The 7 Very Best Noise-Canceling Headphones
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your account’s‘Saved for Later’section.
Comment
A truly great pair of noise-canceling headphones will do more than just play your favorite tunes without any interference from your surroundings. They should sound good, sit comfortably on your head even for long periods of time, and last longer than 24 hours on a single charge. There are plenty of noise-canceling headphones out there ranging from well under $100 to thousands of dollars, but not many of them get the balance of these qualities just right (and for a reasonable price). For instance, some headphones might have great noise cancellation but not be as comfortable as a pair that lets a little bit more noise in.
There are two forms of noise cancellation that headphones can take advantage of: passive and active. In passive noise cancellation, sound is prevented from entering your ears using physical methods, whether by creating a seal around your ear or within your ear canal while remaining comfortable to wear. Active noise cancellation — which can work in tandem with passive cancellation — uses an array of microphones on the headphones to process external sound waves and emit the opposite waveform to cancel them out. ANC uses more battery life than passive cancellation alone, but it’s also far more effective, so I only tested models that had active noise cancellation.
To find the best noise-canceling headphones, I’ve tested over 20 pairs for a minimum of eight hours each by listening to a playlist spanning a variety of genres, including country, jazz, pop, hip-hop, and metal, and in settings with different levels and types of noise. I also made phone calls on each pair, spoke to people with transparency mode enabled, and took almost all of them on at least one flight. While there are thousands of noise-canceling headphones on Amazon, I mostly stuck to the best-known brands in the space — namely, Bose, Sony, and Apple. All are wireless, since that’s what companies seem to have decided that customers want (though some do have wired capabilities). If you’re looking for noise-canceling earbuds, you’ll find some good options in ourseparate guideto those.
Updated on July 29, 2026
I’ve added Anker’s Space 2 headphones as the new best less-expensive noise-cancelling headphones and the Apple AirPods Max 2 as the best for Apple users. All of the rest are still in stock and their prices are up to date.
Our top picks
Whatwe’relookingfor
Battery life
Good headphones are not very useful if they can’t accompany you all the way to your destination or get you through an entire workday. I only tested models with at least 20 hours of battery life, since this is a common enough feature among even less expensive headphones (and many last 40 or more). Most manufacturers list two numbers for the battery life of a pair of headphones: one with active noise cancellation turned on, one without.
Transparency mode
Most of the time, you don’t want any noise sneaking past your headphones and into your ears, but it’s good to remain aware of your surroundings while commuting or otherwise out and about. Most modern noise-canceling headphones have some variation of transparency mode, which uses on-device microphones to replicate some sounds — like cars or someone speaking to you — in the headphones’ speakers in addition to whatever you’re listening to. A few headphones will even intelligently switch to transparency mode whenever you’re talking to someone and boost the volume of the speaking voice.
Weight
A pair of headphones isn’t any good if it’s too heavy to wear for more than a few minutes. Anything over a pound will likely be too much for a comfortable experience, so I only tested models that weighed one pound or less. I personally found that the most comfortable pairs weigh around half a pound.
Weight is just one contributing factor when it comes to comfort; clamping force is often the other noticeable one. I didn’t have any issues with the clamping force being too strong on any of the headphones I tested, but I’ve noted where they’ve been an issue for others.
Collapsible
Even if you’re not aone-baggerordaily commuter, it’s still good to have a pair of headphones that collapse into a smaller form to save some space in your bag. Most headphones I tested had the ability to fold each ear cup into the headband. If you only use your headphones at home, this may not seem important, but when you have limited bag space, every bit counts.
Best noise-canceling headphones overall
New! You can now save this product for later.
Battery life:30 hours with ANC| Transparency mode:Yes| Weight:0.56 pounds |Collapsible:Yes
Previous versions of Sony’s most popular noise-canceling headphones came just short of the noise-blocking capabilities of Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra headphones. With the WH-1000XM6, Sony has surpassed Bose and made a pair of headphones that has top-notch noise cancellation, quality sound no matter the genre, and a design that’s comfortable to wear for hours on end.
Like previous versions, the WH-1000XM6 sounds excellent. In bass-heavy tracks like DJ Shadow’s “Nobody Speak” and T.I.’s “Front Back,” the bottom of the range felt booming without overpowering vocals or other instruments. The highs on heavy tracks like Audioslave’s “Show Me How to Live” and Asking Alexandria’s “Closure” came through clearly even at loud volumes, and details were sharp across genres. If you’re not a fan of Sony’s default EQ settings, you can use the company’s Connect app to adjust the sound levels of the WH-1000XM6 to suit your preferences.
