Life is stuffed with robust decisions. However selecting the best over-the-ear headphones should not be one among them.
Some folks could favor earbuds, however for individuals who desire a good pair of over-the-ear headphones, we have got an inventory of nice choices.
Whether or not you are in search of a wi-fi or wired mannequin, over-the-ear fashions supply the trifecta of sound high quality, consolation and magnificence. And most wi-fi headphones additionally include an attachable cable, supplying you with extra flexibility if it’s good to join them up often. Many even have noise-canceling options too, which will be nice for folks with sound and sensory sensitivities.
Here is a take a look at the perfect headphones that go over your ears (they’re additionally typically known as “around-the-ear” headphones). When making my picks, I thought of components resembling construct high quality, consolation and sound high quality, in addition to noise-canceling and voice-calling efficiency.
This record is usually up to date as extra over-ear headphones hit the market. Here is what I added in my most up-to-date replace: the WH-1000XM5, Edifier W820NB, Edifier Stax Spirit S3 and Technics EAH-A800. The Sennheiser Momentum Wi-fi 3 was dropped from the record as a result of the Momentum Wi-fi 4 is scheduled to be launched within the subsequent few months.
Learn extra: Greatest Headphones for 2023: Our Prime General Picks
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 20 hours
Noise Canceling
Sure (ANC)
Multipoint
No
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
Sure, they’re costly, however the AirPods Max ship richer, extra detailed sound than lower-priced rivals from Bose and Sony. Additionally they characteristic arguably the perfect noise cancellation available on the market, together with premium construct high quality and Apple’s digital surround-sound spatial audio characteristic for video watching. Whereas they’re heavy, they handle to be surprisingly comfy, although I did have to regulate the mesh cover headband to take a seat a bit extra ahead on my head to get a snug safe match once I was out strolling with them. They need to match most heads effectively, however there can be exceptions.
Learn our Apple AirPods Max overview.
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 32 hours
Noise Canceling
Sure (ANC)
Multipoint
Sure
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
When you may have a product that lots of people love, change will be dangerous. Such is the case for Sony’s WH-1000XM5, the fifth era of the 1000X collection headphones, which have been first launched in 2016 because the MDR-1000X Wi-fi and have change into more and more in style as they’ve improved with every era. Through the years, Sony has made some tweaks to the design, however nothing as dramatic as what it is completed with the WH-1000XM5. Aside from the upper $400 price ticket ($50 greater than the WH-1000XM4), most of these adjustments are good, and Sony’s made some dramatic enhancements with voice-calling efficiency in addition to even higher noise canceling and extra refined sound.
Learn our Sony WH-1000XM5 overview.
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 60 hours
Noise Canceling
Sure (ANC)
Multipoint
Sure
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
Premium noise-canceling headphones are likely to price greater than $300. However what in case you’re on a good finances — what’s your only option for noise-canceling over-ear headphones?
So far as sound, consolation degree and construct high quality, you would be hard-pressed to do higher than Anker’s SoundCore Life Q30 for the cash. They do not fairly have the identical readability or bass definition as a few of the prime premium fashions, however they’re lower than a 3rd of the value and get you about 75% of the way in which there by way of sound: It is well-balanced total with punchy bass, and there is an app that permits you to tweak the sound. The noise canceling is sweet for the value, although lower than the extent of the Sony WH-1000XM4 or Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Battery life is rated at a powerful 40 hours with USB-C charging.
The one space the place the Q30 headphones fall a bit quick is voice calls. They decide up your voice high quality in quieter environments, however they simply do not scale back background noise all that effectively.
In contrast with the step-down Q20, the Q30 headphones do supply improved sound (it is not an enormous distinction, however it undoubtedly is a notch up) and a extra premium design.
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 30 hours
Noise Canceling
Sure
Multipoint
Sure
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
Sony has launched its new WH-1000XM5, however the WH-1000XM4 stay on sale. Whereas I favor the WH-1000XM5 — they’re a bit extra comfy, have improved noise canceling, extra refined sound and considerably higher voice-calling efficiency — the WH-1000XM4 are nonetheless nice headphones and a few folks could favor their barely extra energetic sound and the way they fold up right into a smaller case than that of the WH-1000M5. Additionally they price much less and we must always see some good reductions on them going ahead.
