How to Choose the Best Over the Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones

Noise cancelling headphones are a great way to enhance your listening experience, whether you're working from home or taking public transport to commute. They create an audio barrier between your ears and the outside noise. How do you choose the best pair for you?

There are two types of noise-cancelling headphones: passive noise isolation and active noise cancellation. The former makes use of padded headphones that fit comfortably to block out outside sounds, while the latter use built-in microphones to create opposite sound waves to cancel out background noise.

Comfort

Noise cancelling headphones are an excellent way to block out the sounds of the world, whether in a noisy public transport, trying to sleep on a flight that is overbooked or fighting with noisy coworkers. They also let you enjoy your music at a comfortable level without putting pressure on your ears. Additionally, many of our top picks come with an ultra-lightweight design that is easy to wear for hours.

noise cancelling headphones wireless cancellation is typically achieved through active sound reduction techniques that generate opposing sound waves to cancel background noise. While you can find cheaper headphones that employ passive noise isolation that covers the earcups or earbuds around your ears to block out noises that aren't needed, the best models we've tested use active sound cancellation to provide an ideal escape from the everyday grind.

You'll want to make sure your headphones are well-designed and comfortable. It is also important to make sure they don't leak, which can annoy people near you. For a truly immersive audio you'll need headphones that can support high-resolution Bluetooth codesc LDAC. This lets them play back hi-res music at 24 bit resolution and 96kHz and makes them an audiophile's dream.

While some people view noise-canceling headphones as huge, bulky over-ear headphones that aren't ideal for travel, a lot of new models fold down to a compact form factor. If you're looking to find headphones for travel that have an adjustable design, the Bose QC45 we reviewed is an excellent choice. If you're a frequent flyer and want to travel light, the Sennheiser HD 450BT are a good pair that folds to the size of a carry-on bag, making it easy to transport.

Almost all the models featured in our roundup are wireless, and many of them are true headphones with built-in microphones that allow hands-free phone calls. The app lets you control the audio and noise cancellation settings, which is ideal for those who wish to adjust their headphones traveling. Some of the wireless models come with an charging dock for mobile listening, Over the Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones while others use cases that are portable and give you hours of battery life when you're away from your home or at work.

Sound Quality

Sound quality is a big deal for most music lovers, especially when it is about headphones. While any pair of headphones will aid in blocking out ambient noise, a high-quality pair of noise cancelling headphones will not just be capable of effectively blocking out noise from the outside but will also be able to provide clear, high-quality audio.

If you're spending lots of dollars on headphones, you want them to be able play your music as effectively as they can. Thankfully that's the case, as ANC headphones have advanced and improved, the sound they deliver has also improved significantly over time. This has led to some of the most powerful headphones on the market today that rival any top-tier audiophile headsets.

The quality of your sound will depend on your listening habits and preferences. Some people prefer an enveloping and full sound that's rich in bass while others might opt for high-fidelity headphones that deliver every nuance of a song or album.

The type of sound you'll like the most depends on how important noise cancellation is for you. While ANC does a great job at eliminating monotonous noises like the whirring of an airplane or the roar of traffic, it can't remove dynamic sounds that change in frequency and intensity, such as human voices or instruments.

For this reason, an excellent pair of headphones that offer exceptional passive isolation as well as good ANC can be an excellent choice, regardless of whether you opt for headphones that fit around your ears or over ear headphones noise cancelling bluetooth-ear headphones that completely cover your earlobes. You can achieve impressive isolation even with no active noise cancellation using a pair of Comply memory foam tips or similar products that will conform perfectly to the shape of your ear.

The majority of ANC headphones are equipped with several Bluetooth codecs that let you to connect with the music source you like. For instance, the Sony WH-1000XM4s feature both LDAC and DSEE Extreme support to ensure that you can listen to your favorite tracks in high-resolution, and in incredible detail. Sinead's sibilant cry and her ferocious chorus come through when she sings Nothing Compares 2 U.

Noise Cancellation

Noise cancelling headphones are a great option to create an extra buffer between you and the outside world. They listen to ambient sounds and then use built-in microphones to "read" and only allow the audio that you want to hear. These are great for those who commute or work from home, or in any other situation where background noises could be distracting or irritating.

Noise cancelling headphones employ an active noise cancellation to create their magic. Miniature microphones in the earcups or the earbuds listen to the sounds you're exposed to and then emit opposite frequencies that be in collision and effectively block out unwanted noises, leaving only the music you're listening. It's a bit more complicated than that, and it is dependent on the hearing sensitivity of your ears, the design of your headphones and the quality of its audio processing, but the gist is that they effectively reduce the noise you hear, whether that's an airplane engine or your colleague's animated conversations.

Although they're not able completely turn your surroundings into a solitary empty space, the best over-ear ANC headphones we tested did an excellent job of blocking out most background noises. For the most immersive listening experience, look into a pair with adaptive noise cancellation. It enhances ANC to a new level by constantly listening to ambient sounds, reversing them in real time and keeping the sound you would like to hear (including hands-free calls) at a consistent volume. The Sony WH-1000XM5s are a prime illustration of this cutting-edge technology in motion.

Apart from the noise-canceling capabilities, a lot of over-the-ear ANC headphones have other useful and interesting features that can make your listening experience more enjoyable. Look for features like touch controls, high-quality audio codecs, and support for voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant. A wireless Bluetooth connection is a must for hands-free and convenient audio playback as well as a mobile charging case that helps you remain connected while on the go.

Another feature that is useful is a passive mode which allows the noise-canceling circuitry to be turned off, allowing you to listen with the same isolation as regular headphones. This is a great feature for when you need to hear the outside world or haven't got enough battery life left to charge your headphones.

Value

If you are listening to music or taking calls, a quality pair of headphones will make you feel like you are in a soundproofed area. Noise cancelling headphones may be more expensive, but they provide superior sound quality and block out background noise. For this reason, they're worth the investment for those who spend long periods of time on their own at work or traveling.

The Sony WH1000XM5 headphones come with impressive noise cancellation capabilities and come packed with lots of useful features that include a microphone that can produce clear and natural audio during phone calls as well as DSEE Extreme audio upscaling. The ANC system is great at blocking out external noises, but they're not as effective in isolating you from low-frequency sounds like trains or traffic.

The headphones are light and fold into the compact D shape that can be tucked into the bag of a carry-on. They're perfect for traveling. They are compatible with a variety of voice assistants, including Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and they have the ability to automatically stop your music when you remove them from your ears. They can also be used with an audio wire to listen to your favorite videos or podcasts in noisy environments.

The Razer Opus Wireless headphones are an excellent value for the money. In addition to having an ANC system that works well and has a transparent mode that switches on the external microphones on the headphones, so more of the noise around you can pass through. They also feature a built-in USB-C charging port, which means they can be charged while still being used. They have low latency connections over Bluetooth which is crucial for gaming on the go and watching videos.

If you're looking for a less expensive option, consider the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless headphones. They are great at canceling out distracting noises, such as the rumble of plane engines or buses or the high-pitched buzz of computer fans. They are able to last for longer than 32 hours and come with an automatic timer to shut off.