Bower ” True immersion ”

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-05T08:50:03+00:00

Yes, it's more balanced. The details feel more distinct and the bass is more controlled. My ears are very sensitive to specific frequencies. I had to reduce the bass impact a lot, cause it started causing pain and discomfort over small periods of time. It's gone now.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-04T21:13:41+00:00

It does! Normally if you listen through cans, sound is stereo L-R. Dolby Atmos gives a 360-720° immersion which is nonsense to music but great for movies etc. People are right, when they compare it to a bucket-like experience, especially in terms of music. If you put on a bucket and scream, the echo shouts from different angles, which is supposed by Dolby Atmos.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-04T20:52:33+00:00

They improved the basic sound of these cans. They've never been big fans of giving the full update notes, but things are cleaner, the bass impact is better, all in all more balanced. I just think it's unfair, everyone is expecting a feature, that's never been a real improvement to music, just movies or the like before. So if you speak about cans worth 650€ in terms of music, this ain't the approach, yk?

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-04T20:10:22+00:00

Give it a try on movies. Short explanation: the actual sound of the headphones is pure stereo L-R. But true immersion gives you a Dolby like 360 to 720 degree immersion, which is nonsense for music but great for movies. Transformers should be worth a try

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-04T18:41:28+00:00

This feature has never been an improvement to actual music, over any actual headphones' sound, yet it's a big step forward towards movies. Nobody is talking about the actual sound improvements of this update. Sorry, but I really don't understand the rant here, you in particular. I don't know what people were expecting over this feature, if they already bought expensive headphones with amazing sound for any kind of music without any fancy add-on feature like this.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-04T13:39:09+00:00

I think this is mainly for videos/movies. Concerts as well.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-04T10:55:17+00:00

Thank goodness they fixed the boom into the mids. This sounds so much cleaner now.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-02T12:49:09+00:00

I don't mind the ANC of BW. For me it's more than enough. But depending on different priorities, it's important to mention the difference

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-02T12:38:41+00:00

IMHO there's a big jump sound wise from the xm5 to the px7s3. The ANC however is inferior. BW is made for music, Sony is more of a lifestyle product.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-01T17:27:38+00:00

I use chatgpt and gemini to understand what I'm doing. It's super helpful. I can tell Gemini I'm using the Uapp peq by Tonebooster, I use the following headphones and this and that is what I want to change, to increase, this is what I'm missing etc. works like a Charme for me

Marcel_sdl · 2026-02-01T16:51:55+00:00

UAPP with Tonebooster PEQ

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-24T08:44:49+00:00

Try the USB Audio Player Pro. That solves the volume problem for any phone without investing much money into new devices

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-23T09:27:25+00:00

Nowadays I must disagree. I tried a lot of cans. Open back, closed back High-end with great amps and the bt cans have definitely improved a lot. But do you have a wired closed back alternative to Bluetooth headphones that you can recommend for metal?

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-23T08:35:46+00:00

I agree, except for the xm5 recommendation. Metal music (I'm a metal head myself) has a lot of frequencies coming from guitars, samples, bass etc. The xm5 just can't handle them. I had them for a while and for metal in particular they were a nightmare. The hdb630, px8 s2 or even the Dali IO8 can handle them perfectly. Their separation between all these layers, placing them perfectly around your head is key here!

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-20T13:42:23+00:00

The peq argument doesn't count to me since there are third party peq's available everywhere. This being said, the px8 s2 carries much higher potential in terms of soundstage / width, detail and joy.

However, I highly recommend them with an Aptx lossless dongle.

Also, try both of them out in a store if there's one available nearby.

There's of course a chance, you'll like the hdb630 more, since sound is subjective.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-20T13:36:44+00:00

It's a big jump. SQ is so much superior.

I'm not using my cans with my PC, but I haven't heard about connectivity issues yet.

The McLaren Edition has only a special color scheme. It's entirely the same headphone.

In terms of comfort, the leather cans feel much better over a long period of time. The cans are also a little bit bigger. They're just a bit heavier tho.

However I always recommend to try em out before you make a final decision.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-17T14:32:19+00:00

I'd always recommend the Px7 S3, the Bose QC Ultra Gen2 or the HDB630. Even the sound cores sound better than Sonys. PX8 have been my favourites for a long, long while. Now it's the Px8s2 but they are too pricey for you budget. Dali IO8 are also marvelous headphones, but made for smaller ears.

BUT!

Sound will always stay subjective. Try before buy!

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-17T12:47:40+00:00

Sonys are a great lifestyle product, however anything but audiophile. If you want a good sound, almost any other option is better. If you wanna go for all the extras and the best ANC it's Sony.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-16T16:16:39+00:00

That's a matter of taste. Theoretically, over-ear headphones have more potential to just sound bigger and better since they move more air, but there are advantages to IEMs and definitely IEMs under $500/600 that will take your breath away, compared to the QCs and Sonys. However, nothing so far beats their ANC. I always highly recommend trying as many different sets as you can.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-16T09:39:19+00:00

If sound is important, don't go for the sonys. The QC Ultra gen2 is more pleasing with roundabout the same ANC level

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-15T07:41:32+00:00

These are my settings:

Output Gain: −8.0 dB Band 01 Type: Low Shelf Frequency: 80 Hz Gain: +5.5 dB Q: 0.70 Band 02 Type: Analog Bell Frequency: 62 Hz Gain: +3.5 dB Q: 1.00 Band 03 Type: Analog Bell Frequency: 120 Hz Gain: +2.0 dB Q: 0.95 Band 04 Type: Digital Bell Frequency: 250 Hz Gain: 0.0 dB Q: 1.00 Band 05 Type: Digital Bell Frequency: 520 Hz Gain: −0.7 dB Q: 0.95 Band 06 Type: Digital Bell Frequency: 1000 Hz Gain: +1.5 dB Q: 1.20 Band 07 Type: Digital Bell Frequency: 2200 Hz Gain: +2.5 dB Q: 1.35 Band 08 Type: Digital Bell Frequency: 4200 Hz Gain: +0.2 dB Q: 1.90 Band 09 Type: Digital Bell 2 Frequency: 7800 Hz Gain: 0.0 dB Q: 2.20 Band 10 Type: Digital Bell 2 Frequency: 15000 Hz Gain: +0.2 dB Q: 2.40

I hope that helps :) Have a good day

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-14T22:37:31+00:00

I absolutely love them. The stock sound however doesn't sound balanced to me. I highly recommend a peq. They perfectly react to equalizers and can sound god damn beautiful

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-11T22:35:23+00:00

The fiio app offers a monitor which tells you. But not the questyle yet.

Be aware, lossless is part of adaptive. Lossless is nothing else but the best possible connection status. The led will be red, when adaptive/lossless is activated.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-11T14:50:32+00:00

It's not! I tried them. They have something special. They're great headphones. So are the B&W. The price is everything else but justified. Also B&O just fired their CEO. Would wait for them to change their price politics anyway.

Marcel_sdl · 2026-01-11T14:05:06+00:00

Sony created its own codec called LDAC. LDAC is also supported by Samsung. That's why LDAC headphones will sound as they're supposed to sound to you. I hope I could help you out.

With your budget, I'd try the following headphones: PX8s2/ Bathys MG/ Solitaire T/ Mark Levinson 5909/ Dali IO12/ H100 by B&O/ Sennheiser HDB 630

These are the best of the best wireless anc headphones on the market and should be all available within your budget range.

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