Great noise cancelling headphones can completely change your music-listening experience, but there are so many models out there that it can be very difficult to find the best headphones for your needs. Between in-ear, on-ear, and over-ear models, you could spend months looking for the perfect headphones to suit your needs.
Of course, there are plenty of things to consider before you buy a new pair of noise cancelling headphones. For starters, you’ll have to figure out what headphone form factor you want. Then, you’ll have to think about the features that you want. For example, you might want noise cancelling headphones with a transparency mode option.
Lastly, of course, you’ll want to consider your budget. There are great headphones across all price ranges, but there’s little point in thinking about headphones that you can’t afford.
I and the other experts here at BGR have tested hundreds of headphones from all the top brands, including Sony, Apple, Bose, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, Beats, JBL, Bowers & Wilkins, Sonos, Anker Soundcore, Jabra, Skullcandy, and more. We then used that expertise to recommend the best headphones options across a wide range of categories.
No matter what you’re looking for, there should be something on this list for your needs. We’ve tested a whopping 117 different pairs of noise cancelling headphones over the past decade, so we have plenty of authority on the subject.
Our top picks
If you want to skip straight to the good stuff, here are all the best noise cancelling headphones that we highlighted in this guide:
- Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM5
- Best ANC headphones for Apple users: AirPods Max
- Best premium noise cancelling headphones: Sonos Ace
- Best noise cancelling earbuds: Sony WF-1000XM5
- Best ANC earbuds for Apple users: AirPods Pro
Now, if you want to dive in a bit deeper and see what makes each pair of noise cancelling headphones the best in its category, keep reading our guide.
Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM5
Pros: Excellent noise cancellation, very comfortable, excellent sound quality
Cons: Still a little expensive, touch controls don’t always work
Put simply, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are as close to perfect as you can get… as long as you can afford them, at least. These headphones retail for $398, which isn’t cheap.
Sony XM5 noise cancelling headphones will connect to all your devices through the latest version of Bluetooth. They can actually connect to two devices at once, making it easy to move from a computer to a smartphone without having to disconnect and reconnect all the time.
Even better than that is how great these headphones sound. They offer an excellent frequency response, and the associated app allows you to tweak the EQ to your needs. I’ll also note that Sony’s app offers some of the best EQ control you can get with any wireless ANC headphones. The noise cancellation on Sony XM5 is absolutely awesome, beating out almost all the competition.
These headphones offer tons of other features, too. You can use them with an accompanying app and set up different profiles depending on your location. They also have a great transparency mode that can be activated simply by covering one of the ear cups, which is perfect for having a conversation when you’re listening to something. The app is available on both Android and iOS.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are also very comfortable. They’re extremely lightweight, meaning that it’s easy to wear them for hours on end without any issues. That’ll come in handy since these Sony headphones offer up to 30 hours of battery life.
Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 review
Best ANC headphones for Apple users: AirPods Max
Pros: Excellent audio quality, class-leading noise cancellation and transparency mode, great integration with Apple devices
Cons: Far too expensive, don’t work well with non-Apple products
Let’s get one thing out of the way right now — these are better than the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, but only if you exclusively use Apple devices. If you want a pair of headphones to connect to your Windows computer or Android phone, then keep looking — these aren’t for you.
But if you do use Apple devices, you’ll absolutely love what the AirPods Max have to offer. For starters, they have a unique design that’s kind of retro. And while they’re a bit heavy, the headband design ensures that they don’t feel too heavy.
The AirPods Max sound awesome, with excellent detail in the high end and plenty of bass. They also offer the best noise-cancellation tech we’ve ever heard, and thanks to all their microphones, they have an awesome transparency mode. Of course, the AirPods Max also work very well with all of your Apple products and support things like automatic switching, Spatial Audio, and more.
The trade-off to all of those advantages? You’ll pay for them. Like a lot. At $549, these are the most expensive headphones on this list. If that’s a bit too much cash for you, we recommend the next option.
