Good active noise-canceling headphones will take your music (movie, podcast, or audiobook) to the next level of listening experience. Blocking out loud outside noises and ambient sounds allows you to focus on what you are listening to and turn off the rest.
It doesn’t matter if you plan to use them at home or take them with you on the road; wireless active noise canceling (ANC) headphones are indispensable for music lovers, passengers, travelers, or office workers, especially when you are no longer distracted by ambient noise, allowing you to concentrate or immerse yourself in something. , what are you doing.
The best active noise-canceling headphones cut out most of the ambient noise. Wireless noise-canceling headphones from Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser do the best noise canceling. They implement the results into their headsets through serious engineering research and improve the ANC every year, with software updates and the headphones themselves. That is why the headphones of these companies are in the top three (so far) in our TOP’e wireless noise-canceling headphones.
What to look for when choosing noise-canceling headphones:
- Headphone type. Noise-canceling models, like other types of such devices, are divided into 4 types by design type: earbuds, plugs, overhead headsets, and full-size ones.
- The models’ basic characteristics include frequency range, sensitivity, impedance, and total harmonic distortion.
- Frequency range. The parameter determines how high-quality and detailed the playback of files will be. High-quality models have a frequency range of 13 – 27,000 Hz.
- The impedance of normal headphones with noise reduction ranges from 16 to 600 ohms. The lower the power of the sound source (player), the lower the resistance.
- Nonlinear distortion factor. The value determines the correctness of the audio signal transmission. It matters only for true connoisseurs of quality sound. The lower this value is, the better.
- Sensitivity. It determines the maximum volume level. The higher this value is, the louder the selected model will be.
- Comfort. A person with headphones spends a lot of time, so convenience is of great importance. It is important that the noise-canceling models are securely fixed and do not cause discomfort after prolonged use. To avoid being mistaken in the choice, before buying, it is recommended to try on the model and evaluate how comfortable it sits on your head.
- Type of cups. Headphones with full-size cups are most in demand. They are most suitable for long-term use, have the best noise reduction performance. By design features, they are divided into open and closed models.
- Duration of work without recharging. Cordless ANC models are equipped with a battery for autonomous operation. Gadgets with batteries can be used for a long time without recharging. The optimal operating time without recharging is 6-8 hours, preferably up to 11-12 hours.
- Additional functionality. If a person is forced to talk a lot on the phone during the day, it is better to prefer models that are additionally equipped with a microphone. The package must have a corresponding mark if you want the purchased device to be synchronized with Apple devices. Children’s models are equipped with a special volume limiter. For sports, it is better to preference waterproof and shockproof models.
To avoid being mistaken in your choice, we recommend that you check out our ranking of the best noise-canceling headphones in 2021.
1. Sony WH-1000XM3
✓ Weight: 255 grams
✓ Driver: 40mm dynamic neodymium drivers
✓ Battery life: up to 38 hours listening to music and 200 hours on standby
✓ Battery charging time: 3 hours
✓ Frequency range: 4-40,000 Hz
✓ Sensitivity: 104.5 dB / mW
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2, hands-free microphone, USB-C (charge only)
✓ Technologies: Active noise cancellation, A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP, AAC, SBC, aptX HD, LDAC
The Sony WH-1000MX3 are the best wireless noise-canceling headphones on the market. They are comfortable, have great audio quality, a very good battery, and the noise cancellation is the best I have tried.
Their rivals may be somewhat better in some respects, but none can compete with everything this Sony offers as a whole.
Like the two previous versions, the Sony WH-1000XM3 are high-end Bluetooth headphones made with premium materials, elegant, and resistant.
In this version, Sony has opted for a headband much more similar to the Bose QC35 II, with two different color tones and a lower profile than in previous models, which makes it fit much better. The metal of the headband has also been replaced by plastic, which subtracts a bit of elegance in exchange for lightening the headphones by 20g.
One of the most important changes to the 1000XM3 is changing the micro USB connector to a USB type C. It is a convenient change, and that is that soon, it is very likely that all your electronic devices will use this connection. In addition, it allows the load to be much faster; with just 10 minutes of charging, you can enjoy up to 5 hours of battery life.
Most noise-canceling headphones are designed to counteract low-frequency sounds, for example, car or airplane engines. Sony’s new QN1 chip, in addition to improving sound quality, also regulates the mid and high frequencies, so in theory, the noise cancellation should be much better.
