Take a look at the racks of headphones in your local electronics store and you may think that Sony has the market sewn up. And it’s partly true - the Walkman-inventor has had a great deal of success with its clumsily named WH-1000XM range, which was recently joined by the XM5s. While the 1000X series are generally excellent, there are other choices.
Take Bose, for example. The company can hold some claim to having invented noise-cancelling headphones, thanks to its work on headsets for pilots, and these days their headphones are among the best around. All the usual suspects will sell you a pair, from B&W to Sennheiser to Apple.
These, unfortunately, often cost several hundred pounds, so you need to ask yourself how much you want to shut out the outside world when you listen to music. Smaller brands such as Soundcore and Jabra have their own offerings, but to get the strongest noise-cancelling you might end up paying more than you intended.
Features to look out for include phone apps that act as equalisers as well as flicking between noise-cancelling modes. These generally affect the level of cancelling applied, allowing you to let varying amounts of noise into your sonic bubble - enough to hear a conversation, perhaps, or even an approaching bus. Compatibility with the aptX Bluetooth codec, which increases audio quality on compatible devices, and its new HD sibling is great to have, but lacking from some prominent examples.
Watch out also for the codec a pair of headphones supports, and whether it matches that used by your playback device. If you’ve got an iPhone, or the late lamented iPod Touch, you’ll want them to support Apple’s AAC. Android users have a choice, with newer devices coming with Sony’s LDAC codec built-in. This is extremely good, but can be fiddly to get working at its best, so look out for Qualcomm’s aptX as an alternative. This comes in a few different flavours, including Adaptive and Low Latency, but can really maximise the data transferred over a Bluetooth 5 connection, and therefore the sound quality produced.
Generally speaking, over-ear headphones are more successful than earbuds at providing noise cancellation, and tend to have deeper bass and better battery life too. Here are some of the best.
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Sony WH-1000XM5
You came here for the best, so here are the best. Sony has been riding high at the top of the wireless noise-cancelling headphone rankings for a while, with its XM3 and XM4 cans, and while the XM5s represent a slight redesign, they’re still top of the audio rankings.
The XM5 headphones don’t fold up like their predecessors, though can be flattened if you need to slip them into a bag. The outside surfaces of the ‘phones have been made smooth and seamless. The joints and folds that allowed them to be transformed into something more compact erased in the name of keeping the wind - and ambient noise - out. There's also plastic where there used to be metal, and the XM5s are lighter than earlier models as a result. That’s not a criticism in any way, as the plastic in question is strong and good quality.
Noise cancelling is improved on the XM5s by doubling the number of integrated microphones (eight to the XM4s’ four) but using the same processors. And while you can use the app to set them up, there's now automatic optimisation whenever you change locations, and a button to switch between full noise-cancelling and the ambient mode that allows you to hear your surroundings. They can detect when you’re talking, pause your music, and engage ambient mode automatically, meaning conversations aren’t punctuated by removing the phones or attempts to change settings.
Despite the XM5s’ driver being smaller than the XM4s’, sound quality remains excellent. Sony’s DSEE Extreme engine claims to upscale compressed digital files to near hi-res quality, which is good to have as the headphones still lack aptX compatibility. Apple’s AAC and Sony’s own LDAC high-res codecs make up for that, however.
Buy now £379.99, Amazon
Bose QuietComfort 45
The QuietComfort series has been going for a long time, and has very much settled into a groove. The QC45s from 2021 look similar to, and share drivers with, the QC35II phones released in 2019, and they look rather like the QC35s from 2016... an update to USB-C charging (a five-minute charge yielding 2.5hrs of playback) is good to see on the latest models, but that’s probably the most noticeable of the updates on these noise-cancelling wireless headphones.
Not that that’s a bad thing, however, as these are an incremental upgrade to something that’s not broke. The headphones fold up nicely for storage, and are comfortable to wear. Noise cancelling makes use of six microphones, four of which are beamforming, and a single button to switch between transparency levels. There's no aptX support, but Apple’s AAC and the more generic SBC codec should mean support for most devices.
