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Below is a list of previously-tested headphones that are still available. Earbuds are on the next page (see tabs at bottom). To read more about our current picks, check out the guide: Noise Cancelling Headphones
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Model NameOur Thoughts
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Over- or on-ear headphones (toggle tab at bottom for earbuds)
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Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay HXLike all B&O headphones, this pair looks fantastic—and it’s the looks you’re paying for with these $500 headphones. Although the sound profile is well-reviewed and adjustable, you can get equal performance from the less-expensive Sony WH-1000XM5 set. The same applies to the noise cancellation, which performed well in our tests but was not superlative. If cost is no object and you like the looks of the BeoPlay HX, you’re likely to be happy with this pair.
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Bose QuietComfort 45These wireless, over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones are the update to Bose’s popular QuietComfort 35 Series II, and they sound essentially the same. The QC45 offers an awareness mode, background-noise-reducing microphones, 24 hours of battery life, and quick-charge abilities. If you happen to have a Bose soundbar, the QC45 headphones are compatible with SimpleSync, which allows you to pair to your Bose soundbar and use the QC45 as a pair of wireless TV headphones. The noise cancellation measures nearly identically to the more feature-rich Bose 700, as well as the QC35 Series II—which is to say it’s excellent, but if noise cancellation matters most to you, we think you should spend a little more to get the adjustable ANC on the Bose 700. Otherwise, the Jabra Elite 85h costs less, offers adjustable audio EQ, adds water and dust resistance, and still provides decent noise cancellation.
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Bose QuietComfort 45
This pair is the update to Bose’s popular QuietComfort 35 Series II and has been replaced by the newer QC Headphones. It offers a hear-through mode, background-noise-reducing microphones, 24 hours of battery life, and quick-charge abilities. The QC45 headphones are compatible with SimpleSync, so if you happen to have a Bose soundbar, you can pair them with the soundbar and use them as wireless TV headphones. In our tests the noise cancellation measured nearly identically to that of our pick, the more feature-rich Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, but it’s not adjustable—so we think you should get a pair of the Bose 700.
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Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2The Px7 S2 over-ear headphones are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and they have an undeniably luxurious aesthetic. If you favor a sound profile that’s slightly bass-forward, you’ll probably like the way this pair sounds with the ANC activated. However, in our tests these headphones lost some bass presence when we turned the ANC off, and the app doesn’t allow for EQ adjustments to address the issue. Also, we found the active noise cancellation to be exceptionally directional: Even a tip of the head by a few inches changed how much noise it reduced—especially when the source of the sound was located on one side of the body, such as an air conditioner or traffic noise from the street as we walked along the sidewalk. This effect may not bother you much if optimal noise cancellation isn’t your priority. However, considering this pair’s $400 original price, we were hoping for consistently excellent performance to match the stellar looks.
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Bowers & Wilkins Px8A pair of headphones needs to be outstanding to justify a $700 price tag. Unfortunately, the Px8 set, while very nice, failed to outshine our top picks in any single aspect, except perhaps for its looks. Though the leather on the earcups and headband is plush and squishy, we found that the weight and clamping force of this pair could be uncomfortable after a long period; on large heads the pressure could be headache-inducing, and on smaller heads the earcups could press on the jaw. In our tests, the noise cancellation was decent but no match for that of the Bose 700 set or the similarly priced (and equally flawed) Apple AirPods Max pair. The microphones were nice: Calls sounded clear, and the hear-through mode had a more natural sound than that of just about any other over-ear headphone pair we’ve tested. Without EQ, the sound was boosted in the upper lows and lower mids, which could blur male vocals. Unfortunately, the EQ is a two-slider system that handles “treble” and “bass” and nothing else; though moving a slider does add some clarity or oomph, it’s too broadly applied and leads to new problems rather than fixing existing issues. That isn’t to say this pair sounds bad. But it doesn’t sound as good as the AirPods Max, and it doesn’t cancel noise as effectively as the Bose 700.