As for blocking out sounds, the Sonys don’t disappoint. Thanks to a gnarly plumbing issue, I recently had to keep an annoyingly loud dehumidifier in my living room for several days. Even when I was standing right next to the machine, its noisy roars weren’t even noticeable. Similarly, high-pitched sounds like my dog’s yappy bark get filtered out quite well; your work certainly won’t get disrupted.
When you need to hear some of your surroundings, the WH-1000XM6 has a transparency mode that you can toggle via a physical button or simply cupping your hand over the right ear cup. If you choose that second option, the headphones will stay in transparency mode until you remove your hand, at which point noise-cancellation will be reenabled. With transparency mode on, external sounds came through clearly enough to be identifiable without cutting through whatever I was listening to. I tried this on a walk while listening to an episode ofBlank Check With Griffin and Davidand Danny Brown’sStardustand had no trouble hearing the crosswalk signal. You can also use the Connect app to enable a feature that turns on transparency mode whenever you start speaking so you can hear whoever you’re talking to. Once you’re done chatting the headphones will go back to blocking noises, and you hardly notice the switch.
Whether I just wore them on a walk or kept them on throughout my work day, the Sonys never became uncomfortable to wear. The headband has a cushion with a tapered thickness — it’s thicker on the top than on the sides — so the top of your head gets plenty of support without the sides of the headphones bulging out too much.
I have only one complaint: As good as the Sony headphones are at blocking out noise, I wish you could fine-tune just how aggressive the noise-canceling is like you can with the QuietComfort Ultra and Space 2 headphones.
Best (less expensive) noise-canceling headphones
New! You can now save this product for later.
Battery life:50 hours with ANC; 70 hours without ANC| Transparency mode:Yes| Weight:0.58 pounds |Collapsible:Yes
Anker Soundcore isn’t as established in the audio space as companies like Bose or Sony, but that just makes the quality of its affordable headphones even more impressive. The noise cancellation and audio quality aren’t quite as good as those of more expensive headphones like the Bose QuietComforts or the Sony WH-1000XM6s, but the Anker Soundcore Space Core 2 costs less than a third of those models while getting surprisingly close. You won’t find a better pair of headphones for such a low price.
When you first pair the Space 2s with your phone —Fast Pairmakes this especially efficient with an Android — you can customize the sound profile using Anker’s Soundcore app. It’ll play several sounds for you so that it can fine-tune the equalizer to your liking. After I made my sound profile, songs sounded more vibrant and balanced. The lows on bass-heavy tracks were noticeable without being overpowering, and vocals came through clearly even on busy tracks. You won’t notice as many details as you would with pricier headphones, and the soundstage is narrower, but the Space 2s sound more than good enough for budget headphones.
The noise cancellation is equally impressive. It won’t completely block out particularly loud noises, like construction work if you’re outside, but the Space 2s keep most everything else out quite well. My dogs tend to bark at the faintest sounds, so I often have to deal with that while trying to maintain focus. The barks weren’t muted as much as they are with Bose’s or Sony’s headphones, but they came close.
The Space 2s are also surprisingly comfortable given the price. The headband has plenty of cushioning to remain pain-free during long listening sessions, and so do the ear cups. And because they only weigh 0.58 pounds, they never felt too heavy on my head.
Best (even less expensive) noise-canceling headphones
New! You can now save this product for later.
Battery life:50 hours with ANC; 70 hours without ANC| Transparency mode:Yes| Weight:0.59 pounds |Collapsible:Yes
Although Anker’s Space 2 headphones are already quite cheap compared to other headphones we recommend, the company’s even more-affordable Life Q30 has impressed me with its capabilities despite the low price. The sound quality isn’t as good as that of the Space 2— the audio is flatter, the bass is weaker, and calls sound tinny — but they sound better than I’d expect for headphones under $100.
More important, these headphones are surprisingly effective at blocking out noise for a pair of budget headphones. While listening to music in a coffee shop, the Life Q30s managed to block out most distracting sounds like dishes clanking against each other and the shop’s music, but they struggled with blocking out nearby chatter as well as pricier headphones. While every other pair I tested managed to block out most talking, these headphones instead made it sound like a more distant version of the incoherent adult chatter in aPeanutscartoon.
These headphones are also surprisingly comfortable for the price. The memory foam on the headband and ear cups is soft and comfortable, just like on Bose and Sony’s headphones, and the plastic doesn’t feel cheap.