Sound quality is excellent, with a slight overreliance on high and mid tones that will send you to the Bose Music app to correct. Once you’ve tuned them to your liking, the noise cancelling can show you what it’s really capable of, your music well isolated against any background sounds that might sneak through, and with a pleasant emphasis on speech tones that means podcasts are clear, with no muddy overemphasis on the bass.
Buy now £319.99, Amazon
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless
Another big name in the world of headphones, German firm Sennheiser has been making audio equipment since 1945 and is still run by the grandsons of its founder. The Momentum 3 Wireless headphones have a stark, almost old-fashioned, black and silver aesthetic that does nothing to reflect the luxury of the sound they produce.
With support for aptX, including its Low Latency version, as well as AAC and SBC, the Momentum 3s are well placed for use across a broad range of devices. The phones are full of clever touches, such as the integrated Bluetooth tracker that uses the Tile network to pinpoint their location if you ever mislay them - as long as they have charge, that is. Battery life is around 17 hours, with charging over USB-C.
The Sennheisers’ earcups are quite large compared to others, but soft and nicely padded too. There's some real leather in there, which makes a change from all the synthetic fibres generally used to coat electronics. Despite their size, the cans fold down nicely for storage and travel, coming with their own transport bag instead of a hard case.
Sound is very rich and full, the accompanying app doing the usual job of customising both the output and the noise cancelling so you can get a nice balance between highs, lows, and the sound of a taxi approaching from the left.
Buy now £349.99, Amazon
Jabra Elite 85H
Perhaps better known for its range of sporty wireless earbuds, Jabra has its eye firmly on the higher end, and its over-ear cans are no exception. Battery life is exceptional at up to 36 hours with ANC switched on (41 without, and 15 minutes of charging gets you five hours of playback), while the noise cancelling itself is nicely effective.
Perhaps slightly bulkier than others on this list, the Jabras don’t give up much in terms of comfort. Made from fabric and faux-leather, the linings are soft and easy to wear for extended periods. They fold conveniently if you want to sling them in a bag, or come with a hard case if you want to protect them during travel. The fabric coating, however, doesn’t leave them with as premium a finish as some of those further up the pricing scale.
Sensors pick up when you take them off, automatically pausing whatever you’re listening to, and there's an automatic ‘hear through’ mode for when you answer a phone call, allowing you to hear yourself. There's no getting away from the slightly thin sound quality, however, possibly a result of the complete lack of support for higher-end codecs such as aptX or LDAC. This could come in a future firmware update, but for now AAC or SBC are the best you’re going to manage.
Buy now £279.99, Amazon
Sony WH-1000XM4
Once hailed as some of the best headphones ever made, the XM4s are relegated to a great value proposition by the release of the XM5s. It’s possible to find them with around £100 off the RRP as we write, and the XM3s are still available for even less.
What do you get for buying 2020’s cans? Well some consider the ‘old’ look to be superior to the XM5s’ redesign, and you keep the 30-hour battery life and the same sound processors, though there are fewer microphones at work to filter out ambient noise and pick up your voice when you’re on a call. They still automatically pause your music when you start talking, and can detect whether you’ve taken them off. They also fold up smaller, as they retain the joints and hinges smoothed over on the newer model.
As the supported codecs are limited to SBC, AAC and LDAC some older Android phones and all Windows users will find themselves poorly catered for, but owners of dedicated Sony hi-fi equipment will be extremely happy. With a comfortable fit and superb noise cancellation, there's nothing wrong with stepping back a few years when it sounds this good.
Buy now £350.00, Amazon
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless
Bowers & Wilkins is a name to reckon with in audio, the company behind the speakers used in the legendary Abbey Road Studios and manufacturers of the Nautilus speakers that look like a fast-moving sea creature and will set you back nearly £60,000.
The PX70 headphones are slightly less exotic, but with 43mm drivers and woven carbon fibre arms, you can’t help but think you’re getting something special. The PX7s were the first headphones on the market to support the aptX Adaptive codec on their launch in 2020, and this, combined with three levels of noise cancellation - plus an ambient mode for when you need to hear the station announcer - means you’re probably going to be happy with the results as long as you feed them decent files.