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Cleer AlphaFor business travelers, this pair offers a lot of nice features, including easy-to-use controls, specialized airplane plug accessories, and quite good active noise cancellation, especially in the airplane noise range. However, the physical sound isolation wasn’t quite as effective in our tests. In addition, the sound quality wasn’t our favorite, with a dip somewhere in the mid-frequency range that we couldn’t tweak with the app-based EQ. We also weren’t fans of the artificial-sounding Dirac spatial filter, which added a reverb-like quality to vocals, made the bass more boomy, and added an incongruous tightness to the highs.
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Cleer Enduro ANCThis pair’s noise cancelling is most effective on very low-frequency sounds, so it reduces airplane engine rumble, but you’re still likely to hear the upper grinding sounds of the engine whir. In our tests, the sound quality was a little uneven (the default sound profile was hyped in the lows and highs), but listening to the Enduro ANC was nonetheless quite enjoyable for us. Although the app offers EQ adjustment, the frequency ranges represented on the faders aren’t dexterous enough—and are a touch baffling. (Most people can’t hear 20 kHz after infancy, so why is that one of the EQ options?) But we found the fit to be comfortable, and the microphone was clear on phone calls. Plus, the 60-hour battery life is great for folks who forget to charge their headphones regularly.
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Edifier W820NB PlusThis pair feels pretty well built for the price, with nice padding. For the original $80 asking price, they sound quite good, too. However, the ANC is very directional––if you turn your head, the cancellation struggles to keep up, often letting in more noise each time you move. And because this pair isn’t very isolating, it doesn’t muffle voices or higher-pitched sounds very well. We also wish the control buttons were larger.
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Edifier W820NB PlusThe noise cancellation is moderately effective, but the overall reduction is marred by the design’s lack of passive isolation. You might not hear the lowest pitches of an engine, but you’ll hear the upper whine, as well as people talking. The sound quality is decent, and the padding on the earcups is comfortable, but with so many other great options, this pair just fell a bit short.
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Edifier WH950NBIf you are prone to eardrum suck, this pair will aggravate that condition. The ANC reduces a narrow band of low frequencies quite well, but the isolation isn’t effective, so the overall experience is a mixed bag. The sound is decent but not stellar, and the buttons are small and tricky to feel, especially if you have large fingers.
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Edifier WH950NBThis pair is a mixed bag. Like the W820NB Plus, this Edifier pair is lacking in passive isolation. So although the noise cancellation is effective in a band of lower frequencies, you can still hear things like babies crying or dishes clinking. This combo of intense ANC and lack of isolation can exacerbate eardrum suck if you’re sensitive to it. Sonically, the bass is a touch bloated in the upper lows, and the highs have a slight coarseness to them, but neither flaw makes listening unenjoyable. The fit is lightweight and comfortable, and the earcups are deep, which can be more comfortable for people who have prominent or sensitive ears. However, the control buttons are small and tricky to feel, especially if you have larger fingers or challenges with dexterity.
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Focal BathysThe ANC is decent enough to be useful, but it isn’t overly impressive. However, ANC isn’t the reason someone would be interested in the Bathys in the first place: This $800 pair was designed to appeal to audio lovers with an enthusiast’s level of commitment. Audio connoisseurs should be aware that this pair has varying response curves between the passive (wired), active (Bluetooth), and ANC modes. Initially, in Bluetooth mode, the bass response was diminished, with a peak in the highs that some folks might enjoy but sensitive listeners could find fatiguing or sibilant. The EQ is helpful in adjusting both the bass and highs to your taste, but the EQ doesn’t apply in passive mode, so be sure you like the sound out of the box if you plan to use a headphone cable. The Bathys is quite heavy, but the padding is very soft and distributes weight well enough that this pair is comfortable to wear long term, especially compared with other massive high-end headphones. Overall, we don’t think this pair is the right fit for most people, but if you are a fan of the Focal sound and are willing to pay for a pair that is useful on the go, the Bathys is a good set.