Best noise-canceling headphones for sound quality
New! You can now save this product for later.
Battery life:30 hours| Transparency mode:Yes| Weight:0.58 pounds |Collapsible:Yes
Bose’ssecond-generation QuietComfort Ultraheadphones are nearly as good as Sony’s. They’re just as comfortable and have equally good sound, but they’re slightly less effective at keeping out unwanted sounds. While they were able to block out things like my dogs barking, doors shutting, and nearby chatter, I could still hear traces of the obnoxiously loud dehumidifier that the Sony headphones managed to completely keep out.
That said, these headphones are just as good as Sony’s at blocking out things like an airplane engine or construction a few houses down, as well as the sounds of cars passing by when I was on a walk. You can also use Bose’s app to adjust the intensity of the noise cancellation and allow in more sounds if you do want to hear more of your surroundings. But unlike Sony’s WH-1000XM6 and Apple’s AirPods Max 2, these headphones lack conversational awareness, so you won’t be able to hear people when they try to talk to you without manually pausing your audio or taking your headphones off.
The sound on the Bose headphones is a tad warmer than the Sony’s, though that’s all adjustable with the Bose app’s EQ settings. Other than that, the bass is present without being overbearing, and high notes come through easily but never feel piercing. And while these headphones sound excellent over a Bluetooth connection, Bose also added the ability to play lossless audio over USB-C, something the Sony headphones don’t offer. When listening to high-fidelity versions of the same albums I tested with the Sonys onQobuz, the details were easier to make out and tracks felt more layered than they did over Bluetooth. Bose included a nice-feeling USB-C cable to use for lossless playback, but it felt a bit short to use if you move around while you listen.
One more noteworthy feature: Most headphones stay on if you rest them on your table unless you disconnect them from your phone or turn them off completely, but when you lay the earcups of the QuietComforts flat on a surface, they’ll go into sleep mode and your device will default back to its own speakers. Once you pick the headphones back up and put them on, they’ll reconnect to your device and you can resume listening.
Best noise-canceling headphones for Apple users
New! You can now save this product for later.
Battery life:20 hours| Transparency mode:Yes| Weight:0.85 pounds |Collapsible: No
TheAirPods Max 2are excellent if you’re all in on Apple products and want great-sounding headphones that have the convenience ofApple’s wireless earbuds. Their unique design, which features a mesh headband, large metal ear cups, and a round dial that mimics the look of the Apple Watch’s digital crown, stands out among a crowd of look-alike headphones.
Just like the standard AirPods, the AirPods Max 2 connect to Apple devices immediately after being removed from their case, and you can seamlessly switch between devices with just a few taps. You can also use these headphones to try out Apple’sSpatial Audiofeature, but it only works with certain tracks on Apple Music and shows on Apple TV+.
Audio quality is on par with that of the Bose and Sony headphones, with balanced sound and effective noise cancelation. Thanks to a new high-dynamic-range amplifier, the sound is even richer and more vibrant than with the original AirPods Max. And while everything sounds great over Bluetooth, the AirPods Max 2 also support lossless audio over USB-C. The difference isn’t noticeable enough to give up the convenience of wireless headphones when you’re on the move, but it’s enough of an improvement to warrant keeping a cable with you for when you’re sitting down and listening.
The transparency mode on the Max 2 works better than on any other pair of headphones I’ve tested. External noises sound clear through the headphones without overpowering whatever you’re listening to. It can sometimes be jarring when you hear a loud noise like a car honking its horn, so I do wish Apple had an equalizer to tweak the audio levels of your headphones, as most other audio manufacturers do.
Note that the AirPods Max 2 are noticeably heavier than the other models on this list, and some people find the clamping force can be too strong initially and causes headaches (I haven’t had issues with this, personally). You may want to try them on in a store first to make sure they’re the right investment for you, but if they’re already in your possession and you’re finding them uncomfortable, you can try stretching them out gradually to get a better fit. The mesh headband may also begin to sag with use, and some people mitigate that by using acaseor by buying aheadband coverfrom a third-party seller.
Speaking of drawbacks, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Apple’s included case for the AirPods Max 2 doesn’t protect the headband at all. That’s especially frustrating because the headband gets dirty easily andisn’t easy to clean, as you can’t remove it from the ear cups (and is another reason to consider getting the cover mentioned above). The ear cushions are removable, making them less of a struggle to clean.
Best noise-canceling headphones for traveling
New! You can now save this product for later.
