The world around us is loud—sometimes too loud—and we often need a way to easily tune out the outside world and escape while listening to music, an audiobook, a podcast or absolutely nothing. That’s why having a pair of the best noise-canceling headphones or earbuds at your disposal offers the perfect escape.
Not only do the latest noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds offer superior sound quality when listening to music or any type of audio, they also do an incredible job at cancelling out the ambient noises that surround you. The best models let you listen to audio while blocking virtually all of the noise from the outside world, making them great for travel, wandering around noisy streets, and even isolating yourself at home or in the office.
You owe it to your ears to step up to noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds. As you’re about to discover, they come in a variety of styles to suit every budget and audio need. Whether you opt to over-the-ear headphones or in-ear earbuds is a matter of personal preference. The decision should be based on what you’ll be doing while using them. Here are your best options.
- Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones Overall: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
- Best Noise Cancellation Performance: Sony WH-1000XM4
- Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones for iPhone Users: Apple AirPods Max
- Best Premium Noise-Cancelling Headphones: Master & Dynamic MW65
- Best Budget Noise-Cancelling Headphones: Anker Soundcore Life Q30
- Best Mid-Priced Noise-Cancelling Headphones: Sennheiser HD 450BT
- Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds: Apple AirPods Pro
- Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones for Workouts: Beats Fit Pro
- Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds for Android Users: Sony WF-1000XM4
- Most Comfortable Noise-Cancelling Headphones: Bose QuietComfort 45
- Best Audio Quality In Noise-Cancelling Headphones: Shure Aonic 50
- Most Comfortable Noise-Cancelling Earbuds: Bose QuietComfort
- Best Budget-Friendly Noise-Canceling Earbuds: OnePlus Buds Z2
Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones Overall
Bose Headphones Offer Superior Sound And Comfort
Style: Over-the-Ear Headphones | Weight: .55 pounds | Battery Life: 20 hours
For years, Bose ruled the noise-canceling roost with its QuietComfort series. But with superb alternatives from Sony and Apple, for example, Bose needed to up its game. The company’s top-of-the-line noise-cancelling, over-the-ear headphones are currently the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
These superb headphones offer 11 levels of active noise cancellation, are extremely comfortable to wear and work great for phone calls. There’s even hands-free voice assistance from Alexa and Bose AR.
If you’re used to the look and feel of QuietComfort headphones, the 700 are radically different. Instead of plastic, the headband is machined from stainless steel and doesn’t fold up. These headphones simply lie flat for storage.
Looks aren’t the only change. There’s now USB-C for charging. Bose has also introduced better noise cancellation with a side tone feature in which you can hear yourself in the audio mix, so you don’t sound like a crazy person when talking while wearing them. With a tap, you can also enter a “transparency mode” to easily hear the world around you.
It would be nice if the headphones offered more than 20 hours of battery life, but even so, all things considered, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 rank among the best headphones you can buy today.
Best Headphones For Pure Noise Cancellation
Sony Also Offers Superb Over-The-Ear Headphones
Style: Over-the-Ear Headphones | Weight: 0.56 pounds | Battery Life: 30 hours
If you’re willing to spend more than $250 for over-the-ear headphones with noise cancellation, yourlistening experience is going to be excellent. It’s hard to make an objectively bad choice among the big name models. One excellent option is Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones. These are truly the cream of the crop, thanks to their premium sound and other advanced features.
In addition to the noise cancellation, the 30-hour battery life is especially impressive. One way Sony ekes out that much runtime is through another convenience—sensors automatically pause audio when you take them off your ears. Sony also has a feature called Speak-to-Chat. Enable it, and the audio will automatically pause when you start talking, so you don’t need to manually pause music or remove headphones to have a normal conversation. If you prefer, you can use Quick Attention Mode instead. This lets you cover the right ear cup to pause the audio and listen in to what someone nearby has to say.
The headphones themselves aren’t especially sexy, but the simple design relies on touch controls instead of buttons. For most people, these headphones will fit very comfortably thanks to their oversized and padded earcups.
Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones For iPhone Users
These Apple AirPods Max Headphones Fit Over Your Ears
Style: Over-the-Ear Headphones | Weight: 13.6 ounces | Battery Life: 20 hours
Even though they’re among the most expensive noise-cancelling headphones you can buy, the AirPods Max from Apple are not the best in class—but they’re close. They do a lot of things very, very well, putting them on par with other premium headphones that cost much less. In other words, when you purchase the Apple AirPods Max, you’re paying the “Apple tax” for headphones that use Apple’s own dynamic drivers that are capable of generating spatial (3D) audio designed to provide an immersive, theater-like experience that surrounds you.
Even so, these are unequivocally the best headphones for iPhone users (and Apple users in general), because they automatically pair with whatever Apple gear you're currently using. So if you start off listening to audio being generated from your computer and then switch to your iPhone, these headphones seamlessly switch between devices. This is the main feature (and a convenient one) that paying a bit extra for these headphones gets you.
These headphones look stunning in aluminum with a stainless steel frame, and they fit comfortably with memory foam pads. The AirPods Max deliver very good sound with high-fidelity AptX HD support and very good noise cancellation.
While they work with any Bluetooth device, these headphones are designed with iOS and Mac users in mind, and that’s where they excel. They have Apple’s H1 chip for easy pairing, excellent range and an also always-on Siri feature.
There are some minor quibbles. You might not appreciate the headphone’s automatic power management because there’s no way to turn them on or off. The headphones manage all of that on their own. They also lack a function to listen in wired mode if the battery dies. For more, read our full AirPods Max review.
Best Premium Noise-Cancelling Headphones
If You Have The Budget, Choose The Master & Dynamic MW65
Style: Over-the-Ear Headphones | Weight: 0.54 pounds | Battery Life: 24 hours
Although they’re some of the most expensive noise-cancelling headphones you can buy, the Master & Dynamic MW65 are worth every penny. It owes the praise to audiophile-friendly sound reproduction, the fine leather-wrapped finish and excellent noise cancellation performance. In fact, the styling will appeal to anyone who truly values aesthetics. It boasts anodized aluminum earcups, stitched leather headband and supple lambskin earpads. Combined, you get an experience that seems more premium than the pricier Apple AirPods Max, for example.
It’s worth noting that the various finishes are often priced differently. You’ll generally pay the most for the gunmetal/black design (pictured above), but the silver/brown model is sometimes much cheaper, as low as $350.
Regrettably, there’s no “transparency mode” or other easy ways to quickly hear the outside world, but the MW65 have convenient buttons on both earcups to control the volume and noise-cancelling modes, as well as for invoking Google Assistant for voice control. If the battery should die, you can plug the headphones in to keep listening with the included (elegantly braided) audio cable. Another perk is that the Bluetooth range of these headphones is upwards of 65 feet.
Best Budget Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Check Out These $80 Headphones From Anker
Style: Over-the-Ear Headphones | Weight: 0.58 pounds | Battery Life: 40 hours
There was a time when if you wanted noise-cancellation in headphones, you’d have to spend a few hundred dollars—and many of the models in this roundup still cost that much. Audio engineering is expensive, and premium brands aren’t shy to charge premiums to those looking for the best quality. In recent years, however, a number of smaller brands have released solid-performing noise-cancelling headphones at much lower prices. Anker is perhaps the best of them, and the company’s Soundcore Life Q30 are remarkably good for a price tag that’s well under $100.
Make no mistake: If you directly compared the Soundcore Life Q30 side-by-side with, say, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, you’d immediately notice that Anker’s noise cancelling isn’t as effective, nor is the audio as clear or balanced. But for the average person, especially someone who will primarily be listening to audiobooks or podcasts, these headphones offer a really great value.
They feel reasonably comfortable and sound fine, with crisp high ends and reasonable bass that doesn’t sound indistinct or muddy. Throw in an impressive 40-hour battery life and a noise-cancelling mode that doesn’t create a lot of annoying hiss (some cheap NC headphones can sound so “hissy” that it’s downright distracting), and you’ll discover that the Soundcore Life Q30 offer a great way to get into noise cancelling without spending a fortune.