Battery life is in the 30-hour ballpark, with ANC switched on, while a 15-minute USB-C charge gives five hours of playback. The use of carbon fibre in the cans’ construction means they’re light, with a padded headband and leather-cushioned earpads to ensure a comfortable fit. A proximity sensor enables auto-pausing if you lift the earphones away from your head, and while it’s possible to twist the earcups flat for transport, they don’t fold up particularly small and are best consigned to their own carrying case.
Buy now £349.99, Amazon
Apple Airpods Max
An expensive choice given the competition, though it could be said that’s what all Apple products are, the Airpods Pro come with a couple of quirks that immediately identify them as coming from the home of the iPhone. First, there's no 3.5mm cable jack, so it’s Bluetooth or nothing (the AAC and SBC codecs are supported). Then there's charging, which uses Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector. iPhone owners will of course already have these laying around, but in a world standardising around USB-C it’s a slight annoyance.
The curious thing about these headphones, so tied to their parent company, is the complete lack of branding. The outer casings of the earcups are broad and smooth, perfect for that familiar logo, but instead they remain unadorned. The presence of the digital crown from the Apple Watch is a clue to the headphones’ provenance, if you know what you’re looking for, as is the Lightning connector, and of course the name when you pair them with your player.
You get 20 hours of ANC-enabled listening from a full charge, while five minutes of juice is enough to provide 1.5 hours of music. There's a carrying case seemingly inspired by a pair of white underpants, memory foam ear cushions, and a metal headband that contributes to the weight - they’re over 100g more than the XM4s but distribute their weight so well you won’t notice.
Sound quality is superb, the Apple H1 processor in each earcup apparently making 200 adjustments per second to the sound based on data from the eight-microphone array that makes up the noise cancellation system. There's a 40mm driver, built around a dual neodymium ring magnet, and the crisp sound it produces really gives the Sony cans a run for their money. Add Apple’s spatial audio trickery into the mix - a virtual surround sound system that can be fed 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos content and not completely ruin it - and iPhone users have a very difficult decision to make. Splash out on these, or get any of the cheaper and still excellent rivals?
Buy now £549.00, Amazon
Soundcore Life Q35
Soundcore is always a solid budget choice, and these, with 40mm silk diaphragm drivers and pretensions toward hi-res audio, are punching above their price range.
Battery life is excellent. Turn off noise cancellation, and you’re looking at 60 hours of life from a single charge, and they still manage 40 hours with it switched on. Fast charging through the USB-C port gets you four hours of listening from five minutes of charge.
Despite not supporting the aptX codec, the Q35s have other tricks up their sleeve: there's Sony’s LDAC and Apple’s AAC instead, though this means Android users may be left with the more generic SBC. You’ll need to use the 3.5mm cable input if you want to go really hi-res, however. By default, sound quality is rather bassy, though this can have its upside, as these are the frequencies most affected by traffic and wind noise, and therefore are the most targeted by noise cancellation. It is, however, highly customisable.
The hybrid active noise cancellation system has modes for indoors, outdoors and when on public transport, as well as a transparency mode for when you need awareness of the sounds around you. There are two microphones for when you need to make calls, and an AI algorithm to improve the clarity of voices. Noise cancelling profiles can be chosen in the accompanying app, and there's a collection of over 20 sound presets for you to try out, or you can create your own.
Buy now £129.99, Amazon
Verdict
If you’re looking to drop around £350 on some nice, noise-cancelling, wireless headphones then you’ve got a crowded marketplace in front of you. Audiophiles will be able to spend even more if they choose, but to really make the best out of high-res or uncompressed music streams - or even CDs and vinyl - you’re going to want headphones with a cable. The headphones here, which all connect via Bluetooth, are all about maximising the sound quality you can get from your phone.
And for that, Sony have things well sewn up, their headphones making solid cases for being the best in the full-price and budget categories. The XM5 and XM4 ‘phones are fine, fine pieces of equipment, but then so are the Airpods Max, which iDevice owners may prefer.