Learn our Sony WH-1000XM4 overview.
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Battery Life
NA
Noise Canceling
No
Multipoint
No
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wired headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
We have been followers of Beyerdynamic’s earlier DT 770 Professional headphones. The brand new DT 700 X is simpler to drive than the 770 Professional, due to the corporate’s new STELLAR.45 sound transducer with an impedance of 48 ohms, so it performs higher with smartphones, tablets and laptops with out requiring a headphone amp.
The headphone is focused at content material creators who need correct audio replica, however it is a bit extra dynamic sounding and fewer bass shy than many studio headphones, which are likely to restrain the bass and hew towards a really impartial sound profile. The DT 700 X is a revealing, clean-sounding headphone that gives invitingly open sound (notably for a closed-back headphone) and makes you notice what you are lacking after listening to equally priced Bluetooth headphones.
Not like the sooner DT 770 Professional, which is being bought at a pleasant low cost (round $160), the DT 700 X comes with two interchangeable (removable) straight cables in several lengths, and the DT 700 X arguably has a bit cleaner look than its predecessor.
The solidly constructed headphone — it weighs 350 grams — is kind of comfy, that includes upgraded gentle, velour-covered reminiscence foam earpads that supply respectable passive noise isolation. The earpads and the headphones’ different components are replaceable, Beyerdynamic says.
Beyerdynamic additionally sells the open-back DT 900 X for a similar value. That mannequin ought to present barely extra open, ethereal sound however the massive downside is folks round you possibly can hear no matter you are listening to — and sound additionally leaks in. This closed-back model is extra versatile.
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 25 hours
Multipoint
Sure
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
The Bose QuietComfort 45 primarily appears the identical as its in style predecessor, the QuietComfort 35 II, with the largest design distinction being a USB-C port rather than the older Micro-USB. (At 238 grams, the QC45 weighs simply 3 grams greater than the QC35, which must be imperceptible.) And whereas the Bose 700 have loads of followers, lots of people (together with me assume this QuietComfort design is barely extra comfy and the headphones fold up and fold flat. It is arguably probably the most comfy pair of headphones on the market.
Additionally they sound similar to the QC 35 II, with no change to the drivers. The place you will see an enchancment is with the noise cancellation (there is a transparency mode), which very effectively may very well be the perfect out proper now. In line with Bose, there is a new electronics bundle that powers the brand new ANC system, which now higher muffles “undesirable sounds within the midrange frequencies” (voices) that you simply’d “sometimes discover on commuter trains, busy workplace areas and cafes.”
I discovered that to be true and provides these the slight edge over each the Headphones 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4 for noise canceling. That stated, you possibly can’t modify the extent of noise canceling like you possibly can with these fashions, which provide a extra strong characteristic set, notably the Sony. You can also’t tweak the sound within the app; there isn’t any equalizer settings.
The headset efficiency has additionally improved, with higher noise discount throughout calls. And these supply multipoint Bluetooth pairing. Meaning you possibly can pair the QC45 with two gadgets concurrently — resembling a smartphone and PC — and swap audio as wanted. They’re outfitted with Bluetooth 5.1 and assist the extensively appropriate AAC audio codec however not AptX.
Whereas these have benefits over the Headphones 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4 and do sound fairly good, these fashions sound barely higher: The 700 is barely extra pure sounding and tuned extra for audiophiles, whereas the Sony has extra dynamic bass. In order that makes selecting between these three fashions that rather more troublesome.
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Edifier makes some good headphones and earbuds that supply good high quality to your greenback. And whereas its Stax Spirit S3 is fairly dear at $400, it is primarily a worth model of a high-end audiophile headphone. It options planar-magnetic drivers (with Audeze elements) that ship clear, clear, distortion-free sound. Although these aren’t noise-canceling headphones, they’re wi-fi and are licensed as hi-res. You can even use them as wired headphones, although it’s possible you’ll wish to pair them with a headphone amp in wired mode.
