Higher end noise cancelling headphones? - no need for mic

[Nyororin]

Currently, I am using Sony XM4s (wired) for use with my PC. One of the ear cups was inexplicably chewed by my cat (why?!?!?) and as the battery charge is getting shorter, I figure now is as good a time as any to replace them. 
I have a separate microphone so just really need headphones rather than a headset. I also definitely want ANC; the ambient environment is fairly noisy and I am someone who finds it very hard to not focus on any outside noises (I also use them for focusing during work if things are particularly distracting). I don't really care much if they are wired/wireless - I have gotten used to using the XM4s with the wire because of the lag over bluetooth.

I was considering just picking up the XM5s, but was wondering if there are any better options out there since they are primarily used for gaming. Is there anything better out there, or should I just replace the ear cup and not even bother replacing them? I have tried a couple of different wireless headsets (Logitech G735 and Astro A30) and found them just kind of disappointing due to the lack of ANC; also, my head is tiny, and the A30s felt like they were going to fall off even set as small as possible. I would rather give up wireless than go without ANC.

[TetraSky]

Some of the best ANC headphones out there are certainly the XM4 and XM5.

There's also the Bose QuietComfort 45 which has pretty good sound and ANC said to be around what the XM5 provides.

The Bose QC Ultra's ANC beats the Sony XM5 headphones out of the water according to reviews. You might not be able to use ANC while wired though, since it's a regular headphone jack if you don't use them wirelessly.

[Nyororin]

36 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Some of the best ANC headphones out there are certainly the XM4 and XM5.

There's also the Bose QuietComfort 45 which has pretty good sound and ANC said to be around what the XM5 provides.

The Bose QC Ultra's ANC beats the Sony XM5 headphones out of the water according to reviews. You might to be able to use ANC while wired though, since it's a regular headphone jack if you don't use them wirelessly.

Thanks for reminding me that the Bose QCs exist. I tried a pair of those a long while back (maybe the 15s? 25s?) and couldn’t get on with the pressure sensation from the ANC so I sort of totally forgot they existed. Quite some time has passed so I will definitely try them out. 

With the Sonys, you can both use them powered off while wired as normal headphones or turn the ANC on. I was assuming most pairs would work like that, but I will definitely check into it. I would never have even considered the possibility of not being able to use ANC while wired.

[Cocococo]

I know the Final UX3000 can be used while plugged in, the ANC and sound is pretty decent for the money, i wasn't a big fan of the comfort, earpads were small for my liking, but all my favourite headphones completely surround my ears so mileage may vary. My reason for sending them back was that the hinges trapped my hair a lot, but i also have hip-length hair so you should be good if it's short on the sides. 

The JBL 760NC are alright for a budget buy, but not really what you're looking for.

The Ugreen Max5c look to be a revolution in the budget BT headphone space, but for ANC you will be better off with some Sony XM4's or Bose equivalents, the Xm5's don't cancel much noise, the isolation is a joke on those headphones (also i haven't gotten my pair of Max5c's yet so i can't really give any details beyond "they be cheap")

 

Depending on the surrounding environment ANC might not be the best way to deal with your sound issues, many ANC headphones have poor isolation for some reason (i think it's to make the ANC seem more impactful but why isn't important) if it's traffic noises, loud appliances or just any kind of low consistent noise then ANC will work wonders, getting new earpads might help with this, the sound will be changed up a lot, earpads are a crucial part of headphone tuning and even changing from old to new OEM pads makes a massive difference.

 

To cut a long and super rambly paragraph a little bit shorter, strongly isolating headphones lose their effectiveness with loud, low sounds, sound is just waves in the air, and the really long and low soundwaves have an easier time reaching your ears through all the padding than the higher energy, short soundwaves get muffled and cancelled in the padding of good isolating headphones, ANC is quite good at dealing with these long and low pitched sounds, but the microphones, the batteries, DAC's, Bluetooth receivers and processers needed to register incoming sounds, process an opposite frequency to deal with the low noises, then mix that opposing low noise INTO your music (ANC technology is nuts) all take up space that normal headphones use for more noise isolating padding, and just like with cars, there isn't really a replacement for displacement. 

