Best Over-Ear Headphones 2026: Top 10 Tested & Ranked

The best over-ear headphones of 2026, ranked by sound quality, comfort, ANC, and value. This Top 10 includes wireless and wired models tested on MyChooz over 12 years, with 50+ models tested in total.

Top 10 Best Over-Ear Headphones 2026 — Rating:

1. Noble Audio FoKus Apollo 9.02Best over-ear headphones for sound quality with a boom mic.

Drivers

40 mm DD + 15 mm PM

Codecs: AAC, SBC

aptX, aptX HD, LDAC

Battery life:

80 h

Bluetooth:

5.3

The Noble Audio FoKus Apollo are the best over-ear headphones for sound. They’re especially great for detail retrieval. The main reasons to buy them are the reference-quality sound. The earcups don’t press on your ears. LDAC latency is around 30 ms. They also have a boom mic. It has a switch to quickly turn off all the headphone mics. There aren’t any big downsides. Just consider the price. Also, the highs can be a little harsh. But you can fix that with the EQ.

Sound. 9.42 These headphones have the best sound for emotion and detail. The bass is deep and not overpowering. Mids are open with minimal loss in clarity. Reference-quality soundstage, great natural timbre, and solid detail retrieval. Imaging stays stable as instruments come and go. The sound has no noticeable artificial timbre or grain. There’s enough detail to hear tiny nuances in recordings. On the downside, the highs lack some softness. Too much percussion in a track can be fatiguing.

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The built-in microphone isn’t anything special. You can talk with it, but not in noisy places. There’s also this detachable microphone. Let’s hear how it all sounds.

Features. 8.71 Active noise cancellation (ANC) blocks about 50% of noise. However, transparency mode is minimally suitable for conversations. Controls are button-based. They offer basic playback and call management. The app is user-friendly. It has a 10-band EQ and personalized sound tuning.

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Build Quality. 8.50 The earcups don’t press on your ears. You might feel minor fatigue after 3-4 hours of use. The build quality is flawless, and the materials are premium. The headphones look good; I liked them.

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Reasons to buy:

Reference-quality sound
Top-tier active noise cancellation
Comfortable fit, with a strong and reliable build quality

Reasons not to buy:

Minimally convenient transparency mode
The fabric finish collects dust and small debris

2. Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless 9.15Best wireless over-ear headphones — in sound and features

Drivers

42mm DD

Codecs: SBC, AAC

aptX HD, aptX adaptive

Battery life:

60 hours

Bluetooth:

5.2

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless are the best wireless over-ear headphones with three main reasons to buy: the best sound under $300, top-tier noise cancellation, and a solid, reliable build. With aptX HD and aptX Adaptive codecs, the sound improvement is only 10-15%, since the audio system already delivers maximum performance on its own. On the downside — the earcup clamping force is above average, so after 1-2 hours of use you’ll need to take a break.

Sound. 9.55 These headphones have the best sound among full-size models under $300. They have a pleasant bass sound with intimate mids and highs that are bright enough. The sound is spacious and full-bodied, without artificial timbre or noticeable grain. Detail retrieval is good enough to catch micro-details. Minor drawbacks include a slight excess of bass, a lack of highs, and a slight lack of transparency.

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Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless microphone. 9.25 In quiet environments: 9.5 In noisy conditions: 9 The headphones have 4 microphones, two on each earcup. Your voice sounds detailed in recordings. In noisy environments, the quality drops, but it remains intelligible.

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Features. 9.04 The active noise cancellation is top-tier and doesn’t affect sound quality. The transparency mode is near reference-quality. And with up to 60 hours of battery life, you get a week of active listening. Controls are a mix, mostly gestures on the right earcup. Navigation is convenient, but you’ll need a couple of days to get used to it. The app is useful: you can enable the aptX codec on Android, tune the EQ, and adjust the ambient mode.

