Best Noise Cancelling Headphones

Jean-Paul Sartre once observed that “Hell is other people”. We imagine Jean-Paul didn’t have access to the best noise-cancelling headphones.

Noise-cancelling headphones are hugely popular, with listeners using them to enjoy some peace and quiet on a noisy journey on a plane or train, or even a loud office. While there hasn’t been much travelling for the past year, for those working at home this type of headphones are a great fit for keeping the distractions and commotion of home life to a minimum.

These are Trusted Reviews’ best noise-cancelling headphones, from premium options to more affordable efforts. We’ve tested these headphones in a range of situations and environments to get a sense of just how well they effectively suppress noise; whether that’s in a home environment, cities and places such as shopping centres and public transport stations.

If you’re not looking for noise cancelling headphones, we also have lists for the best wireless headphones, best running headphones, best wireless earbuds and best headphones overall.



FAQs

How we test noise cancelling headphones Any set of noise-cancelling headphones sent in for review will be rigorously tested by one of our audio experts. The expert will use them for a minimum of a week as their primary pair of headphones.This means the headphones will be tested in a variety of environments to gauge the effectiveness of their ANC and general audio quality, as well as directly comparing them against similarly priced rivals and a reference pair. We also understand that not everyone enjoys the same type of music, so we test units using by playing all genres from classical to rock and hip-hop.








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Beats Solo Pro



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Pros


Superb transparency mode
Good active noise cancellation
Balanced tone, particularly for Beats




Cons


Go over-ear and you get bigger sound, same price
Tight grip may be a turn-off
Fold to turn off? It’s not for everyone




£270$299







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Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700



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Pros


Comfortable to wear
Very good noise cancellation
App is easy to use
Great looks
Neutral sounding character




Cons


Not particularly portable
Mid-range lacks a little finesse
20-hour battery on the low side






£349$379.95







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Bose QuietComfort 35 II



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Pros


Superb noise cancelling
Excellent mic for calls
Light and comfortable
Long battery life




Cons


No aptX
Rivals sound better






£249$299







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Bose QuietComfort Earbuds



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Pros


Tremendous noise cancelling
Neutral sound quality
Comfortable fit
Excellent transparency mode




Cons


Rather average battery life
No higher quality Bluetooth codecs






£249$279







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Bowers & Wilkins PX7



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Pros


Big, textured sound
30 hour battery
Effective wear sensor technology
Impressive Ambient pass-through mode




Cons


ANC ought to be stronger
Wireless connectivity gets choppy in busy areas






£349$399







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Marshall Monitor II A.N.C



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Pros


Stylish appearance
Entertaining delivery
Collapsible design
Impressive noise cancellation




Cons


Treble could be sweeter
Can sound lean






£279$359







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Microsoft Surface Headphones 2



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Pros


Very comfortable to wear
Smooth, textured mid-range
Excellent noise cancellation
Rotary dial controls
aptX Bluetooth support




Cons


Could be more exciting
Soft bass performance
Battery life could still use improvements






£239$249







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Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless



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Pros


Clean and clear sound
Large, comfortable pads
Effective noise cancellation





Cons


Bose and Sony ANC is better
Power slider clicks during runs
Slight BT lag
Mild treble sibilance, and less rich mids than some




£299$349







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Shure Aonic 50



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Pros


Sensational sound
Good comfort levels
Effective ANC
Custom EQ settings
Stylish looks




Cons


Pricey
Not particularly portable







£379$399







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Sony WH-1000XM3



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Pros


Excellent sound quality
Fast charge feature is great
Comfortable fit
Responsive controls




Cons


Could do with a touch more detail in the treble







£329$349







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Sony WH-1000XM4



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Pros


Superb audio
Impressive noise cancellation
Comfortable fit
Smart features are useful




Cons


Drops aptX/aptX-HD from the specification
No IP resistance






£349$349







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Technics EAH-F70N



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Pros


Clean, neutral performance
Terrific noise cancellation
Lots of style
Good comfort levels




Cons


Lacking some midrange fidelity
Ambient Sound Enhancer is inconsistent






£299$349













Sony WH-1000XM4

The best got better



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Pros

Superb audio Impressive noise cancellationComfortable fitSmart features are useful

Cons

Drops aptX/aptX-HD from the specificationNo IP resistance

Sony continues to excel with its WH-1000X headphone range, and the latest version is the best yet.Somehow the XM4 have managed to make the WH-1000XM3 sound ungainly, and they’ve done this by making small improvements in every area. Though the headphones only weigh a gram less, they’re more comfortable to wear and improvements made to noise-cancellation serve to make for an even more impressive performance.Audio has taken steps forward with a refined performance that can handle any genre, and it removes plenty of noise for a cleaner audio quality. These aren’t just great headphones, they’re sublime.Reviewer: Kob MonneyFull Review: Sony WH-1000XM4













Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

Outstanding noise-cancellation



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Pros

Tremendous noise cancelling Neutral sound qualityComfortable fit Excellent transparency mode

Cons

Rather average battery life No higher quality Bluetooth codecs

One aspect of the Bose earbuds that’s not so perfect is its endurance. 18 hours is a disappointment considering the price is well north of £200. They do support Qi-wireless charging, which may alleviate concerns for anyone who needs to top up regularly, but we’d have liked if the earbuds could have matched the likes of Apple and Sony in this regard.But on to much better aspects about these earbuds. The Transparency Mode is excellent: clear and adjustable so you can block as much or as little of the world around you. The noise-cancelling is tremendous for a pair of wireless earbuds, and in our estimation they’re class-leading. Sound is another area of excellence, its reproduction of vocals sounds natural, bass is confident, treble is sharp and detail levels are excellent. It’s not as refined as the Sony WF-1000XM3 with regards to the midrange, but they do sound bigger and more powerful.Reviewer: Kob MonneyFull Review: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds













