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We tested new earbuds and headphones—including pairs from Cleer, EarFun, Edifier, Focal, Sennheiser, and Urbanista—and added them to the Competition section.

For frequent flyers or commuters on public transit, reducing the noise around you is the difference between enduring a trip and enjoying it. Noise-cancelling headphones can make your music easier to hear and your world a little more peaceful. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is our favorite pair of noise-cancelling headphones, but we also have recommendations for people who want to spend less or prefer earbuds over headphones.

We use a specialized audio-measurement system with a simulated ear to test how much noise the headphones can reduce.

Our audio experts listen for detailed, authentic sound and clear microphone quality for phone and video calls.

A good design should fit most ear shapes and head sizes, so we have a variety of people try on our top contenders.

True wireless earbuds should play for five hours or more. Over-ear headphones should go for at least eight to 10 hours.

The Bose 700 over-ear headphones deliver excellent noise cancellation in a comfortable, lightweight design that's traveler friendly—but they carry a high price.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $329.

The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is the best set of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones that Bose has ever released. These headphones are expensive, but they’re worth the investment for the frequent traveler who puts a high premium on performance and comfort. They offer the superior noise cancellation that Bose is known for, plus more adjustability than on any other set of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones we’ve tested. You can adjust the level of the active noise cancellation (ANC) on a scale from 0 to 10, so if you find that intense noise cancellation causes a feeling of pressure or discomfort (what we call "eardrum suck"), or if you just want a little more sense of your surroundings, you have more flexibility to find a level of ANC that works for you.

These noise-cancelling headphones also have a lightweight design that is comfortable to wear for hours, and they feature an easy-to-use combination of touch controls and physical buttons that you can access without looking. Plus, you can use them in wired mode with the ANC engaged if, for example, you want to access an in-flight entertainment system. They fold flat for easy storage in the supplied case, too. They aren't entirely without flaws, however: The sound quality is good but not as crisp as that of our favorite everyday audiophile headphones, the app can be vexing, and the battery life isn't the longest we’ve seen—though at 20 hours, it’ll still get you through a very long flight.

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The completely wireless QC Earbuds II pair sounds great and offers the broadest active noise cancellation we’ve tested. But this high-priced set also has a few drawbacks.

If you prefer earbuds to headphones, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II set has the best noise cancellation of any earbud pair we’ve measured—and it's priced accordingly. This set is unique in that it effectively reduces a wider range of frequencies, from low rumbling airplane noise up to human speaking range, so it creates the closest we’ve experienced to a personal cone of silence. If you want less noise cancellation or need to hear your surroundings at times, you can customize the ANC and the hear-through mode in the app. The earbuds have stabilizing wings that help them fit securely and comfortably, and the sound quality is great. You get the full complement of controls on the earbuds, and the touch-based design is less prone to misfires than the controls on other earbuds we’ve tested.

However, the superlative tranquility of this pair comes with drawbacks: The earbuds are rather large, and the combination of their weight and winged design can make them fatiguing to wear for long periods if you have small or sensitive ears. The battery life of six hours (longer if you turn ANC off) is just average—and a lot less than that of our over-ear picks—and the case doesn't charge wirelessly. In quiet environments, your voice will sound clear over phone calls, but the background-noise-reducing software is less successful in busy places (such as when you’re on a city street). Though the QuietComfort Earbuds II can remember up to seven paired Bluetooth devices, this set lacks dual-device connectivity, so you need to manually switch between, say, your laptop and phone. Additionally, as with all true wireless earbuds, you can't use these in wired mode, so you need a Bluetooth transmitter to use this pair with certain in-flight entertainment systems that require a cable connection.

This affordable pair of over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones sounds great, feels comfortable, and has a long battery life. Unfortunately, the ANC does not work in wired mode.

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If you want a solid pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones for around a hundred bucks, we recommend the 1More SonoFlow set. The noise cancellation is effective (though not as superb as that of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700), the sound allows adjustments to your taste, and the design is lightweight, with foam earcups that are soft and comfortable. The five microphones ensure that your voice sounds clear over calls and video chats, and the dual-device connectivity lets you swap audio between, say, your phone and laptop without touching the Bluetooth settings. The 50-hour battery life with ANC on (70 hours with it off) is impressive for a model in any price range. This pair also comes with a cable, so you can use it in wired mode when necessary—but the ANC does not work in wired mode, so if you’re on a plane that requires a wired connection to the in-flight entertainment system, you’ll either have to go without ANC or pick up a Bluetooth transmitter.

This wireless pair of earbuds offers excellent noise cancellation, great sound, long battery life, and lots of extra features. But the touch controls are slightly limited.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $89.

Our top pick for the best wireless earbuds, the Soundcore Space A40 pair is also a great option if you want a more affordable pair of noise-cancelling earbuds. Though this set's active noise cancellation isn't as broad or effective as what you can get from the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, it still ranked near the top in our tests. The sound quality is enjoyable right out of the box, but if it's not your ideal, you have multiple ways to fine-tune the sound using the Soundcore app. The small, lightweight earbuds should fit most ears comfortably, and 10 hours of battery life per charge is impressive. The tiny charging case holds an additional 40 hours’ worth of power and supports wireless charging. Six microphones deliver clear phone calls, and the pair's dual-device connectivity allows you to effortlessly switch between listening to music on your laptop, for example, and taking a call on your phone. The touch-based controls work reliably and are customizable in the app, but they don't offer everything: You have to choose one function, such as track reverse, to omit. As with all true wireless earbuds, you can't use these earbuds with a cable, so you need a Bluetooth transmitter to use this pair with some in-flight entertainment systems.

The Bose 700 over-ear headphones deliver excellent noise cancellation in a comfortable, lightweight design that's traveler friendly—but they carry a high price.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $329.

The completely wireless QC Earbuds II pair sounds great and offers the broadest active noise cancellation we’ve tested. But this high-priced set also has a few drawbacks.

This affordable pair of over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones sounds great, feels comfortable, and has a long battery life. Unfortunately, the ANC does not work in wired mode.

Use code SONOFLOW20

This wireless pair of earbuds offers excellent noise cancellation, great sound, long battery life, and lots of extra features. But the touch controls are slightly limited.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $89.

I hold a bachelor's degree in both music performance and audio production from Ithaca College, and I also have tested more than a thousand pairs of headphones and earbuds while working for Wirecutter. In addition to reviewing gear for AV magazines, I’ve been in and out of top recording studios for over a decade, first as a radio producer and on-air talent, then as a professional voice actor. My articles have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, and Time, and on Good Morning America, the BBC World Service, and NBC Nightly News.

Senior staff writer Brent Butterworth also tested all of the finalists and performed the noise-cancelling measurements. Brent has been reviewing audio gear professionally since 1990. He previously worked as an editor or writer for Sound & Vision, HomeTheaterReview.com, Home Theater Magazine, and numerous other publications. Brent is one of the extremely small number of audio journalists who own laboratory-grade headphone test equipment, which he used for part of our testing here. In the past eight years, he has evaluated and measured more than 350 headphones and done more in-depth analysis of noise-cancelling headphones than any other journalist.

Whenever possible, we also engage the ears of experts, including audio reviewers, musicians, and composers. For our most recent round of tests, we brought the top headphone contenders into the Wirecutter office to get feedback from our staff.

Noise-cancelling headphones are designed to reduce low-pitched humming and droning sounds, such as what you encounter in an airplane cabin and, to a lesser extent, on buses and trains (and probably on boats, too, although we haven't tried that). They can also reduce sounds from some machinery, such as loud air conditioners. A decent set of headphones with active noise cancelling (ANC) can make airplane travel much more enjoyable because the feature allows you to hear movies, music, and in-flight entertainment clearly without having to turn the volume way up. You can also use these headphones even when you’re not listening to anything, just to make the cabin noise less annoying; some people use noise-cancelling headphones to help themselves fall asleep on long flights.

Noise-cancelling headphones work by using microphones to capture the noise around you and then feeding an opposite (or phase-reversed) version of that sound into the tiny speakers (or drivers) built into the headphones. The technology never works perfectly, but it can work well enough in certain environments to make listening more enjoyable. The best noise-cancelling headphones combine this "active" noise cancelling with passive noise reduction—that is, physical barriers and dampers built into the headphones that help block or absorb noise.

It's a popular misconception that ANC headphones cancel out all noises equally. They don't. Active noise cancellation is generally more effective on lower frequencies of sound, such as the hum of a jet engine or an air conditioner. It's not as effective with human voices and other higher frequencies. If you want to learn more about how ANC works and what sounds it works on, check out "What Your Noise-Cancelling Headphones Can and Can't Do."

If you travel on airplanes a lot, or if you commute every day on a bus or subway, you’ll benefit from having a set of ANC headphones. If, on the other hand, you just want something that reduces street sounds or the chatter of your office colleagues or fellow Starbucks patrons, conventional headphones will probably do about as good a job as noise-cancelling headphones—and they’ll often cost less.

The Jabra Elite 85h Bluetooth headphones sound great, and they’re a pleasure to wear and use, which is why they are our top pick.

We know that the choice between over-ear and in-ear headphones is a personal one, so we’ve included picks for both types of noise-cancelling headphones. How do you decide between headphones and earbuds? For starters, earbuds are more compact and easier to travel with, and they can sound just as good and cancel noise just as well as over-ear and on-ear headphone models. Earbuds may also work better if you wear glasses, because a thick set of glasses frames may prevent over-ear and on-ear headphones from making a good seal against your ears and cheeks. The downside to earbuds is that you have to stick them into your ear canals, which some people find uncomfortable. Plus, earbuds’ battery life is often much shorter than that of over-ear headphones, and with true wireless designs you don't have the option to run the pair in wired mode if the batteries run out of juice.

The four main things to consider in a set of noise-cancelling headphones are:

Since we first published this guide, we’ve tested more than 225 active-noise-cancelling headphones and considered many more. Although we have tested wired-only models in the past, most new noise-cancelling headphones feature Bluetooth wireless technology, which is now available at affordable prices. However, many wireless over-ear headphones also support a wired connection, which is important if you want to connect to an in-flight entertainment system or if you want to conserve battery life.

We set no lower or upper price limits because this guide covers the entire range of noise-cancelling headphone models.

To judge the sound quality, we listened to the headphones with a variety of musical tracks, with noise cancelling on and off—because some headphones sound great in one mode and not so great in the other. You can read more about how we evaluate and test for sound quality in these articles:

This is the first in a two-part series in which we discuss how we evaluate good sound in our speaker and headphone reviews.

Here are the procedures Wirecutter uses to test audio devices, plus a few tips on how you can evaluate them yourself.

Testing the noise cancelling was more complicated. We did this both by ear and by using test equipment. To test the noise cancelling by ear, I played noise at a loud level through a JBL L16 wireless speaker and then tried each of the headphones to see which ones best cancelled the noise. Brent did his test in his audio lab, using a mix of cabin noise recorded in four different airliners, fed through four speakers and a subwoofer at a level of 80 decibels, which is about the level you’d experience in the fairly loud cabin of an older jet such as a Boeing 737 or a McDonnell Douglas MD-80.

Brent then performed lab tests, measuring the degree to which the headphones blocked different frequencies of sound. To do this, he placed each set of over-ear headphones on his GRAS 43AG ear-and-cheek simulator connected through an M-Audio USB interface to a Windows laptop, played pink noise through the same speaker system described above, and used TrueRTA audio-spectrum analyzer software to see how much sound was leaking through the headphones.

