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Sep 21 · Day 12

MINOR · GPT · QUESTION 24

GPT went back to its earlier list for a request for a ranked top 5 of noise-cancelling headphones.

Why it’s minor

The change lasted one day before the model went back.

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 20the changePermalink

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, very comfortable fit, and roughly 24-hour battery life.
  • 2.Sony WH-1000XM5 — Best balance of ANC and sound
    Excellent noise cancellation, strong sound quality, and up to 30 hours of battery life. The main drawback: they don’t fold.
  • 3.Bose QuietComfort Headphones — Best for comfort and value
    Lightweight, foldable, comfortable for extended wear, with excellent ANC and about 24 hours of battery.
  • 4.Sony WH-1000XM4 — Best compact travel option
    Still highly effective, foldable, and offers around 30 hours of battery life—often significantly cheaper than newer models.
  • 5.Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Best battery life
    Up to 60 hours per charge, excellent sound, and good ANC, though Bose and Sony perform better against aircraft cabin noise.

Best single pick: Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Best value: Sony WH-1000XM4
Best for ultra-long itineraries: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

SEP 21backPermalink

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
    Excellent cabin-noise cancellation, exceptionally comfortable fit, and about 24 hours of battery life.
  • 2.Sony WH-1000XM6 — Best balance of ANC, sound and battery
    Top-tier noise cancellation, strong microphone performance, foldable design, and roughly 30 hours per charge.
  • 3.Bose QuietComfort Headphones — Best for comfort and value
    Lighter and usually cheaper than the Ultra, with excellent ANC, physical controls, and around 24 hours of battery life.
  • 4.Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — Best battery life and sound
    Up to 60 hours of playback, spacious sound and good comfort; ANC is strong but slightly behind Bose and Sony.
  • 5.Apple AirPods Max (USB‑C) — Best for Apple users
    Superb ANC, transparency mode and Apple-device integration, but heavier and limited to about 20 hours of battery life.

Best single pick: Bose QuietComfort Ultra for maximum comfort and noise reduction on a long flight.
Best for very long itineraries: Sennheiser Momentum 4 for its 60-hour battery.

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

Deviation the day it changed

2026-09-20 permalink

Scored
answered
Received
2026-09-20 09:17:21 UTC
Run
20260920T090019Z-bbedf3
Served by
OpenAI · HTTP 200 · finish stop
Size
1,108 characters · 610 tokens out incl. hidden reasoning · 8.6 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, very comfortable fit, and roughly 24-hour battery life.
2. **Sony WH-1000XM5** — Best balance of ANC and sound
Excellent noise cancellation, strong sound quality, and up to 30 hours of battery life. The main drawback: they don’t fold.
3. **Bose QuietComfort Headphones** — Best for comfort and value
Lightweight, foldable, comfortable for extended wear, with excellent ANC and about 24 hours of battery.
4. **Sony WH-1000XM4** — Best compact travel option
Still highly effective, foldable, and offers around 30 hours of battery life—often significantly cheaper than newer models.
5. **Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless** — Best battery life
Up to 60 hours per charge, excellent sound, and good ANC, though Bose and Sony perform better against aircraft cabin noise.
**Best single pick:** **Bose QuietComfort Ultra**
**Best value:** **Sony WH-1000XM4**
**Best for ultra-long itineraries:** **Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless**

End of response · 20 lines · 1,108 characters · sha256 51c67558e8fe27c5cc64688c33ab411f156658e80332b91426e7c32133ee200f

Reverted back to baseline

2026-09-21 permalink

Scored
answered
Received
2026-09-21 09:18:14 UTC
Run
20260921T090021Z-989a7c
Served by
OpenAI · HTTP 200 · finish stop
Size
1,159 characters · 648 tokens out incl. hidden reasoning · 15.8 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
Excellent cabin-noise cancellation, exceptionally comfortable fit, and about 24 hours of battery life.
2. **Sony WH-1000XM6** — Best balance of ANC, sound and battery
Top-tier noise cancellation, strong microphone performance, foldable design, and roughly 30 hours per charge.
3. **Bose QuietComfort Headphones** — Best for comfort and value
Lighter and usually cheaper than the Ultra, with excellent ANC, physical controls, and around 24 hours of battery life.
4. **Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless** — Best battery life and sound
Up to 60 hours of playback, spacious sound and good comfort; ANC is strong but slightly behind Bose and Sony.
5. **Apple AirPods Max (USB‑C)** — Best for Apple users
Superb ANC, transparency mode and Apple-device integration, but heavier and limited to about 20 hours of battery life.
**Best single pick:** **Bose QuietComfort Ultra** for maximum comfort and noise reduction on a long flight.
**Best for very long itineraries:** **Sennheiser Momentum 4** for its 60-hour battery.

End of response · 19 lines · 1,159 characters · sha256 f318f21b5e84487bb1ca68982abcaf147fe8cc435cbab44db8d1a6b3b348f425

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 2026-09-21 09:00:20 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
same picks, new order
Baseline
7 prior days with data; 4 matched the baseline value (2026-09-16, 2026-09-17, 2026-09-19, 2026-09-20)
Responses
deviation 2026-09-20 09:17:21 UTC, run 20260920T090019Z-bbedf3; reverted 2026-09-21 09:18:14 UTC, run 20260921T090021Z-989a7c
Detected
2026-09-21 · run 20260921T090021Z-989a7c, started 2026-09-21 09:00:21 UTC · scorer v1 · severity rules r2
Permalink
https://modeldrift.watch/e/2026-09-21/P3/openai/gpt-5.6-sol/transient_anomaly/picks/
Event ID
2026-09-21:P3:openai/gpt-5.6-sol:transient_anomaly:picks

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