Battery life:40 hours with ANC; 70 hours without ANC| Transparency mode:Yes| Weight:0.61 pounds |Collapsible: Yes
While Apple’s AirPods Max 2 is easier for pairing with multiple Apple devices, JBL’s Tour One M3 headphones are better for working with non-Apple devices, especially those without Bluetooth capabilities. It has a tiny audio transmitter (about the size of an AirPods Pro case) that you can connect to any device with an audio jack. Like the case on JBL’s Tour Pro 3wireless earbuds,the transmitter has a touch screen you can use to control music playback without having to pull your phone out. It sounds like a novelty, but it’s nice to have when you’re closer to the audio source, like your bookshelf speakers, than you are to your phone.
Among all the headphones I’ve tested, these are my favorite to wear for long stretches of time. The memory foam is the softest I’ve tested while still maintaining its shape between uses, and the headphones feel incredibly light on my head.
Even without the neat extra hardware, the Tour One M3s are a great pair of headphones. The sound is rich with powerful but not overpowering bass, and noise cancelation is just as good as with the QuietComfort Ultras. They also have JBL’s spatial audio feature, which enhances whatever you’re playing to make it sound like it’s coming from your surroundings, not from your headphones.
I do wish that the Tour One M3 touch panel were as useful as the one on the Sony. Only the right side of the headphones has a touch panel, and it only works for pausing or resuming playback. The WH-1000XM6 also allows you to adjust the volume and skip tracks, and I found myself missing the extra features while testing these headphones. Compared to those of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM6, the touch panel on the Tour One M3 is frustratingly sensitive. Light taps can accidentally trigger play/pause, and I often found that an accidental double tap would trigger twice, forcing me to tap a third time to get the result I wanted.
Most stylish noise-canceling headphones
New! You can now save this product for later.
Battery life:35 hours with ANC; 80 hours without ANC| Transparency mode:Yes| Weight:0.73 pounds |Collapsible: Yes
All of the headphones we recommend look good enough to wear, but none have turned heads quite like Nothing’s Headphone (1). Where the Sony and Bose headphones look right at home in business class, Nothing’s headphones look as though they were plucked off the retro-futuristic set ofSeverance. The ear cups are square, rather than rounded like other headphones, with raised, transparent ovals on top of them that look sort of like cassette tapes.
The sound quality is about on par with the Bose headphones — the highs are crisp and vibrant, while the mids are easy to hear and the lows aren’t overwhelming. I’m also impressed with the fact that despite these being Nothing’s first premium set of headphones, they’re nearly as good at blocking out sound as the Sony headphones.
One complaint: The cushion on the Nothing’s headband only covers the top of your head, not the sides. The sides won’t touch your head so it doesn’t cause any discomfort, but these headphones aren’t quite as cozy as the ones from Sony or Bose.
Other headphones I’ve tested
- Dyson’sOnTrac headphonesare great in many ways: They’re gorgeous and highly customizable, their noise cancellation is solid, songs sound full and clear, and their premium materials are evident in how they look and feel. That said, they weigh a full pound. That’s far too heavy to be comfortable for long stretches of time.
- I wanted to like theSonos Aceheadphones, but after a successful round of testing — I especially enjoyed the aesthetic of the headphones and their balanced sound — the headphones stopped turning on or accepting a charge. I’m working on resolving this issue, but for now, I can’t recommend them. That said, the company recently announced an updated version of the Ace with new features like surround sound and the ability to cast audio to two pairs. I’ll be testing the new version soon.
- TheTechnics EAH-A800headphones are almost good enough to recommend. They sound great — the highs and mids are clear and vibrant, while the bass is powerful but not overbearing — and are some of the most comfortable headphones I’ve tried. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed these headphones tend to produce unpleasant white noise when there isn’t audio playing, which isn’t true of other headphones in this guide.
- Anker still sells theSoundcore Life Q20headphones, and they’re often on sale for less than the Q30. That said, the Q30 is enough of an upgrade in sound quality that I’d suggest spending the extra bucks.
Other headphones we recommend
New! You can now save this product for later.
These earbuds clip over your ears and can track your heart rate. Perfect for going on runs.
New! You can now save this product for later.
If you prefer wired earbuds, these ones sound better than Apple's EarPods.
New! You can now save this product for later.
Headphones that look like they were yanked straight from the 90's.
The Strategistis designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the bestacne treatments,rolling luggage,pillows for side sleepers,natural anxiety remedies, andbath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