To do noise-cancelling earbud tests, Brent placed the right-channel earpiece of each set of in-ear headphones into a GRAS KB5000 anthropometric pinna mounted on the GRAS 43AG ear-and-cheek simulator fitted with a GRAS RA0402 high-resolution ear simulator. He connected this fixture through an M-Audio USB interface to a Windows laptop, played pink noise through the same speaker system, and used the TrueRTA audio-spectrum analyzer software to see how much sound was leaking through the earbud.

To provide a simple way of looking at these measurements, Brent calculated the average amount of noise (in decibels) that the headphones cancelled in the 100 Hz to 1,200 Hz frequency band, which is where more airplane-cabin noise occurs, based on his analysis of the four recordings he made in the cabins of different airliners. The higher the number, the greater the average noise reduction. Here is a rundown of our top performers, compared with a couple of pairs of headphones that lack active noise cancellation:

The Bose 700 over-ear headphones deliver excellent noise cancellation in a comfortable, lightweight design that's traveler friendly—but they carry a high price.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $329.

The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 over-ear set has the most versatile active noise cancellation we’ve ever tested. With 10 levels of noise reduction to choose from, everyone should be able to find a setting that meets their needs. Although these noise-cancelling headphones don't sound as good our favorite everyday audiophile headphones, in our tests they had a fairly neutral sound with no major flaws. Plus, they’re lightweight and comfortable, and the controls are easy to use. The 20-hour battery life, while not the best we’ve seen, is more than sufficient to get you to most destinations.

Technically speaking, the Bose 700 set doesn't reduce the most noise of any pair of over-ear headphones we’ve tested—that honor goes to the Apple AirPods Max pair for lower frequencies and the Sony WH-1000XM4 set for higher frequencies—but the Bose 700 is still very effective when set to its maximum ANC level. What distinguishes the Bose 700's ANC is the amount of adjustability it gives you. Most noise-cancelling headphones offer controls for only on/off or maybe high/low/off, but here you can set the ANC level from 0 to 10, so you have more flexibility to dial in the ideal setting for your comfort or for a particular activity. This feature is especially helpful for people who experience "eardrum suck," since you can adjust the ANC intensity down in small steps until you no longer have the problem. It's also great for folks who want a lot of ANC for one activity (say, riding on the subway) but prefer more awareness in other situations (such as when they’re out walking or watching TV at home). Through the Bose Music app, you can choose three ANC levels to assign as favorites, after which you can toggle between them using the button on the left earcup.

One thing to consider: If you are prone to eardrum suck, the Bose 700 set is likely to be problematic for you at its higher-intensity noise-cancellation settings. Brent and I are both sensitive to eardrum suck, and we found the 5 and 6 settings on the Bose 700 to be the sweet spot, where the noise reduction was effective yet not headache-inducing. At that level, though, the amount of noise cancellation wasn't much better than that of lower-priced noise-cancelling headphones we’ve tested. So if you know for certain that you won't be using the higher levels of ANC, you may want to save money and choose a lower-priced option.

If you’re a fan of Bose's signature sound, you won't be disappointed with the Bose 700 set. These headphones are quintessential Bose: In our tests, they had a smidgen of extra bass, a little roll-off in the high-frequency range, and forward-sounding upper-mids. As a result, male vocals and basslines were a bit more prominent in the mix than snare-rim clicks and consonants in words. Audiophile critics might say that the Bose 700 lacks crispness and detail—if that's you, consider the Sony WH-1000XM4 or WH-1000XM5, which have more high-end detail. Other folks may actually prefer this lack of high-end intensity. The Bose Music app includes EQ settings that enable you to adjust the bass, mids, and treble regions. The changes apply a little broadly, but they allow for some personalization of the overall sound profile.

Bose has done a fantastic job of ensuring that the sound quality remains nearly the same no matter what setting or method you use to listen: via Bluetooth or cable, with noise cancelling on or off, low or high. This is impressive stuff, as most headphones have mild to very noticeable sound-quality differences across their listening methods.

The battery life isn't industry-leading, but at 20 hours it's more than sufficient. Of course, this number will vary based on whether you leave the noise cancellation on all the time, whether you choose the "always listening" option for your digital assistant, or whether you take frequent and long phone calls. But even when your headphones run out of power, it won't be too long before they’re back up and running: The quick-charge feature gives the Bose 700 pair two and a half hours of battery life after 15 minutes of charging time.

The controls are easy to learn and use by feel. Bose employs a combination of physical buttons and touchpads: You handle noise cancellation, digital-assistant activation, power on/off, and Bluetooth pairing by pressing buttons, and you trigger volume and track changes by swiping and tapping on the right earcup. The Bose 700 is compatible with Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, and you can program the system (via the app) to be always listening for the wake word associated with your favorite voice assistant. For quick conversations, you can hold the ANC toggle button on the left earcup to turn off the active noise cancellation, pause your music, and turn on the microphones to hear your surroundings better.

These wireless noise-cancelling headphones are especially comfortable to wear: lightweight, with super-soft memory-foam padding on the earcups and headband. Covering the padding on the underside of the headband is an unusual silicone-esque material that's softer than solid plastic or metal yet feels as though it would be less likely to degrade over time in comparison with the fabric or leatherette material covering the headbands on much of the competition. The earpads are made of protein leather (higher-quality fake leather), and they’re replaceable and spacious enough to accommodate larger ear sizes. The earpad foam is pliable enough to work well with most glasses, though wider arms may cause some gaps that result in sound leakage. The fit felt secure on our heads, and most of our testers thought the clamping force wasn't too tight.

The microphones sounded clear over our calls and video chats, but they did pick up some room noise. The microphone sound feeds into the noise-cancelling headphones themselves, so you get your own vocal feedback; this effect is helpful in reducing the instinct to yell when your ears are covered, but it can be distracting if you’re taking a call in a busy office and the mics pick up some chatter or keyboard clicks from your surroundings. If you prefer to reduce the amount of your own voice that you hear, or if you want to turn this effect off completely, you can do so in the Bose Music app.

Although over-ear noise-cancelling headphones can't compete with earbuds in portability, the Bose 700's case does a decent job of minimizing the space these headphones take up in a bag. The headphones themselves fold flat, and the semi-firm case uses the gap between the headband and the earcups for cable storage. At about 2.5 inches thick, the case will slip easily into a briefcase or a plane's seat-back pocket.

We’ve been really happy with how the Bose 700 headphones have held up over time. No major complaints concerning their performance have surfaced so far. The only vulnerable point seems to be the earpads, which depending on your situation can start to break down over time. Fortunately, the pads are replaceable.

Although we love a lot about the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, this set does have some drawbacks. The biggest issue is the Bose Music app. Ordinarily, we don't worry too much about buggy apps. However, for these headphones, the Bose Music app is required to do a whole lot of things, including altering which digital assistant you use, turning on the always-listening wake word for your digital assistant, changing the assigned ANC preferences, adjusting how much of yourself you hear during calls, and setting the auto-off timer.

We have a couple of concerns regarding the app. For starters, it can be downright annoying to get the app to recognize your headphones. Both Brent and I had difficulty pairing them, and after speaking with Bose representatives, we can offer the following tips. When you first power on the headphones, if they don't show up in your Bluetooth list, there are two possible things you can do. First, if you use a VPN, turn it off; once the initial pairing is complete, you can turn your VPN back on again. Second, you may need to reduce the number of Bluetooth devices that are in your device's paired-items list. Remove or "forget" as many unnecessary gadgets as possible, and then try the setup again.

On top of that, to use the app, you’re required to create a Bose account, which privacy advocates may find troublesome. You can use a throwaway email address for the account, but we know that some folks would prefer not to need an account just to use their listening gear.

Bose emphasizes the 700 pair's augmented-reality capabilities on its website, but as of now this feature is mostly potential. There are only a handful of such apps that you can install, and a few work solely in specific cities, so the usefulness is limited.

The digital-assistant "always listening" feature is nifty, but keep in mind that other devices may also pick up your wake word when you’re talking to the headphones. Apple seems to have found a way to prevent duplicate Siri replies, but Google and Amazon devices may all answer you at once if you’re in range of them. This isn't a Bose problem; it's an OS problem.

And lastly, if you need to listen via a wired connection, keep in mind that the Bose 700 set has a 2.5 mm input. A 2.5 mm–to–3.5 mm audio cable is included, but it has no remote or mic. Depending on your device, you may have trouble taking phone calls when your headphones are tethered via the cord.

The completely wireless QC Earbuds II pair sounds great and offers the broadest active noise cancellation we’ve tested. But this high-priced set also has a few drawbacks.

If all you ever wanted, all you ever needed, is the best noise cancellation in a pair of earbuds, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II set will let you enjoy the silence. This pair has the most effective ANC of any pair of earbuds we’ve measured—26.2 dB in the airplane range—and reduces frequencies up to the human vocal range, which is rare for active noise cancellation. When you first put the earbuds in your ears, they emit a sweeping tone to measure the acoustics of each ear canal, after which they adjust the active noise cancellation and EQ to meet the needs of each ear individually.

The experience of wearing the QC Earbuds II is pretty wild—these things are very good at blocking sound. At one point, my husband was wearing my pair while working, and I crept up behind him while speaking to see how long he took to notice me. It wasn't until he saw my reflection on his computer screen that he realized I was there. When the ANC was set to full intensity with no music playing, all I could hear was a slight hiss. I couldn't determine whether the hiss was coming from the earbuds or I was just hearing the white noise of the few high frequencies that snuck in from the world around me. Either way, the hiss was minimal enough that my brain quickly tuned it out. If that's too much quiet for you, the Bose app allows you to adjust the level of reduction, which is also helpful if you’re affected by "eardrum suck."

You can also create various modes to toggle between using the earbud controls. The idea is that you can save several of your favorite levels of noise cancellation or situational awareness so that you can transition between, say, a fully quiet experience at work and some situational awareness during your commute. Included is a preset "aware mode," which uses Bose's Active Sense technology; it's supposed to let you hear your surroundings yet automatically reduce the volume when it detects a loud sound. This mode can be overly sensitive and activate the noise suppression when you speak—and not surprisingly, we found that really annoying. We made a work-around by creating a new mode that had the ANC dial turned all the way down, which essentially became a hear-through mode. (Don't worry, the limiter still kicks in if something noisy happens, so it won't hurt your ears.)

This pair's sound quality is on a par with that of other Bose headphones. It's quite good, with a little extra warmth to the low end created by a gentle but broad bass boost and a less-pronounced high-frequency range. The Bose app offers an EQ function to tailor the sound, but it consists of only three faders for bass, mids, and highs, as you might expect on a car stereo. This interface is too ham-fisted for you to make detailed changes to the tuning, but the sound out of the box is good enough that most folks shouldn't feel the need to change much.

These earbuds are larger than any of our true wireless earbuds picks, but they stay in place securely thanks to their silicone stabilizing winglets. Bose includes three sizes of wings and earbud tips in the package so that you can find the configuration that best suits your needs. Although this pair stays in place well, the weight of the earbuds combined with the pressure of the wings can make them fatiguing to wear for long periods if you have sensitive or small ears. After a cross-country flight, my medium-size ears were a little achy after I took the earbuds out.

The controls consist of a combination of swipe and touch actions, and you get the full suite of standard functions: play/pause, track forward/back, volume up/down, call answer/end, digital-assistant activation, and ANC/awareness mode toggling. The buttons’ surface area is large, and the gestures are intuitive, so we had less accidental misfires with the QC Earbuds II than with the touch-based controls on other earbuds. Though you can use the controls to call up Siri or Google Assistant, we wish this pair had voice-activation compatibility with a digital assistant.