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Build quality. 8.33 The build quality is strong and reliable. The finish is a bit of a fingerprint magnet. The clamping force is above average. This is fine for 1-2 hours of use. After that, you’ll want to take a break. The headphones look good. They are available in 5 colors.

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Reasons to buy:

Best sound under $300
Top-tier active noise cancellation and transparency. It’s reference-quality.
Detailed microphone
Strong and reliable build quality

Reasons not to buy:

The headphone earcups press

3. Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 8.41Large over-ear Bluetooth headphones – stylish and with bright tuning.

Drivers

40 mm DD

Codecs:

aptX Lossless, aptX™ Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX

Battery life:

30 hrs.

Bluetooth:

5.3

Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 are large over-ear Bluetooth headphones. They have deep bass and bright tuning. The main reasons to buy them are the top-tier sound. It’s detailed and natural. They also feature premium quality materials. Plus, the build quality is durable and reliable. This model has no critical flaws.

Sound. 8.67 The sound is bright with a cool tint. The bass is precise and detailed. Instruments are distinct by their timbre. High-frequency instruments are clear, but they’re harsh and quickly cause fatigue. This is the biggest drawback in the sound. Also, the soundstage felt a bit small. I liked the mids. The sound is open, and the singer feels like they’re performing right in front of you. There’s just a slight lack of transparency. There’s no noticeable artificial timbre or grain in the sound.

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Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 microphone. 7.75 In quiet conditions: 8.5 In noisy conditions: 7

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Features. 7.98 The active noise cancellation (ANC) suppresses about 40% of noise. You can chat in transparency mode, but the surroundings sound a bit muffled. Button controls handle basic player navigation and call management. In the app, the only useful things are the 5-band EQ and linking music streaming services.

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Build quality. 8.40 The headphones have medium clamping force. You’ll want to take a break after about 2-3 hours of use. They use premium materials like leather and metal. The build quality is flawless. The headphones look nice, and you get 2 colors to choose from.

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Reasons to buy:

Top-tier sound: detailed and natural
Premium quality materials
Durable and reliable build quality

Reasons not to buy:

Transparency mode and microphone noise cancellation are above average.

4. Sony WH-1000XM5 8.14Best wireless over-ear headphones with noise cancellation 2026

Drivers

30 mm DD

Codecs: SBC, AAC

LDAC

Battery life:

30 h

Bluetooth:

5.2

Sony WH-1000XM5 are the best wireless over-ear headphones with noise cancellation in their class. Main reason to buy: best-in-class noise cancellation and transparency mode, signature bass-forward sound, a detailed microphone, and a comfortable fit. With the LDAC codec you get up to 15% better audio quality. One drawback: the hinges can’t handle heavy use and tend to break.

Sound. 8.13 These headphones have a bass-heavy, enveloping sound. It’s typical for this headphone series. The main strengths are soundstage, natural timbre, and detail retrieval. There’s no artificial timbre or grainy treble. Instruments and effects have good separation in space. The main downside is the lows. There’s a bit too much bass, giving the sound a bassy tint. Bass-heavy tracks sound boomy. Also, vocals lack transparency.

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Sony WH-1000XM5 microphone. 7.00 In quiet environments: 8 In noisy environments: 6 These headphones have 8 microphones. Only 4 of them are used for calls. In quiet environments, the recording is detailed. The first few words are muffled, and you can hear faint clicks. In noisy environments, the recording quality is noticeably worse. But you can still make out the words.

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Features. 8.53 The active noise cancellation and transparency mode are reference-quality. In our tests, the playback time was 33 hours. This is more than the claimed 30 hours. The controls are a mix. They are mainly touch-based on the earcups. There’s an app with clunky navigation. But it has a convenient EQ setup.

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Build quality. 7.60 The headphones are comfortable, and the earcups put minimal pressure on your ears. You’ll want to take a break after about 2 hours. The build quality and materials are solid. But the finish is a fingerprint magnet and needs daily cleaning. The hinges are the weak point in the design. They often break where the earcups swivel. The headphones look good, and you can pick from 5 colors.