Best Mid-Priced Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Sennheiser Is Known For Making Good Quality Sound Affordable
Style: Over-the-Ear Headphones | Weight: 8.4 ounces | Battery Life: 30 hours
Between high-end headphones and lower-cost ones that offer inferior quality, the Sennheiser HD 450BT is something of a happy medium. With excellent audio performance and very good noise cancellation, they cost about half of what other leading headphones sell for, making them a good mid-priced alternative to models like the Apple AirPods Max, Master & Dynamic MW65 and Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
Yes, they list for $200, but you can usually get them for around $130—and if they’re not priced that low when you’re ready to buy, it’s a good idea to wait. The lower price will come back.
The 450BT works with a slew of high-quality audio formats, including AAC and AptX. Unlike many headphones, these have an adjustable equalizer, so you can configure them using a free mobile app for Android or iPhone. The fit is comfortable (the earpads have a thick helping of memory foam) and you can use the headphones wirelessly or in wired mode. Unfortunately, you only get one noise-cancelling mode—it’s either on or off—and there’s no ambient pass-through. For the price, however, these headphones offer excellent value, comfort and performance.
Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds
Apple AirPods Pro Are A Must-Have For Apple Users
Style: In-Ear Earbuds | Weight: 1.6 ounces | Battery Life: 4.5 hours (single charge); 24 hours (with charging case capacity)
Want something much more subtle than enormous over-the-ear headphones? Apple’s AirPods Pro have become one of the most popular earbud options on the market, thanks in equal part to Apple’s branding and diminutive design.
These earbuds are powered using Apple’s proprietary W1 chip, so Bluetooth pairing is effortless and they switch seamlessly between your iOS mobile devices and MacOS-based computers. These earbuds, can however also be used by Android-based mobile device users.
Unlike the less expensive (and non-noise-cancelling) AirPods, the AirPods Pro rely on a set of silicone ear tips to fit snugly in your ear canal, so finding the right fit may take an initial few minutes of trial and error. Once you’re up and running, the AirPods Pro offer remarkably good noise cancellation—similar to what you’ll find in much pricier headphones. What you’re missing is pure audiophile sound quality. While they sound very good for earbuds, the law of physics limits how deep and rich the bass can sound through drivers that measure about 24mm in diameter.
Even so, the AirPods Pro are remarkable. You get Apple’s new spatial audio system for positioning you within a 3D soundstage, a sweatproof IPX4 rating, transparency mode for hearing the outside world and excellent phone call quality. Now that the AirPods Pro continuously go on sale (often for less than $200), there’s no reason whatsoever to settle for any of Apple’s less powerful AirPod models.
Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds For Workouts
Beats Fit Pro Are A Nice Alternative To Apple’s AirPods Pro
Style: In-Ear Earbuds | Weight: 1.94 ounces | Battery Life: 6 hours (single charge); 24 hours (with charging case)
It’s no secret that Beats by Dr. Dre is owned by Apple, but the company has continued to keep its own product line separate from the Beats lineup when it comes to headphones and earbuds. However, feature-for-feature, the Beats Fit Pro are very similar to the AirPods Pro, but they offer a different design and appearance.
Like the AirPods Pro, the Beats Fit Pro offer spatial audio compatibility, Adaptive EQ, always-on Siri functionality, really good active noise-cancellation, and (thanks to the Apple A1 chip) they seamlessly pair with whatever Apple mobile device or computer you’re currently using. However, they can also be used with any Bluetooth compatible smartphone, tablet or computer. These earbuds are rated IPX4, so they’re water and sweat resistant.
Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds for Android Users
Sony’s WF-1000XM4 Are Premium Earbuds
Style: In-Ear Earbuds | Weight: 1.45 ounces | Battery Life: 8 hours (single charge); 24 hours (with charging case)
Offering all of the features you’d want in a pair of premium wireless earbuds, the Sony WF-1000XM4 are lightweight, comfortable and stylish. They also generate really good sound quality using their proprietary Sony Processor V1, which supports the LDAC codec. Within their case, these earbuds offer wireless charging. When you’re listening to audio, however, they offer impressive noise cancellation and provide crystal-clear audio when you’re engaged in a phone call. As you’d expect, these earbuds are also water and sweat resistant (IPX4 rated).
Most Comfortable Noise-Cancelling Headphones
The Bose QuietComfort 45 Are A Top-Choice Amongst Business Travelers
Style: Over-the-Ear Headphones | Weight: 0.97 pounds | Battery Life: 24 hours
If you travel on any commercial airline, you can always pick out the experienced business travelers because they’re wearing Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones.
These over-the-ear headphones offer full noise cancellation (via several selectable noise cancellation modes), Active EQ, a Bluetooth range of about 30 feet, and a really impressive 24-hour battery life. The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones are also comfortable to wear and work nicely with the optional (free) Bose Music app for mobile devices. The headphones come with a carry case, USB-C charging cable and a 3.5-to-2.5 millimeter audio cable (which you can use instead of its wireless option).
Best Audio Quality In Noise-Cancelling Headphones
The Shure Aonic 50 Headphones Generate High Quality Audio
Style: Over-the-Ear Headphones | Weight: 0.58 pounds | Battery Life: 20 hours
Shure is known around the world for its superior quality microphones. In fact, whether you’re a podcaster, stage performer or recording artist, chances are you rely on a Shure microphone to make your voice sound its very best. When it comes to providing superior-quality audio through over-the-ear headphones, the Shure AONIC 50 headphones live up to the company’s stellar reputation.
Using 50 millimeter drivers, these wireless headphones (with a supplied wired option) offer noise cancellation, a 20-hour battery life, and a 30-foot Bluetooth range. These headphones also support multiple codecs, including Qualcomm aptX, aptX HD, aptX Low Latency audio, Sony LDAC, AAC and SBC.
Most Comfortable Noise-Cancelling Earbuds
Designed To Fit Nicely In Your Ear
Style: In-Ear Earbuds | Weight: 0.32 ounces | Battery Life: 6 hours (single charge); 18 hours (With charging case)
If you’re looking for earbuds with the superior sound quality that Bose is famous for, check out these popular Bose QuietComfort noise cancelling earbuds that are designed to work with any Bluetooth-compatible device that generates audio, such as a smartphone, tablet or computer.
Whether you want to tune out all ambient noise or let some of the surrounding sounds in, these earbuds offer multiple settings to control the noise-cancellation feature. Regardless of whether you’re listening to a podcast, music or an audiobook, for example, the built in Active EQ will generate crisp and clear sound that’s well-balanced at any volume.
These earbuds have built in touch-sensitive controls, but you get the most control using them with the Bose Music app on your iOS or Android-based mobile device. As expected, these earbuds are IPX4 rated, so they are waterproof and sweat proof, and will fit better within your ears when you’re engaged in physical activities.
Best Budget-Friendly Noise-Canceling Earbuds
Try Out The OnePlus Buds Z2...You Won’t Believe Your Ears
Style: In-Ear Earbuds | Weight: 5.6 ounces | Battery Life: 10 hours (single charge); 38 hours (With charging case)
You could easily spend between $200 and $300 on premium-quality wireless earbuds with built-in noise cancellation, but for less than $100, these OnePlus Buds Z2 offer the same features you get from the higher-priced models, including noise-cancelling counter-frequencies (up to 40 dB noise reduction) to reduce wind and ambient noise, 11 millimeter dynamic earbud drivers, Dolby Atmos support, Bluetooth 5.2 compatibility and IP55 water and sweat resistance.
In a word, these earbuds are impressive. They sound good, are extremely comfortable to wear, and will leave you wondering why they’re so inexpensive. (Amazon has them on sale right ow for just $80.) To learn more about these earbuds, read Forbes Vetted’s full review..
