Headphone Recommenations


     I am interested in purchasing headphones and have done some research and auditioning.  I would like to purchase over-ear, Bluetooth with ability to use a cable, and  price range $500 - $700. I'm not sure how important noise cancelling is because I don't want it to interfere with sound quality. I have listened to Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser in my price range.  I enjoy all types of music ranging from Acoustic Guitar to Classical.  
    Thank you for any suggestions and recommendations.
128x128dberger
I would not buy headphones with Bluetooth, and if I did I wouldn't spend that much. Bluetooth headphones are more for convenience than audio quality. The Sony Sony WH-1000XM3 seem to be well regarded.

Perhaps you can elaborate on why Bluetooth is a must have? Most members here are focused on sound quality and two channel stereo systems with speakers and not as much on headphones. You might have better luck on headfi or Reddit.

A great pair of headphones in your price range are the massdrop Focal Elex. No Bluetooth though. 
Via BT, the sound quality is very much determined by the codec used, as Bluetooth is a lossy transmission method. The best SQ seems to come with the LDAC codec, as in the Sony headphones mentioned by @big_greg. I have a pair of the immediately preceding Sony model and find them good value and good sound, a touch warm perhaps, but very comfortable and enjoyable. I listen to a wide variety of music, like you.

Noise-canceling technology interferes with sound quality, IMO, far less than using less capable BT codecs like aptX. One might even say that NC improves the sound by raising the signal-to-noise ratio. As audiophiles are fond of saying, "It lowers the nose floor." So in the presence of anything from traffic noise to a humming refrigerator, I’d rather listen through NC headphones than far more costly non-NC headphones. Need I say, not everyone agrees.

P.S. Though the Sonys connect using LDAC automatically from an Android device, I am not sure whether LDAC is easy to get using Windows, iOS, OSX, etc.

Good luck!
Thank you for the responses. I am interested in Bluetooth headphones for several reasons. Some of these reasons may be out of ignorance of headphones or what may be available. 
* My wife and I live in a smaller ranch home and she doesn't always care for the music I play or the volume that I may play it at.  I would like to listen to music without bothering her. Keep peace in the family.
*  I play guitar and they would come in useful for the same reason as stated above.
* Some of the headphones come with a cable and I will be able to connect to our laptop and listen to music, I think the Dragonfly Red or Cobalt would improve the quality of the sound.
* I am under the impression that Bluetooth technology has improved and therefore the overall headphone response is improved.
* The headphones are one option. 
My total system is the following:
-Sonos Connect:Amp, Sonos Soundbar, Sonos Subwoofer, Sonos Pay 5, Gen. 1
-Monitor Audio Silver Six Floorstanding Speakers, wired to the Sonos connect Amp.
-Rega Planar 1
-I have a very old Kyocera CD player, I thought I could transfer my CD collection to an external hard drive. Not sure about this.
     As you can tell this is not a high end system but it servers several purposes.
     One of my other options is to purchase an integrated amp that will improve the sound quality of the wired speakers, still be able to use my Sonos system, and maybe keep the volume down a little.
     This probably sounds a little all over the place, the bottom line is I like to listen to music with an affordable quality of sound and I thought the headphones would be a good option.

Thanks very much for taking the time to respond and offer suggestions.




 

Thanks for the information.  I am leaning towards the Sony WH1000xm3.  There are so many different brands ie. Grado, Audio-Technica, Bose, Beyerdynamic, Focal,  Audeze, Jabra and more.  I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on some of the or other brands. 


Another option you might consider is a closed back headphone to not bother the rest of your family.  It won't keep all of the sound in the headphones, but will be much less of a distraction to others.  I have a pair of Audeze LCD-XC (no bluetooth) that I really like, but those are a little out of your price range.  I also really like the Massdrop x Fostex T-X0.  I think those were about $150 (no bluetooth).  The T-X0 sounded really bad at first, but after 50 or so hours of break in it opened up.  It's still a "dark" headphone, with more emphasis on bass than treble, but it's still revealing and very easy to listen to and comfortable to wear.  It appears to currently be sold out on Massdrop (now called Drop.com), but you might be able to find some used ones.

Keep in mind that for most headphones you can get longer cables or extension cables. 

For your stated use Bluetooth might be OK.  I listen to Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, Radio Paradise, etc. in my car via Bluetooth and the sound quality is pretty decent, but a car is a much different listening environment than sitting in your living room with headphones on. 
More to discover