Earphones / Headphones: Where to try, what to buy?

over ear, bluetooth, excellent noise cancelling capabilities (snoring(not me))

comfortable lying on side would be a welcome bonus

for £120 max could I hope to get anything that does the job?

Anyone got tips for picking some wired earbuds for general listening, non audiophile? Have used RHA for probably the last 10 years and they've been good but the current set is failing and it looks like the company only makes Bluetooth headphones now. I'd ideally like to spend not much more than 30 quid and have something reliable that won't be broken in a year. I realise that might be a tough ask.

soundmagic e11 seem to be the modern version of the e10, which I still have and think are great wherever I use them.

betron from amazon are good for the money and pretty robust ime:

https://amzn.eu/d/4eUwC50

Thank you! For a tenner and with a personal recommendation they're definitely worth a punt. Ordered!

Hmm, was it the PX7 S2 you ended up with @rhb ?

I got a pair of the PX7 S2e for Christmas and have had no problems with phone calls inside the house but not sure that really counts as an open area?

I love them so much anyway I could live with that if it's not been sorted by the 'evolution'. They were an upgrade for me from the original PX I bought ~6 years ago and feel like a real step up. They're more neutral/restrained (i.e. more typical B&W) than the S2's, which I'd say are a bit more of a 'crowdpleaser' with more bass and a warmer sound having done lots of comparison listening at Richer Sounds and with my own PX's.

I ordered them for £299 from Currys just before Christmas - I think this was a misprice actually - then got £29 cashback and a £15 Currys voucher for buying them so I was pretty happy with that!

Yes the S2.

I still have to be louder than anyone in and around hotdesk areas for it to pick up me and cancel them.

Also they work on my work laptop for everything except teams calls, unless I use the usb-c to headphone jack cable.

No trouble on any other device. Odd.

Outdoors they're fine too.

Your S2E is a great price, works out cheaper than what I paid.

Does anyone get the Victoria line to work and have any recommendations for over ear noise cancelling, I've had a pair of Soundcore Q30 and after 18 months they developed a hum, but they were £70 when I bought them so I replaced them with some Q45 (£110), which sound great in normal circumstances, but the lack of tension on the head band is annoying and have to be reset on each use, the noise cancelling - it's almost like if there's a loud noise the noise cancelling drops out, and there is a whooshing sound, so they're getting returned and now looking for something else. If anyone has any recommendations?

From what I’ve read the q30 is still the one to get from the Anker line.
Beyond that - sony, apple, or bose?

On top of those options, I like my Sennheiser Momentum 4s a lot. The battery life lasts forever and they're extremely comfortable. They don't have first in class noise cancelling but they sound - in my opinion - significantly better than Sony or Bose. I haven't tried Airpod Max's - the price alone was enough to deter me. But if you're an iPhone user, I'd say its maybe worth it if you can get them on sale.

My biggest gripe with any non-Apple manufactured bluetooth headphone is how annoying they are with connections versus Airpods (or I guess Beats, too as they use the same chip). Airpod Pro's are just so easy to use. The speed of connection is out of this world and the stability of connection is superb. I assume the same can be said for Airpod Max's.

Ah yeah, had an hd1 that was quality though I sold it on, can't remember why at the moment.

I finally gave up on the Cambridge Audio buds that sounded great but dropped connection/wouldn't charge and crashed constantly.

£80 on Sony WF-C700N buds which are noise cancelling but won't make me cry if I lose them like a set of WF-1000MX5

I’ve got the Sony WH-1000XM5 and can confirm they work on the Victoria line. Well as much as you can expect on that hell line. You might be better off just getting some custom ear plugs made though.

Recently got some technics az80s to replace the sennheiser momentum 3 earbuds which kept going faulty. Seem much better in terms of sq, build quality etc. worth a look if in the market for earbuds at that price range.

Any recommendations for DJ headphones for my girlfriend? I've always used HD25's but she doesn't like them. Tried AIAIAI's before but the bass colours the sound too much for my liking. They don't need to be bomb-proof like the HD25's as she'll mainly use them in the house.

Holy crap man. I have a couple of sets of middle-roadish IEMs from Chi-Fi brands but needed a set of headphones with a 3.5mm jack and in line mic so bought these Linsoul 7Hz Zero Salnotes.

Honestly unreal what 20 GBP gets you nowadays in the IEM space. These sound superb for the money. Definitely neutral. There's a more V shaped version here - tuned by Crinacle. But yeah, damn, how far we've come in not very long.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Do you rate these? I've been looking at Bose QC alternatives and these seem to be popular. Pretty good price here

https://www.ourfriday.co.uk/sony-wh-1000xm5-wireless-noise-cancelling-headphones-black

I've had two sets of the Cambridge Audio buds. Got the second set as a warranty replacement for wouldn't charge/wouldn't connect (were fine when they did connect) and they had just the same problems. Annoying as they sounded good and were in a much smaller case than the vast majority.

Replaced them with some flavour of Samsung Galaxy buds. Sound good, small case and solid connection every time. Loads on eBay as they come free with a lot of Samsung phones.

Great sound, excellent noice cancelling and the latest Bluetooth means it connects to everything easily, with better sound quality. When convenient I’ll wear it wired, but out and about they perform well and are comfortable. Even manages to block out the Victoria line well.

Main negative reviews I see mention they're uncomfortable and the app is rubbish?

Uncomfortable… I wouldn’t say that, but I’ve worn better. Not something I have a problem with though, they are lighter than the 3’s I replaced so it balances out a little.

The app is Sony. Go figure. It works but like all their UI is clunky (anyone who has used a Sony camera might understand). Tbh after the initial setup I’ve rarely touched it.

Pop to John Lewis and try them on

I have those too, and they're pretty great for £20. I prefer them for music over AirPods Pro.
It's crazy that these will also probably outlast the AirPods Pro - the AirPods are dead after the battery fails to hold a significant charge, whilst the main point of failure on the Zero is the cable, which is replaceable.

To play devils advocate, my Airpod Pro's are still going strong. I got them in October 2021 and use them daily. Appreciate the battery will eventually die but they've been pretty good.

But yeah - they're better than the Airpod's for sure.

Do you still rate the Momentum 4's? I'm between these and the Sony XM4's.

I think I'd prefer sound quality over the best ANC so I'm erring towards the Sennheiser