
Inside the headphones is a 24-bit DSP (digital signal processing) chip that helps create elite noise cancelation for music, movies, podcasts, and more. The Px8 over-ear headphones are widely regarded as having some of the best audio quality around, and we can confirm that is in fact true. If you're looking for a Rolls Royce level of performance and comfort, then you've come to the right place. Just be aware you might need to pop the headphones off after a couple hours of wearing to give your head and ears a rest. But if you are willing to sacrifice comfort for a bit better performance and a longer battery life, then the XM4 is the choice for you. So why is the XM4 a close second? Well, the Bose 700 is frankly more comfortable thanks to it's thin build and gentle positioning of the headband and ear pads. The XM4 also beats the Bose 700 is battery life with a steady 30 hours of run time, compared to the the 700's 20 hours. The XM4 just bumps in a bass-heavy way that makes listening to certain genres of music much more enjoyable-like hip-hop and pop.

The sound quality of the XM4 is also elite, with clear audio for music, movies, and podcasts.īut what the XM4 does better than the Bose 700 is in sound quality is bass. The noise cancellation on the XM4 is about that same as the 700, blocking out deep bass and loud muffling from cars, planes, and more. In many ways, the XM4 from Sony stands toe-to-toe with the Bose 700. Going all-in on a noise cancelling pair like these will give you hours-long comfort so you can enjoy all your entertainment. Travel headphones should be approached as an investment if you want smoother, more comfortable travels. Now, we realize $400 is no number to call "affordable" but the fact these headphones outperform many of the top-of-the-market headphones that are north of $500 gives assurances you're getting your monies worth. And last, the 700 comes in a price point that packs a ton of value.

Second, the 700 has actual button controls, making the headphones user friendly in the times you don't want to use its touch controls. The ear pads also have what feels like the perfect shape and cushioning on the ear.

The band that sits on the head is thin and lightweight, which helps prevent fatigue when wearing for hours watching movies on the plane or listening to podcasts in the car. It's true the performance of the 700 can be compared several other pairs of headphones on this list (there's actually one or two pairs that has them beat on sound quality alone), however what the 700 does exceptionally well is comfort. You also get 20 hours of battery life, which is long enough to run all the way through long haul flights. For starters, the 700 has a seriously good level of noise cancellation (11 different levels!) that can drown out everything from crowd noise in a cafe to jet engines roaring on an airplane. Lightweight, durable, and driven by performance, the Bose 700 showcases what has made the brand such a staple in travel bags for years.
