Earphones come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, but if youre a true audiophile looking for the best sound, youll want to think about full-size around-ear or over-ear headphones rather than going the earbud path. In the past, this list would have included lots of wired earphones. These days, more consumers tend to prefer wireless earphones, so most– but not all– of the over-ear headphone models on this list are cordless and function active noise-canceling technology to drown out ambient sound.
With apologies to audio perfectionists (but not really, because these all provide terrific sound quality and a superior listening experience without tethering you by an audio cable), heres a look at our current leading choices for finest over ear headphones. We thought about elements like battery life, sound isolation, and the convenience of the ear cup (in addition to audio quality, of course), and well upgrade this list frequently as we examine new items.
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Sonys WH-1000XM3, the 3rd generation of Sonys exceptional cordless noise-canceling headphones, has a more comfortable fit (the adjustable headband helps enormously, and the ear pads are really soft) and features even better earphones sound and music performance than its predecessor. Battery life is crucial, and with a strong battery life, its presently our premier audio headphone with sound cancellation, edging out background sound and the Bose headphones on some bottom lines.
We get that these are among the more costly headphones, but for individuals looking to make a financial investment in quality, these are actually excellent earphones to spend your money on..
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V-Modas M-200 is a wired-only headphone and one of the few wired over-ear earphones on this list. Released in late 2019, these tidy and comprehensive sounding over-ear headphones have great noise and exceptional bass response, and the soft ear cups indicate theyre likewise comfortable to wear. Including 50mm motorists with neodymium magnets, CCAW voice coils and tweak by Roland engineers– V-Moda is now owned by Roland– the M‑200 is Hi‑Res Audio-certified by the Japan Audio Society. Other V-Moda earphones tend to press the bass a little, but this has the more neutral sound profile that you d anticipate from a studio screen earphone. These studio-quality earphones come with two cords, one of which has a built-in microphone for making calls. It would be useful if V-Moda offered Lightning or USB-C earphone cables for mobile phone users.
Read our Sony MDR 7506 review.
Boses Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, the long-awaited follower to its QuietComfort 35 II designs, may not be a quantum leap forward, however they offer a little much better noise, call and sound cancellation quality for an ideal listening experience. Alas, these Bose headphones cost $400, but theyre a strong well-rounded audio performer with approximately 20 hours of battery life on a single charge. Thats a great deal of battery life!
While its sound canceling and comfort arent rather on par with completing designs from Bose and Sony, JBLs Live 650BTNC determines up well in terms of sound– the finest over ear earphones if you dont desire to spend more than a few hundred dollars. The listening experience is still excellent, the ear pads are very little and comfortable ambient noise leaks through. If you dont want to invest $300 or more on noise-canceling headphones, these over-ear headphones are worth thinking about. We like the noise of that.
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Some individuals, particularly weightlifters, like to work out in full-size headphones, and the BackBeat Fit 6100 over-the-ear wireless headphones are a really strong choice for both the gym and daily use. Battery life is rated at 24 hours.
Theyre a little pricey at their list price of $180, but often the rate dips more detailed to $100. Theyre readily available in black, camouflage and gray.
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Presented way back in 1991, the Sony MDR-7506 has actually long been a preferred earphone of taping engineers and other noise experts (yes, this is a wired earphone). The origins of its style date even further back, since the MDR-7506 is, in fact, a refresh of the Sony MDR-V6 that rolled out in 1985. Both models were designed for the pro sound market, but stay hugely popular with consumers.
While the two earphones have the very same style and are extremely comfy, they dont sound similar. Both deal really well-balanced sound and excellent clarity for their modest rates– and both are excellent overall worths. The V6 makes a little more bass and sounds more mellow and easygoing, while the 7506 is leaner with a more accentuated treble range, which makes it a little crisper and livelier.
When it concerns premium noise-canceling earphones, Bose and Sony have actually been the dominant noise players over the last few years. Now Sennheiser has turned up with its new Momentum 3 Wireless and it should have some attention, especially from folks who are fans of the Momentum line. Its available to purchase now for $309– even less than Boses Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
Not just does it function enhanced audio quality with enhanced noise-canceling functions (goodbye, external sound) and exceptional noise and audio for listening to music, but it likewise carries out well as a headset for making contact your iPhone or Android. While its noise cancellation and comfort level doesnt rather measure up to the sound cancellation and comfort of Sony WH-1000XM3s, it has well cushioned ear cups covered with sheep leather and I had no trouble rocking it for a two-hour music listening session, to state absolutely nothing of the battery life.