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House of Marley Positive Vibration XL ANCThis is a lovely pair of Bluetooth headphones but a mediocre pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Thanks to a soft, padded headband and earcups, the fit is comfortable. Unlike most new Bluetoooth headphones, the Positive Vibration XL ANC comes with a cable sporting a single-button remote and microphone, so even if the battery dies, this pair remains functional and can take calls. Should eco-friendly practices be of importance to you, note that House of Marley has a more environmentally minded business plan than many other electronics companies. However, this pair’s noise cancellation, though effective on especially low frequencies, isn’t supported by good sound isolation, so folks who are affected by eardrum suck may find using the ANC uncomfortable. With the ANC off in our tests, the sound was fantastic—balanced and clear. In contrast, the ANC negatively impacted the sound response, and bass notes sounded louder yet duller at the same time, as though someone had turned up a subwoofer and tossed a blanket over it.
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JLab Studio ANC WirelessWhile the noise cancellation on this pair isn’t top-notch, it does reduce enough noise to be mildly useful in a plane. The controls are easy to use, and the battery life is decent at 28 hours with ANC on. In our tests, the sound quality was fine: It was a little on the bass-heavy side but not objectionable. What we don’t love is that the earcups don’t swivel, so the pads can sit a little awkwardly on the ears, and the set has no hear-through option for conversations. That said, if you need an on-ear design to be comfortable and want a budget option, these headphones might be a good fit for you.
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Mark Levinson No. 5909At $1,000, this pair is the most expensive set of ANC headphones we’ve tested. As such, during our evaluation, we held the 5909 to a high standard. The 5909 is lightweight, and we appreciated the thoughtful extras included, such as fabric-wrapped cables. The ANC was decent in our tests, reducing airplane noise by 20.4 decibels at the max setting. However, we wish the physical sound isolation were better: The 5909 let in more high-frequency sounds like voices than the less-expensive Bose 700. We also concluded that the sonic profile leaned to the bright side, with especially noticeable peaks in the 2 kHz to 3 kHz and 8 kHz to 10 kHz ranges. Although some folks prefer that kind of sound, our testers said it negatively impacted the sense of space and eventually became fatiguing.
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Master & Dynamic MW75The design and build of this $600 pair is undeniably luxurious. The noise cancellation is decent—useful enough to bring down the volume of airplane engine hum—but it doesn’t perform at the same level as that of the Bose 700. In our tests, the sound quality was very good, though the signature Master & Dynamic tuning had a spike in the highs that could add an icy feeling to strings. The app has a handful of EQ presets, but we think the options are too dramatic, as a greater level of nuance is necessary to address the tuning changes we want in the MW75. This pair has a hear-through feature, but it’s not the most natural-sounding we’ve heard; in our tests it had a muffled quality, as though we were cupping our hands around our ears. Overall, this pair is excellent only in its looks. If that’s worth the expense to you, go for it. But folks who are feature-focused or frugal are likely to prefer one of our picks instead.
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Monolith by Monoprice M1000ANCWe liked this pair’s soft memory-foam earpads and surprisingly natural hear-through mode. However, the ANC was less effective than that of our picks. Out of the box, the sound quality was pretty good—slightly flat but not offensive. The Dirac filter attempts to create a sense of artificial space, but we found the effect off-putting, as precise sounds in the center channel ended up doubled, or ping-ponging right to left. Though the filter also increased the loudness of the lows and highs to make the sound more exciting, we were so thrown by phase trickery that we couldn’t appreciate the boosts. At this pair’s original $130 price, we didn’t think its performance made it worth the extra cash over our budget pick.
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Monoprice Sync-ANCThe headband caused the earcups to flare away from the head, which in turn prompted the bottom of each earcup to sit away from the face. Not ideal for a pair that is supposed to cancel noise. Even when we manually held the earcups down, the noise cancellation was minimal, and the build felt creaky and breakable.
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Onanoff Fokus+If noise cancellation is your top priority, this isn’t the pair for you. The hear-through mode sounds like the person speaking has their hands cupped around their mouth. The sound quality isn’t much better, with blurry boosted bass and highs with a harsh, coarse edge. The only redeeming aspect to this pair is the boom mic, which is very effective at isolating your voice from background noise.