I discovered them comfy to put on, they usually’re comparatively compact and fairly weighted (329 grams) for planar magnetic headphones. Battery life is superb at as much as 80 hours of listening time at average quantity ranges, and these do have multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you possibly can concurrently join them to 2 gadgets (resembling a smartphone and a pc). They’re additionally respectable for making calls and include an extra set of “cooling-mesh” ear pads for out of doors use in hotter environments.
These are constructed on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon audio platform and assist its aptX Adaptive audio codec (together with SBC however alas, not AAC), which is able to delivering close to lossless audio in case you stream from an aptX-compatible Android gadget or devoted music participant and subscribe to a music service resembling Qobuz or Tidal that gives high-resolution tracks. Sure smartphones at the moment are licensed for Snapdragon Audio, which merely means you are getting the perfect end-to-end Qualcomm resolution for wi-fi Bluetooth streaming. I examined these headphones with the Motorola Edge Plus 2022 smartphone, which options Snapdragon Audio. How a lot of a distinction it made is debatable, however total I used to be impressed with the sound, although sound does fluctuate with the recording high quality of sure tracks (the headphones are revealing, typically an excessive amount of so).
Planar magnetic headphones are identified for delivering detailed sound with well-defined bass and clear, natural-sounding mids (the place voices dwell). These have a balanced, flatter sound profile and whereas the bass is punchy and ample, it is not fairly as meaty as what you get with some headphones like Apple’s AirPods Max or Sony’s WH-1000XM5. However they sound actually good. And whereas they’re lacking some options, like ear-detection sensors that routinely pause your music while you take the headphones off, and a customizable EQ (you solely get a number of presets together with a low-latency gaming mode), you are finally shopping for these for his or her audio high quality.
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 50 hours
Noise Canceling
Sure (ANC)
Multipoint
Sure
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
There is a little bit of an old-school vibe to the Technics EAH-A800 — and it is not simply the Technics model, which Panasonic resurrected in the previous few years. Their design is one thing of a throwback however the headphones are comfy and each fold up and fold flat. They characteristic a giant, energetic sound with highly effective bass and good element. Nonetheless, they take a day or two to interrupt in.
They characteristic ear-detection sensors that routinely pause your music while you take the headphones off, in addition to multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you possibly can join them to 2 gadgets on the identical time like a pc and smartphone. Moreover, they’ve assist for Sony’s close to lossless LDAC audio codec for Bluetooth streaming that is accessible on sure Android gadgets. I primarily listened to those headphones with an Android gadget and the Qobuz music service, which presents high-resolution tracks. That setup presents the very best wi-fi sound high quality.
The headphones can be found in black and silver, and in accordance with Panasonic, can ship as much as 50 hours of battery life at average quantity with ANC on. That is wonderful. The EAH-A800 additionally works effectively as a headset for making calls, with eight onboard microphones for noise discount and voice pickup.
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 35 hours
Noise Canceling
Sure (ANC)
Multipoint
Sure
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay HX headphones are the successor to the corporate’s H9 collection headphones (the X is the Roman numeral 10) and, like these earlier H9 fashions, the HX headphones carry an inventory value of $500 (some colours are discounted at Amazon). That value makes it a direct competitor of Apple’s AirPods Max, that are heavier at 385 grams versus the HX’s 285 grams. I do not know if the HX headphones are extra comfy than the AirPods Max, however I discovered the 2 fashions fairly equal within the consolation division over longer listening classes, and these do characteristic the same old swanky B&O lambskin-covered reminiscence foam earpads.
The HX has customized 40mm drivers, Bluetooth 5.1 and assist for Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive (that features AptX HD) for high-resolution wi-fi streaming while you mix an aptX-enabled Android gadget with sure music-streaming companies like Qobuz.
Their sound measures up effectively to the AirPods Max’s sound, total well-balanced, with deep, well-defined bass, natural-sounding mids (the place vocals dwell) and alluring element within the treble. If you wish to push the treble or bass, you possibly can tweak the EQ within the Bang & Olufsen app for iOS and Android and provides the headphones a hotter or brighter profile.