The battery life is around six hours per full charge, with an additional 18 hours of power in the case. The case charges fully in three hours over USB-C, but we wish it also had wireless-charging capabilities. Run time can vary based on how many calls you take and how loudly you listen. Though six hours of battery life is average for true wireless earbuds, it may not be enough for long-haul flights. Fortunately, a quick-charge feature provides the earbuds with two hours of listening power after they spend 20 minutes in the case. Frequent flyers should also be aware that this pair can connect to devices only via Bluetooth, so if you want to access a plane's wired-only in-flight entertainment system, you need to bring a wired pair of earbuds or purchase a Bluetooth transmitter.

Though the QC Earbuds II can store up to seven paired Bluetooth devices, you can be connected to only one at a time. So although you don't need to un-pair and re-pair every time you switch between a tablet and phone, for instance, you do need to go into each device's Bluetooth settings and select your earbuds.

Finally, this set's water-resistance rating of IPX4 means your earbuds will be protected if you get caught in the rain or break a sweat, and Bose's 18-month warranty covers you against other complications. However, these earbuds are a little larger (and frankly, pricier) than we’d want to use for the gym. For high-impact or very sweaty workouts, we recommend looking at the picks in our workout headphones guide.

The biggest issue we had with the QuietComfort Earbuds II pair was with the call quality in noisy environments. Bose uses a combination of multiple microphones and software to try to reduce the background noise that the set picks up during a phone call. Bose representatives told me that the earbuds monitor the noises around you, and if the environment gets too noisy, the system automatically switches which microphone is picking up your voice—choosing one on the least noisy or windy side of your head. This system works especially well if you’re on a quiet street on a breezy day. It also works really well when you’re indoors in an open office plan. Where things go sideways is when you’re on a loud city street and a breeze is blowing: The software valiantly tries to keep up, but when traffic is on one side and wind is on the other, the earbuds can't determine which microphone to choose. In our tests, the result made my voice sound like that of a TV weather personality reporting from the center of a hurricane. Yes, my caller could still hear me talking, but my voice sounded vaguely distant and compressed, with some gusty wind mixed in. If you live in Chicago, for example, and regularly take calls while walking downtown, this could be a dealbreaker for you. For people who frequent less busy areas or who can step inside to make a quick call, it might be less of a problem.

This affordable pair of over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones sounds great, feels comfortable, and has a long battery life. Unfortunately, the ANC does not work in wired mode.

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If you want a solid pair of over-ear noise-cancellation headphones for around $100, check out the 1More SonoFlow set. Although the noise cancellation on this pair doesn't match that of the much pricier Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, it's nonetheless helpful in bringing down the volume of airplane noise and air conditioners. Beyond the ANC, we like the SonoFlow pair because it sounds good, it's comfortable, and it feels better made than most headphones around the same price. If anything goes wrong, 1More covers the SonoFlow with a one-year warranty.

This over-ear pair provides a formidable 50 hours of battery life with ANC on (70 hours with it off), so long-haul flights or long days at a desk are no problem. Wearing this pair for extended periods is comfortable, too, because the lightweight design doesn't pinch or press down on the head painfully. The earpads are filled with a squishy memory-foam-like material that can mold around thinner eyeglass frames; however, if you have thicker glasses, you may want to consider earbuds, as any earpad lift away from your face will negatively impact the ANC's ability to do its job. Should your pair run out of battery, the quick-charge feature offers five hours of play time after five minutes of charging.

In our tests, these headphones sounded quite good from the first time we powered them up. The bass was full and had a distinct ability to re-create low pitches rather than the overtone or formless "whomp" we frequently hear from inexpensive headphones. Highs had clarity and distinct attack and decay, handling even little delicate sounds with ease. The presence on vocals was a bit lacking, and perhaps there was a little too much bass. Should you want to adjust the tuning, the 1More app offers presets and manual EQ capabilities to fine-tune the sound.

Like most inexpensive headphones, the SonoFlow set is primarily made of plastic. However, this pair feels less brittle and creaky than many similarly priced pairs we’ve tried. Though we love how soft the earpads are, they are not replaceable—which is a bummer, since earpads are notoriously the first part of over-ear headphones to degrade. Be sure to keep your pair clean and out of direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. 1More includes a nice hard-sided carrying case, which should help protect your pair a little longer.

The buttons on the earcups control track skip, volume, call answer/end, digital-assistant callup, and ANC/hear-through functions. The physical buttons are smaller than we’d like, which can be a drawback especially if dexterity is a challenge—but after some practice, we grew accustomed to the button locations and could use them without too much thought. If you want to have a conversation while wearing the headphones, you can activate the hear-through mode using the ANC button. Though the sound of this mode isn't natural enough for anyone to leave it on for the long term (in our tests it overemphasized higher pitches like keyboard clicks and consonants), it's still helpful for brief periods of situational awareness.

We were pleased with how well the SonoFlow's microphones performed on phone calls. The five microphones do a good job of picking up your voice so that your conversation partner easily understands every word. And the SonoFlow set offers dual-device multipoint connectivity, so you can pair it with two devices at once and switch easily between them. (You need to turn the feature on in the app; it's located under the "Experimental Features" menu option.)

The SonoFlow pair's biggest drawbacks involve the supplied cable. First, should you wish to use the headphones in wired mode, you can—but not with the ANC activated. So if you’re on a plane and want to connect to an in-flight entertainment system that requires a cable, you either need to go without noise cancellation or get a Bluetooth transmitter. If this limitation is a dealbreaker for you, check out the Soundcore Space Q45 set in Other good noise-cancelling headphones. Second, as with many Bluetooth headphones, the microphones don't work when this pair is in wired mode—instead, the call defaults to the microphone in your device, if it has one. For folks connecting to a PC with no internal mic, this could be a serious downside. And lastly, the cable does not use a standard ⅛-inch jack; it uses a 1/16-inch connector, which means it will be trickier (though not impossible) to replace if you lose yours.

This wireless pair of earbuds offers excellent noise cancellation, great sound, long battery life, and lots of extra features. But the touch controls are slightly limited.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $89.

If the price of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II set is simply beyond your reach, the Soundcore Space A40 pair is a great alternative. This true wireless pair is the top pick in our guide to wireless earbuds because it packs great sound, 10 hours of battery life, good microphone quality, dual-device connectivity, and excellent noise cancellation into tiny earbuds—all for around $100. Although we wish the Space A40 offered a few more onboard controls and the ability to activate a digital assistant using your voice, there isn't much else that we can grumble about.

In our tests, the active noise cancellation on this Soundcore pair was not as effective as that of the Bose QC Earbuds II, but it still ranked among the best we measured, reducing an average of 20.8 dB in the airplane band. (You can see how well it compares to other pairs in the chart above.) The Space A40 can reduce lower-pitched noises like the rumble of air conditioners or plane engines well, and the included ear tips do a decent job of dampening higher-pitched sounds such as babies crying or dogs barking. Using the app, you can adjust the intensity of the noise reduction or choose an adaptive mode that automatically shifts the ANC to match the kind of sounds around you. For people who are bothered by eardrum suck, the ability to choose a comfortable ANC level is a nice benefit.

These Soundcore earbuds are also much smaller than the Bose earbuds, and their smooth, ergonomic design should allow them to sit comfortably in a variety of ears. Not only are the earbuds small, but they’re also lightweight—so the design isn't fighting gravity and tugging at your ear canal. We were able to wear the Space A40 pair painlessly through an entire workday.

To get the full rundown of the Soundcore Space A40 set's performance, check out our guide to the best wireless earbuds.

More noise cancelling doesn't necessarily lead to a better experience, especially with over-ear noise-cancelling headphones. We say this because of a phenomenon we refer to as "eardrum suck," which seems to produce the same uncomfortable reduction of pressure on the eardrums as you’re likely to experience when riding a high-speed elevator in a very tall building. And this sensation can lead to headaches. Typically, the more effective the noise-cancelling circuitry is in a pair of headphones, the more eardrum suck it produces. You can read more about this phenomenon in our blog post.

Before buying noise-cancelling headphones, you should think about what kinds of noise you want to reduce—and find out if you’re susceptible to "eardrum suck."

Fortunately, you don't need extreme levels of noise cancelling to have a pleasant experience with noise-cancelling headphones. In our testing, we’ve found that about 10 decibels of average noise reduction in the "airplane-cabin band" between 100 Hz and 1,200 Hz is plenty to allow for music listening at a comfortable level.

Wirecutter takes security and privacy issues seriously and investigates, as much as possible, how the companies whose products we recommend deal with customer data. Since a growing number of wireless Bluetooth headphones require the use of an app for setup and (sometimes) daily operation, we reached out to the companies that produce our top picks and asked them to provide information that we think is of primary concern for any potential buyer. Here's what we learned:

If you work in an open office or from home: We like both the Sony WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones and their successor, the Sony WH-1000XM5 pair, because they’re great at blocking out voices around you, and they have an adjustable speak-to-chat feature that automatically turns on the awareness mode and pauses your music when you talk—something that can be valuable when you’re answering the door or having a quick chat with officemates. These two headphone pairs are quite similar. Both have Alexa and Google Assistant wake-word functionality, a 30-hour battery-life average with quick-charge capabilities, and app-based customizable EQ and listening modes. The most notable differences between the two are the effectiveness of the active noise cancellation, the initial sound quality, and the way the headphones fit and fold up. The noise cancellation on the XM4 makes a useful difference but isn't as intense as that of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700; the XM5, in contrast, improves the ANC but doesn't allow you to adjust the amount, which is a key feature of the Bose pair.

Out of the box, the XM4 pair doesn't sound great. The XM5 set sounds better but is still tuned with too much emphasis in the bass and highs. Both headphones benefit from your using the EQ functionality in the app—if you’re willing to put some effort into adjusting the EQ during your initial setup, both the XM4 and XM5 can sound even better than the Bose 700 pair.

The XM4 coils up into an oval-shaped case, whereas the XM5 simply lies flat. As a result, the XM5's case is about 0.5 inch thicker and about 1 to 1.5 inches longer. The XM5's earcups are larger, and its headband is slightly longer—great news for folks with larger hat sizes, but it may also make the XM5 less secure and isolating for people with small craniums.

Although both of these headphones are great, ultimately the Bose 700 bests the XM4 at active noise cancellation and bests the XM5 in price and value.

If you’re willing to pay more to get the absolute best active noise cancellation and a more luxurious design: Apple's AirPods Max over-ear headphones have a sleek, distinctive look, and their H1 chip allows them to pair with Apple devices effortlessly. This set provides the best noise cancellation in the airplane band that we’ve ever tested, at an average of 29.4 dB. However, these headphones don't work as well as the Sony WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM5 in blocking higher-frequency sounds such as a baby's cries or people's conversations.

The downside of the AirPods Max pair's excellent low-frequency noise reduction is that it can lead to eardrum suck, and the headphones offer no adjustability in the ANC aside from on and off. This pressure is compounded by the pair's heft and snug clamping force. As a result, for folks who like to wear their headphones all day, the added weight and pinch may be a literal pain.

Call quality is excellent, and the set's multiple microphones reduce wind noise exceptionally well. However, when you’re near a busy street, the hear-through mode becomes a cacophonous mess, and it isn't adjustable.

In our tests, these headphones sounded great, creating a decent sense of spatial depth despite their closed-back design. However, the AirPods Max does not come with a 3.5 mm cable. (You can buy Apple's Lightning to 3.5 mm Audio Cable for an additional $35.) If you are looking to take advantage of Apple Music's lossless audio or another high-resolution audio service, note that Apple has said that the AirPods Max set is incompatible. These headphones are compatible with Dolby Atmos and Apple's spatial audio, however.

