Sub-$150 ANC over-ears where the mic does not suck on calls?
WFH, 4-5 hours of calls a day. My current pair has fine ANC but the mic picks up everything — keyboard, the neighbor dog, all of it. Colleagues have complained. Requirements: over-ear, real multipoint, mic that handles background noise. Budget hard cap $150. Debating refurb flagship (WH-1000XM4, QC45) vs a new budget pair. Which mic measurements actually predict call quality — rtings mic recording samples? Anything specific to check before buying?
1 answer
- Refurb Sony WH-1000XM4. Skip new budget pairs.
New sub-$100 ANC pairs all have the same problem. Tiny mic arrays. Fine in a quiet room. Useless with background noise. Sony sells refurbished WH-1000XM4s around $150. Real multipoint. Mic array that actually filters noise. Check rtings mic recording sample before you buy anything — if the sample sounds like a fishbowl, pass. Do not buy new budget. Buy used flagship.