For a little background, I've been looking around for new noise-cancelling headphones to replace my current JBL 770NC Live. I know both Sony and Bose have the best noise cancelling and I've been going back and forth between the two brands looking for headphones. A lot of my use is usually just at home but whenever I travel, whether it be on an intercity bus or plane, I like to have headphones to drown out the noise of the engines.
A buddy of mine was trying to convince me to replace them with the XM5 headphones because he loves his and they've lasted him a while (he wears them to the gym which convinced me for a little bit). The problem is, I keep reading about hinges breaking after about a year-ish of use and Sony refusing to replace them under warranty.
I've been looking at the XM4's and XM6's as well. The only thing driving me away from XM6 is the price tag.
So here's my question:
Do people still recommend getting the XM5's (and any long time users have you had hinge issues) in 2026?
If not, should I just bite the bullet and get the XM6? Or are the XM4's worth it?