MODELDRIFT.WATCH

Sep 16 · Day 7

MINOR · GPT · QUESTION 24

GPT changed its list for a request for a ranked top 5 of noise-cancelling headphones.

Why it’s minor

Which products a model recommends is read out of its answer by the least reliable part of our scorer, so compare the two answers before reading much into this.

The full answers

Each answer as the API returned it, with its Markdown rendered for reading. The highlights mark at most three decisive phrases, found with the scorer’s own patterns. Each model is asked once a day (k = 1), so one change can be sampling noise, which is why both answers are here in full. How scoring works.

Asked verbatim · Question 24

Best noise-cancelling headphones for long-haul flights — give me a ranked top 5 with brand and model.

SEP 15beforePermalink

Picks read from the answer, in order
  1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
  2. Sony WH-1000XM5
  3. Bose QuietComfort Headphones
  4. Sony WH-1000XM4
  5. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

Top 5 noise-cancelling headphones for long-haul flights

  • 1.Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Best overall; exceptional cabin-noise cancellation and all-day comfort.
  • 2.Sony WH-1000XM5 — Excellent ANC, strong sound quality, and roughly 30-hour battery life.
  • 3.Bose QuietComfort Headphones — Lightweight, foldable, very comfortable, and often better value than the Ultra.
  • 4.Sony WH-1000XM4 — Travel-friendly folding design, excellent ANC, and long battery life at a lower price.
  • 5.Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Outstanding sound and up to 60-hour battery life, though ANC is slightly behind Bose and Sony.

Best single pick: Bose QuietComfort Ultra.
Best value: Sony WH-1000XM4.
Best battery life: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless.

SEP 16afterPermalink

Picks read from the answer, in order
  1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
  2. Sony WH-1000XM6
  3. Bose QuietComfort Headphones
  4. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
  5. Apple AirPods Max

Top 5 noise-cancelling headphones for long-haul flights

  • 1.Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones — Best overall for class-leading ANC, excellent comfort, and a foldable travel design.
  • 2.Sony WH-1000XM6 — Superb noise cancellation, strong sound quality, and roughly 30-hour battery life.
  • 3.Bose QuietComfort Headphones — Lighter, simpler, and often better value than the Ultra; exceptionally comfortable on long flights.
  • 4.Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Best for battery life at up to 60 hours, with excellent sound but slightly weaker ANC than Bose or Sony.
  • 5.Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) — Excellent cabin-noise reduction and transparency mode, especially for Apple users, but heavy and limited to about 20 hours per charge.

Best single choice: Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Best battery: Sennheiser Momentum 4
Best for Apple users: AirPods Max

Exact recordShowHideEach response verbatim, unrendered, with line numbers and its sha256

Before baseline

2026-09-15 permalink

Scored
answered
Received
2026-09-15 09:17:37 UTC
Run
20260915T090004Z-599f39
Served by
OpenAI · HTTP 200 · finish stop
Size
784 characters · 524 tokens out incl. hidden reasoning · 7.7 s
Extracted picks, in order · confidence high
  1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
  2. Sony WH-1000XM5
  3. Bose QuietComfort Headphones
  4. Sony WH-1000XM4
  5. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

Highlighted: the names the extractor took as picks, where they appear verbatim (5 of 5).

## Top 5 noise-cancelling headphones for long-haul flights
1. **Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones** — Best overall; exceptional cabin-noise cancellation and all-day comfort.
2. **Sony WH-1000XM5** — Excellent ANC, strong sound quality, and roughly 30-hour battery life.
3. **Bose QuietComfort Headphones** — Lightweight, foldable, very comfortable, and often better value than the Ultra.
4. **Sony WH-1000XM4** — Travel-friendly folding design, excellent ANC, and long battery life at a lower price.
5. **Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless** — Outstanding sound and up to 60-hour battery life, though ANC is slightly behind Bose and Sony.
**Best single pick:** Bose QuietComfort Ultra.
**Best value:** Sony WH-1000XM4.
**Best battery life:** Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless.

End of response · 11 lines · 784 characters · sha256 ec39138d251fee5808ea235a8090a2f602a46eab6ac916c72e05126962ecc2e3

After this run

2026-09-16 permalink

Scored
answered
Received
2026-09-16 09:18:00 UTC
Run
20260916T090004Z-fdcf7b
Served by
OpenAI · HTTP 200 · finish stop
Size
888 characters · 574 tokens out incl. hidden reasoning · 11.4 s
Extracted picks, in order · confidence high
  1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
  2. Sony WH-1000XM6
  3. Bose QuietComfort Headphones
  4. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
  5. Apple AirPods Max

Highlighted: the names the extractor took as picks, where they appear verbatim (5 of 5).

## Top 5 noise-cancelling headphones for long-haul flights
1. **Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones** — Best overall for class-leading ANC, excellent comfort, and a foldable travel design.
2. **Sony WH-1000XM6** — Superb noise cancellation, strong sound quality, and roughly 30-hour battery life.
3. **Bose QuietComfort Headphones** — Lighter, simpler, and often better value than the Ultra; exceptionally comfortable on long flights.
4. **Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless** — Best for battery life at up to 60 hours, with excellent sound but slightly weaker ANC than Bose or Sony.
5. **Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)** — Excellent cabin-noise reduction and transparency mode, especially for Apple users, but heavy and limited to about 20 hours per charge.
**Best single choice:** Bose QuietComfort Ultra
**Best battery:** Sennheiser Momentum 4
**Best for Apple users:** AirPods Max

End of response · 11 lines · 888 characters · sha256 e17f6f7c58b3d588f3fe4dbf02ee31c5adec4c0eabe73cbdfe1380bbaf3e245e

Record detailsShowHideModel version, runs, baseline, triage, permalink, event ID
Model
openai/gpt-5.6-sol
pinned openai/gpt-5.6-sol-20260709; alias resolved to openai/gpt-5.6-sol-20260709 at 2026-09-16 09:00:03 UTC (matches the pin)
Prompt
Question 24: P3 (recommendation)
Why this question
Asking for a ranked list makes a change in the order easy to see.
Change
2 added, 2 dropped
Baseline
6 prior days with data; 1 matched the baseline value (2026-09-15)
Responses
before 2026-09-15 09:17:37 UTC, run 20260915T090004Z-599f39; after 2026-09-16 09:18:00 UTC, run 20260916T090004Z-fdcf7b
Detected
2026-09-16 · run 20260916T090004Z-fdcf7b, started 2026-09-16 09:00:04 UTC · scorer v1 · severity rules r2
Permalink
https://modeldrift.watch/e/2026-09-16/P3/openai/gpt-5.6-sol/pick_change/picks/
Event ID
2026-09-16:P3:openai/gpt-5.6-sol:pick_change:picks

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