The case is a truly baffling design choice, as it's more of an earcup slipcover. It doesn't protect the headband, nor does it keep dust and debris out of the earcups, as large portholes are cut in the case's bottom. And you can't simply swap this case out for an inexpensive third-party case because you need it to put the headphones into low-power standby mode (though refrigerator magnets work, too). This restriction is problematic because if the battery dies, you can't listen in wired mode—the AirPods Max must have some charge to function at all, even corded.

One differentiator we do find truly compelling is that the AirPods Max has a replaceable battery. You need to pay Apple a service fee of $79 for the swap, but we love the idea of making more wireless headphones sustainable, especially when they’re pricier models.

If you want an affordable pair of headphones that cancels noise while connected via cable to in-flight entertainment: The Soundcore Space Q45 over-ear pair offers good noise cancellation, but it can't match that of our pricier Bose over-ear pick. The reduction is a bit more intense in the airplane-engine range than on our budget pick, the 1More SonoFlow set, but the range of frequencies it blocks is narrower, so you end up hearing more whirring of fans or whooshing of traffic. During our tests, the sound quality out of the box was boosted too intensely in the bass and high-highs for us to consider it natural-sounding, but you can adjust the sound in the app. The level of ANC is adjustable, too. If you want to have a conversation, the hear-through mode is helpful, but it overemphasizes clicks and pops in a way that is too distracting to leave on for long-term awareness. This pair comes with a hard-sided case, though it isn't as nice as the 1More SonoFlow's case. The included cable is a normal, easier-to-find ⅛-inch–to–⅛-inch (3.5 mm–to–3.5 mm) cable, and you can have the ANC powered on when you use the headphones with the cable, which means you can block plane-engine noise while listening to the in-flight entertainment. Had the Space Q45 set cost a bit less, we might have made it our budget pick. But at its original price of $150, its benefits don't make it worth the extra cost over the SonoFlow pair unless you’re absolutely intent on watching whatever your airplane is screening on the seatback in front of you.

If you want a wireless earbud pair that has Alexa or Google Assistant wake-word capability or is great for the gym: The JBL Reflect Aero TWS set is the top pick in our guide to workout headphones because the winged earbuds stay securely in place, have simple controls, and are waterproof and sweatproof, with an IP68 rating. But this pair goes beyond workouts, as it offers the option to choose either Alexa or Google Assistant wake-word functionality, and the active noise cancellation is quite effective (you can compare its performance with that of our picks here in the chart above). The sound is good out of the box, and you can fine-tune it to your preferences using the equalizer controls in JBL's mobile app. This pair's eight hours of battery life is solid for true wireless earbuds, and the pocket-sized case offers an additional 16 hours of power (though we wish it supported wireless charging). Should you need to hear your surroundings, a hear-through mode is a tap away, or you can use only one earbud at a time. Six microphones ensure clear phone calls, and you can connect the Reflect Aero TWS pair to two devices simultaneously. Our testers found the fit to be comfortable, but people who have very small or sensitive ears may find the wings’ pressure fatiguing over time. Although the touch-based controls are easy to learn and use, we wish that they could adjust volume, playback, noise cancellation, and the hear-through feature inclusively, but unfortunately you have to choose one of those functions to omit.

If you are an Apple fan looking for true wireless earbuds: The Beats Fit Pro is a good pair of ANC true wireless earbuds, as it takes all the features you might find attractive in the AirPods Pro—easy Apple pairing and device swapping, touchless "Hey Siri" control, head tracking and spatial audio via Apple Music, and the "Find My" function—and puts them in a smaller, more secure pair of earbuds with physical button controls. In our tests, this set sounded fantastic, with a slightly boosted bass and a good sense of detail in the mids and highs. The transparency mode is excellent, and the earbuds stay put better than many other true wireless earbuds, though their winged design may make them feel snug in sensitive ears. Because the Fit Pro earbuds fit securely and have an IPX4 water-resistance rating, they’re good for workouts and runs. But their charging case is larger than we’d like, and it lacks wireless-charging capabilities.

We were unable to use our normal GRAS testing setup to measure the Fit Pro's noise cancellation because we couldn't override the wear sensors, which disabled the earbuds as soon as we took them out of our ears. Instead, we set up a perception-based test, comparing the Fit Pro with a pair that we could measure: the Soundcore Space A40.

In that test, we determined that the Fit Pro's noise cancellation is very effective in a narrow frequency range. Folks using the active reduction to combat airplane noise should find it useful, but those who want to block out higher pitches such as voices or a baby's cries will find that the Fit Pro set is only about as good as any pair of passive earbuds. People who are prone to eardrum suck may discover that the ANC on this pair triggers that feeling of unease—and the level of reduction is not adjustable. (The Space A40 set, in contrast, has broader and more intense noise cancellation.) As such, the Beats Fit Pro isn't worth the extra money if ANC is your primary objective, but it's absolutely worth the investment for Apple fans seeking noise-cancelling earbuds in that ecosystem.

If you wear glasses and find that over-ear headphones don't fit you properly: The Beats Solo Pro on-ear headphones are worth considering. Because of its on-ear design, the Solo Pro pair won't rest on the arms of your spectacles and pinch your noggin. The fit is especially comfortable, and thanks to the inclusion of Apple's H1 chip, the user experience is intuitive, particularly for Apple fans who are already familiar with the AirPods pairing process: Unfold the headphones to power them on, and a Solo Pro pop-up appears on your iPhone. The Solo Pro's transparency mode is helpful for situational awareness when you need to have a conversation, and the result isn't brash or tinny-sounding as on many other pass-through audio interfaces we’ve tested. Although the Solo Pro set isn't as good at noise cancelling as the Bose 700 pair, its adaptive ANC does a respectable job of reducing the most significant airplane hums, so you can enjoy your music at lower volumes. The sound quality in our tests was pretty great, though we did detect extra bass intensity that made the results a little less refined than we typically prefer.

If you want a good all-purpose pair of over-ear headphones that costs less than the Bose set: The Jabra Elite 85h is the top pick in our best Bluetooth wireless headphones guide. This over-ear set may not have the best active noise cancellation, but otherwise it delivers everything you could want in a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

At CES 2023, JBL announced the Tour One M2 over-ear headphones. This pair has adaptive ANC, a 30-hour battery life with ANC enabled (50 without), and a quick-charging function that provides five hours of use after 10 minutes of being plugged in. The Tour One M2 also features always-listening voice-command capabilities that can play/pause music, call up your device's digital assistant, and turn on the hear-through mode. The M2 is due out in the spring and will cost $300.

The Poly Voyager Free 60+ is a hybrid design that combines true wireless earbuds with an office headset, plus a unique smart charging case that has app functionality built in. Simply swipe the case's screen to view battery life, connect with Microsoft Teams, toggle the active-noise-cancelling modes, and more. If your computer lacks wireless capabilities, a USB-A or USB-C Bluetooth dongle is included and sits comfortably in the case, so it's always with you. Or, if you want to listen to in-flight entertainment, the case also has an included analog cable and doubles as a Bluetooth transmitter. It does more than most office headsets, adding adaptive ANC (automatically adjusting the level of noise cancellation based on the environment) and an IP54 rating, meaning it's splash and dust resistant. The Voyager Free 60+ is due in March for $350.

Many Wirecutter readers are concerned about the environmental impact of the products we recommend. Whether the issues involve manufacturing practices, packaging, shipping, longevity, or waste created at the end of a product's life cycle, we take all of this seriously. To help you better consider your options, Wirecutter is looking into the overall environmental impact of all of our picks.

We’ve discussed the sustainability concerns related to wireless earbuds before. Unfortunately, until manufacturers create earbuds with rechargeable batteries that owners can replace, or until third-party companies offer broader refurbishment systems akin to the AirPods-specific program The Swap Club, most wireless earbuds—especially true wireless earbuds—are trash once their batteries die. All of the companies that responded to our question about battery life said their devices have about 500 charge cycles before they start to lose capacity. As a result, how often you use your headphones will determine how frequently you need to replace them. Soundcore told us that the Space A40 earbuds can't be repaired, but their charging case can be repaired or replaced.

Of all the headphone options, wired models are the most sustainable. Earbuds and headphones that work with a cable have lifespans that extend beyond the life of the battery. Although a dead battery means power-based features like voice control and active noise cancellation cease to function, at least the headphones themselves can still be useful. Corded listening is more common in over-ear headphones like the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 than in earbuds.

Bose has stated that it is using less packaging, and that the packaging it does use is more recyclable. Soundcore says that 90% of the Space A40 pair's packaging is made from recycled paper or paper pulp, and that the remaining 10% is made from recycled plastic. 1More claims that the majority of the materials it uses in making its headphones is recyclable. None of the manufacturers of our picks offer refurbishment or recycling programs for the headphones themselves.

Before you give up on a pair of headphones that seems to be on the fritz, you can try a few things to eke out a longer lifespan. Proper care and cleaning of earbuds can address some sound-related issues. Replacement earpads, such as these earpads from Bose, can refresh a pair of over-ear headphones. When it really is the end of the road for your headphones, we recommend taking your expired devices to a local electronics recycler or to Best Buy for safer disposal.

We’ve tested way too many noise-cancelling headphones to list them all here. Below are our thoughts about some of the most recent and notable competitors; if you’re curious about a model we haven't listed, drop us a line in the comments section, and we’ll post the information if we have it. To make the list easier to browse, we’ve split it into headphones and earbuds.

Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay HX: Like all B&O headphones, this pair looks fantastic—and it's the looks you’re paying for with these $500 headphones. Although the sound profile is well-reviewed and adjustable, you can get equal performance from the less-expensive Sony WH-1000XM4 set. The same applies to the noise cancellation, which performed well in our tests but was not superlative. If cost is no object and you like the looks of the BeoPlay HX, you’re likely to be happy with this pair.

Beats Studio3: Although these headphones remain popular, to our ears (and those of many other reviewers), they sounded too bassy and boomy, and their noise cancelling was only average.

Bose QuietComfort 45: This pair is the update to Bose's popular QuietComfort 35 Series II. The QC45 set offers an awareness mode, background-noise-reducing microphones, 24 hours of battery life, and quick-charge abilities. If you happen to have a Bose soundbar, the QC45 is compatible with SimpleSync, which allows you to pair the QC45 to your Bose soundbar and use it as a set of wireless TV headphones. In our tests the noise cancellation measured nearly identically to that of the more feature-rich Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 pair, as well as that of the QC35 Series II—which is to say, it's excellent. Even so, you should spend a little more to get the adjustable ANC on the Bose 700.