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Phiaton BonoBeats LiteIt has been a while since we’ve tested a new pair of on-ear headphones, so we were hopeful that the BonoBeats Lite would be recommendable for someone who prefers that style. Sadly, this pair wasn’t what we’re looking for. The headband is small with a lot of clamping force. The noise cancellation is middling, the sound quality has recessed vocals, and the hear-through mode has a hissing quality. Bummer.
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Philips Fidelio L3These headphones run on the larger side, so folks with smaller heads may have a tough time getting the earcups to sit right without gapping. In our tests the sound quality was quite good for music, but the ANC was middle-of-the-road, the hear-through mode was overly sibilant and not ideal for longer conversations, and the touch controls were prone to misfires.
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Philips H9505This pair sounded dull out of the box. The EQ presets in the app could help to add clarity to the vocal range, but no matter what we did, the bass notes lacked definition, much like a paint thinned by too much water. The noise cancellation was quite effective when we were facing the cause of the sound (for example, an air conditioner) but less so when the noise was coming from the sides.
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PSB M4U 8 MKIIThis pair’s sound quality in wireless mode was above average, especially the low end. The M4U 8 MKII provided bass oomph without blurring, muddying, or overpowering any other frequencies. However, the highs had a somewhat icy edge when the ANC was turned on, and with the pair in corded mode, the sound quality was boxy, dull, and on a par with that of $100 headphones. Also, the ANC seemed to reduce sound unevenly, creating an almost doughnut-hole effect in the noises around us. For ANC, we’d stick with the Bose 700 pair; for audio fans, the Sony WH-1000XM5 costs less, has more-even noise cancellation, and (once you apply EQ) offers better performance on mids and highs than this PSB set.
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PSB M4U 9This set’s noise cancellation takes the edge off of low frequencies, but the intensity isn’t competitive with even our budget pick. PSB is known for excellent bass reproduction, and the M4U 9 is a great example of why. The bass is slightly forward in the mix, but the notes have actual pitch, even at volumes that might cause distortion in other headphones. Out of the box, the highs have a slight icy spike, and male vocals are slightly recessed, but it’s subtle enough to be a matter of preference. Taking the time to complete the hearing-test-based EQ test can improve the experience, and unlike many wireless headphones, this pair sounds just as good wired as it does wireless. The headband transfers a lot of noise, so a small bump or scratch resonates noisily. On a more affordable pair, we might be able to overlook this given the great sound quality, but for $500, we want better.
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Puro Sound Labs PuroProWe love that the PuroPro set offers volume limiting similar to what you get with the company’s kids headphones, which ensures that you don’t push your music’s loudness into ranges that are unsafe for your hearing health. In our tests, the noise cancelling was mild but useful, and the sound quality was fine but not the best. High frequencies had a lack of crispness that made cymbals sound unnatural, and a boost in the upper mids made female voices sound as if they had a bit of a cold. None of these flaws are terrible, but overall they were enough to keep this pair from being a pick.
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Raycon The Everyday HeadphonesThese headphones perform acceptably for the price but are unremarkable. We found the “balanced” sound profile pleasant to listen to. (The other sound profiles are too bass- or treble-heavy to be useful for most listeners.) The active noise cancellation is middle-of-the-road, but the passive noise isolation is minimal, so you’re still likely to hear a lot of higher-pitched noises (such as voices) from your surroundings. In our tests, the microphone had a digital distortion quality and wasn’t up to par with those of the competition.
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Sennheiser HD 450BTSadly, we weren’t impressed by the amount of airplane noise this headphone pair was able to reduce, and our testers found the sound quality to be dull and muddy in the lows and tizzy in the highs. Basslines blurred together, and cymbals and strings sounded unnatural. We tried to use Sennheiser’s app to adjust the sound using EQ, but we found that the app’s adjustments were too broad to be useful for anyone who is looking to tweak the sound in specific places.
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Sennheiser Momentum 4 WirelessIf you are already a fan of Sennheiser’s Momentum line of headphones and are looking to replace an old or ailing set, you’ll be happy with this latest edition. They’re sleek and comfortable, and they have a few added bells and whistles. For everyone else, though, we found the bass to have a boxy, bloated quality that wasn’t fixable using the three clumsy faders available in the app’s EQ function. The ANC is decent but unremarkable, and the passive noise isolation is such that the upper range of sounds (like fan whirs) will still leak into your ears.
