The best ANC headphones tested

Sony’s WH-series of wireless headphones have been some of the best we’ve tested, especially on the noise cancelling, and the WH-1000XM5 are Sony’s latest and greatest effort yet.

Improvements to the noise cancellation bring refinements over the WH-1000XM4, with Sony claiming they deal with voices and higher frequency sounds better than previous generations did. We found that large crowds were silence and commutes were noticeably quiet, though we’d say that with voices the XM4 dismiss them slightly better, though in the XM5’s favour is that the tone of their noise cancellation is much cleaner. The Sony Headphone app offers 20 different levels of noise cancellation, with the Ambient Mode much clearer and more expansive in its performance than the older models.

The biggest change is the look of the headphones, with redesigned earcups (now more oval in shape to fit more ears), tweaked earpads for comfort. They carry a more modern look and like the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the AirPods Max, they can no longer be collapsed and folded. It’s a change that some won’t like but comparing it to the XM4 model we did feel that it helped reduce the impact of wind noise.

There’s a lot to appreciate with regards to its feature set, the XM5 plunders the best features from the XM4 by carrying over the Quick Attention (which filters outside sound for a brief moment) and Speak To Chat (which pauses music when you’re speaking.

Despite including new V1 processor that lengthened battery life for the WF-1000XM4, the battery life (with ANC) is the same as the older models at 30 hours. With noise cancelling off the XM5 ekes out a couple of hours more than before at 40 hours. Over the course of testing, we managed to get a week’s use before we felt the need to charge, so it’s still plenty enough to last a while.

The steady rate of small, but useful improvements continue in the audio department, with the WH-1000XM5’s mid-range sounding richer, the soundstage more spacious and a low-end of the frequency range that has more depth and texture to it. It’s not a complete overhaul of the sound but in terms of audio quality, they’re still above the likes of the Bose QuietComfort 45 and Technics EAH-A800 we’ve tested.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WH-1000XM5

When it comes to the best noise-cancelling earbuds, the QuietComfort Earbuds II from Bose leave the competition in its wake.

The noise-cancellation performance here is class-leading as the QuietComfort II zaps away noise with impressive confidence. Not every sound is removed but these buds aren’t not far from off from total silence. During testing we found there were gains over the original QuietComfort Earbuds in terms of suppressing people’s voices and the noise-cancelling sounded more natural than before.

Walking in and around London, there was a wonderful sense of calm and isolation from the outside world, but the one minor issue we noticed was some minor wind noise to contend with, which we had hoped was eradicated with the new design.

The Aware mode also impresses, piping in a clear, detailed, and natural sound, and Bose’s ActiveSense technology works in a similar manner to the AirPods Pro 2‘s transparency mode, automatically reducing background noises in the Aware mode to stop the wearer from being startled by sudden, loud sounds. This worked very well on the London Underground.

Sound quality has been improved with the top end of the frequency range brighter and bass is bigger and punchier than before. Vocals carries slightly more weight too, and there’s a better sense of depth and space than we can recall with the original.

When it comes to features, the QuietComfort Earbuds II aren’t stacked with as many as its rival, but we are pleased to see a three-band EQ in the Bose Music app. The wireless connection is excellent with barely a dropout when walking around London, and battery is on more competitive terms with the Sony WF-1000XM4 with 24 hours in total if you include the charging case. If there’s a fault, it’s that call quality is not the most impressive. The Bose can let a lot of sounds through which made it harder for the person on the other end to hear what was said.

Nevertheless, in our opinion, the QuietComfort Earbuds II are the best noise-cancelling buds you can buy even with the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds available.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

The Bowers and Wilkins Px8 headphones are some of the best-sounding and best-looking headphones on the market.

Launching in Black and Tan leather versions, both of those options look very classy and feel very sturdy in terms of their build quality. We thought they were comfortable to wear for long periods of time, with the oval shape helping to assist in presenting a more natural soundstage.

These headphones come with adaptive ANC and we felt they were effective at suppressing noise on the underground, hushing voices and managing wind noise to acceptable levels, without needing to sacrifice audio quality. Even in noisy environments, the Px8 headphones condense the volume of a crowd into a more manageable sound, being robust enough to usher in a sense of calm wherever you are.

With 40mm dynamic full-range carbon cone drive units, these headphones offer a large and expansive soundstage, a big improvement on their predecessor, the Bowers and Wilkins Px7. Bass frequencies have massive definition and punch, with a sharp and open midrange that complements a lot of genres. High frequencies are distinctive and bright, making the Bowers and Wilkins Px8 a clean, precise and dynamic pair of headphones.

Call quality here is also nothing to sniff at. While they are not as clear as the Sony WH-1000XM5, they were among the best on the market at the moment, with voices coming across clearly and background noises being kept to a minimum thanks to the dedicated call microphones.