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Reasons to buy:

Reference-quality noise cancellation and transparency mode
Signature bass-forward sound
Detailed microphone and comfortable fit
Best automatic EQ tuning

Reasons not to buy:

Fragile hinges
Fingerprint-magnet finish

5. Sony WH-1000XM6 8.11Solid large Bluetooth headphones — Sony's latest model

Drivers

30mm DD

Codecs: AAC, SBC

LDAC, LC3

Battery life:

30 hrs.

Bluetooth:

5.3

Sony WH-1000XM6 are solid large Bluetooth headphones and the newest model in the series. Main reason to buy: best-in-class noise cancellation and transparency, punchy low-end sound, and the handy “Find My Equalizer” feature that gets your sound dialed in within a couple of taps. LDAC adds 10-12% to overall audio quality. Drawbacks: the ear cups press against your ears and discomfort sets in within the first few minutes; the hinges aren’t built to last and need to be handled with care.

Sound. 8.48 The sound is bass-heavy, similar to the WH-1000XM4. Vocals sound intimate. You can distinguish the timbre of low and high-frequency instruments. The soundstage is mostly wide. There’s no noticeable artificial timbre or distortion. The sound is comfortable with no major drawbacks. There’s just a slight bass boost. Mids lack a bit of transparency, and they’re not bright enough. But you can fix this easily in the app’s EQ with just a couple of clicks.

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Sony WH-1000XM6 Microphone. 7.40 In quiet conditions: 7.8 In noisy conditions: 7

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Features. 8.68 These headphones have reference-quality ANC and transparency among full-size models. Battery life in the series remains unchanged: 30-40 hours with ANC. Controls are mostly touch-based for music playback and calls. The app is useful, but the multi-level menu structure is inconvenient. The “find your EQ” feature makes it easier to tune the sound from 4-5 tonal options. The signal is stable up to 10m with LDAC codec and high-quality bitrate.

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Build quality. 6.33 The fit is uncomfortable. The clamping force is stronger than the previous generation. I can wear these headphones for an hour max. Then I need to take a break. The build quality and materials are solid. The weak point of these headphones is the hinges. They break under heavy use. The design is nice and neat. You can choose from 3 colors.

More details.

Reasons to buy:

Reference-quality active noise cancellation and transparency mode
Detailed microphone
Low-frequency sound without overpowering bass

Reasons not to buy:

Headphone earcups press on the ears
Hinges need careful handling
Low detail retrieval

6. Nothing Headphone (1) 8.22Nothing's big over-ear headphones

Drivers

40 mm DD

Codecs: AAC, SBC

LDAC

Battery life:

80 h

Bluetooth:

5.3

The Nothing Headphone (1) are Nothing’s big over-ear headphones. The main reasons to buy them are the cool design, reference-quality controls, detailed microphone, and top-tier active noise cancellation that rivals leaders like Sony and Bose. With the LDAC codec, you get a 10-15% boost in sound quality. The downsides are average comfort and the need for EQ adjustment. That’s because out of the box, the sound is on par with models under $100.

Overall sound rating. 7.33 This is pretty much what I expected. You can tell these headphones have potential; they can definitely play. But the sound tuning is a bit off. I hope they fix the default EQ with firmware updates. EQ adjustment is a must for this model. We’ll get into that a bit later. It’s not hard. You set it once and forget about it.

The main plus for the sound is its natural timbre and how well it responds to EQ. If the EQ couldn’t fix things, these would be a total underdog. With some tuning, you can easily add +1 point out of 10 to the overall score. The main downside is that everything feels a bit lacking: bass, mids, and highs. This makes them lose a lot of detail, and the soundstage feels a bit pushed back. It’s like the sound is coming from behind a wall in the next room. You want it to be right in front of you.

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Nothing Headphone (1) microphone. 8.50 In quiet conditions: 10 In noisy conditions: 7 In noisy conditions, it’s not perfect, but it’s good.

