially as an open box, I see them online in the low to mid 200 dollars. If you are open to open back, the sennheiser HDXX is is probably the best overall quality for dollar headphone available at around 200 dollars. These blow most closed back headphones out of the water if you're talking pure sound quality.

Each of the above offers something different. Audio technica will be the best low priced budget model. Sony xm4 will have the wireless bluetooth /anc. And sennheiser HDXX will have extremely good sound quality but is open back so people around can hear you.
 
Last edited:

skaertus

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
4,252
1,405
Brazil
Audio technica m30 and m40 is quite nice for the bang for your buck in the low to mid 100 dollars. And although more expensive than that, you can get the Sony XM4 for relatively cheap especially as an open box, I see them online in the low to mid 200 dollars. If you are open to open back, the sennheiser HDXX is is probably the best overall quality for dollar headphone available at around 200 dollars. These blow most closed back headphones out of the water if you're talking pure sound quality.

Each of the above offers something different. Audio technica will be the best low priced budget model. Sony xm4 will have the wireless bluetooth /anc. And sennheiser HDXX will have extremely good sound quality but is open back so people around can hear you.
Thanks.

Unfortunately, I am not in the U.S. and I cannot find all these models for these prices. I managed to find the Sony XM4 for sale here, but it costs $400.
 

mostlynameless

macrumors member
Sep 22, 2008
61
7
I tried a Bluedio model a long time ago and didn’t like it. I can’t remember why for sure.

Taotronics get good reviews but I haven’t tried them. Have you checked those out?

what about one of the lower priced Sony models?
 

skaertus

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 23, 2009
4,252
1,405
Brazil
I tried a Bluedio model a long time ago and didn’t like it. I can’t remember why for sure.

Taotronics get good reviews but I haven’t tried them. Have you checked those out?

what about one of the lower priced Sony models?
The Sony WH-XB900N costs some $250. There are some very cheap ones, but I suppose they are not good at all...

Taotronics are not for sale here.
 
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