 

If your issue is people noises, noisy family, roommates or whatever then getting stronger isolating headphones or even IEM's might be better. There's a lot of subjectivity with IEM's in particular, and region pricing for the good closed headphones also changes a lot, generally for isolation i recommend the Sennheiser HD280, 25db of noise cancelling is a figure most ANC headphones struggle to reach, and the HD280 cancel that much noise across the entire sound spectrum (I would recommend a headband cover, the head padding has had some longlasting peeling problems) 

 

You can also find 3M Peltor headsets, this is literally industrial grade hearing protection fitted with headphone speakers inside so you can hear announcements over walkie-talkies, you actually see these at racetracks all the time, if you watch F1 for instance basically everyone is using the dedicated hearing protection that i'm recommending, added bonus is that since they're designed for use in factories they are insanely durable (your current headphones won't survive a tenth of the destruction Peltor headsets can) for the downsides they don't sound good whatsoever and they can be pretty costly. Idk your exact budget or location so recommending this stuff is tricky.

 

The Audeze Maxwell is a headset i recommend to everybody i can, sound wise they're very comparable with the Focal Azurys headphones (literally the best closed backs Focal has ever made) wireless with a 2.4ghz dongle, great mic, 80 hours battery and great isolation, idk if they're the right call for you, but the only non-insanely positive review i've seen is from Short Circuit and they did an awful job at reviewing them anyway.

[Nyororin]

16 hours ago, Cocococo said:

I know the Final UX3000 can be used while plugged in, the ANC and sound is pretty decent for the money, i wasn't a big fan of the comfort, earpads were small for my liking, but all my favourite headphones completely surround my ears so mileage may vary. My reason for sending them back was that the hinges trapped my hair a lot, but i also have hip-length hair so you should be good if it's short on the sides. 

The JBL 760NC are alright for a budget buy, but not really what you're looking for.

The Ugreen Max5c look to be a revolution in the budget BT headphone space, but for ANC you will be better off with some Sony XM4's or Bose equivalents, the Xm5's don't cancel much noise, the isolation is a joke on those headphones (also i haven't gotten my pair of Max5c's yet so i can't really give any details beyond "they be cheap")

Thank you for the long and detailed reply. 
I have mainly been looking at the higher end, as I would be replacing Sony XM4s - While it is ultimately going to be mainly used for gaming, a major jump down in audio quality would hurt. Are the XM5s really that bad when it comes to ANC? I also have the Airpods Max and the isolation is pretty poor, the ANC itself does a good job and covers for it. I was imagining the XM5s would be in the same boat.
 

16 hours ago, Cocococo said:

if it's traffic noises, loud appliances or just any kind of low consistent noise then ANC will work wonders

That is exactly the scenario I am in. My desk has a window with traffic noises to the left, an air conditioning unit above, and a stand housing 4 PCs to the right. The noise is fairly constant and annoying, particularly if I am gaming, as my PC is the one just to the right of my head. I don't actually want to block out noises that aren't the constant and droning ones - I need to hear the phone, the doorbell, knocking, if any alarms were to go off, etc. This is why I am pretty focused on ANC instead of heavy duty isolation. There aren't really any loud or disruptive noises that I don't want to have my attention; it is just the constant drone of everything combined with maybe a distant faint radio/TV sound from outside. IEMs are also out for me - I just cannot deal with having anything in my ears. I think my ear canals are abnormally narrow or something, as no matter how many I try, the pain is too much after less than half an hour. 

 

Budgetwise, I would like to stay below around $500 (USD). So I am not that limited when it comes to the ANC options that are out there.

 

16 hours ago, Cocococo said:

The Audeze Maxwell is a headset i recommend to everybody i can

They do look nice and in the direction I want (I love planars in general), but I am a little worried about the noise cancellation. I am assuming they are isolation only, but if it is too good in that sense it could be a problem for hearing things I *need* to hear.