I'm finally doing it—booked a trip from JFK to Tokyo next month and I'm honestly dreading the 14-hour flight because my current earbuds always start killing my ears after like two hours. I’ve been looking into Sony because everyone says their noise cancelling is the gold standard but I’m stuck between a couple models and could use some actual human advice instead of just reading more sponsored reviews. I've heard some stuff about the Bose QuietComfort Ultra too, but I've always been a Sony fan for my phone and camera so I'd rather stay in the ecosystem if it makes sense. My current ones are some old wired ones that dont even have a brand name anymore, they're that old and the padding is literally peeling off.

I spent like three hours last night reading about the WH-1000XM5 and the older XM4s and now I’m just more confused than when I started lol. Some people say the XM5 is way better for high-frequency sounds like people talking, but then I saw a bunch of reddit threads saying the XM4 actually handles the low hum of a jet engine better because of the way the seal works? Plus the fact that the XM5 doesn't fold up as small is kind of a bummer when I'm trying to pack light with just a carry-on backpack. Does the auto-optimizer thing on the XM5 actually work on a plane or does it just get confused by the cabin pressure changes? I read it adjusts based on the environment but sounds kinda gimmicky.

My main needs are:

• Battery life that can actually last the whole 14 hours plus some layover time without me stressing about finding a charger in a foreign airport
• Comfort is huge because I have a slightly larger head and some headbands give me a headache or that weird clamping feeling after a while
• Needs to be able to plug into the plane's entertainment system because I want to watch movies not just use my phone the whole time
• Budget is around $350 but I can go up to $400 if it's actually worth the jump

I'm traveling in about three weeks so I need to make a move soon so I can break them in. Is the newer model worth the extra cash for a flight this long or should I just save some money and get the XM4s while they are on sale? I also saw some stuff about the LinkBuds S being good for travel but they seem way too small for a flight like this... what do you guys think?