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2: The Px7 S2 over-ear headphones are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and they have an undeniably luxurious aesthetic. If you favor a sound profile that's slightly bass-forward, you’ll probably like the way this pair sounds with the ANC activated. However, in our tests these headphones lost some bass presence when we turned the ANC off, and the app doesn't allow for EQ adjustments to address the issue. Also, we found the active noise cancellation to be exceptionally directional: Even a tip of the head by a few inches changed how much noise it reduced—especially when the source of the sound was located on one side of the body, such as an air conditioner or traffic noise from the street as we walked along the sidewalk. This effect may not bother you much if optimal noise cancellation isn't your priority. However, considering this pair's $400 original price, we were hoping for consistently excellent performance to match the stellar looks.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8: A pair of headphones needs to be outstanding to justify a $700 price tag. Unfortunately, the Px8 set, while very nice, failed to outshine our top picks in any single aspect, except perhaps for its looks. Though the leather on the earcups and headband is plush and squishy, we found that the weight and clamping force of this pair could be uncomfortable after a long period; on large heads the pressure could be headache-inducing, and on smaller heads the earcups could press on the jaw. In our tests, the noise cancellation was decent but no match for that of the Bose 700 set or the similarly priced (and equally flawed) Apple AirPods Max pair. The microphones were nice: Calls sounded clear, and the hear-through mode had a more natural sound than that of just about any other over-ear headphone pair we’ve tested. Without EQ, the sound was boosted in the upper lows and lower mids, which could blur male vocals. Unfortunately, the EQ is a two-slider system that handles "treble" and "bass" and nothing else; though moving a slider does add some clarity or oomph, it's too broadly applied and leads to new problems rather than fixing existing issues. That isn't to say this pair sounds bad. But it doesn't sound as good as the AirPods Max, and it doesn't cancel noise as effectively as the Bose 700.

Cleer Alpha: For business travelers, this pair offers a lot of nice features, including easy-to-use controls, specialized airplane plug accessories, and quite good active noise cancellation, especially in the airplane noise range. However, the physical sound isolation wasn't quite as effective in our tests. In addition, the sound quality wasn't our favorite, with a dip somewhere in the mid-frequency range that we couldn't tweak with the app-based EQ. We also weren't fans of the artificial-sounding Dirac spatial filter, which added a reverb-like quality to vocals, made the bass more boomy, and added an incongruous tightness to the highs.

Cleer Enduro ANC: This pair's noise cancelling is most effective on very low-frequency sounds, so it reduces airplane engine rumble, but you’re still likely to hear the upper grinding sounds of the engine whir. In our tests, the sound quality was a little uneven (the default sound profile was hyped in the lows and highs), but listening to the Enduro ANC was nonetheless quite enjoyable for us. Although the app offers EQ adjustment, the frequency ranges represented on the faders aren't dexterous enough—and are a touch baffling. (Most people can't hear 20 kHz after infancy, so why is that one of the EQ options?) But we found the fit to be comfortable, and the microphone was clear on phone calls. Plus, the 60-hour battery life is great for folks who forget to charge their headphones regularly.

Edifier WH-950NB: This pair's ANC will reduce some lower frequencies, but it lacks enough passive isolation to be effective on much more than engine hum. The sound out of the box has a dull, boomy quality that feels like you are listening to a speaker in a really big room with wood floors and no curtains. There is an EQ function in the app that lets you adjust several frequency ranges, but we were unable to dial in a sound profile that we liked.

Focal Bathys: The ANC is decent enough to be useful, but it isn't overly impressive. However, ANC isn't the reason someone would be interested in the Bathys in the first place: This $800 pair was designed to appeal to audio lovers with an enthusiast's level of commitment. Audio connoisseurs should be aware that this pair has varying response curves between the passive (wired), active (Bluetooth), and ANC modes. Initially, in Bluetooth mode, the bass response was diminished, with a peak in the highs that some folks might enjoy but sensitive listeners could find fatiguing or sibilant. The EQ is helpful in adjusting both the bass and highs to your taste, but the EQ doesn't apply in passive mode, so be sure you like the sound out of the box if you plan to use a headphone cable. The Bathys is quite heavy, but the padding is very soft and distributes weight well enough that this pair is comfortable to wear long term, especially compared with other massive high-end headphones. Overall, we don't think this pair is the right fit for most people, but if you are a fan of the Focal sound and are willing to pay for a pair that is useful on the go, the Bathys is a good set.

The Haymaker HM100: With the ANC on, this pair had an exciting sound matching that of the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4. However, in wired mode, the sound profile lacked bass, and via Bluetooth, with ANC off, the lows were bloated and the highs were coarse in a way that audio fans would find absolutely unlistenable. Sadly, the ANC wasn't exceptional, either, and the headphones are heavy, so some people might not be able to wear them as long as they would a lighter option like one of our picks.

House of Marley Positive Vibration XL ANC: This is a lovely pair of Bluetooth headphones but a mediocre pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Thanks to a soft, padded headband and earcups, the fit is comfortable. Unlike most new Bluetoooth headphones, the Positive Vibration XL ANC comes with a cable sporting a single-button remote and microphone, so even if the battery dies, this pair remains functional and can take calls. Should eco-friendly practices be of importance to you, note that House of Marley has a more environmentally minded business plan than many other electronics companies. However, this pair's noise cancellation, though effective on especially low frequencies, isn't supported by good sound isolation, so folks who are affected by eardrum suck may find using the ANC uncomfortable. With the ANC off in our tests, the sound was fantastic—balanced and clear. In contrast, the ANC negatively impacted the sound response, and bass notes sounded louder yet duller at the same time, as though someone had turned up a subwoofer and tossed a blanket over it.

JLab Studio ANC Wireless: While the noise cancellation on this pair isn't top-notch, it does reduce enough noise to be mildly useful in a plane. The controls are easy to use, and the battery life is decent at 28 hours with ANC on. In our tests, the sound quality was fine: It was a little on the bass-heavy side but not objectionable. What we don't love is that the earcups don't swivel, so the pads can sit a little awkwardly on the ears, and the set has no hear-through option for conversations. That said, if you need an on-ear design to be comfortable and want a budget option, these headphones might be a good fit for you.

Mark Levinson No. 5909: At $1,000, this pair is the most expensive set of ANC headphones we’ve tested. As such, during our evaluation, we held the 5909 to a high standard. The 5909 is lightweight, and we appreciated the thoughtful extras included, such as fabric-wrapped cables. The ANC was decent in our tests, reducing airplane noise by 20.4 decibels at the max setting. However, we wish the physical sound isolation were better: The 5909 let in more high-frequency sounds like voices than the less-expensive Bose 700. We also concluded that the sonic profile leaned to the bright side, with especially noticeable peaks in the 2 kHz to 3 kHz and 8 kHz to 10 kHz ranges. Although some folks prefer that kind of sound, our testers said it negatively impacted the sense of space and eventually became fatiguing.

Master & Dynamic MW75: The design and build of this $600 pair is undeniably luxurious. The noise cancellation is decent—useful enough to bring down the volume of airplane engine hum—but it doesn't perform at the same level as that of the Bose 700. In our tests, the sound quality was very good, though the signature Master & Dynamic tuning had a spike in the highs that could add an icy feeling to strings. The app has a handful of EQ presets, but we think the options are too dramatic, as a greater level of nuance is necessary to address the tuning changes we want in the MW75. This pair has a hear-through feature, but it's not the most natural-sounding we’ve heard; in our tests it had a muffled quality, as though we were cupping our hands around our ears. Overall, this pair is excellent only in its looks. If that's worth the expense to you, go for it. But folks who are feature-focused or frugal are likely to prefer one of our picks instead.

Monolith by Monoprice M1000ANC: We liked this pair's soft memory-foam earpads and surprisingly natural hear-through mode. However, the ANC was less effective than that of our picks. Out of the box, the sound quality was pretty good—slightly flat but not offensive. The Dirac filter attempts to create a sense of artificial space, but we found the effect off-putting, as precise sounds in the center channel ended up doubled, or ping-ponging right to left. Though the filter also increased the loudness of the lows and highs to make the sound more exciting, we were so thrown by phase trickery that we couldn't appreciate the boosts. At this pair's original $130 price, we didn't think its performance made it worth the extra cash over our budget pick.

Monoprice Sync-ANC: The headband caused the earcups to flare away from the head, which in turn prompted the bottom of each earcup to sit away from the face. Not ideal for a pair that is supposed to cancel noise. Even when we manually held the earcups down, the noise cancellation was minimal, and the build felt creaky and breakable.

Philips Fidelio L3: These headphones run on the larger side, so folks with smaller heads may have a tough time getting the earcups to sit right without gapping. In our tests the sound quality was quite good for music, but the ANC was middle-of-the-road, the hear-through mode was overly sibilant and not ideal for longer conversations, and the touch controls were prone to misfires.

Philips H9505: This pair sounded dull out of the box. The EQ presets in the app could help to add clarity to the vocal range, but no matter what we did, the bass notes lacked definition, much like a paint thinned by too much water. The noise cancellation was quite effective when we were facing the cause of the sound (for example, an air conditioner) but less so when the noise was coming from the sides.

PSB M4U 8 MKII: This pair's sound quality in wireless mode was above average, especially the low end. The M4U 8 MKII provided bass oomph without blurring, muddying, or overpowering any other frequencies. However, the highs had a somewhat icy edge when the ANC was turned on, and with the pair in corded mode, the sound quality was boxy, dull, and on a par with that of $100 headphones. Also, the ANC seemed to reduce sound unevenly, creating an almost doughnut-hole effect in the noises around us. If this pair weren't priced at $500, we might be more forgiving. For ANC, however, we’d stick with the Bose 700 pair; for audio fans, the Sony WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM5 cost less, have more-even noise cancellation, and (once you apply EQ) offer better performance on mids and highs than this PSB set.

Puro Sound Labs PuroPro: We love that the PuroPro set offers volume limiting similar to what you get with the company's kids headphones, which ensures that you don't push your music's loudness into ranges that are unsafe for your hearing health. In our tests, the noise cancelling was mild but useful, and the sound quality was fine but not the best. High frequencies had a lack of crispness that made cymbals sound unnatural, and a boost in the upper mids made female voices sound as if they had a bit of a cold. None of these flaws are terrible, but overall they were enough to keep this pair from being a pick.

Raycon The Everyday Headphones: These headphones perform acceptably for the price but are unremarkable. We found the "balanced" sound profile pleasant to listen to. (The other sound profiles are too bass- or treble-heavy to be useful for most listeners.) The active noise cancellation is middle-of-the-road, but the passive noise isolation is minimal, so you’re still likely to hear a lot of higher-pitched noises (such as voices) from your surroundings. In our tests, the microphone had a digital distortion quality and wasn't up to par with those of the competition.

Sennheiser HD 450BT: Sadly, we weren't impressed by the amount of airplane noise this headphone pair was able to reduce, and our testers found the sound quality to be dull and muddy in the lows and tizzy in the highs. Basslines blurred together, and cymbals and strings sounded unnatural. We tried to use Sennheiser's app to adjust the sound using EQ, but we found that the app's adjustments were too broad to be useful for anyone who is looking to tweak the sound in specific places.

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless: If you are already a fan of Sennheiser's Momentum line of headphones and are looking to replace an old or ailing set, you’ll be happy with this latest edition. They’re sleek and comfortable, and they have a few added bells and whistles. For everyone else, though, we found the bass to have a boxy, bloated quality that wasn't fixable using the three clumsy faders available in the app's EQ function. The ANC is decent but unremarkable, and the passive noise isolation is such that the upper range of sounds (like fan whirs) will still leak into your ears.

Shure Aonic 50: While the look of these headphones is luxurious, we were disappointed to discover that the sound quality didn't live up to the build quality. The audio had a dampened, veiled quality, lacking the sparkle and detail in the highs and the crispness in the attack and decay of the bass that we’d want in $400 headphones. The Shure app allows for EQ tweaks, but you have to play music through the app to get the benefit (which isn't helpful if you stream your tracks). And the carrying case is absolutely massive, so it's not ideal when your cargo space is at a premium.

Skullcandy Venue: These headphones had okay noise cancelling, but their sound was thin and piercing.

