[Help] Returning Bose QC, need alternatives under 250€ (Austria, Amazon.de)

TL;DR: Returning my Bose QuietComfort due to an annoying crackling issue. Loved the comfort, sound (with some EQ), and ANC. Budget up to 250€. Looking for alternatives that are equally comfy for a big head and good for on the go .

Hi all,

I’m returning my Bose QuietComfort headphones because they have a crackling issue when pausing and resuming audio. It’s really annoying, which is a shame because otherwise they were pretty spot on for me. Was thinking about returning them and just getting a new pair but with some more research it seems it's a pretty common issue with bose which is an absolute deal breaker for me sadly. (yes i did all the troubleshooting steps and sometimes factory resetting helps but only temporarily)

What I liked about them:

• Comfort: I have a big head, and these fit really well in terms of clamp force + earcup depth. (Any more clamp force would be uncomfortable, though.)
• Sound: Enjoyed them, especially with EQ set to -4, +3, -3.
• ANC: not more to say, pretty awesome ANC

Budget:

• Paid: 202€ on Amazon.de (I’m in Austria)
• Budget: Up to 250€ (though staying closer around the 200€ would be preferable)

Use case:

• Some music at home
• Primarily outside (public transport and so on)

What alternatives would you recommend that are similar to the QuietComfort in comfort, sound quality (with some EQ flexibility), and ANC, but without the crackling issues?

Thanks a lot for any suggestions!