Have you looked into Ubiquiti equipment? They’re generally pretty solid, and might have everything you need.

I’ve always wondered, does the ear experience additional, unheard “loudness” when using ANC?

Yep, you just have to set Keep as your default note service in the Google Assistant settings.

Shared notes in Keep sync very quickly in my experience as long as you have a reasonable internet connection.

There’s actually a tricky spot for folks who get certain social services which are tied to income. A small raise can bump you out of eligibility for things like medicaid and food stamps, and thus can in fact result in higher expenses, less money in your pocket, and a lower quality of life.