If you are looking for elegant and robust headphones with the best noise cancellation on the market and outstanding audio quality, the XM3 are your headphones.
See Detailed Review Here
2. Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700
✓ Weight: 254 grams
✓ Battery life: up to 20 hours wirelessly and 40 hours with cable
✓ Battery charging time: 2 hours
✓ Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, hands-free microphone, USB-C
✓ Technologies: active noise cancellation, A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, AAC, SBC
What other wireless noise-canceling headphones should you buy? The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 are top-end headphones with a slightly odd name and are noticeably different from the previous QC 35 II.
The Noise Canceling Headphones 700’s active noise cancellation is ideal for places where high frequencies need to be drowned out. Although the mids drop a little more, the microphones suppress almost all of the noise in phone calls. The interlocutors will hear your voice flawlessly.
The Bose NCH 700 has a sleeker design, and the earcups attach directly to the headband. Although the model has become worse in terms of adjusting the size of the headband, the headphones easily fold into the case. You can easily fit them into any bag, perfect for travel. The sound quality is on par with the QC 35 II, although the most demanding audiophiles will notice the emphasis on the treble.
The Bose app gives you full control over features like noise cancellation. Noise Canceling Headphones 700 is controlled by pressing the physical buttons and touching the surfaces of the cups. With their help, the volume is adjusted, play and pause works, switching between tracks, activating the voice assistant (Alexa and Google Assistant), and controlling noise canceling.
Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 is good at everything, only in terms of sound quality, they are inferior to some competitors.
See Detailed Review Here
3. Sony WH-1000XM4
✓ Weight: 255 grams
✓ Driver: 40mm dynamic neodymium drivers
✓ Battery life: up to 38 hours listening to music and 200 hours on standby
✓ Battery charging time: 3 hours
✓ Frequency range: 4-40,000 Hz
✓ Sensitivity: 105 dB / mW
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, hands-free microphone, USB-C (charge only)
✓ Technologies: Active noise cancellation, A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP, AAC, SBC, LDAC
Sony WH-1000XM4 is the best wireless noise-canceling headphones of 2021. The new model has the same amazing features, with added benefits.
The design has remained almost the same – the build quality is reliable and provides maximum comfort during use. Battery autonomy has not changed so that you can count on 30 hours of operation with active noise canceling (ANC) or 38 hours without it.
According to Sony, the ANC algorithms have improved, although the WH-1000XM3 were close to ideal. In terms of noise-canceling capabilities, only the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 can be compared to the WH-1000XM4. But, the headphones from Sony outperform the competitor in everything else.
Notable changes include the addition of Bluetooth multipoint connectivity. The WH-1000XM4 can be connected to two sources simultaneously, which allows you to watch a movie on a laptop, then instantly answer a phone call and continue watching. There is also a position sensor. When you take off the headphones, the music will stop automatically.
There’s also Sony’s new DSEE Extreme digital sound enhancement technology. Not to say that these are some revolutionary changes, but they are not superfluous. If, when listening to music, you want to isolate yourself from the outside world completely, the Sony WH-1000XM4 for 20 thousand rubles will be the most successful choice.
See Detailed Review Here
4. Tronsmart Apollo Q10
✓ Weight: 226 grams
✓ Driver: 40mm dynamic neodymium drivers
✓ Battery life: up to 100 hours listening to music
✓ Battery charging time: 3 hours
✓ Frequency range: 20-20,000 Hz
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, hands-free microphone, USB-C (charge only)
✓ Codecs: SBC, AAC
✓ Active noise cancellation: yes, hybrid configuration
✓ Technologies: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
If we want a slightly cheaper option, we have the Tronsmart Apollo Q10. These are active noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones that typically cost less than $ 50. Of course, they are at a lower level regarding the ANC’s level of effectiveness. However, they are tremendously complete for what they cost.
They have a build quality far superior to other headphones in their range, for starters. In addition, they are extremely light and comfortable. They have weighed 232 grams on my scale, so they are the lightest headphones in this comparison and one of the most comfortable.
The audio quality is very well used. Although it is noticeable that the drivers are not somewhat limited, they produce a very clean and natural sound. It lacks the details of more expensive headphones, but they sound downright good.
The ANC works relatively well at low frequencies and does not introduce hiss. Only with those two points do they already position themselves as one of the best headphones in the low range. Of course, they fall far short of the cancellation level of more expensive headphones, but they do serve to eliminate a bit of the noise.
