Even on a noisy ride or in a busy office, the best headphones that cancel out noise will improve your listening experience by delivering immersive audio. It should come as no surprise that those who enjoy listening to music and those who need to put a barrier between their ears and the outside world prefer the best noise-cancelling headphones.
We evaluated the sound quality, noise-canceling effectiveness, and battery life of hundreds of noise-canceling headphones. The top headphones are those that have two cups that slide over your ears so a band that goes around your head, and they are included in the list below.
However, if you’re searching for noise-cancelling technology in a different style, check out our articles on the best true wireless headphones and the best noise-cancelling earbuds for smaller, cord-free options.
Our best exercise headphones and best running headphones recommendations also feature noise-cancelling headphones if you’re looking for new earbuds for a specific use. Or, if you’re looking for less expensive solutions, check out our guide to the best inexpensive headphones, where you’ll also discover several noise-canceling types.
We’ve chosen the top noise-cancelling headphones available right now, no matter your price range, favored style, or desired features. There is something for everyone because our selections are based on quality of design, price, and sound.
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
The most recent wireless over-ear headphone models from Sennheiser are the Momentum 4 Wireless. They offer a fantastic battery life, a charming app, a wealth of features, simple on-ear controls, a fervent sound that will have you bobbing your head enthusiastically wherever you go, and, most significantly, skilled noise suppression that adjusts to your environment.
We thought the design was a little dull. Sennheiser has abandoned its slightly eccentric bolted aluminum headband in favor of a more professional-looking design using black plastic and fabric. However, once we put shoes on, the design decisions were overlooked.
They are a development of the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless, which was released in November 2019. They received our highest praise for their superior audio quality, feature set, integrated Tile tracking (so you won’t lose them), and active noise-cancellation (ANC), but we were disappointed by the 17-hour battery life.
Sony WH-1000XM5
The 40mm driver of Sony’s top-ranked WH-1000XM4 headphones has been shrunk to a new 30mm driver in the company’s most recent WH-1000XM5 headphones. The design has also been modified. The XM5s can no longer be folded all the way. At first, we were concerned about these options. Would the smaller driver lose the distinctive dynamism and space? Why alter a plan that has been so successful thus far? Those worries were unjustified; they don’t sound noticeably worse or better than the excellent XM4s, but they also don’t sound substantially better.
To provide the finest audio experience from your connected devices, Sony is once again relying on a one-two punch that includes the LDAC codec with DSEE Extreme support.
Sony WH-1000XM4
The high-resolution audio option you have is LDAC, and it works well: when Sinead O’Connor sing Nothing Compares 2 U, she sounds like she might be in the same room with you; from the fervent chorus to the quivering bridge, these Sony containers pick up every inflection every sibilant cry with wonderful effect.
The noise cancellation on these headphones is without any doubt the best in the industry, but the XM4s remain our top pick for the majority of users. If you are willing to pay a high price tag but only the newest technology would do, the XM5s were a good choice.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones have light weight comfort and remarkable sound quality in addition to superb noise cancellation. The Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones are currently the best on the market, despite the fact that they don’t look all that different compared to their predecessors before it, the Sony WH-1000XM3. These new features include multiple-point pairing, DSEE Extreme upscaling, informal awareness, and auto-play/pause via a built-in sensor.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 are excellent wireless noise-canceling headphones by all standards. Thanks to their excellent noise cancellation and state-of-the-art codec support, they offer precisely what they guarantee and even more. We listened to Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae during our experiments. From the percussion’s bounce to the pre-chorus’s wall of sound, it sounded exceptionally forceful through the WH-1000XM4 headphones.
