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Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones: The best ANC headphones tested

Famed philosoper Jean-Paul Sarte once said that “hell is other people”, and this list of the best noise-cancelling headphones is the best way to make them go away.

We’ve reviewed plenty of noise-cancelling headphones, from over-ears to true wireless models, testing them in real world conditions and comparing new models with older ones.

We assess the ANC in a variety of settings such as on public transport and in populated areas. It’s not the only area we consider for selection on this list, as it’s important to recognise comfort levels, the wireless performance and the sound. There’s no point in purchasing a pair of ANC headphones if they sound rubbish.

We have other best lists to help you in your search such as our best wireless earbuds and best wireless headphones. We also have a page for the best noise-cancelling earbuds, and for the best overall picks, check out our best headphones page.

Best noise-cancelling headphones at a glance

How we test

Learn more about how we test headphones

Not just anybody can review a pair of headphones. You don’t need superhuman hearing to tell what’s good, but you do need to know what to listen out for.

Our headphone tests are done by some of the best and most prolific reviewers in the industry, with years of experience listening to everything from the plasticky freebie earbuds that come with your smartphone, to five-figure beasts of glass and marble. We love music and we want your tunes to sound good, too.

So we listen every pair of headphones we can get on or in our ears. We use a variety of sources, from basic MP3s playing on a laptop to high-quality tracks on dedicated hi-res audio players.

Our test tracks are wide-ranging to give headphones a thorough challenge. They’re also familiar, so we know every track backwards, and we know which bits might trouble the lesser performers.

We listen again and again, and we do that for weeks in case the sound changes – because it usually does. Then we’ll listen to similarly priced rivals and come up with a verdict that reflects the performance and features for the money.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Best noise-cancelling over-ears
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Pros

  • Class-leading noise-cancellation
  • Very comfortable to wear
  • Reliable wireless performance
  • Richer but still balanced sound

Cons

  • Odd call performance
  • Sony still the more exciting listen
  • Expensive
  • Immersive Audio works but lacks detail and sounds thin

Our go to choice for noise-cancelling over-ears had been the Sony WH-1000XM5 but that’s no longer the case. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are the best noise-cancelling over-ears we’ve tested.

They suppress more noise than their Sony rivals or any other wireless over-ear we’ve had the fortune to test. Whether you’re out in a city, riding public transport, wearing these headphones on a plane or just don’t want to hear the person next to you jabbering away, the Bose QC Ultra Headphones are excellent ANC headphones for wherever you are.

The noise-cancelling works without sounding processed or making the audio sound chilly, as was the case with previous headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 45.

They fit well to the head, more comfortable to wear than the Sony, though they aren’t as stylish as the Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700. But with this mode you can collapse and store them away in the carry case.

The audio is richer than before while still maintaining the balanced approach that Bose is known for. There’s plenty of clarity and detail to the midrange, with a clarity and brightness to the top end, while the low end has been reinforced with an extra padding. It’s a much more mainstream sounding pair of headphones that we’re used to from Bose.

The wireless performance is strong, and there’s a decent array of customisation and personalisation options available such as adjusting the sound, call quality, or changing which features are associated with the shortcut. Call quality is slightly odd, leaking noise in whenever we spoke. It’s not enough to distract from what we were saying but the person on the other end did feel it was odd.

The £449 / $449 RRP will be a sticking point some. You do get an excellent noise-cancelling performance, but the Sony along with the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, are available for less money.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

Best noise-cancelling earbuds
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Pros

  • Top-tier noise cancelling and ambient modes
  • Improved sound over the original
  • Slimline design
  • AptX support on the way
  • Improved battery capacity

Cons

  • More expensive than before
  • Average call quality
  • Still susceptible to wind noise

When it comes to the best noise-cancelling earbuds, the QuietComfort Earbuds II from Bose leave the competition in its wake.

The noise-cancellation performance here is class-leading as the QuietComfort II zaps away noise with impressive confidence. Not every sound is removed but these buds aren’t not far from off from total silence. During testing we found there were gains over the original QuietComfort Earbuds in terms of suppressing people’s voices and the noise-cancelling sounded more natural than before.

Walking in and around London, there was a wonderful sense of calm and isolation from the outside world, but the one minor issue we noticed was some minor wind noise to contend with, which we had hoped was eradicated with the new design.

The Aware mode also impresses, piping in a clear, detailed, and natural sound, and Bose’s ActiveSense technology works in a similar manner to the AirPods Pro 2‘s transparency mode, automatically reducing background noises in the Aware mode to stop the wearer from being startled by sudden, loud sounds. This worked very well on the London Underground.

Sound quality has been improved with the top end of the frequency range brighter and bass is bigger and punchier than before. Vocals carries slightly more weight too, and there’s a better sense of depth and space than we can recall with the original.

