Notes

A Retrospective How People Talked About Over Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones 20 Years Ago
Good Over Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones

If you're looking to shut the world off and concentrate on your music, great over ear noise cancelling headphones are essential. You can use them to travel, commute, or even working at home.

We've analyzed the top choices to help you select. These are our top choices based upon the criteria that we and our testers consider the most:.

1. Comfort

Best over ear headphones noise cancelling over ear headphones for noise cancellation can comfortably fit over your head and remain in place when you move around. They must have enough padding to seal the ear cups over your ears, ensuring that you are isolated from ambient noise. This is crucial for those who listen to music, audiobooks or podcasts while on the move or at home. The ear cup padding should be flexible and soft to accommodate different head shapes and sizes, and the headband padding should be sufficient to ensure comfort during all day wear.

The best noise-canceling headphones depend on your budget and needs. There are a few longtime heavyweights on the market like Bose and Sony however Apple has quickly carved out some market share by offering its premium AirPods Max. There are also affordable options from brands like monoprice which offer many of the features found in more expensive models at only a fraction of the cost.

For instance the monoprice model BT-600ANC comes with active noise cancellation and ambient awareness modes, touch controls, and high-quality audio codec support for your most popular audio applications. Their ear cups are also lighter than Bose's latest models so they should be suitable for the majority of people. They're also affordable, about the same as a pair good noise-canceling wired headphones.

The Bowers & Wilkins S2 will impress with its build quality and sound, if you're willing invest a bit more. Few headphones blend the elegance and sophistication of these. They have die-cast aluminum arms, diamond-cut details, and a stunning design.

The noise-canceling capabilities of their models are a bit less robust than the top-rated Bose QC35 II and QC45, though our Lab Assistant found them extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. In our tests, they eliminated most of the rumble from trains and engines on an airplane track, but they did not eliminate the squeaking brakes or the roar of fellow passengers on public transit. The headphones did not have passive isolation, which is a feature we look for when choosing the best headphones to block out office chatter and other distracting background noises in your home.

2. Sound

Noise cancelling headphones can block out the noise around you and make it easier to concentrate in a noisy workplace or to get some sleep on a flight. The quality of sound that is coming through the headphones is important. You'll want to be able listen to music and podcasts with as much clarity and volume as you can in a quiet area.

The ear cups and buds that seal the ear canals in the headphones also play a part: good isolation is key in preventing external noises from affecting the audio experience. This can be achieved by an earpiece that is snug or using headphones with active noise cancellation that come with built-in microphones that create opposing sound waves in order to neutralize ambient noise. Earbuds that do not have active noise cancellation are not as isolating, but they still offer good sound isolation due to their design and the tight fit that can be achieved when they fit well.

We test for a range of factors to find the top over-ear headphones for noise cancellation, including their ability to block low-frequency ambient noises like the noise of a train engine or the drone of an airplane and also high-frequency continuous noises like chatter or conversation. We also evaluate the quality of the sound produced by the headphones, including things like midrange, bass and treble clarity and whether or not they provide a natural differentiation between instruments and voices.

Our top choice is the Sony WH-1000XM5, with excellent noise cancellation that dampens the noise of a plane or the rumble of a subway car without suffocating the sound of your music or movie. They also deliver great passive isolation and come with a variety of handy extras like the ability to automatically pause your music when you remove the headphones from your ears, or multipoint Bluetooth pairing for listening on multiple devices simultaneously.

Bose's QuietComfort headphones have the same sound quality, with clear mids and highs. They're slightly more expensive than the XM4s but not enough that they aren't worth considering. They do have minor disadvantages, however: They don't let you adjust the level of active noise cancellation; it's either off or on. There's no mode for transparency to let in sounds from outside, and there's no on-ear sensor that will prompt your phone to switch over to the headset when you remove them.

3. Noise Cancellation

Noise cancellation is an essential feature for those who plan to wear headphones for long periods of time, whether using them to work remotely from home or catch up on reading or podcasts, or simply listen to music and movies on a train or plane. But the best noise-canceling headphones should do more than just block out the background sound. This is why we examined audio spectrum analysis and subjective listening tests to assess the noise-canceling capabilities of headphones in our reviews.

We also sought out a pair of headphones that were comfortable, had high-quality construction, and had high-quality audio performance. We also assessed how well they could suppress the sound of a short duration like the whirrr of a computer or lawnmower next door, as well as the higher frequency noises. We also assessed the degree of isolation provided by headphones and whether they are effective in blocking out the sound by covering your ears with the ear cups.

Over-ear models generally provide better noise cancellation than earbuds, since they're designed to completely block out your ears and protect your ears from outside noise. We evaluated the ANC performance of a variety of pairs of headphones that are over-ear that include models from Bose and Sony to determine which ones are the best at removing noise from the outside while still providing you with top-quality audio.

In our review, we discovered the Sony WH1000XM5 headphones to offer a combination excellent audio quality and comfort, as well as superior noise cancellation. The headphones also support the high-resolution audio codec LDAC for greater immersion in listening. They also have an actual button that allows you to switch between three preset levels of ANC on any device.


The Monoprice's BT-600ANC is a light, affordable pair of over-ear headphones that provide an impressive degree of noise reduction and audio quality for the price. The headphones are not comfortable to wear over long periods of time, but they do a fantastic job of separating you from the surrounding noise.

The Sony WH-910N is a great pair of noise-canceling cans at a very attractive price. The "XB" in their name, refers to extra bass. Although they can deliver the promised sound however, we prefer the Bose ANC performance and overall experience of the WH1000XM5 headphones.

4. Battery Life

If you're spending a couple hundred dollars for a pair of headphones that block noise, make sure they will last. A good pair of over-ear noise cancelling headphones come with a battery lifespan that will last through an extended flight or week of commutes. We always test wireless headphones for battery life.

During our testing we've discovered that the best ANC headphones have at least 30 hours of battery life. This is more than enough to get you through a long flight or a full workweek of commutes and meetings. In fact, many models will exceed the limit and some will even reach 60 hours of active noise cancellation.

It is important to be aware that while some headphones can last longer but the quality of audio will diminish as the battery gets depleted. You'll notice this when sound is muffled and the bass becomes less powerful. However, the majority of people don't notice this difference, especially when they are listening to quiet music or podcasts.

The latest Sennheiser Momentum over-ear headphones are made to provide the features that top-of-the-line audio headset users are looking for. They are focused on style, comfort and core features. They feature improved ANC as well as a user-friendly control app and excellent audio quality. They're also half the cost of the most popular Sony headphones, which means you can enjoy a fantastic ANC experience without the expensive Sony price price.

Monoprice BT600ANC over-ear headphone are another option to think about. They're priced at a reasonable price, but provide outstanding performance. The headphones are lightweight and comfortable with a headband that is comfortable on the ears. They feature touch controls and AAC and aptX support to provide high-quality audio on iOS and Android devices. They're not as great as the Bose QuietComfort 45 but they're still a great choice for those on a tight budget.

Noise-canceling headphones are a great investment for frequent travelers, office workers and anyone looking to block out distracting noises while listening to an audiobook or podcast. While they may be more expensive than regular headphones, they're worth the investment for those who are constantly traveling.

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