Bowers & Wilkins PX7

One of the finest-sounding noise-cancellers



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Pros

Big, textured sound 30 hour battery Effective wear sensor technology Impressive Ambient pass-through mode

Cons

ANC ought to be strongerWireless connectivity gets choppy in busy areas

B&W’s flagship PX7 headphones are filled to the brim with features. Their noise-cancelling performance is solid, though others are stronger, and they’re not the most portable either with a big profile and lack of foldability.Its audio quality that’s the highlight as you’d expect from Bowers & Wilkins. They sound fabulous, extracting plenty of emotion from a recording, with a smooth, mellow character and a performance that’s also quite spacious for a closed-back pair.Reviewer: Kob MonneyFull Review: Bowers & Wilkins PX7













Sony WH-1000XM3

No longer the king, but still great



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Pros

Excellent sound quality Fast charge feature is great Comfortable fit Responsive controls

Cons

Could do with a touch more detail in the treble

The WH-1000XM3 improved the formula established by the WH-1000XM2 with a more elegant profile and ergonomic shape, as well as being more comfortable to wear. The noise-cancelling chip used by the headphones brought with it better performance, and the useful “Quick Attention” turns your music down so you can hear what’s around you.And, of course, there’s the sound: cleaner and fuller, with a more defined performance. They’ve now been usurped by the WH-1000XM4, but they’re still available as a cheaper alternative before they reach their end-of-life.Reviewer: Ced YuenFull Review: Sony WH-1000XM3













Microsoft Surface Headphones 2

Fantastic noise-cancellation



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Pros

Very comfortable to wear Smooth, textured mid-range Excellent noise cancellation Rotary dial controls aptX Bluetooth support

Cons

Could be more exciting Soft bass performance Battery life could still use improvements

The original Surface Headphones were pretty good, and the Surface Headphones 2 represent a leap forward with a number of improvements.The padding on the earcups makes them easy to wear: the rotary dials for volume and noise-cancellation continue to be wonderfully intuitive and thanks to the inclusion of aptX they sound better, with a textured, smooth performance. The noise-cancellation is some of the best we’ve sampled, offering impressive levels of suppression to keep the world at bay.Microsoft has also made a smart choice in bringing the headphones down in price. At £240, they’re one of the best headphones at that price.Reviewer: Kob MonneyFull Review: Microsoft Surface Headphones 2













Shure Aonic 50

Shure’s first ANC headphone



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Pros

Sensational sound Good comfort levelsEffective ANC Custom EQ settingsStylish looks

Cons

Pricey Not particularly portable

For a brand as old as Shure, you’d have thought they’d have a presence in the noise-cancelling market already. But no, the Aonic 50 are Shure’s first step into uncharted waters.Shure has a proud reputation for delivering uncompromising sound and they’re at it again with the Aonic 50. While they’ll politely accept low-quality streams, the amount of detail and transparency they conjure means if the track isn’t up to standard the Aonic 50 will quickly reveal its limitations. Nevertheless, they have a fizzing sense of energy to go along with the expressive bass and rhythmic ability. We like their sound very much.And for a first attempt at noise-cancelling they’re effective. The added volume bump helps to suppress everyday sounds and voices, and music has more energy with ANC on and a little less vigorous with it off. There is a transparency mode, but audio takes a backseat when activated. If what you seek is audiophile sound wrapped in an ANC bow, the Shures are just the ticket.Reviewer: Kob MonneyFull Review: Shure Aonic 50













Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Stylish noise-cancellers



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Pros

Comfortable to wearVery good noise cancellation App is easy to useGreat looks Neutral sounding character

Cons

Not particularly portableMid-range lacks a little finesse20-hour battery on the low side

Bose is considered one of the go-to brands for noise cancellation, and it’s a reputation further solidified by the flagship NC 700 Headphones.The ANC performance is very good, its six microphones tasked to suppress noise and does so rather successfully as vehicles are diminished and conversations are harder to pick up. While there’s not a huge amount of difference in the ANC performance between Bose and the Sony WH-1000XM4, we feel the Sonys clear out more noise.There’s no Transparency Mode as such, but there’s controls to dial down noise cancelling levels to let more sound either on the headphones themselves or through the Bose Music app. And how do they sound? It’s what we’ve come to expect from Bose, the NC 700 showcases an energetic and natural delivery that’s big and spacious. The midrange could use more finesse, and that’s another reason where we side more with Sony’s XM4.Reviewer: Kob MonneyFull Review: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700













Technics EAH-F70N

Stylish cans with strong ANC



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Pros

Clean, neutral performance Terrific noise cancellation Lots of style Good comfort levels

Cons

Lacking some midrange fidelityAmbient Sound Enhancer is inconsistent

The EAH-F70N represents esteemed audio brand Technics’ foray into the ANC market, and despite the tough competition, they stand out.Visually they look incredibly stylish, the outer earcup using an aluminium treatment for a distinctive look. They’re comfortable to wear too, and the noise-cancelling performance is up there with the best, wiping out a significant amount of noise.They’re older than several pairs on this list (released in 2019), and their feature set does feel slightly lacking, although LDAC means they support Hi-res playback. And while the sound isn’t quite as exciting or as powerful as some others; it’s a presentation that’s controlled, expansive and refined. If you see them for around £199 or less, they’ll be hard to resist.Reviewer: