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ELECTRONICS › HEADPHONES

The Best Noise-

Cancelling Headphones
By Lauren Dragan
Updated October 20, 2023

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Photo: Michael Murtaugh

FYI

We’ve tested Bose’s three new headphone sets,

and none of them will displace our current picks
for now. You can read why in the Competition
section.

October 2023

For frequent flyers or commuters on

public transit, reducing the noise
around you is the difference between
enduring a trip and enjoying it. Noise-
cancelling headphones can make your
music easier to hear and your world a
little more peaceful.

The Bose Noise Cancelling

Headphones 700 is our favorite pair of
noise-cancelling headphones, but we
also have recommendations for people
who want to spend less or prefer
earbuds over headphones.

Everything we recommend

Our pick Our pick

Bose Noise Sony WF-

Cancelling 1000XM5
Headphones The best wireless
700 noise-cancelling
The best wireless earbuds
noise-cancelling
headphones $298 from Amazon

$300 from Best Buy

$300 from Best Buy

How we picked and tested

Effective ANC
We use a specialized audio-measurement
system with a simulated ear to test how
much noise the headphones can reduce.

Great sound
Our audio experts listen for detailed,
authentic sound and clear microphone
quality for phone and video calls.

Secure, comfy fit

A good design should fit most ear shapes
and head sizes, so we have a variety of
people try on our top contenders.

Battery life
True wireless earbuds should play for at
least five hours, ideally more. Over-ear
headphones should go for at least eight to
10 hours.

Read more

Our pick

Bose Noise Cancelling

Headphones 700

The best wireless noise-

cancelling headphones
These over-ear headphones deliver
excellent noise cancellation in a
comfortable, lightweight design that’s
traveler friendly—but they carry a high
price.

$300 from Best Buy

The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is

the best set of over-ear noise-cancelling
headphones that Bose currently offers. This
pair is worth the investment for the frequent
traveler who puts a premium on performance
and comfort, and we recommend the 700 over
newer, pricier Bose offerings for as long as it is
still available.

These headphones can provide the superior

noise cancellation that Bose has been known
for, but the level of the active noise
cancellation (ANC) is adjustable on a scale
from 0 to 10, enabling you to find the amount
that works best for you.

This pair also has a lightweight design that is

comfortable to wear for hours, and features an
easy-to-use combination of touch controls and
physical buttons that you can access without
looking. Plus, you can use the headphones in
wired mode with the ANC engaged if, for
example, you want to access an in-flight
entertainment system. They fold flat for easy
storage in the supplied case, too.

The Bose 700 isn’t entirely without flaws,

however: The sound quality is good but not as
crisp as that of our favorite everyday
audiophile headphones, the app can be vexing,
and the battery life isn’t the longest we’ve seen
—though at 20 hours, it’ll still get you through
a very long flight.

Our pick

Sony WF-1000XM5

The best wireless noise-

cancelling earbuds
This pair of wireless earbuds sounds
fantastic and cancels noise better than
any others we’ve tested. However, people
with very small ears might struggle to
keep them securely in place.

$298 from Amazon

$300 from Best Buy

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are small but

powerful. This pair combines excellent active
noise cancellation and passive isolation to
better suppress all the sounds around you—
not just the low-frequency ones. The sound
quality is fantastic right out of the box, and you
can customize it further in the Sony app. The
eight hours of battery life (with ANC enabled)
will get you through a long day of listening.

If you want to hear your surroundings, simply

hold a finger to the left earbud, and the hear-
through mode (sometimes called awareness or
transparency mode) kicks in. Or, an optional
feature automatically enables hear-through
when you speak—handy for people who
frequently have their hands occupied. The
large, touch-based controls handle the full
suite of music playback, call answering, and
digital-assistant activation, and they aren’t as
prone to misfires and missed taps as the
controls on other earbuds we’ve tested.

The XM5 is loaded with helpful features,

including Alexa and Google voice activation,
dual-device connectivity, noise-reducing
microphones, and even the ability to accept or
reject calls with a nod or shake of your head.

The earbuds are quite small. Sony includes

four sizes of tips, but this pair may still prove
challenging to keep in place for folks with
small ears or who are very active. And the
unique foam and silicone tips can make your
ears feel full, a sensation some people may find
uncomfortable. Additionally, as with all true
wireless earbuds, you can’t use these in wired
mode, so you’ll need a Bluetooth transmitter to
use this pair with certain in-flight
entertainment systems that require a cable
connection.

Budget pick

Soundcore Space One

The best budget noise-

cancelling headphones
This pair of over-ear headphones cancels
noise impressively, sounds great, is
comfortable to wear, and has a long battery
life—all for less than $100.