Earphones come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, but if youre a real audiophile looking for the finest noise, youll want to think about full-size around-ear or over-ear earphones rather than going the earbud route. V-Modas M-200 is a wired-only earphone and one of the couple of wired over-ear headphones on this list. These over-ear earphones are worth thinking about if you do not desire to spend $300 or more on noise-canceling earphones. Presented way back in 1991, the Sony MDR-7506 has actually long been a favorite earphone of tape-recording engineers and other noise experts (yes, this is a wired headphone). Some individuals, particularly weightlifters, like to work out in full-size earphones, and the BackBeat Fit 6100 over-the-ear wireless headphones are a very strong option for both the gym and everyday usage.
Read our Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 evaluation.
Read our Jabra Elite 85h evaluation.
Read our JBL Live 650BTNC evaluation.
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Bang & & Olufsens Beoplay H9 does not get mentioned much in the discussion of top noise-canceling headphones because at $500, its a really pricey set of earphones. The most current third-generation variation has been updated in a few considerable manner ins which make it much better than the earlier H9i. Battery life for this version has improved over the previous version to 25 hours, theres now a dedicated button for your voice assistant, the cushioning on the ear cushions and headband is cushier and the touch controls have actually been modified. The sound is still great.
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Sarah Tew/CNET.
Sarah Tew/CNET.
I liked Bowers & & Wilkins original PX noise-canceling over-ear headphones, but they were slightly lacking in the convenience and noise-canceling departments. The businesss brand-new PX7, launched in the fall of 2019, improves on both fronts, with exceptional noise, four noise-canceling settings (Automatic, Low, High and Off) and a well padded ear cushion in a strong, appealing style. Theres also an adjustable ambient “transparency” mode that enables you to hear the outside world.
The earphones are a little heavy at 10.7 ounces (304 grams), but the construct quality is top-notch– and it much better be, considering these are a little expensive at $400. Bowers & & Wilkins also makes a more compact on-ear model, the PX5, which costs $100 less and is also rather excellent. This design does sound a little better.
The noise is rich and in-depth with deep bass that remains well specified even at high volumes. This is a pretty dynamic earphone, with a touch of extra energy in the mid-highs.
These Bluetooth headphones support AAC and aptX, use Bluetooth 5.0, charge by means of USB-C and have up to 30 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels. Its noise canceling isnt quite at the level of the Bose or Sony, but its not far off– as I said, its enhanced from the initial PXs noise canceling.
Another audiophile preferred, Grados Prestige Series SR325e has actually been around for a while– we reviewed these over-ear headphones back in 2014. Its an open-back wired design, which means it leakages noise (do not utilize it in an open-office environment), however it delivers a few of the most open, comprehensive noise youll find at this cost..
Grado, which is based in Brooklyn, New York, and constructs the majority of its items there, has not changed the renowned exterior design of the earphones and like its SR325 predecessors (the previous design was the SR325i), his design has the exact same firm, bowl-shaped foam pads that use a little more pressure to the outer edges of your ears than the more simple foam pads of the step-down SR80e, which are arguably more comfortable. The SR80e headphones are substantially lighter, but not of the very same develop quality as the SR325e model. Some individuals like Grados earpads (theyre user-replaceable), however overall we d say this models convenience level isnt up to the level of its sound quality: Comfort is excellent but not great.
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When Jabra initially announced its new Elite 85h ($ 300, ₤ 280) over-ear headphones, it touted how it would be equipped with always-on (hands-free) voice assistant control using Amazons Alexa or Google Assistant. Sadly, that feature didnt make it into the last product– obviously it impacted battery life excessive, and battery life is vital– however the Elite 85h is nevertheless an excellent noise-canceling earphone that makes music and other audio sound good. Its comfy to wear and also works well as a headset for making calls– crucial for over-ear earphones.
Read our Grado Prestige Series SR325e evaluation.