Whereas these are costly, they provide extra correct sound than the Sony WH-1000XM4. Their noise canceling can be superb and voice-calling capabilities are additionally fairly strong. Moreover, they provide multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you possibly can join them with a smartphone and PC concurrently (Microsoft Swift Pair-enabled for Home windows machines) so you possibly can simply swap between the 2. (The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones even have this characteristic.) Battery life is rated at as much as 35 hours with noise canceling on and 40 hours with it off. These are wonderful numbers.
Earlier Bang & Olufsen fashions included a gentle case (a pouch actually), however the HX headphones include a tough case. As I stated, they’re costly, however the small enhancements over earlier flagship Bang & Olufsen noise-canceling headphones assist make the HX headphones a worthy different to the AirPods Max.
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Battery Life
Rated As much as 49 Hours
Noise Canceling
Sure (ANC)
Multipoint
No
Headphone Sort
Over-Ear Wi-fi Headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP Ranking
Edifier makes some good-sounding PC audio system and true-wireless earbuds, and it is completed a pleasant job with its W820NB noise-canceling headphones. The very first thing you will discover about them while you put them on is that they are comfy — the earpads are properly cushioned and the headphones match snugly in your head. Additionally they sound good for his or her value, providing simply sufficient readability and respectable bass efficiency. Their sound did not blow me away, however I used to be high quality listening to those headphones for some time; they sound fairly nice.
There’s additionally an ambient mode that lets exterior sound in and a low-latency gaming mode. They’re respectable sufficient for voice calling and battery life is fairly spectacular, with as much as 49 hours on a single cost at average quantity ranges (and noise canceling off).
A few issues are lacking. There is not any carrying case or headphone jack — they’re Bluetooth solely. However the 820NB headphones are nonetheless a very good worth.
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Battery Life
NA
Noise Canceling
No
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wired headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
Launched manner again in 1991, the Sony MDR-7506 has lengthy been a favourite headphone of recording engineers and different sound professionals (sure, these are wired headphones). The origins of its design date even additional again, because the MDR-7506 headphones are, in actual fact, a refresh of the Sony MDR-V6 that rolled out in 1985. Each fashions have been designed for the professional sound market, however stay vastly in style with shoppers.
Whereas the 2 fashions have the identical design and are very comfy, they do not sound similar. Each supply very well-balanced sound and wonderful readability for his or her modest costs — and each are nice total values. However the MDR-V6 headphones make a bit extra bass and sound extra laid-back and mellow, whereas the 7506 headphones are leaner with a extra accentuated treble vary, which makes the sound a bit crisper and livelier.
Learn our Sony MDR-7506 overview.
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Sarah Tew
Battery Life
NA
Noise Canceling
No
Multipoint
No
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wired headphones (listed as on-ear)
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
Grado has upgraded its entry-level line of Status Sequence wired headphones for 2022. Hand-built, the road consists of the SR60x, SR80x, SR125x, SR225x and SR325x, they usually’re all superb at their varied costs. Arguably, nevertheless, the $225 SR225x headphones hit the candy spot in case you’re in search of open-back audiophile-grade headphones that will not price you an arm and a leg.
This up to date mannequin includes a extra sturdy eight-conductor cable infused with “tremendous annealed” copper for “improved purity of the audio sign,” a extra comfy headband design and up to date fourth-generation 44mm drivers that additional minimize down on distortion and are additionally extra energy-efficient, making them simpler to drive. I not solely used these headphones with an exterior headphone amplifier hooked up to my laptop however with an iPhone utilizing a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter. They’d loads of quantity when related on to the iPhone.
Open-back headphones are supposed to provide extra open sound and these just do that, with highly effective, managed bass and pure, warm-sounding mids (the place vocals dwell) together with wonderful total readability. Stepping as much as the SRS325x ought to provide you with a bit bit extra bass vitality, however you are not a giant bounce in sound high quality. As with all open-back headphones, these do leak some sound, so folks round you possibly can hear what you are listening to.