Despite the likes of the Focal Bathys and Dali IO-12 headphones, we’d still rate the Px8 as the best premium for noise-cancelling as it manages to clear out more noise than those two models are capable of.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bowers and Wikins Px8

With the AirPods Pro 2, Apple has made one of the best noise cancelling true wireless available.

The design is not much different than the original AirPods Pro, but they feature an extra ear-tip size (XS) to fit a wider range of ears. The force sensor also has the ability to tweak volume levels, though we found it’s not always the most reliable option. IPX4 resistance against moisture remains, so these earphones could be used for exercise as well as listening to music.

And in terms of sound quality, they’re an improvement over their predecessor. Bass has a richness and warmth, but there’s still good clarity to vocals within the soundstage and instruments are defined with more detail.

The star of the show, though, is arguably the AirPod Pro 2’s noise cancelling prowess. Used on the underground and compared to the WF-1000XM4 and they edged the Sony buds with how much high frequency noise and rumble of the train that they removed.

The noise cancellation is adaptive, ramping and down depending on how much noise is detected. The same is true of the transparency mode, which has also been improved. We found it piped through a clearer, more realistic impression of the world around us. The lack of control over the noise cancelling/transparency remains a bug bear, though.

Battery life is good at six hours per bud and 30 hours overall. That’s a better figure overall than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (6 and 24 hours) and around similar to the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 (7 and 28 hours). There are much cheaper noise cancelling buds, such as the JBL Live Pro 2, that offer more longevity (10 and 40 hours).

If you’re an iOS user in need of a ANC true wireless then arguably no other integrates as well as the AirPod Pro. Non-iOS users will want to look elsewhere, as many of the features such as Spatial Audio are exclusive to the iOS ecosystem.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: Apple AirPods Pro 2

There are always caveats with the performance of budget noise-cancelling headphones. They’re not as powerful as more expensive models, but as long as you are aware of it, then the WH-CH720N from Sony are one of the best vlaue noise-cancelling headphones you can buy.

We would describe the noise-cancellation as solid for the price. It focuses on reducing low frequency sounds and clearing away ambient noise, and while we wouldn’t say that these headphones clear every loud bang or big vehicles, we did find that they made daily commutes less intense and disruptive. They’re effective against large groups of people, though when faced with individuals, we did notice that they made people’s voices more noticeable.

The sound quality is similar to the WH-CH520 on-ears in that it takes on a smooth and bassy tone. Bass is delivered with punch, the midrange is clear and detailed, and the upper frequencies sound bright and clear enough. We did find that the Final UX300 offer a more insightful performance (with its noise-cancelling off, however), but they aren’t as affordable, nor do they boast as many convenient features.

The headphones’ frame and earcups are made from recycled plastic, and we found that there were no noticeable creaks or groans when we bent the frame. The use of plastic also keeps the headphones lightweight at 192g, and moreover we didn’t experience periods of discomfort thanks to the padding on the headband and earcups.

Although Sony claims 35 hours of battery life, our tests showed they could go as far as 40 with noise-cancelling on, which is more than the Soundcore Space One managed. As well as the hybrid active noise-cancellation, there’s a transparency mode, Bluetooth multipoint, customisation through the Sony Headphones app support and voice assistants in Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

There’s a growing number of affordable ANC headphones but we’re confident that of the cans we’ve tested, the Sony put in the best overall performance.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WH-CH720N

The JBL Live Pro 2 are of the best noise-cancelling earbuds around the £100 mark, better than the Beats Studio Buds and an improvement on our previous favourite in the Lypertek Z5 ANC.

Walking through Westminster tube station and we found background noise was reduced to little more than inconsequential rustle. Compared to the Z5 ANC, we found the JBL was slightly better at numbing people’s conversations, and when subduing bigger crowds in busy areas. It’s a very impressive performance for its price.

These buds proved very comfortable to wear over long periods of time, with our reviewer noting that they never experienced any discomfort during use. The IPX5 water make them more robust than most noise-cancelling earbuds, so they can be used during a workout or when it’s raining. 

There are a few issues with the Live Pro 2 buds, namely their wireless performance and call quality. We experienced a choppy connection in busy areas like Victoria train station, but it also occurred in areas when there was fewer people were around. We didn’t feel there fared too well with phone calls, especially in busier areas, as despite their noise-cancelling prowess, with calls they have a tendency to let in lots of noise like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, making it harder for the person on the other end of the phone to hear what’s said. 

In terms of their sound quality, the JBL favour a balance tone that’s not necessarily the most exciting, but we quite enjoyed the sound. They boast a weighty bass, a midrange that is reproduced with clarity and a clear and distinct treble performance. We thought that this made them easy to listen to across a range of genres, though the volume needs to be turned up to widen the soundstage and give the bass richness. 

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: JBL Live Pro 2