When it comes to features, the QuietComfort Earbuds II aren’t stacked with as many as its rival, but we are pleased to see a three-band EQ in the Bose Music app. The wireless connection is excellent with barely a dropout when walking around London, and battery is on more competitive terms with the Sony WF-1000XM4 with 24 hours in total if you include the charging case. If there’s a fault, it’s that call quality is not the most impressive. The Bose can let a lot of sounds through which made it harder for the person on the other end to hear what was said.

Nevertheless, in our opinion, the QuietComfort Earbuds II are the best noise-cancelling buds you can buy even though they’ve been replaced by the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, which we don’t find to be as good at cancelling noise.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

Sony WH-1000XM5

Best Sony noise-cancelling over-ears
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Pros

  • Musical, rich audio performance
  • Impressively clean and natural noise cancellation
  • Superb Ambient Mode
  • Great call quality
  • Less expensive than Bose

Cons

  • Non-foldable design
  • Choppy wireless comfort in busy areas
  • Not the best for ANC

Sony’s WH-series of wireless headphones have been some of the best we’ve tested, especially where noise cancelling is concerned, and the WH-1000XM5 are Sony’s best effort yet.

Improvements to the noise cancellation bring refinements over the WH-1000XM4, with Sony claiming they deal with voices and higher frequency sounds better than previous generations did. We find that large crowds were silenced and commutes were noticeably quiet, though the XM4 dismissed voices better, we did find the XM5’s noise cancellation sounds cleaner. The Sony Headphone app offers 20 different levels of noise cancellation, with the Ambient Mode much clearer and more expansive in its performance than the older models.

The biggest change is the look of the headphones, with redesigned earcups (now oval in shape to fit more ears), and tweaked earpads for comfort. They carry a more modern look and like the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the AirPods Max, they can’t be collapsed and folded. It’s a change some won’t like but we did feel it reduced wind noise.

There’s a huge number of features that includes the the Quick Attention mode (which filters outside sound for a brief moment) and Speak To Chat (which pauses music when you’re speaking). Battery life (with ANC) is the same as the older models at 30 hours but with noise cancelling off the XM5 ekes out a couple of hours of playback. Over the course of testing we got a week’s use before we felt the need to charge.

The steady rate of small but useful improvements continue in the audio department, with the WH-1000XM5’s mid-range sounding richer, the soundstage more spacious and the low-end featuring more depth and texture. While the noise-cancelling is surpassed by the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, they’re still above the rest of their close rivals for sound.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WH-1000XM5

Bowers and Wilkins Px8

Best premium noise-cancelling headphones
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Pros

  • Improves on the PX7’s audio quality
  • Confident noise cancellation
  • Graceful looks
  • Tremendous wireless performance
  • Very good call quality

Cons

  • Expensive
  • More natural-sounding and dynamic headphones from Focal and DALI

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones are some of the best-sounding and best-looking headphones on the market.

Launching in Black and Tan leather versions, both colourways look classy and feel very sturdy in terms of build quality. We felt they were comfortable to wear over long periods of time, with the oval shape helping to assist in presenting a more natural soundstage.

These headphones come with adaptive ANC and we felt they were effective at suppressing noise on the underground, hushing voices and managing wind noise to acceptable levels, without needing to sacrifice audio quality. Even in noisy environments, the Px8 headphones condense the volume of a crowd into a more manageable sound, being robust enough to usher in a sense of calm wherever you are. The noise-cancellation is better than the similarly priced Focal Bathys and Master & Dynamic MW75.

With 40mm dynamic full-range carbon cone drive units, these headphones offer a large and expansive soundstage, a big improvement on their predecessor, the Bowers & Wilkins Px7. Bass frequencies have massive definition and punch, with a sharp and open midrange that complements a lot of genres. High frequencies are distinctive and bright, making the B&W Px8 a clean, precise and dynamic pair of headphones.

Call quality here is also nothing to sniff at. While they are not as clear as the Sony WH-1000XM5, they were among the best on the market at the moment, with voices coming across clearly and background noises being kept to a minimum thanks to the dedicated call microphones.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bowers & Wikins Px8

Apple AirPods Pro 2

Best Apple noise-cancelling earbuds
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Pros

  • Excellent ANC
  • Rich, warm sound
  • Charging case gets some neat features

Cons

  • Many of the best features are iPhone and Mac only

With the AirPods Pro 2, Apple has made one of the best noise cancelling true wireless available for Appler users.

The design is not too different from the original AirPods Pro, but they feature an extra ear-tip size (XS) to fit a wider range of ears. The force sensor also has the ability to tweak volume levels, though we found it’s not always the most reliable option. IPX4 resistance against moisture remains, so these earphones could be used for exercise as well as listening to music.

And in terms of sound quality, they’re an improvement over their predecessor. Bass has a richness and warmth, but there’s still good clarity to vocals within the soundstage and instruments are defined with more detail.

