Notes

This Is The New Big Thing In Over The Ear Headphones Wireless
Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones let you listen to music and podcasts without the requirement to connect wires to your audio device. These headphones are great for public transport, at the office or at home.

Wireless over-ear headphones can have a premium design and exceptional noise cancellation. They are usually packed in a sleek case.

Soundcore Life Q30

These over-ears are a major upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They are more attractive and feel more durable and have a more polished look. The hinges are more secure, and the soft ear cups have been a bit larger. They are still largely made of plastic, however they're more polished. You can even swap the 3.5mm cable for a better USB-C version to use them with portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also come with two built-in mics that worked well in our tests with FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app offers a vast variety of EQ presets that can be adjusted and saved to listen to podcasts and music in the style you prefer. This is what sets these headphones apart from other ANC headphones, and the Soundcore app is extremely simple to use.


The Q30's 40mm speakers effectively eliminate nearly all ambient noise when ANC is enabled. This creates an extremely pleasant listening experience. They have a natural sounding signature that is a bit on the treble side, which some might find lacking in bass response (we had better results using the Bass Booster EQ preset). You can fix this easily with the Soundcore App, which comes with an 8-band Equalizer.

The headphones feature a power button and pairing button on the left ear cup along with a USB-C port for charging. The right ear cup has play/pause and the volume up and down buttons. Double-clicking on these controls allows you to skip tracks or replay previous ones. You can also make use of voice commands to ask them to change modes or set alarms. You can also cover the right ear cup with your hand to activate ambient modes so that you can hear everything around you without having to remove the headphones.

The battery life on these headphones is fantastic as well. The Q30 was able to last for a full hour in our tests when ANC was on than its competitors. This allows you to take advantage of a long flight, or a full day at work. The USB-C cord included in the kit allows you to quickly charge the batteries. You'll also get an alert when your battery is nearing empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless is a pair of high-quality over-ear Bluetooth headphones that feature active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. These headphones are designed to be premium, high-end headphones that can be used at home or on the go. They're slightly more expensive than other similar headphones, but their superior audio quality is the primary selling point.

The Focal Bathys are packed in a compact, attractive white box with a cloth finish. It includes everything you'll require. The package includes a fold-flat headphone carrying case, USB-C to USB-C cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.

The 600mAh battery can last for a full day of casual listening. They also have an audio input to make use of wired. When connected wirelessly, they're paired via Bluetooth and you can manage their functions via an app (now called Focal and Naim likely in the same line as their English Naim brand's products for audio that are network-aware) or using the dedicated button on the left ear cup that scrolls between ANC profiles like'soft','silent transparent' and 'full'.

The app lets you modify various settings, such as the brightness of the LEDs, the EQ presets (including the music profile, which sounds brighter and neutraler than other profiles) and the battery life. You can also choose the ANC level and mode and set an 'acoustic environments setting to alter the sensitivity to mimic the sound of headphones in a different acoustic room.

The Focal Bathys feature an incredibly bass-rich sound that adds more punch, impact and warmth to your favourite tracks. This means that instruments and vocals can sound muted, while details such as cymbals may be less prominent than other headphones. They're also not as effective in active noise cancelation when compared to other over-ears with higher-end technology like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony has earned a reputable reputation for its headphones, and the WH-1000XM5 is no exception. It is at the top of the mainstream over ear headphone market and borders the luxury lifestyle segment where brands such as Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are situated. The XM5s are expensive however, if you can afford it find them, there's not a better pair of wireless over-ear headphones.

The XM5s have features to simplify the lives of listeners and, in certain instances, automate tasks they'd otherwise have to do manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to close to high-res) is included, as is support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows high-quality audio to be streamed with bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone that can be used for making calls hands-free.

As with the previous generation of WH headphones, the XM5s excel in noise cancellation. They're among the top-performing headphones for cutting out continuous drones that can be heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s are also great at isolating the listener from the noises of busy streets and airports.

Sound quality is also excellent. The XM5s aren't quite as clear in the low frequencies as the XM4, but they have a higher level of clarity and realism as well. For example the bass track on Rage Against The Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys muscles with real force and definition, without reducing everything else. The XM5s are also able to provide precise and accurate bass notes in Massive Attack's Angel.

Battery life is excellent, with up to 30 hours listening time when ANC is in use and 40 hours if off. This is plenty to last for a weekend getaway or a long period of usage.

The XM5s aren't water resistant or dust resistant. In fact, Sony recommends that you avoid sweating on them or take them out in the rain. This may not be a major issue for everyone else however, for those who spend long hours in the gym or live in a humid region it could be a significant issue.

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of over-ear wireless headphones with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. Apple created dynamic drivers that measure 40mm with a neutral sound profile that emphasizes mids and highs without going overboard. This makes them great for both movies and music. They also offer higher fidelity than most competing pairs of headphones.

The headphones are light in design that is comfortable on the head. The earcups, which are constructed of memory foam and covered with woven fabric, fit comfortably over the ear and do not place pressure on the sides or forehead. The ear cups can be flipped and rotated to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges provide a strong, but not too much clamping force that ensures the ear cups remain in place throughout listening sessions.

You can toggle noise cancelling by pressing a small button at the top of the right earcup. You can also utilize the jog dial that is a push-button similar to the digital Crown on the Apple Watch. on-ear headphones wireless can turn it around to control volume and press it one three, twice, or times to playback the controls. Pressing and holding the button triggers Siri. These buttons are placed well and easy to use, but I would have liked an option to turn the headphones off when not in use. The headphones automatically go into standby mode when removed from your ear or placed in their case, and they only come back on when you place them on your head again.

Another great feature is spatial audio, which uses the gyroscopes and accelerometers in the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to determine the direction you're moving in, and then repositions sound to create the illusion that they're coming from those locations. This creates a cinema-like experience with videos and movies recorded in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. Only iOS devices are able to listen to the spatial audio.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd feel a bit ripped off entering an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones if I knew they'd be outdone in a year by the second-generation model. AirPods Pro are more expensive and have better battery life and advanced features.

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