In terms of battery life, the Apollo Q10s play in a different league. They have 100 hours of autonomy at medium volume with the ANC off … Something impressive. They are by far the Bluetooth headphones with the most autonomy that I have tried.
In short, the Apollo Q10 have their limitations, but for what they cost, there are no better headphones.
See Detailed Review Here
5. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
✓ Weight: each earphone weighs 8.5 grams
✓ Battery life: up to 6 hours at medium volume with ANC activated, about 18 hours with the box
✓ Battery charging time: 2 hours
✓ Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20 KHz
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1, hands-free microphone, USB-C connection, Qi wireless charging
✓ Active noise cancellation: yes
✓ Water resistance: yes (IPX4)
✓ Others: SBC and AAC codecs
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are TWS headphones that offer outstanding sound quality, are very comfortable, and have the best active noise cancellation. However, they are big and bulky, and the touch controls are not the most practical (at least for now, it is expected that with a firmware update, it will be fixed as it happened with the Sport Earbuds).
The headphones are available in beige and black, and while they are bulky, they are quite light. The fit uses double ear cushions with a tip that goes into the ear and a kind of hook placed on the inside of the ear. The result is that the headphones are very comfortable and do not move or give the impression that they will fall even when playing sports or running.
They use Bluetooth 5.1 and support AAC and SBC codecs. Nothing too flashy. However, they do produce exceptionally good sound.Â
The active noise cancellation or ANC is the best. The QuietComfort hands-free greatly improves that of its predecessors and is that they include a dedicated voice microphone inside the earpiece. The results are quite good, although not exceptional. They pick up the voice well, and it doesn’t sound too robotic, although it picks up quite a bit of external sounds in noisy environments.
In short, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are far from perfect at the moment (perhaps a firmware update will give us more options when it comes to button settings). They are big and bulky; the touch buttons do not allow volume control.Â
See Detailed Review Here
6. Sennheiser Momentum TWS 2
✓ Weight: each earphone 6 grams, 70 grams with the box
✓ Battery life: 7 hours, about 28 hours with the box
✓ Battery charging time: 1.5 hours for the headphones, 2 hours for the box
✓ Frequency range: 5 Hz – 21 kHz
✓ Sensitivity: 107 dB SPL (1 kHz / 1 mW)
✓ Proximity sensor: yes
✓ Water resistance: IPX4
✓ Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX
✓ Active noise cancellation: yes
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1, hands-free microphone, USB-C connection (charge only)
The Sennheiser Momentum TWS 2 are the best audio quality TWS headphones. The sound is natural but very lively. It has strength, clarity, and spaciousness that is very difficult to find in in-ear headphones. By contrast, they are not cheap and have some design details that could be a little annoying. For example:
- The box is made of cloth. And although it looks spectacular and is very pleasant to the touch, it does get dirty with use.
- The headphones are somewhat large, so if you have small ears, they can bother you when wearing them for a while.
Still, the sound quality makes up for it. They have a clear and detailed sound, good bass, and a better soundstage.
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless are some of the best-sounding in-ear headphones, not to mention Bluetooth.
The bass is powerful, but it still sounds natural and detailed. They are bass with a lot of quality, which does not clash in any musical genre. The soundstage or soundstage is very wide for in-ear headphones, and they convey the sensation of listening to a much fuller and richer sound.
Another very important feature is that the Momentum 2 has active noise cancellation. Adding to the passive cancellation of the in-ear headphones, they allow us to listen to our favorite music in noisy environments without the need to turn up the volume. So take care of our ears.
See Detailed Review Here
7. Jabra Elite 85t
✓ Weight: each earphone 5.5 grams
✓ Battery life: 5.5 hours with ANC, about 7 hours without ANC
✓ Battery charging time: 1 hours with headphones, 2 hours with USB-C box, 3 hours with Qi
✓ Water resistance: IPX4
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1, hands-free microphone, USB-C connection (charge only), Qi wireless charging
✓ Technologies: SPP, HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
✓ Others: proximity sensor, SBC and AAC codecs
The amazing quality of noise-canceling isn’t just found in over-ear headphones. An excellent example is the Jabra Elite 85t – TWS earbuds with active noise canceling for 17 thousand rubles.