The star of the show is the AirPod Pro 2’s noise cancelling prowess. Used on the underground and compared to the WF-1000XM4, they edged the Sony buds with how much high frequency noises and rumble of the train they removed.

The noise cancellation is adaptive, ramping and down depending on how much noise is detected. The same is true of the improved transparency mode. We found it piped through a clearer, more realistic impression of the world around us. The lack of control over the noise cancelling/transparency remains a bug bear though.

Battery life is good at six hours per bud and 30 hours overall. That’s a better figure overall than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (6 and 24 hours) and around similar to the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 (7 and 28 hours). There are much cheaper noise cancelling buds, such as the JBL Live Pro 2, that offer more longevity (10 and 40 hours).

If you’re an iOS user in need of a ANC true wireless then arguably no other integrates as well as the AirPod Pro. Non-iOS users will want to look elsewhere, as many of the features such as Spatial Audio are exclusive to the iOS ecosystem.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: Apple AirPods Pro 2

Sony WH-CH720N

Best affordable noise-cancelling over-ears
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Pros

  • Lightweight, comfortable design
  • Affordable price
  • Solid noise-cancelling
  • Fun, punchy audio
  • Long battery life

Cons

  • Average call quality
  • No carry case

There are always caveats with budget noise-cancelling headphones. They’re not as powerful as expensive models, but as long as you are aware of it, the WH-CH720N are one of the best vlaue noise-cancelling headphones you can buy.

We would describe the noise-cancellation as solid for the price. It focuses on reducing low frequency sounds and clearing away ambient noise, and while we wouldn’t say that these headphones clear every loud bang or big vehicles, we did find that they made daily commutes less intense and disruptive. They’re effective against large groups of people, though when faced with individuals, we did notice that they made people’s voices more noticeable.

The noise-cancelling is better than the similarly priced Soundcore Space One and Earfun Wave Pro, though the Monoprice BT-600ANC (available in the US) edges it out for ANC.

The sound has a smooth quality to it with an emphasis on bass. Bass is delivered with punch, the midrange is clear and detailed, and the upper frequencies sound bright and clear. The Final UX300 offer a more insightful performance (with its noise-cancelling off, however), but they aren’t as affordable or boast as many convenient features.

Sony claims 35 hours of battery life, our tests showed they could go as far as 40 with noise-cancelling on, which is more than the Soundcore Space One. As well as the hybrid active noise-cancellation, there’s a transparency mode, Bluetooth multipoint, customisation through the Sony Headphones app support and voice assistants in Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

The headphones’ frame and earcups are made from recycled plastic, and we found there was no noticeable creaks or groans when we bent the frame. The use of plastic also keeps the headphones lightweight at 192g, and moreover we didn’t experience periods of discomfort thanks to the padding on the headband and earcups.

There’s a growing number of affordable ANC headphones but the Sony puts in the best overall performance.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WH-CH720N

JBL Live Pro 2

Best affordable noise-cancelling in-ears
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Pros

  • Genuinely impressive ANC for the money
  • Good snug fit
  • Long battery life
  • Weighty and smooth audio

Cons

  • Weak call quality
  • Choppy connection at times

The JBL Live Pro 2 are of the best noise-cancelling earbuds around the £100 mark, better than the Beats Studio Buds.

Walking through Westminster tube station and we found background noise was reduced to little more than inconsequential rustle. The JBL is good at numbing people’s conversations, and subduing bigger crowds in busy areas. It’s a very impressive performance for its price.

These buds proved very comfortable to wear over long periods of time, our reviewer didn’t note any discomfort during use. The IPX5 water make them more robust than most noise-cancelling earbuds, so they can be used during a workout or when it’s raining. 

There are a few issues with the Live Pro 2 buds, namely their wireless performance and call quality. We experienced a choppy connection in busy areas like Victoria train station, but it also occurred in areas when there was fewer people were around. We didn’t feel there fared too well with phone calls, especially in busier areas. Despite their noise-cancelling prowess with calls they have a tendency to let noise in like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, making it harder for the person on the other end of the phone to hear what’s being said. 

In terms of their sound quality, the JBL favour a balance tone that’s not necessarily the most exciting, but we quite enjoyed the sound. They boast a weighty bass, a midrange that is reproduced with clarity and a clear and distinct treble performance. We thought that this made them easy to listen to across a range of genres, though the volume needs to be turned up to widen the soundstage and give the bass richness. 

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: JBL Live Pro 2

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FAQs

What are the best noise cancelling earbuds?

Our vote goes to the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. No other earbud we’ve tested offers as much suppression as they do, though it comes at the cost of reduced battery life compared to rivals. You can get the still excellent original for nearly half the price.

What are the best noise cancelling over-ears?

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones tops out list of the best over-ears. with a superb noise cancelling performance that suppresses sounds very effectively.

Comparison specs

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