Sony WH-XB910N: The XB stands for "extra bass," and wow, does this pair have that. Imagine if you lived in a small, studio apartment and had a subwoofer next to your couch, and then you turned it up loudly enough that your neighbors could hear the thumping. The Sony app can help you adjust the balance, but it's not nimble enough, which leaves you with the choice of too much or too little low-note emphasis. In our tests, the noise cancellation was above average, and the hear-through mode was quite good. But seriously, consider these headphones only if you like a ton of bass.

Soundcore Life Q20 and Q20+: The Soundcore Life Q20 is our former budget pick; the Q20+ offers the same design with the added convenience of app-based adjustable EQ and hear-through capabilities for a bit more cash. We like how great the Q20's sound and noise cancellation are for the price, which usually sits around $60 or less. However, we’ve received feedback from readers indicating that the plastic headband isn't sturdy enough to withstand daily use—many folks have commented that their pair cracked at the pivot point where the earcups meet the headband. Soundcore has been good about honoring the warranty, but that's still a hassle that people shouldn't have to deal with. And once your set is out of warranty, and it breaks, you’re out a pair of headphones. If you’re willing to take that risk (and don't mind possibly busting out some tape to hold an earcup in place), the Q20 is fine, but we recommend spending a bit more on a more durable pair.

Soundcore Life Q30: This pair cancels noise relatively well for a pair under $100, but it isn't as effective as our budget pick. Though the app allows adjustments to the sound, in our tests the mids were a little recessed, so we never really found a setting that enabled this pair to sound as clear as the 1More SonoFlow. We do like that the Q30 features pairing via NFC (for Android users) and adjustable relaxing/focus soundscapes. In scanning buyer reviews, however, we found build-quality complaints for this set similar to those for the Q20.

Soundcore Life Q35: If the Soundcore Life Q30 is a small step up from the Q20 and 20+, then the Q35 is a small step up from the Q30. Each version adds a few more features and somewhat better sound but also increases the price. In scanning customer reviews for this model, we found build-quality complaints in which the wear sensor fails and the music pauses randomly, for no reason.

Technics EAH-A800: This over-ear pair is capable of good performance, but getting there requires effort. In our tests, out of the box, the sound quality was marred by a pronounced boost in the upper-lows that made acoustic guitar sound overly resonant and caused male vocals to get lost in tracks with heavy basslines. Though none of the app-based EQ presets could address the balance effectively, we were able to dial in the manual EQ to create a sound that we found enjoyable—but because the sound quality varies based on whether the ANC is turned on or off, you need to readjust it for each setting. The dual hybrid noise cancellation significantly reduces the volume of airplane noise, but the physical sound isolation is less effective at blocking mid- and high-frequency sounds such as voices or traffic. The effect is exacerbated if you have a smaller head, as in that case the larger earcups can gap and allow in more outside noise. Lastly, the control buttons are small and tricky to use by feel, especially for people with larger fingers.

Urbanista Los Angeles: This is the first pair of solar-powered headphones that we’ve tested. We were excited about the idea of potentially infinite battery life, and we hoped that we would love the experience of using this set. Unfortunately, this pair had such tight headband clamping force, in combination with shallow earcups, that wearing it was deeply uncomfortable after only a short time, even for folks with small heads. We were disappointed, but we are encouraged by the technology. We hope to see more (comfortable) solar-powered pairs moving forward.

Urbanista Miami: We appreciate this pair's trendy look and fun colors, and in our tests the ANC was sufficiently effective on airplane noise to be useful. But the earcups were shallow and folded in on our outer ears a bit, a design that could prove uncomfortable for folks with ears that stick out. The headband's tight clamping force also pinched the noggins of our testers with larger hat sizes. Performance-wise, the bass was so blobby and loud in the mix, we felt as if we were sitting next to a subwoofer in a way that made male vocals hard to distinguish.

V-Moda M-200 ANC: Like all things V-Moda, the M-200 ANC headphones are made of metal parts and feel solidly built, and they feature optional ornamental shield customization. But that style comes at a hefty price, as these headphones start at $500. The noise cancellation is quite good, and the V-Moda app allows you to adjust the intensity—but the fit will affect your experience here. In our tests, the headband was a touch long for my face, so the earcups were slightly lower than optimal, which made the ANC less effective for me. This should be a problem only for those with small heads. We heard a jagged boost in the sound that caused vocals to be too forward in the mix, which made singers sound strained or shouty. Though this effect may be fixable through the V-Moda app's EQ settings, at the time of our testing, the app was buggy, and on our iPhone 12 it frequently crashed or got hung up on a spinning loading wheel. Parents will want to use caution, too, as the M-200 headphones get especially loud at max volume.

Wyze Noise Cancelling Headphones: Out of the box, this pair's bass was dull. You can increase low-end loudness via the app's EQ, but the controls are broad and heavy-handed—so adding more bass also muddies male vocals and bass guitar. The noise cancellation is noticeable but largely unimpressive. Folks who value their privacy will be put off by the fact that you must create an email-verified account to use the app.

1More EVO: The ANC was middling, and this pair had limited physical sound isolation. Out of the box, the bass had a mushy quality that was exacerbated when the ANC was on. The EVO set uses the SoundID system to adjust the sound to your preferences, but despite our best attempts, we never were able to get the tuning we wanted. This pair also lacks the ability to control volume or tracks.

1More True Wireless ANC: This previous pick was one of the first pairs of true wireless earbuds to offer decent reduction in the airplane band—enough to be useful on a plane or a subway. The moderate earbud size and the inclusion of six sets of silicone tips (plus three sets of wings) help to ensure a secure fit for a variety of ear sizes and shapes. The sound quality was on the sibilant side in our tests, but folks who prefer an extra boost in the consonant range may not mind this effect too much. If you prefer physical buttons to touch controls, these earbuds may still be worth considering, but newer earbuds have smaller cases and better noise cancellation, so we’ve moved this set here to the Competition section.

Adidas Z.N.E. 01 ANC: Though this pair sounded quite good, the ANC wasn't particularly effective, and the tap controls were prone to miscommunication. In addition, the lengths of the stems and sound tubes don't allow for each earbud to seat deeply in the ear canal, so many folks may find it impossible to get a secure fit.

Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen): The biggest benefit of the second-generation Echo Buds is the ability to access Alexa hands-free. Evaluated sans Alexa, this is an above-average pair of earbuds with only average noise cancellation. Despite the inclusion of stabilizing wings and four pairs of tips, the earbuds themselves might be a little large for smaller ears. The controls are limited, and the five-hour battery life is middling.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation): This is a slightly updated version of the original AirPods Pro pair. This set offers a few neat features for Apple fans, such as the ability to charge the case with your Apple Watch charging cable, but most of the major specs—including six hours of battery life, always-listening Siri voice control, head-tracking spatial audio, and an IPX4 water-resistance rating—are similar to those of the Beats Fit Pro pair, which has a smaller design, a more secure fit, easier-to-use controls, and a lower price. We were initially pleased that Apple added volume controls to the stems, a long-requested feature, but overall the controls of the AirPods Pro earbuds are still frustrating to use compared with the more-straightforward button design on the Beats Fit Pro set. Apple says the new version has "2x the active noise cancellation"; through our measurement process, we determined that this pair reduces double the decibel amount in the same frequency ranges as the previous version. Despite that increase, the AirPods Pro pair isn't nearly as effective as our picks in overall ANC performance. In our tests, the hear-through mode sounded remarkably natural, but that's largely because this pair has vents that allow in some external sounds—as a result, while the hear-through mode is technically limited to a maximum volume of 85 dB, louder sounds can still get in. Watch this video for more details. (In short, it's great for walking past a construction site briefly but not to protect your ears for a longer duration, such as at a concert.) We recommend these earbuds only for people who use Apple devices exclusively and who prioritize the niceties of staying in the Apple ecosystem above all else. Otherwise, you have better options for the money.

Audio-Technica ATH-ANC300TW: This true wireless pair does a decent job of reducing noise. However, the larger earbud chassis shape and a lack of stabilizing wings may make it more challenging for people with petite ears to get a good fit. We found the buttons easy to use for track and volume control, though we couldn't suss out how to activate a digital assistant and saw no mention of that feature in the manual. As for sound quality, the forward bass and spiked treble made drums sound unnatural, as though the impact and resonant aspects were disconnected. On top of that, for sensitive listeners, consonants could become fatiguing over longer listening sessions.

Beats Studio Buds: These earbuds have a small size that should fit most ears well, but because they lack fit-stabilizing wings or hooks, folks with very small ear canals may find that they feel less stable than a pair with added support. The sonic profile is the characteristic hyped Beats sound (with extra emphasis in the highs and lows that can make consonants and basslines pop a touch more forcefully in the mix), which many people find exciting, especially for hip-hop and electronic pop. The Studio Buds offer better-than-average active noise cancellation that is useful for reducing air conditioner or airplane sound but doesn't rival that of our picks. The control buttons are well designed—in our tests, they were generally easy for us to find by feel and to press without painfully mashing the earbuds into our ear canals. But they lack volume control. Unlike other Beats headphones, the Studio Buds are compatible with Android one-touch pairing, in addition to pairing to Apple mobile devices with ease, and they can support the assistants for both mobile operating systems—but this also means there is no "always listening" Siri. The microphone quality was perfectly acceptable but lacked some detail and wind resistance in our tests.

Belkin SoundForm Immerse: This pair has full controls, and its "Find My" compatibility is nice for Apple users. However, in our tests the noise cancellation wasn't all that effective, and the sound quality was unremarkable even after we adjusted the EQ in the app. For this pair's original $180 price, we expect more.

Beyerdynamic Free Byrd: This pricey pair is worth considering only if you have larger ears, as the bigger earbud design and the set's lack of stabilizing wings may leave people with medium or small ears feeling as though the earbuds are slowly being squeezed out. This pair uses a hearing-test-based EQ program in the app to customize the sound, and during our tests we had mixed feelings about the results: Some testers loved the resulting tuning, while others said they wanted to be able to adjust the sound further. The noise cancellation isn't impressive, but the call quality and wind reduction are. For this set's original $300 price, we’d prefer a more superlative experience.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 and PI7: These two pairs of true wireless noise-cancelling earbuds are similar. Both look elegant and are made of high-quality materials. Both feature aptX support, IP56 dust and water resistance, and multiple microphones for clearer phone calls (the PI5 has two in each earbud, and the PI7 has three in each). And both feature the rich, bass-forward sound that Bowers & Wilkins is known for. The PI7 has adaptive noise cancellation and a case that doubles as a Bluetooth transmitter, but in our tests the audio quality via the case transmitter was poor. The onboard controls are touch-based, have the tendency to misfire, and lack volume capabilities. In order to use the hear-through feature, you need to access the app on your phone, which is more cumbersome than taking an earbud out. We were disappointed that such promising earbuds could be ultimately derailed by poor user-interface choices, and our panelist Brent Butterworth agreed.

Cleer Ally Plus II: These true wireless earbuds feature adaptive ANC that is notably effective. However, in our tests the sound quality wasn't the most appealing: Low notes were too forward and bloated, while high pitches had a sizzling quality. Unfortunately, the app-based EQ didn't help us adjust the sound in the necessary ways. We also wish the onboard controls weren't so limited. The 11-hour battery life per charge is impressive, but solid battery life and good noise-reduction performance weren't enough for us to make the Ally Plus II a top pick.

