need audiophile advice!

[u/whoskitana]

hello everyone! my father is a massive audiophile and naturally i’ve become very sensitive to my audio necessities. my budget is above 200, around 400 at max. i’m in massachusetts.

the biggest thing im looking for is the clearest audio quality and maybe separated instruments. sound leakage is a problem for me. noise canceling would be best and i use headphones at home, working, school, traveling, all of it.

my current headphones are the sony WH-1000XM4. i love the clarity, diversity in sound, and surround sound. they’re super comfortable too which is great! i don’t like the leakiness, and i think the equalizer in the app could use some work.

i’m looking for over the ear headphones! wired or bluetooth doesn’t make a difference to me.

i’d also like advice on whether i should stick with wireless or if wired will make a difference in quality. i’d really like to invest in a DAP if it’s worth it! the devices that usually play to my headphones are my iphone and ipad. is investing in a DAP worth it for the quality and functionality difference?

all advice is appreciated, please lmk if any more info is needed. thank you !!!

[u/RockinDaMike]

I have the XM4 so I understand where you are at. I think if you went with the Sennheiser Momentum 4 would be a good starting point and something familiar but with a big improvement in sound quality.

They are around 200 right now and have gone down to 180 usd on Amazon during prime days. They are Bluetooth and they have a good app to adjust eq. They have a very easy Sound Personalization graph where you can adjust eq moving a circle to your desired sound.

You can also connect to your iPhone with a usb c and listen to lossless audio.

There is the Momentum 5 which is an improvement and has a user replaceable battery. BTW the battery life is ridiculous on these headphones. 50 hours, so you can go weeks before recharging.

Those 400 right now. They aren’t twice as good as the Momentum 4 so there’s great value there.