These compact and highly comfortable headphones are among the most comfortable in-ear headphones on the market today. This is partly due to the semi-open design. There is no unpleasant effect in which it seems that some foreign object has got into the ear, as is often the case with other intracanal models.
Sound quality and ANC are impressive too. Without any adjustments, you get a warm and detailed sound. What’s more, in the Jabra Headphones app, you can adjust the sound through the equalizer in many ways. Another incredibly useful feature of the Jabra Elite 85t is quickly switching between full noise reduction and transparency modes by pressing physical buttons.
The control is easily reconfigurable; you can assign almost any function to a sequence of actions. The charging case is compact and can be charged via a USB-C cable or wirelessly. The battery autonomy of the Elite 85t is approximately 5.5 hours with ANC mode and 7 hours without it. Together with the charging case, this results in 19.5 or 24 hours. A quick 15-minute charge gives you an extra hour of power.
Jabra is constantly releasing updates to its products. The company recently added ANC to its predecessor models, the Jabra Elite 75t and Jabra Elite Active 75t. No other manufacturer does anything like this.
Plus, the Elite Jabra 85t is IPX4 water-resistant for the workout enthusiast to keep out sweat and light rain. These are truly excellent wireless active noise-canceling earplugs.
See Detailed Review Here
8. Razer Opus
✓ Weight: 276 grams
✓ Driver: 40mm dynamic neodymium drivers
✓ Battery life: up to 25 hours listening to music with ANC activated
✓ Battery charging time: 3.5 hours
✓ Frequency range: 20-20,000 Hz
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, hands-free microphone, USB-C (charge only)
✓ Codecs: SBC, AAC
✓ Active noise cancellation: yes, hybrid configuration
✓ Technologies: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
The Razer Opus is not the best noise-canceling headphones on the market. However, think they are the best value for money ANC headphones.
They are light, comfortable, have excellent sound quality, and the hands-free and autonomy are very good. In addition, they have a quality shared by very few, their reduced lag. And this means that they can be used for everything, from listening to music, watching movies, even playing video games. They are true all-rounders and, to top it off, they cost less than competing models.
See Detailed Review Here
9. Bowers & Wilkins PX7
✓ Weight: 310 grams
✓ Battery life: up to 30 Hrs Bluetooth With ANC
✓ Battery charging time: 5hrs With 15min Charge
✓ Frequency range: 10Hz To 30kHz
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 With AptX Adaptive, USB-C Charging
✓ Codecs: AptX Adaptive, AptX HD, AptX Classic, AAC, SBC
✓ Active noise cancellation: yes
✓ Technologies: A2DP V1.3.1, AVRCP V1.6.1, HFP V1.7.1, HSP V1.2, BLE GATT (Generic Attribute Profile)
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 on-ear headphones (Great Britain). One of the main advantages of the device is the convenient, fast charging function – just fifteen minutes is enough for five hours of continuous operation of the headphones. The frequency range, in this case, is again quite wide and reaches 30,000 Hz. The high sensitivity of 111 dB allows reducing the load on the built-in amplifier of the device, from which the music will listen. The pluses include high-quality assembly, the durability of materials, and the presence of a durable protective case in the kit.
See Detailed Review Here
10. Apple AirPods Max
✓ Weight: 384.8 grams
✓ Battery life: up to 21.6 hrs Hrs Bluetooth With ANC
✓ Frequency range: 10Hz To 30kHz
✓ Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 With AptX Adaptive, Charging via Lightning connector
✓ Active noise cancellation: yes
Apple has greatly strengthened its position in the headphone market. With the AirPods Max, the company already knew what to do. While Apple’s first full-size noise-canceling headphones were very expensive, they are incredibly good.
AirPods Max has aluminum-coated cups and a mesh-covered headband for perfect weight distribution. Management is one of the most convenient among all existing models of this type. And the build quality is so high that competitive models seem cheap compared to their background.
The sound is almost as good as the Sony WH-1000XM3, striking active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and call quality. In these aspects, AirPods Max surpasses even the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700, which already says a lot. While the earbuds can be used with non-Apple devices, just like the AirPods Pro, you won’t be able to enjoy many of the convenient features.
Connecting to iPhone and Mac is instant – just like switching between them. Spatial sound is only available on iPhone, and you need an iOS device to set up the equalizer. Naturally, AirPods Max is not perfect – for example, they are uncomfortable to wear for a long time due to their heavy weight. The included protective case has already become the object of ridicule due to its uselessness and the huge price.