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Features. 9.17 The active noise cancellation is top-tier. It’s in the top 5 among all models. The transparency mode is also excellent. You can easily talk to someone without taking off your headphones. Battery life is great: up to 54 hours with LDAC and up to 80 hours with AAC. The controls are super convenient, reference-quality. Plus, they’re physical buttons and a wheel. The app is also reference-quality, with a user-friendly EQ.

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Build Quality. 9.00 They’re comfortable; you can wear them for 2-3 hours without discomfort. Durability is also great, even though the finish is a fingerprint magnet. The design is unique, but they look WAY better in real life than in photos.

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Reasons to buy:

Good and balanced sound with EQ
Microphone – top-tier
Active noise cancellation and transparency mode – top-tier
Controls and app – top-tier!
Battery life – top-tier!
Build quality – beautiful with some quirks.

Reasons not to buy:

The sound needs EQ adjustment. Out of the box, the sound is on par with models under $100.
Minor cons: the bass adjustment feature in the app didn’t work.

7. Marshall Monitor III ANC 7.82Headphones for large ears, large size – bright style, soft sound, good microphone

Drivers

40 mm DD

Codecs:

AAC, SBC

Battery life:

70 h

Bluetooth:

5.3

Marshall Monitor III ANC – these are large headphones for large ears with a signature design. The main reasons to buy them are the excellent fit – the earcups don’t press on your ears – clean sound without overpowering bass, and a foldable design that fits into a large pocket. On the downside: they only have basic audio codecs, weak noise cancellation, and a useless app and controls.

Sound. 7.60 The sound is balanced, with an emphasis on mids and highs. It’s clear and bright, with moderate bass. So, these headphones are great for rock, vocal, and instrumental tracks. The soundstage is spacious, mostly wide. You won’t hear any artificial timbre, but some grainy treble pops up sometimes. Detail retrieval is a weak point. These headphones really need a low-compression codec.

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Marshall Monitor III ANC microphone. 8.40 In quiet conditions: 8.8 In noisy conditions: 8

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Features. 7.68 The active noise cancellation (ANC) only suppresses light background noise. The transparency mode is comfortable. The controls only let you switch ambient modes, or pause/play tracks. In the app, useful features include Spatial Audio settings and an energy-saving mode.

Build quality. 8.60 These are the best headphones for comfort among full-size models. They weigh 250g, and the ear pads are soft and don’t press too hard. You can use them for 5 hours with no sign of fatigue. The build quality is solid and compact; you can fold them up and put them in a large clothing pocket. I really liked the signature and recognizable design.

Reasons to buy:

Clean and bright sound without overpowering bass
Comfortable fit – 5-6 hours without fatigue
Recognizable design

Reasons not to buy:

No high-quality codecs
Noise cancellation blocks light background noise
Useless controls and app

8. 1MORE Sonoflow Pro HQ51 7.69Best over-ear headphones under $100 — 100-hour battery, LDAC, solid ANC

Drivers

40 mm DD

Codecs: AAC, SBC

LDAC

Battery Life:

100 h

Bluetooth:

5.4

1MORE Sonoflow Pro HQ51 are the best over-ear headphones under $100. Main reason to buy: best sound and noise cancellation in the sub-$100 class, a massive 100-hour battery life, a secure fit that works even for running. The LDAC codec doesn’t noticeably improve audio quality. No dust or water resistance.

Sound. 7.28 Leans toward the low end. Bass is powerful, punchy, and reasonably textured. The mids pull back a little — there’s a veil between you and the vocalist. Highs can sometimes feel lacking, but nothing deal-breaking. The frequency tuning is pleasant overall, though I’d recommend dialing in the EQ in the companion app — bump the mids and highs to taste, and roll the bass back a touch. The biggest thing for me, though, is the sense of space and depth. This is a 3D picture — wide and deep. The sound isn’t boring, it pulls you in, and you just keep wanting to listen to your favorite tracks.