These headphones have semisoft foam earpads that, while you first put them on, you would not assume could be that comfy over longer listening classes. However they find yourself being extra comfy than you’d anticipate and the brand new headband design does assist in that division. For entry-level audiophile-grade headphones that price lower than $250, it is arduous to do higher than the SR225x.
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 24 hours
Noise Canceling
No
Multipoint
No
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
Sure (IPX5 — safety in opposition to low-pressure water streams)
Some folks, notably weightlifters, prefer to work out in full-size headphones, and the BackBeat Match 6100 over-the-ear wi-fi headphones are a really strong alternative for each the gymnasium and on a regular basis use. They’ve an adjustable sport-fit headband, an IPX5-rated water resistant and sweat-proof design, 40mm angled drivers and noise-isolating earcups with an “Consciousness” mode. Battery life is rated at 24 hours. The sound high quality is kind of good and the headphones keep in your head securely — you possibly can modify the stress within the headband, which is revolutionary and best for train headphones.
Word that Plantronics has discontinued its complete BackBeat headphones line, so this mannequin ought to drift out of the market by yr’s finish. It began out at $180 and now prices half that and often even much less.
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V-Moda’s M-200 are one of many few wired headphones on this record. Launched in late 2019, these clear and detailed sounding over-ear headphones have wonderful bass response, and the comfortable earcups imply they’re additionally comfy to put on. That includes 50mm drivers with neodymium magnets, CCAW voice coils and fine-tuning by Roland engineers — sure, V-Moda is now owned by Roland — the M‑200 is Hello‑Res Audio-certified by the Japan Audio Society. Different V-Moda headphones are likely to push the bass a bit, however this set has the extra impartial profile that you simply’d anticipate from studio monitor headphones. They arrive with two cords, one among which has a built-in microphone for making calls. It might be good if V-Moda provided Lightning or USB-C cables for telephones with out headphone jacks.
Word that final yr V-Moda launched the M-200 ANC ($500), a wi-fi model of those headphones that features energetic noise canceling. Additionally they sound nice, however their noise cancellation, name high quality and total characteristic set do not match these of the AirPods Max.
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The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 have been out some time however are nonetheless probably the greatest over-ear noise canceling headphones, with wonderful sound, noise cancellation and top-notch headset efficiency for voice calls. Bose’s newer QuietComfort 45 headphones in all probability have the slight edge by way of consolation and supply a tad higher noise canceling, however the Headphones 700 arguably sound a bit higher with barely extra refined sound.
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Battery Life
Rated as much as 50 hours
Noise Canceling
Sure (ANC)
Multipoint
Sure
Headphone Sort
Over-ear wi-fi headphones
Water-Resistant
No IP ranking
JBL’s Tour One are the corporate’s 2021 flagship noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones they usually’re superb. Not solely are they comfy to put on, with properly padded earcups and a comparatively mild design, however in addition they ship robust sound high quality. The bass is punchy, there’s good readability and the headphones have a fairly vast soundstage. I additionally just like the contact controls, and the adaptive noise canceling is strong and so too is headset efficiency for voice calling. Battery life is rated at 25 hours with noise cancellation on and as much as 50 hours with it off.
In numerous methods, notably their design (and sound, to a level), the Tour One headphones are fairly much like the Sony WH-1000XM4. Even their instances look alike. However the Tour One mannequin is not fairly pretty much as good because the WH-1000XM4 and is lacking a few the WH-1000XM4’s options, together with multipoint Bluetooth pairing.
Is it ‘noise canceling’ or ‘noise cancelling’?
Brief reply: each. Both spelling is right, as “canceling” is extra frequent in American English, whereas “cancelling” is extra frequent in British English. CNET makes use of “noise canceling” because the firm is predicated within the US, however the noise is canceled simply the identical, no matter spelling. Should you’re trying to see what completely different noise-impacting expertise is on the market for headphones, try our article on noise-canceling versus noise-isolating headphones, which highlights variations in operate (and never only a distinction in spelling).