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Shure Aonic 50
While the look of these headphones is luxurious, we were disappointed to discover that the sound quality didn’t live up to the build quality. The audio had a dampened, veiled quality, lacking the sparkle and detail in the highs and the crispness in the attack and decay of the bass that we’d want in $400 headphones. The Shure app allows for EQ tweaks, but you have to play music through the app to get the benefit (which isn’t helpful if you stream your tracks). And the carrying case is absolutely massive, so it’s not ideal when your cargo space is at a premium.
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Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2This pair is an evolution of studio headphones and may be considered by people specifically for that purpose. It retains the Shure sound (narrowly boosted high frequencies and extra energy in the lows around 60 Hz) when you listen passively. However, via Bluetooth, the sound out of the box is very boomy, and the three preset EQ modes all go too far in their application of filters. The sound can be customized in the app, but the interface is not user-friendly for beginners and not dexterous enough for experts. We eventually got to a sound that was “close enough” to what we wanted, but it wasn’t easy to get there. The noise cancellation is intense and restricted to lower frequencies, so for those sensitive to eardrum suck, you’ll want to make adjustments. The microphones are clear but pick up external noise and are easily overwhelmed by wind.
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Skullcandy Crusher ANC XT 2The noise cancellation is minimal, and the isolation isn’t great. But that’s not why someone would be drawn to this pair. This is for someone who wants the experience of a car-trunk subwoofer in a wearable format. The bass is loud and boomy, and a small motor vibrates the headphones so that you can feel the bass. It’s not our thing, but if you’re into that, we won’t yuck your yum. We’ll just say, don’t get these if you want effective ANC or balanced sound.
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Sony WF-1000XM4 and Sony LinkBuds S:These two sets are worth discussing together because they share a lot of similar features, including always-listening Alexa and Google Assistant control and a speak-to-enable hear-through mode. What differentiates these two models (aside from price) is that the WF-1000XM4 provides wireless charging and a longer, eight-hour battery life, but due to its bulbous and sizable design, that pair is less comfortable to wear long-term. The LinkBuds S set, in contrast, is smaller and lighter, with an earbud shape that is more universal, but this pair has a shorter, six-hour battery life and is less successful than the WF-1000XM4 set at isolating noise.

Since the new WF-1000XM5 earbuds are smaller and more comfortable with more features, we prefer them over the WF-1000XM4 earbuds. The LinkBuds S pair suffers from middling noise cancellation, isolation, and sound quality, which together make its original $200 price seem steep. However, if you find either of these earbuds on sale and want a speak-to-enable hear-through mode, they’re both solid choices.
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Sony WH-XB910NThe XB stands for “extra bass,” and wow, does this pair have that. Imagine if you lived in a small, studio apartment and had a subwoofer next to your couch, and then you turned it up loudly enough that your neighbors could hear the thumping. The Sony app can help you adjust the balance, but it’s not nimble enough, which leaves you with the choice of too much or too little low-note emphasis. In our tests, the noise cancellation was above average, and the hear-through mode was quite good. But seriously, consider these headphones only if you like a ton of bass.
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Soundcore Life Q20 and Q20+The Soundcore Life Q20 is our former budget pick; the Q20+ offers the same design with the added convenience of app-based adjustable EQ and hear-through capabilities for a bit more cash. We like how great the Q20’s sound and noise cancellation are for the price, which usually sits around $60 or less. However, we’ve received feedback from readers indicating that the plastic headband isn’t sturdy enough to withstand daily use—many folks have commented that their pair cracked at the pivot point where the earcups meet the headband. Soundcore has been good about honoring the warranty, but that’s still a hassle that people shouldn’t have to deal with. And once your set is out of warranty, and it breaks, you’re out a pair of headphones. If you’re willing to take that risk (and don’t mind possibly busting out some tape to hold an earcup in place), the Q20 is fine, but we recommend spending a bit more on a more durable pair.