$99 from Amazon

$100 from Best Buy

If you want a surprisingly great pair of

wireless noise-cancelling headphones for
around $100, we recommend the Soundcore
Space One. In our tests, the active noise
cancellation was nearly as effective as that of
the Bose 700, and the level is adjustable. The
sound, while not as refined as that of the Bose
700, is nonetheless enjoyable to listen to and
can be customized to your preference in the
Soundcore app. The chassis is lightweight and
comfortable to wear, with full controls.

Dual-device connectivity is supported, and a

hear-through mode can be activated by the
press of a button or automatically when you
speak. The 40-hour battery life with ANC on
(55 hours with it off) means you may only
have to charge this pair once a week or less.

The Space One comes with a cable so you can

use it in wired mode on a flight or when you
run out of power—but note that the ANC and
microphone do not work if you’re out of
battery. Luckily, the quick-charge feature will
give you four hours of listening after just five
minutes plugged in.

While this set has three noise-reducing

microphones, we found that voices can sound
compressed and somewhat distant to callers—
especially when compared with more
expensive headphones.

Budget pick

Soundcore Space A40

The best budget noise-

cancelling earbuds
This wireless pair of earbuds offers
excellent noise cancellation, great sound,
long battery life, and lots of extra features.
But the touch controls are slightly limited.

$80 $56 from Newegg (with

$5 Newegg gift card)

Use promo code SSDNA542 for Use promo code

SSDNA542 (select colors).

$80 from Amazon

Our top pick for the best wireless earbuds, the

Soundcore Space A40 pair is also a great
option if you want a more affordable pair of
noise-cancelling earbuds. Though this set’s
active noise cancellation isn’t as broad or
effective as what you can get from the Sony
WF-1000XM5, it still ranked near the top in our
tests.

The sound quality is enjoyable right out of the

box, but if it’s not your ideal, you have multiple
ways to fine-tune the sound using the
Soundcore app. The small, lightweight earbuds
should fit most ears comfortably, and 10 hours
of battery life per charge is impressive. The
tiny charging case holds an additional 40
hours’ worth of power and supports wireless
charging.

Six microphones deliver clear phone calls, and

the pair’s dual-device connectivity allows you
to effortlessly switch between listening to
music on your laptop, for example, and taking
a call on your phone.

The touch-based controls work reliably and

are customizable in the app, but they don’t
offer everything: You have to choose one
function, such as track reverse, to omit. As
with all true wireless earbuds, you can’t use
these with a cable, so you’ll need a Bluetooth
transmitter to for use with some in-flight
entertainment systems.

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The research Collapse all

Why you should trust us

I hold a bachelor’s degree in both music

performance and audio production from Ithaca
College, and I’ve reviewed high-end home
audio equipment for publications such as
Home Entertainment and Sound & Vision. I
also spent several years in terrestrial radio
before becoming a professional voice actor in
Los Angeles—so I’ve been in and out of
recording studios for over a decade.

Senior staff writer Brent Butterworth also

tested all of the finalists and performed the
noise-cancelling measurements. Brent has
been reviewing audio gear professionally since
1990. He previously worked as an editor or
writer for Sound & Vision,
HomeTheaterReview.com, Home Theater
Magazine, and numerous other publications.

Whenever possible, we also engage the ears of

experts, including audio reviewers, musicians,
and composers.

How noise-cancelling
headphones work

It’s a popular misconception that ANC

headphones cancel out all noises equally. They
don’t. Active noise cancellation is generally
more effective on lower frequencies of sound,
such as the hum of a jet engine or an air
conditioner. It’s not as successful with human
voices and other higher frequencies.

The technology never works perfectly, but it

can work well enough in certain environments
to make listening more enjoyable. The best
noise-cancelling headphones combine this
“active” noise cancelling with passive noise
reduction—that is, physical barriers and
dampers built into the headphones that help
block or absorb noise. If you want to learn
more about how ANC works and what sounds
it works on, check out “What Your Noise-
Cancelling Headphones Can and Can’t Do.”

Additionally, more active noise cancelling

doesn’t necessarily lead to a better experience.
We say this because of a phenomenon we refer
to as “eardrum suck,” which seems to produce
the same uncomfortable reduction of pressure
on the eardrums as you’re likely to experience
when riding a high-speed elevator in a very
tall building. And this sensation can lead to
headaches or queasiness, especially in people
who have sensory processing differences that
involve the vestibular system. Typically, the
headphones that create the most intense
eardrum suck have a combination of very
effective noise-cancelling circuitry and
ineffective passive sound isolation. You can
read more about this phenomenon in this blog
post.

Who this is for

If you travel on airplanes a lot, or if you

commute every day on a bus or subway, you’ll
benefit from having a set of ANC headphones.
If, on the other hand, you just want something
that reduces chatter of your office colleagues
or fellow Starbucks patrons, conventional
headphones will probably do about as good a
job as noise-cancelling headphones—and
they’ll often cost less.

Readers also like

The Best Bluetooth
Wireless Headphones

How we picked and tested

We measured the noise-cancelling performance of the over-ear

headphones using a GRAS 43AG ear-and-cheek simulator.
Photo: Brent Butterworth

The four main things to consider in a set of

noise-cancelling headphones are:

efficacy of the noise cancelling

sound quality

battery life (in wireless models)

overall comfort

Since we first published this guide, we’ve

tested more than 270 active-noise-cancelling
headphones and considered many more. In
today’s market, almost every new pair of
wireless headphones and earbuds has ANC
capabilities, so the products we test for our
wireless earbuds guide and our Bluetooth
wireless headphones guide are considered for
this guide, too.

Although most noise-cancelling headphones

today are Bluetooth, many over-ear wireless
headphones still support a wired connection,
which is important if you want to connect to
some in-flight entertainment systems.
We recognize that sustainability issues are
important to many of our readers.
Unfortunately, until manufacturers create
earbuds with rechargeable batteries that
owners can replace, or offer broader
refurbishment systems, most wireless earbuds
—especially true wireless earbuds—are trash
once their batteries die. You can read more in
our piece about sustainability concerns related
to wireless earbuds.

To evaluate sound quality, we listen to the

headphones with a variety of musical tracks,
with noise cancelling on and off—because
some headphones sound great in one mode
and not so great in the other. You can read
more about how we evaluate and test for
sound quality in these articles:

How Wirecutter
Evaluates Sound in Our
Headphone and Speaker
Reviews

How Wirecutter Tests

Audio Products (And You
Can, Too!)

We also test the microphone call quality in

quiet, noisy, and windy environments. We
check battery life, control sensitivity, and
Bluetooth signal reliability/compatibility. We
go through the manufacturer’s app (if there is
one) and check the effectiveness of any bonus
features and settings.

Testing the noise cancelling is more

complicated. We do this both by ear and by
using test equipment. To test the noise
cancelling by ear, I play airplane noise at a
loud level through a JBL L16 wireless speaker
and try each set of headphones, moving my
head and adjusting settings to see which mode
cancels noise most effectively. I stand in front
of a fan to check the effect of wind noise on the
microphones and take the top performers on
walks outside near busy streets.

Brent does his subjective tests in his audio lab,

using a mix of cabin noise recorded in four
different airliners, fed through eight speakers
and a subwoofer at a level of 80 decibels,
which is about the level you’d experience in
the fairly loud cabin of an older jet such as a
Boeing 737 or a McDonnell Douglas MD-80.

We measured in-ear headphones using a GRAS 43AG ear-and-

cheek simulator and KB5000 simulated pinna.
Photo: Brent Butterworth

Brent then performs lab tests, measuring the

degree to which the headphones block
different frequencies of sound. To do this, he
places each set of over-ear headphones on his
GRAS 43AG ear-and-cheek simulator
connected through an M-Audio USB interface
to a Windows laptop, plays pink noise through
the same speaker system described above,
and uses TrueRTA audio-spectrum analyzer
software to see how much sound leaks through
the headphones.

To test noise-cancelling earbuds, Brent places

the right-channel earpiece of each set of in-ear
headphones into a GRAS KB5000
anthropometric pinna mounted on the GRAS
43AG ear-and-cheek simulator fitted with a
GRAS RA0402 high-resolution ear simulator.
He connects this fixture through an M-Audio
USB interface to a Windows laptop, plays pink
noise through the same speaker system, and
uses the TrueRTA audio-spectrum analyzer
software to see how much sound leaks through
the earbud.

To provide a simple way of looking at these

measurements, Brent calculates the average
amount of noise (in decibels) that the
headphones cancel in the 100 Hz to 1,200 Hz
frequency band, which is where more airplane-
cabin noise occurs, based on his analysis of the
four recordings he made in the cabins of
different airliners. The higher the number, the
greater the average noise reduction. Here is a
rundown of our top performers, compared
with a couple of pairs of headphones that lack
active noise cancellation:

Headphone model Average noise cancellation (dB; more is better

Apple AirPods Max 29.4

Sony WF- 28.7

1000XM5

Bose 27.2
QuietComfort
Ultra Headphones

Bose Noise 22.5

Cancelling
Headphones 700

Soundcore Space 22.0

One

Bose 21.7
QuietComfort
Ultra Earbuds

Soundcore Space 20.8

A40

Bose 20.0
QuietComfort
Headphones
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