Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones to Buy

The best noise-cancelling headphones allow us to listen to our favorite music, movies, and podcasts in complete silence. They're made to filter out annoying noise from aircraft, trains, and coworkers while providing excellent music, comfort, and battery life. Some even include clever features that improve the listening experience across all platforms.

Active noise-cancelling headphones come to the rescue when you live in a world that is obnoxiously loud, making it impossible to hear music the way it was designed to be heard — with sonic precision and devoid of distractions.

Because there are so many sound silencers on the market, it's easy to choose one that you'll regret buying just because it looked nice or was on Amazon for a ridiculously low price. Don't get taken in by it. We looked at a number of popular brands to discover the best alternatives for you. This includes established brands like Apple, Bose, Sony, and Sennheiser, as well as newbies like Bowers & Wilkins and Cleer.

Look no further if you're seeking for the best noise-cancelling headphones to combine with your brand-new iPhone or laptop. Let's get started with our top choices.

The Best Noise Cancelling Headphones you can Buy today

1. Sony WH-1000xM4

The Sony WH-1000xM4 was pitted against the Bose 700 in a recent face-off to identify the real king of noise cancellation, and while it lost, it did so by a razor-thin margin. Sony's ANC technology is on par with Bose's, combining a number of sophisticated technologies to effectively filter out ambient noise. The 40mm drivers pump out forceful and accurate sonics on the WH-100xM4, allowing you to enjoy music from a wide range of genres. The Sony Headphones Connect app has numerous customization choices to modify the soundstage to one's preference, from the adjustable EQ to the various presets to Sony's 360 Reality Audio function, which adds to its acoustic capabilities.

The touch controls, which have a propensity to misread touch motions and execute the erroneous instructions, are the only thing holding the second best noise-cancelling headphones back from perfection.

Specifications

• Size and Weight: 9.94 x 3.03 x 7.27 inches, 8.95 ounces,
• Battery Life: 30 hours, 38 hours
• Bluetooth Range: 40 feet
• Special Features: Adjustable active noise cancellation and transparency modes, customizable EQ, multipoint technology

2. Bose 700

Is there a new design? Check. Noise cancellation with a boost? Check. More powerful specifications? Check. Are there any unique features? Check. Battery life that isn't too short? Check. Do you have a great audio performance? Check. By providing all of this and more, the Bose 700 makes the greatest case for best noise-cancelling headphones. Noise cancellation is, without a doubt, where these wireless headphones shine. With 10 adjustable levels, these are, by far, the most powerful ANC headphones that Bose has made to date.

The technology isn't only for listening to music or podcasts; the eight built-in microphones ensure that the sound quality is just as good for making and receiving calls as it is when you're just using your smartphone. Bose has included simple touch controls and a sleek companion app for configuring your digital assistant and cycling between ANC settings. While the battery life is typical at 20 hours, it is less than other competing models, however you can spend an additional $80 on the 700 charging case to gain an extra 40 hours and properly store the cans.

The 700 UC edition, a new model intended to operate with third-party cloud services like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom, is also available for anybody working remotely who wants to enhance their virtual collaborations.

Specifications

• Size and Weight: 8 x 6.5 x 2 inches, 8.8 ounces
• Battery Life: 20 hours; 40 hours
• Bluetooth Range: 30 feet
• Special Features: Adjustable active noise cancellation and transparency modes, customizable EQ, charging case

3. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

Bose has excelled themselves again again by incorporating the same category-leading active noise cancellation technology found in the 700 headphones into these small buds. As a result, you'll have the finest ANC model in the true wireless sector. The QuietComfort Earbuds, like its over-ear version, offer 10 levels of customizable noise cancellation, three of which can be saved on the Bose Music app and cycled through on the left bud. Bose also integrated its Active EQ technology and unique drivers to these buds, resulting in a warm, pleasing sound. And, only when you thought the benefits of the QuietComfort Earbuds ended there, the QuietComfort Earbuds have a powerful mic array that ensures right decision quality.

All of that versatility, though, necessitates a lot of battery life, which is the QuietComfort Earbuds' biggest flaw. Users are limited to playtimes that are scarcely longer than those of the standard AirPods. Furthermore, the charging case is absurdly large and does not store much portable power.

Specifications

• Size and Weight: 1.54 x 1.02 x 1.06 inches, 0.3 ounces
• Battery Life: 6 hours, 12 hours
• Bluetooth Range: 30 feet
• Special Features:: Adjustable ANC, hybrid transparency mode, Self Voice mode

4. Bose QuietComfort 45

Since the first leaks and speculations surfaced on the Internet weeks ago, we've been anticipating the debut of the Bose QuietComfort 45. The latest addition to Bose's famous wireless noise-cancelling headphones line delivers. Quiet for standard noise cancellation and Aware for ambient listening are the two ANC modes available. These headphones handle mid-range frequencies better thanks to Bose's "new electronics package". When in wired mode, the QC45, like its predecessor, allows you to employ ANC. The series also gets a boost in battery life, which has been increased to 24 hours from the previous model's 20 hours.

The QC45 is a significant advance, but it isn't without flaws. Because ANC mode cannot be turned off, the headphones use energy at all times. For others, the lack of features compared to the Bose 700 may be a deal-breaker.

Specifications

• Size and Weight: 7.25 x 6 x 3 inches, 8.5 ounces
• Battery Life: 24 hours
• Bluetooth Range: 30 feet
• Special Features: Two-mode active noise cancellation, pairable with other Bose products, volume-optimized Active EQ

What are the best noise cancelling headphones?

The Bose 700 Headphones are now regarded as the best noise-cancelling headphones available. With 10 levels of customizable noise cancellation and an eight-mic technology that provides improved sound and call quality, the company's newest model has established a new benchmark for noise cancellation on wireless headphones. If you want something comparable but in true wireless form, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, which use the same revolutionary ANC technology and sound quality as the 700, are an excellent choice. Then there's the all-new Bose Quietcomfort 45, the newest over-ear offering from the company that keeps the brand's hallmark ANC performance while also extending battery life.

The Sony WH-1000xM4 is a close second on our ranking of the best noise-cancelling headphones. Not only is the most recent Sony flagship model the best-sounding pair on the list, but it also features impressive ANC that matches Bose's. The Sony Headphones Connect app's extended battery life and additional features make them a great Bose 700 alternative, but they're even better for music fans who wish to filter out the surrounding noise. The all-new Sony WF-1000XM4 joins our list not far behind, featuring improved sound and comparable noise-cancelling capabilities in a smaller size.

The Apple AirPods Max are one of the best-sounding versions available, with powerful noise cancellation, a long battery life, and a fashionable appearance. You can anticipate excellent iOS connectivity, some of the finest call quality in the market, and a plethora of sound-enhancing functions. You can anticipate excellent iOS connectivity, some of the finest call quality in the market, and a plethora of sound-enhancing functions.

Bowers & Wilkins has also made an impact in the ANC market, with two notable models that rate well on our ranking. The PI7 are the company's first-ever wireless earbuds, and they offer the audio quality and noise cancellation to match their high MSRP, the PX7 Carbon Edition, on the other hand, is a more upscale version of the brand's renowned ANC wireless headphones, with premium aesthetics and quality.

The highly anticipated Sony WF-1000xM4 is one of the forthcoming releases that Laptop Magazine is keeping an eye on. Nonetheless, there is something for every sort of listener in this collection. Based on performance, design, and function, we've ranked the best noise-cancelling headphones.