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Soundcore Life Q30This pair cancels noise relatively well for a pair under $100, but it isn’t as effective as our budget pick. Though the app allows adjustments to the sound, in our tests the mids were a little recessed, so we never really found a setting that enabled this pair to sound as clear as the 1More SonoFlow. We do like that the Q30 features pairing via NFC (for Android users) and adjustable relaxing/focus soundscapes. In scanning buyer reviews, however, we found build-quality complaints for this set similar to those for the Q20.
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Soundcore Life Q35If the Soundcore Life Q30 is a small step up from the Q20 and 20+, then the Q35 is a small step up from the Q30. Each version adds a few more features and somewhat better sound but also increases the price. In scanning customer reviews for this model, we found build-quality complaints in which the wear sensor fails and the music pauses randomly, for no reason.
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Technics EAH-A800This over-ear pair is capable of good performance, but getting there requires effort. In our tests, out of the box, the sound quality was marred by a pronounced boost in the upper-lows that made acoustic guitar sound overly resonant and caused male vocals to get lost in tracks with heavy basslines. Though none of the app-based EQ presets could address the balance effectively, we were able to dial in the manual EQ to create a sound that we found enjoyable—but because the sound quality varies based on whether the ANC is turned on or off, you need to readjust it for each setting. The dual hybrid noise cancellation significantly reduces the volume of airplane noise, but the physical sound isolation is less effective at blocking mid- and high-frequency sounds such as voices or traffic. The effect is exacerbated if you have a smaller head, as in that case the larger earcups can gap and allow in more outside noise. Lastly, the control buttons are small and tricky to use by feel, especially for people with larger fingers.
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The Haymaker HM100With the ANC on, this pair had an exciting sound matching that of the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM5. However, in wired mode, the sound profile lacked bass, and via Bluetooth, with ANC off, the lows were bloated and the highs were coarse in a way that audio fans would find absolutely unlistenable. Sadly, the ANC wasn’t exceptional, either, and the headphones are heavy, so some people might not be able to wear them as long as they would a lighter option like one of our picks.
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Urbanista Los AngelesThis is the first pair of solar-powered headphones that we’ve tested. We were excited about the idea of potentially infinite battery life, and we hoped that we would love the experience of using this set. Unfortunately, this pair had such tight headband clamping force, in combination with shallow earcups, that wearing it was deeply uncomfortable after only a short time, even for folks with small heads. We were disappointed, but we are encouraged by the technology. We hope to see more (comfortable) solar-powered pairs moving forward.
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Urbanista MiamiWe appreciate this pair’s trendy look and fun colors, and in our tests the ANC was sufficiently effective on airplane noise to be useful. But the earcups were shallow and folded in on our outer ears a bit, a design that could prove uncomfortable for folks with ears that stick out. The headband’s tight clamping force also pinched the noggins of our testers with larger hat sizes. Performance-wise, the bass was so blobby and loud in the mix, we felt as if we were sitting next to a subwoofer in a way that made male vocals hard to distinguish.
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V-Moda M-200 ANCLike all things V-Moda, the M-200 ANC headphones are made of metal parts and feel solidly built, and they feature optional ornamental shield customization. But that style comes at a hefty price, as these headphones start at $500. The noise cancellation is quite good, and the V-Moda app allows you to adjust the intensity—but the fit will affect your experience here. In our tests, the headband was a touch long for my face, so the earcups were slightly lower than optimal, which made the ANC less effective for me. This should be a problem only for those with small heads. We heard a jagged boost in the sound that caused vocals to be too forward in the mix, which made singers sound strained or shouty. Though this effect may be fixable through the V-Moda app’s EQ settings, at the time of our testing, the app was buggy, and on our iPhone 12 it frequently crashed or got hung up on a spinning loading wheel. Parents will want to use caution, too, as the M-200 headphones get especially loud at max volume.
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Wyze Noise Cancelling HeadphonesOut of the box, this pair’s bass was dull. You can increase low-end loudness via the app’s EQ, but the controls are broad and heavy-handed—so adding more bass also muddies male vocals and bass guitar. The noise cancellation is noticeable but largely unimpressive. Folks who value their privacy will be put off by the fact that you must create an email-verified account to use the app.
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