1MORE Sonoflow Pro HQ51 Microphone. 7.20 In quiet conditions: 7.4 In noisy conditions: 7

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Features. 7.83 Good quality microphone. Noise cancellation isn’t at Bose or Sony tier, but it earns a solid 7.8 out of 10. It handles low-frequency noise well, mids a bit less so, and highs even less. Transparency mode sits at a 7 — not stellar, but you won’t need to pull the headphones off just to have a conversation. Battery life is 100 hours. No wireless charging. Controls are comfortable but take some getting used to, and they’re physical buttons. That actually made me happy, since touch controls on budget headphones are usually just bad. Here’s the layout. The companion app lets you tune the equalizer, enable the LDAC codec for Android, and reduce audio latency for gaming.

Build. 8.50 Comfortable headphones, 1–2 hours without discomfort. Available in 5 colors. Matte plastic. Build quality is solid — no obvious defects after a month of testing. The design echoes older Sony models: not for everyone, but nothing off-putting either.

Reasons to buy:

Best sound under $100
Best noise cancellation under $100
Long battery life — up to 100 h.
Stays firmly on your head — great for running

Reasons not to buy:

Wired audio only via 2.5/3.5 mm jack.
No dust or water resistance.
Minor drawbacks: outdated app design, LDAC codec bitrate makes no noticeable difference in sound quality

9. Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 6.32Studio headphones gone wireless — flat sound, rock-solid build, no ANC

Drivers

45 мм DD

Codecs: AAC, SBC

and LDAC

Battery Life:

50 h

Bluetooth:

5.0

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 are wireless over-ear headphones with a studio-flat sound signature. Main reason to buy: reference-grade tuning loved by sound engineers, tank-like build quality, and a wired mode that rivals dedicated studio monitors. No active noise cancellation, and the ear pads get hot after an hour.

Sound. 7.21 Balanced, close to monitor-style without excessive frequency imbalance: moderate bass, transparent mids, and bright highs. The soundstage is spacious with detail mainly in width. The sound is natural with no noticeable synthetic quality, minimal graininess. Resolution is a bit lacking, though with the LDAC codec you get roughly a 10% boost.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 Microphone. 6.50 In quiet conditions: 8 In noisy conditions: 5

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Functions. 5.42 No ANC or transparency mode. Basic player and call controls. Battery life up to 50 hours. In the app you can adjust volume levels and balance, but using the equalizer reduces the sample rate to 48 kHz with the LDAC codec.

Construction. 7.67 Uncomfortable — there’s no space inside the ear pads, so the ear cups press against your ears. The build quality is solid and reliable, the plastic is sturdy, like back in the days when manufacturers didn’t cut corners on materials. The looks aren’t impressive, yet the design does stand out compared to Chinese alternatives. Available in 4 colors.

Reasons to buy:

Sound close to studio monitor quality.
Solid and reliable build quality.
Distinctive design.
Stable signal and audio latency up to 50 ms.

Reasons not to buy:

Average sound performance.
No noise cancellation or transparency mode.
Uncomfortable fit.

10. Sony WH-1000XM4 7.91Popular over-ear headphones for music – Sony's best-selling model (A Legend)

Drivers

40 mm DD

Codecs: AAC, SBC

LDAC

Battery life:

30 h

Bluetooth:

5.0

The Sony WH-1000XM4 are popular over-ear headphones for music. They are a true legend among Sony’s full-size headphones. Even though the XM5 and XM6 are out, the XM4 model is still relevant and in demand among Sony fans. For their $235 price, you get quality low-end sound and top-tier noise cancellation. For this money, these are the best over-ear headphones.

Sound. 7.08 The sound signature is dark. It emphasizes the lows and has smoothed-out highs. The mids are rich and engaging. Vocals stand out. The bass is soft, but it lacks punch. The highs aren’t bright or transparent enough. The soundstage is wide enough, but it’s flat. These are best for electronic music, hip-hop, and pop.