Cleer Roam Sport: Although the stabilizing wings on this pair are pliable and comfortable, the shape of the earbuds is such that several testers (who use medium and large tips) were unable to get the earbuds deep enough into their ears to achieve a seal, which negatively impacted both the active noise cancellation and the sound quality. Even when used with third-party tips that fit our ears properly, the Roam Sport's noise cancellation wasn't exceptional. If the earbuds happen to fit you, the hear-through mode is surprisingly natural, and the sound quality is decent.

Denon AH-C830NCW: The ANC wasn't the strongest attribute of this pair, as we found its effects to be mild. We enjoyed the mid- and low-frequency musical reproduction, but the highs had several distinct peaks that imparted a sizzly quality to recordings. Our voices sounded clear but somewhat distant on calls, so we couldn't use these earbuds to take a call in a place where it was necessary to speak in hushed tones (such as a waiting room or a quiet office).

Dirac Sudio E2: This pair was a total miss. The sound out of the box was bizarre, with a narrow range of bass boosted in a way that caused descending basslines to seem to diminish in volume as they dropped in pitch. When we turned on the Dirac spatial processing, we found the result to be heavy-handed and vaguely incongruous, like riding a 3D amusement-park ride whose effects were slightly out of alignment—for instance, finger snaps that were mixed to be directly in the center kept ping-ponging from one side to another. We admire folks trying something new, but this set wasn't what we hoped it would be.

EarFun Air Pro 3: This true wireless set is acceptable for the original $80 price, but it lacks any one exceptional attribute that would elevate it to pick status. The sound is pretty good, especially if you adjust the EQ in the app. The ANC is decent, but not impressive enough to warrant a recommendation for someone prioritizing noise cancellation. Also, the passive isolation isn't great, so you can't use these to block out voices. The microphones do a good job of picking up your voice and reducing background noise a bit, but everything sounds slightly mushy. The nine-hour battery life per charge and the wireless charging case are nice features, as is the IPX5 water resistance.

EarFun Air Pro SV: This pair's ANC was quite effective, but their physical sound isolation was lacking. Out of the box the sound was especially bass heavy, and the earbuds benefited from some liberal adjustments in the app-based EQ. While we wouldn't describe the balance we achieved as ideal, it was pleasant enough. What definitely impressed us was the noise-reduction microphone processing, which did a wonderful job of identifying when we were speaking and shutting the mic off when we stopped talking, a feature that can be helpful for reducing street noise. However, your caller can still hear background sounds when you are speaking, so the effect is somewhat like listening to segments of cut-up audio. Though the cut-hole case design looks nifty, we question how well it can protect these earbuds from lint or crumbs in a bag or pocket.

EarFun Air S: The active noise cancellation on this pair is quite good. Out of the box, the sound was bass heavy, with a somewhat cheap, tizzy quality to the highs that caused "s" sounds to have a whistle-like quality. We tried adjusting the bass in the EQ, but the highs never quite escaped the coarseness. The hear-through mode was pleasant to use, and the microphone ensured that we were loud and clear to callers, though it added a compressed quality to our voices. We like that the Air S has full controls, but we wish they weren't so frustrating to use—they’re overly sensitive, so the slightest bump or brush can trigger them. If you can get past that annoyance, this is otherwise a good, affordable pair of noise-cancelling earbuds.

EarFun Free Pro 2: These true wireless earbuds are great at noise cancelling and are very comfortable, but overpowering bass and a lispy-sounding hear-through mode make this set less successful as earbuds and more successful as noise-reducing earplugs.

Edifier Neobuds S: Though this pair provides decent, low-frequency active noise cancellation, the controls are both limited and especially frustrating to use. The stems hang down from the ear, so if you have long hair, the microphones can pick up the noise of strands brushing against them. The wide variety of included tips is nice, and the ability to customize the color of the case's glowing LED is fun, but those things don't make up for the flaws.

Google Pixel Buds Pro: These colorful, true wireless earbuds feature ANC, spatial audio, dual-device connectivity, a hear-through mode, and always-listening "Hey Google" capabilities (on Google devices). The earbuds themselves are IPX4 water resistant, and the case is IPX2 rated. The battery life of 11 hours of listening time (up to seven hours with ANC turned on) is impressive for true wireless earbuds. However, the earbud design, while smooth and comfortable in larger ears, is likely to be tricky for people with medium to small ear canals to keep in securely—and the touch-control sensor is easy to activate accidentally when you’re pushing the earbuds back into place. In our tests, the sound was decent, but we found the peak in the cymbal and consonant range to be fatiguing, especially when the volume was turned up a bit. Overall, if you have bigger ears and want to stay in the Google ecosystem, these earbuds are fine but not excellent. One caveat for Google fans: If you have a smart speaker that uses Google Assistant, your "OK/Hey Google" wake word will default to the speaker, not to these earbuds, so you may want to reduce the sensitivity of your smart speaker and be sure to speak with a booming stage voice when you're expecting the speaker to respond.

House of Marley Redemption ANC 2: This true wireless pair has middling noise cancellation, six hours of playtime per charge, IPX5 water resistance, and a useful but somewhat unnatural-sounding hear-through mode. We tried to find a control for play/pause in the manual, but it seems the only way to stop or start music is to take an earbud out of your ear, which is inefficient. The main differentiating characteristic of these earbuds is that they are made with a combination of bamboo and recycled materials and ship in plastic-free, 100% recyclable packaging. We love the environmental effort, but only if the earbuds meet your needs.

Jabra Elite 5: This true wireless pair is a good option for people who take frequent phone and video calls. The fit is super comfortable, the Bluetooth connection is stable, the controls are easy to use, and the microphone quality is excellent. The set's support for Microsoft Swift Pair is a plus for office use, and these earbuds are operating system agnostic, which means you can switch between Apple and Android devices without losing functionality. But the noise cancellation is subpar, and in our tests the male vocal range sounded muffled, which was enough for us to bypass the Elite 5 in favor of our picks.

Jabra Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active: In our tests, both pairs were particularly comfortable on a broad range of ear shapes, the sound quality was great with a little EQ adjustment, and the microphones were clear for phone calls, especially for those with a deeper-pitched voice. (We noticed that high-pitched voices could sound harsh, which may have been due to the microphone sensitivity or the background-noise-reduction software.) But the noise cancellation, though mildly improved after a recent firmware update, was still less than we’d hoped for. When we initially reviewed these headphones, we had some concerns about their spotty connectivity and ANC effectiveness. Following the firmware update, we retested them to see if the changes resulted in better performance, and the update seemed to address the stutters and dropped calls that had given us pause during our first round of testing. As with many Bluetooth headphones, dual-device connectivity can still cause some hiccups, especially when you’re using these earbuds for app-based video meetings such as in Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. You can resolve many of the issues if you adjust the settings in those apps, but the problems are nonetheless frustrating and worth mentioning.

Jabra Elite 85t: These earbuds offer a lot to like. They’re very small and comfortable, with easy-to-use controls. They have adjustable noise cancellation (including variation between each ear), fantastic wind-resistant microphones for clear calls, IPX4 water resistance, a six-hour battery life, a useful hear-through mode, an especially small charging case that's Qi compatible, and a two-year warranty. However, this pair isn't as good at reducing noise as our picks, and the included tips run on the smaller side, so Brent (who has larger ear canals) couldn't get a seal at all. If the tips were a standard shape, we might not call this a dealbreaker, but the sound tube and tips are an unusual oblong shape that may make it difficult to find larger replacement tips.

JLab Epic Air ANC: This pair fits pretty comfortably and comes with six pairs of ear tips, which should help most folks get a good seal. We were also impressed with the 12-hour battery life. The noise cancellation is successful enough to be useful in reducing air-conditioner or airplane noise, but otherwise the Epic Air ANC set offers a middle-of-the-road experience. The tap-based controls are customizable, but you need to choose three for each ear, which means excluding at least one important control (ANC on/off, volume, track reverse). Though the app allows you to adjust the EQ, the adjustments are tricky—and in our tests, the sound still added a coarse quality to high frequencies, even after we made EQ adjustments.

JLab Epic Air Sport ANC: The overall design felt comfortable to wear, and we like the case's built-in USB cable. The active noise cancellation is mild, but it cuts down the sound of low hums like that of an air conditioner. In our tests, the sound quality on the primary EQ setting was bass heavy but not terribly so, and we could still hear male vocals clearly enough on bass-intense songs; the app has EQ that can balance out the lows, if you take the time to adjust it. The claimed 11 to 15 hours of battery life is quite impressive. The only real issue we had was with the tap-based controls, which were rather fussy—for example, when we meant to adjust the volume, we instead paused the music. In the middle of a workout, this type of thing could be frustrating. But if you don't plan on using the controls frequently, this pair is otherwise a decent option.

KEF Mu3: The Mu3 is one of the best-sounding pairs of true wireless earbuds we’ve tested, but the noise cancellation is mild. Though you’re likely to notice a small reduction in volume in the airplane band, the overall effect is middle-of-the-road and feels like an afterthought rather than a key feature. You can read more about this pair in our wireless Bluetooth earbuds guide.

Lypertek PurePlay Z5: Although the PurePlay Z5 isn't quite as superb as our top picks, it's still a solid pair of earbuds. The ANC was effective, on a par with that of the Beats Fit Pro. We appreciated the wide array of ear-tip shapes and sizes that were included in the box. Although the bass was a bit more forward and the highs were a touch coarse compared with what we heard from our top options, we recognize that many people may not find such results objectionable. Our biggest concern involved the very sensitive touch controls, which could easily miss a tap especially if the wearer had long hair in the way.

Master & Dynamic MW08: These true wireless earbuds offer stellar build quality, with an earbud chassis made from ceramic and stainless steel and a small but weighty metal charging case. The noise cancellation on the "max" setting is quite effective on low-frequency sounds, but those who are prone to eardrum suck may prefer the less-intense "all day ANC" mode. The battery life of 10 hours per charge is impressive, as is the fast-charge feature, which powers both the earbuds and case from 0% to 50% capacity after just 15 minutes plugged in. The physical buttons are easy to understand and activate, though folks with large fingers may struggle a bit with the teeny volume toggle. The sound quality was excellent in our tests, but because these are $300 earbuds, we feel the need to quibble, as their overemphasis on both bass notes and high frequencies was fun but didn't sound fully authentic. The soundstage was less three-dimensional than we prefer in premium headphones, too. Though the microphones handled calls clearly and reduced background noise and wind noise well, we prefer some sidetone to help us avoid the urge to speak too loudly. But if money isn't a concern and you like the luxurious look, you’ll be happy with the MW08 pair.

Monoprice Horizon ANC: Though this pair produced better-than-average noise cancellation, it didn't perform as well as the Soundcore Space A40 in our tests. The sound was a little coarse, with detail missing in the highs and bass notes that lacked definition. The hear-through mode sounded muffled and provided only a small improvement over just turning the noise cancelling off.

Motorola Moto Buds S ANC: This pair offered middle-of-the-road performance in all aspects. The noise cancellation took the edge off but wasn't astounding. Music playback lacked low-frequency support. The tap controls didn't always register double-taps, and as a result we frequently made music play when we meant to toggle the ANC.

Nothing Ear 1: These earbuds sport a futuristic look, and their active noise cancellation is quite good, but in our tests the sound was less impressive. Despite the availability of a handful of EQ options, the bass notes in our tests had a mushy quality, lacking definition and clarity, and the highs had a jagged frequency response that caused every "s" to sound as though it were coming from between cupped hands. The microphones were very good at reducing wind noise for callers, but we wished we had an option for sidetone. Though the Ear 1 has volume, play/pause, skip, and ANC/transparency toggle controls, we missed having track-reverse and digital-assistant call-up.

