wrote:

In all this, I guess my question is, is there an ANR model that will
really blow you away, or is my experience par for the course at $500?

You might try Sennheiser. I preferred them to Denali.

Does even the mighty Bose X have the "engine quit" effect?

No. Bose used to have a 30-day money-back guarantee, though, so you could try a
set for next to nothing.

George Patterson
Drink is the curse of the land. It makes you quarrel with your neighbor.
It makes you shoot at your landlord. And it makes you miss him.