Read our Apple AirPods Max review
Best premium noise cancelling headphones: Sonos Ace
Pros: Great design, excellent audio quality, best-in-class build
Cons: Very expensive
Over-ear noise cancelling headphones are the perfect blend of portability and quality, and there are some great options out there. Chief among those is the Sonos Ace, which offers a stylish design, great sound quality, fantastic active noise cancelling tech, and more.
These headphones offer some great features. They don’t have built-in Wi-Fi, but they still integrate with your Sonos system as long as you have a compatible soundbar, like the Sonos Arc. Simply hold a button on the back, and you can easily transfer your TV audio from your soundbar to your headphones. Plus, Sonos Ace headphones support spatial audio, so the sound will come from the direction of your TV even when you turn your head.
There is built-in EQ in the Sonos app, but it’s not great. Thankfully, they offer excellent sound quality in spite of that, boasting plenty of bass, excellent mid-range, and a good amount of detail. They also have plenty of padding and a relatively lightweight design, which helps them remain comfortable while listening.
The biggest downside with these hot new headphones is the price. At $449, they’re most expensive than comparable offerings from Bose and Sony. They’re $100 cheaper than AirPods Max, however, and they have much better build quality than anything from Sony or Bose.
Best noise cancelling earbuds: Sony WF-1000XM5
Pros: Excellent fit, great audio quality, industry-leading battery life, amazing noise cancelling tech
Cons: Expensive
AirPods are great, but if you don’t have Apple products, then they’re not necessarily for you. Instead, you should go for the Sony WF-1000XM5 noise cancelling earbuds, which are essentially the true wireless earbuds sibling to the WH-1000XM5 headphones that we covered earlier. They retail for $298, which is more than AirPods Pro, but they offer much better sound quality and ANC than you’d get from Apple’s offering.
There are plenty of things that make these great headphones. For starters, they sound amazing. The headphones boast deep, detailed bass performance, decent midrange, and excellent high-end response. And you’ll be able to enjoy this great audio quality for long periods of time, thanks to the awesome 8-hour battery life (24 hours with charging case).
The headphones are built for comfort. They have a shape that should nicely fit into your outer ear, and they come with foam tips to help make for a nice seal. That helps make sure that the noise cancellation tech works well too.
Like the over-ear WH-1000XM5 headphones, these earbuds offer some great features. These headphones also connect to the Sony app, so you can tweak controls, EQ, and settings. And, they also offer a great transparency mode, which also lets you have quick conversations without having to take your headphones out of your ears.
So what’s the catch? Well, the main downside is that the headphones are a little expensive. If you can afford it, however, they’re well worth the cost.
Read our Sony WF-1000XM5 review
Best ANC earbuds for Apple users: AirPods Pro
Pros: Excellent Apple integration, good noise cancellation, good audio quality
Cons: A little expensive, don’t work great with non-Apple products
True wireless headphones are all the rage these days, and if you’re an Apple user, then the AirPods Pro can’t be beat. The AirPods Pro offer an excellent fit, solid audio quality, good noise cancellation, and perfect integration with all your Apple devices.
The stem on the AirPods Pro may not be everyone’s favorite look, but it actually serves a great purpose on the AirPods Pro. To control the earbuds, all you have to do is squeeze the stem on either side. It works great, and far better than controls on most true wireless headphones. You can also tweak what the controls on the stems do. For example, holding down on the stem can control noise cancelation, and squeezing multiple times can skip forward or backward.
Like other AirPods, the AirPods Pro offer some awesome Apple-focused features. They’ll automatically switch between all your Apple devices, and they support things like Spatial Audio and Siri. That’s not to mention the fact that they sound pretty great, and even support noise cancellation.
Of course, the AirPods Pro do have some downsides. For example, the AirPods Pro are a little pricey, coming in at $249 when they’re not on sale with any discounts. The white color may not necessarily be for everyone, though it does help you know when it’s time to clean them.
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