OnePlus Buds Pro: If you have a OnePlus phone, you may like this pair for the "Hey Melody" functionality. We found the fit to be comfortable. The ANC was good, though like many earbuds that lack strong physical sound isolation, this pair still allowed higher-pitched sounds to come through. If you need to focus, the app provides multiple white-noise sounds that you can preload, such as before a flight. We listened to both the standard sound profile and the one suggested by the One Plus Audio ID hearing test; both had extra bass, and we wished we had a manual EQ option to split the difference between the two high-frequency profiles. That said, both profiles were pleasant, if not 100% authentic-sounding. The squeeze controls can be a little finicky when you need to triple- or double-squeeze them. Overall, this pair isn't a favorite of ours, but we can recommend it for OnePlus fans.

OnePlus Buds Z2: This is a decent pair of earbuds. In our tests, the noise cancellation was reasonably effective, but the controls were limited, and the bass frequencies in music were overemphasized in a way that made male vocals sound recessed. These aren't massive flaws, but in a competitive field, they’re enough to keep these headphones from being a top pick.

Phiaton BonoBuds: Although the ANC was quite good in our tests, this pair has other flaws. The earbuds, though lightweight, are a bulbous bean shape that would benefit from some extra stabilization to hold them securely in small ears. The entire outer surface of the earbud hosts touch controls, so adjusting the fit or inserting or removing the earbuds can trigger music playback and/or ANC. In our tests the musical tuning had quite a lot of low-frequency boost, prompting bass notes to sound as if they were being played through a massive car subwoofer just outside. It doesn't lose clarity in the other frequencies, but it has a boomy, distant quality that may not appeal to everyone.

Raycon The Work Earbuds: These are middle-of-the-road earbuds. In our tests, every EQ setting was flawed, but we found the "balanced" setting to be the most enjoyable, though still overly bloated and blurry in the bass frequencies. The touch controls can be a little fussy, and calling up your digital assistant requires four presses, which can feel a tad excessive. The hear-through function was pretty good, and the noise cancellation performed effectively on sustained low-frequency noises, but because the silicone tips don't isolate very well, you’re likely to hear voices and higher-pitched sounds rather clearly. If that bothers you, Raycon includes three pairs of foam tips, which are more effective. The microphone is not wind resistant and is not as clear as that of a phone, but it works well enough in a quiet room.

RHA True Control ANC: We love the abundance of eartips included (10 pairs!), as well as this set's three-year warranty. But the earbuds themselves are so thick that only those who have the largest of ears will find them comfortable. Two of our testers said their ears were aching after only a brief listening session. Additionally, the touch controls are sensitive, so as you try to adjust the fit, you’re likely to play or pause your music. Out of the box, the sound quality was warm, and although we would’ve liked a touch more sparkle on higher frequencies to balance out the mildly emphasized lows, that's a minor concern. EQ settings are available through the app, but we found all of them too extreme to be pleasant. The ANC does make a dent in the airplane band, but overall the ANC isn't a standout.

Samsung Galaxy Buds2: These earbuds fit comfortably and securely. Out of the box, the sound was pretty good but a little dull. Unfortunately the EQ was heavy-handed and wasn't able to address the lack of detail in the highs. We wish this pair had more controls, and we’re also disappointed that you have to download a separate app on Galaxy phones; usually, seamless connectivity is the entire reason to buy earbuds in the same ecosystem as your mobile device.

Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro: If this pair were to cost $180 or less, we might be inclined to recommend it. But at the original $230 price, things get complicated. The fit is comfortable, the case is adorably small, and the sound is flawed but still pleasant. However, the noise cancellation is significantly less successful than we expect at this price. The Buds2 Pro pair doesn't offer dual-device multipoint connectivity. The touch controls are easy to inadvertently activate when you’re adjusting the earbuds in your ears. And the voice-activated hear-through mode isn't as seamless as that of the Sony Linkbuds S or WF-1000XM4. Samsung tosses a lot of little extras into the Galaxy Buds2 Pro, such as a reminder to sit up if you’re slouching, but they aren't useful enough for us to ignore the ways in which this pair falls short.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3: This true wireless pair doesn't do anything particularly poorly, but it doesn't do anything particularly well, either. We appreciated the full suite of touch-based controls, the ANC was effective, and the hear-through mode sounded natural enough to leave on for awareness. The microphones sounded compressed but clear over our test phone calls, but because the Momentum 3 set lacks sidetone, you may find yourself fighting the urge to talk too loudly. If you already appreciate Sennheiser's Momentum tuning, you’ll like the sound of this pair. The bass is broadly boosted, giving low notes a quality that fans call immersive but detractors find blurry. In our tests, while the highs had a few notable spikes that made vocals easier to understand, this pair also added a whistle-like quality to "s" sounds and a sizzling aspect to snare hits. Though the app offers manual EQ, presets, and a sound-adjustment test, the adjustments consist of three clunky faders that lack the nuance to make changes in a way that audio fans would find meaningful. The earbuds don't fit securely enough to handle high-impact movements, and the cube shape is likely to pose a fit issue for small ears. Those with large ears may also want to buy extra-large third-party tips, as the included tips may not seal large canals. Sennheiser fans may like this pair, but for most other folks, this set isn't compelling enough to merit its original $250 price.

Skullcandy Indy ANC: The tap controls have a serious learning curve, and the sensor is small enough that it's easy to miss if you’re trying to tap while in motion. That might seem like no big deal, but when you have to activate different actions through triple- and double-taps, it's really annoying to have one tap not register. In our tests, the hear-through mode was fine for having a conversation but sounded very compressed. Music sounded especially bass forward, even after we completed the app-based hearing test that adjusts the EQ. The noise cancellation was effective enough to be helpful but no match for our top picks’ performance in that regard.

Sony WF-1000XM4 and Sony LinkBuds S: These two sets of true wireless earbuds are worth discussing together because they share a lot of similar features, including always-listening Alexa and Google Assistant control and a speak-to-enable hear-through mode. What differentiates these two models (aside from price) is that the WF-1000XM4 provides wireless charging and a longer, eight-hour battery life, but due to its bulbous and sizable design, that pair is less comfortable to wear long-term. The LinkBuds S set, in contrast, is smaller and lighter, with an earbud shape that is more universal, but this pair has a shorter, six-hour battery life and is less successful than the WF-1000XM4 set at isolating noise. We decided not to make the WF-1000XM4 a pick because the earbuds’ large size makes them cumbersome to wear, and the package's lack of included extra-large tips means that both smaller and larger ears may find these earbuds a challenge to wear comfortably. The LinkBuds S pair suffers from middling noise cancellation, isolation, and sound quality, which together make its original $200 price seem steep. However, if you find either of these earbuds on sale and want a speak-to-enable hear-through mode, they’re both solid choices.

Sony WF-SP800N: The nine-hour battery life is impressive, but the earbuds are large and can feel a bit unstable, especially if you plan to wear them for their intended use, while working out. Although the controls are customizable, you can have only two button actions activated at one time, so you’re forced to choose from volume, track controls, digital-assistant activation, and ANC on/off. In our tests, the sound out of the box was quite good, and the noise cancelling was useful for reducing loud fan-like noises, but the interface and fit were enough to give us pause, and we elected not to make this pair a pick.

Soul Emotion Pro: These earbuds fit comfortably in part because of the seven pairs of included tips. The hear-through mode sounded more natural than that of many competitors. However, the noise cancellation was only so-so, and the low frequencies were boosted too broadly. The sound had an echo-like quality even with acoustic guitar, and we were unable to adequately adjust it in the app-based EQ.

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro: This pair has a lot of fantastic features, so we were especially disappointed when certain aspects fell short. The ANC was quite effective, the wind-noise reduction was impressive in our tests, and the light-up case is honestly cool. We initially liked the stabilizing wings because the earbuds felt very secure, but after an hour of wear, our ears began to ache. This pair fell short of our picks in sound quality, as it produced a sibilant edge to vocals that EQ couldn't remove. And though this set offers dual-device connectivity, we found that enabling the feature led to an excessive amount of connection stuttering. A good many of these flaws could be fixed by firmware, so if Soundcore makes improvements, we’re open to reevaluation.

Soundcore Liberty 4: This true wireless pair has controls on the stem that you squeeze to activate (just as on the AirPods Pro). We aren't fans of that design, mostly because squeezing the stem can dislodge the earbud from your ear canal—additionally, if you use the stem to push the loosened earbuds back in place, you accidentally activate the control. The fit is comfortable, but larger ears may need bigger tips than the ones provided in order to get a seal, and in our tests the earbuds didn't feel secure enough for vigorous workouts. This pair has a built-in heart-rate monitor, which could be good if you’re new to getting up and moving, but the digital coaching feature is like the TikTok lady telling you to go take a brisk walk for three minutes.

Soundcore Life P3: This pair is a mix of pros and cons. They sounded quite good for true wireless earbuds under $80. Out of the box, the highs in our tests were sibilant, but you can adjust that kind of thing using the equalizer tool in the Soundcore app. However, the limited controls are a bummer. Though the microphones handle wind noise relatively well, your voice is likely to sound compressed to your conversation partner. We found the fit to be comfortable, but this pair didn't feel as secure as it might with optional stabilizing wings.

Technics EAH-AZ60: The larger earbuds make this pair tougher to keep in place for smaller ears. The sound was good, but the bass notes had a slightly resonant quality that we couldn't get rid of with EQ, and similarly we weren't able to reduce the spike in the 7 kHz to 8 kHz range that added an overemphasized sibilance to strings and vocals. The noise cancellation was very effective, as was the wind reduction for the microphone. If this pair fits you and you don't mind slightly finicky touch controls, the EAH-AZ60 is a solid pair of earbuds.

Tribit FlyBuds NC: If noise cancellation is your priority, these aren't your earbuds. The ANC is so mild, it's really not helpful.

UGreen HiTune T3: Although the noise cancellation does reduce some lower-frequency sounds, the earbud design isn't very isolating, and as such, you’re still able to hear a good bit of what's going on around you. In our tests, the sound quality consisted of coarse, clicking highs and muddy mids that caused the acoustic guitar to sound as if it had been recorded too closely in an echoing stairwell. The touch controls can be fussy, and the stems on the earbuds are longer than those on similar-shaped competitors.

Urbanista London: The noise cancellation is effective only on very low frequencies, and because the earbuds don't isolate well, you get a good bit of intrusion from higher frequencies such as voices and leaf blowers. The tap controls are finicky, and in our tests the sound quality was dull and muffled, as though someone had thrown a blanket over a speaker.

Urbanista Phoenix: The most noteworthy aspect of this pair is the case, which can be charged via solar energy. However, the case is massive (the size of a deck of cards), and you need to leave it out in the sun for extended periods for it to charge in a meaningful way. Meaningful here means a gain of 1% battery after an hour in the sun. Though the case technically will charge if left directly under a light (like, 1 inch away from the bulb), the charge time is even slower and blocks your light source. If the earbuds were excellent, we might give these a nod simply for innovation. But the sound is bass-forward, with cheap-sounding highs and recessed vocals, and the ANC is middling.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.

Brent Butterworth, How Much Noise Do Your Headphones Really Block?, SoundStage Solo, June 1, 2018

Brent Butterworth, Can Headphone Measurements Get Better?, SoundStage Xperience, April 1, 2017

Lauren Dragan

Lauren Dragan is a senior staff writer and has tested over 1,000 headphones for Wirecutter. She has a BA from Ithaca College in music performance and audio production. She's been featured in Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, and more. Additionally, she's a voice actor whose work includes projects for Disney and Mattel.

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