How Does Noise Cancellation Work?
There are two main kinds of noise cancellation: passive and active. Most over-the-ear headphones offer some sort of passive noise cancellation. Headphones can isolate you from outside sounds with padding—the thick memory foam cushions on earpads that create a light seal between you and the outside world. Meanwhile, many in-ear earbuds provide limited passive noise cancelling using silicone tips that help to seal the ear canal.
Passive cancellation can only get you so far, which is why choosing headphones or earbuds with active noise cancellation should be your preference. Active noise cancellation, often abbreviated as ANC, uses an array of microphones to measure the sound in the outside world around you. Electronics then invert the waveform and add it to your headphone’s audio, effectively canceling out ambient noise. This technology is quite adept at eliminating a broad range of noises—from crowd sounds to the drone of airplane engines.
Both active and passive noise cancellation can work together to seamlessly isolate you from ambient sound, though headphones which only offer passive cancellation aren’t considered true noise-cancelling headphones—they need to have some kind of functional ANC feature to earn that title.
Is All Active Noise Cancellation The Same?
Not at all. Even though the core principle of phase inversion underlies all ANC headphones, the way the technology is implemented varies dramatically from brand to brand.
For one, the number of microphones can have a significant impact on the quality of the noise cancellation. Some brands build as many as 11 tiny microphones into the earcups of their headphones to accurately measure ambient sound. Meanwhile, you’ll sometimes find up to three microphones within each wireless earbud.
Likewise, some headphones have microphones both inside and outside the earcups. External mics are used in what’s called feedforward systems, in which the sound is measured and inverted before you hear it. This can give good results, but it’s unable to measure and correct the actual sound you hear. That’s why some headphones also use mics inside the earcup for feedback ANC, in which the headphones make real-time adjustments to what you’re hearing and apply near-instantaneous corrections to the waveform.
Are There Any Headphones That Cancel All Noise?
Most mid- to high-priced headphones and earbuds with noise cancellation technology can seemingly eliminate virtually all outside (ambient) noise, but if something extremely loud is happening in the world around you, even with the noise cancellation feature activated, you might still hear faint sounds from the real world.
Most noise cancelling headphones and earbuds do a really great job at eliminating low-frequency sounds (between 50 and 1kHz) from airplane engines, air conditioners and noisy appliances, for example, but cannot entirely eliminate medium- to high-frequency sounds. This means you may still hear voices (and sounds over the 1000Hz range) from the real world, depending on how loudly someone is speaking.
If you’re on an airplane and a baby is crying two rows away from where you’re sitting, chances are you’ll still hear that baby—at least a little bit in the background—while you’re listening to audio via your headphones or earbuds with noise-cancellation turned on. In some cases, if you simply turn up the volume of the audio you’re listening to, this will drown out the unwanted noise that the noise-cancellation does not eliminate altogether.
Regardless of what’s generating the sounds in the real world, when you wear noise cancelling headphones or earbuds, that ambient sound will be greatly reduced and almost imperceivable if you have music or audio playing.
Which Is Better: Active Or Passive Noise Cancellation?
As you read above, active noise cancellation works best, especially when it’s combined with passive noise cancellation technology in the headphones or earbuds you’re using.
What Is The Difference Between Noise Isolating And Noise Cancelling?
Active noise cancelation is a technological process used to eliminate unwanted noise, while noise isolation (passive noise cancellation) uses something physical (like silicon tips in earbuds) to block sound from entering your ear canal.
Thanks to active noise cancellation, microphones that are built into true noise cancelling headphones or earbuds listen to and analyze ambient sounds and then inverse that sound signal to cancel out the unwanted noise. At the same time, the technology built into the headphones is designed to make the audio you want to hear sound amazing.
For noise isolation to work, a snug fit around your ear (or in your ear if you’re using earbuds) is essential. This type of noise cancellation works well on eliminating mid- to higher frequency sounds. Thus, when headphones or earbuds utilize both passive (noise isolation) and active noise-cancelation, the results are rather impressive.