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Microphone. 8.00 Quiet 8 Noisy 7 The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones work great as a headset. If you’re talking indoors, people will hear you clearly. Outside, ambient noise will be audible. But your voice will remain clear against it, except in the noisiest spots. Voice transmission is good. But it’s a bit less than you’d expect from a flagship. A big plus: you can turn on transparency mode during calls. This lets you hear your surroundings and yourself.

Features. 9 Thoughtful touch controls with minimal accidental touches. A user-friendly app, Sony Headphones. Reliable Bluetooth connection. Good noise cancellation, comparable to mid-range models around $200. Battery life up to 30 hours with ANC. Good voice pickup from the microphone.

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Build Quality. 8.33 Stylish design, solid build. They have a foldable design. They don’t look bulky on your head. The earcups’ plastic is a fingerprint magnet. The headphones come in two colors: black and platinum silver.

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11. Edifier STAX Spirit S5 7.63Best headphones for codec variety

Drivers

Codecs AAC, SBC

aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, Qualcomm aptX HD, Qualcomm aptX, LHDC, LDAC

Battery Life

80 hrs.

Bluetooth

5.4

Main reason to buy: a full set of codecs for wireless connectivity, detailed microphone, up to 80 hours of battery life, and natural planar sound. Edifier STAX Spirit S5 offer everything you need for versatile wireless use.

Final sound rating. 7.67 The sound here is quite debatable; on one hand, natural timbre, detail retrieval, mids, and highs are all very good. On the other hand, there’s a critical lack of bass, even considering they’re planars. And the soundstage is really, really narrow. These headphones are definitely not for everyone.

Edifier STAX Spirit S5 Microphone. 8.50 In quiet conditions: 9 In noisy conditions: 8 First model I’ve encountered with AptX Voice. The microphone sound is really good.

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Features. 7.00 There’s no active noise cancellation, only passive noise isolation. No transparency mode. Stated playback time is up to 80 hours. Controls are standard – buttons. The proprietary app has a 4-band EQ, you can switch the codec and select the bitrate.

Build. 8.50 The headphones are comfortable and non-fatiguing even after three hours of use. The build quality is solid and reliable, no complaints there. The headphones look pretty standard.

Reasons to buy:

Sound is accurate and natural
Microphone is excellent in noisy and quiet environments
Controls are convenient
App is decent
Battery life is 80h, excellent
Design is comfortable with no major complaints.

Reasons not to buy:

Sound with a narrow soundstage and lack of bass
Active noise cancellation and transparency mode – they’re not present, only passive
Minor cons: no auto-pause, only available in black.

12. Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 7.54Good over-ear headphones — best overall package

Drivers

45 mm DD

Codecs: AAC, SBC

aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless

Battery life:

50 h.

Bluetooth:

5.4

Beyerdynamic AVENTHO 300 are good and reliable over-ear headphones with large ear cushions. Main reason to buy: sturdy plastic build, comfortable fit, detailed sound with natural timbre, and a full set of modern features including multipoint and app support.

Sound. 7.46 A bit dry, with an emphasis on mids and highs. Low-frequency and high-frequency instruments are discernible, and texture is clear. The artist sings sitting on a chair opposite you, more like shouting in your face, but with a barrier like a half-closed door. The sound is detailed and accurate with minimal artificial timbre. The weakest aspect of these headphones is the soundstage. It lacks spaciousness, like listening to a performance in a small room. However, there is both width and depth. The overall impression is mixed. On one hand, the sound is engaging, but on the other, it feels compressed. It feels like a large stream of data is entering the ears, but the brain can’t process this information fast enough. With the EQ, the sound is cleaner and more spacious, and low-frequency and high-frequency instruments sound more emphasized.

Microphone Beyerdynamic Aventho 300. 6.35 In quiet conditions: 7.7 In noisy conditions: 5

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Features. 7.27 ANC suppresses about 30% of noise, transparency mode is convenient for communication. Battery life in our tests was 86 hours with aptX Adaptive codec. Controls are buttons + touch, convenient and not customizable. The companion app is user-friendly and not overloaded with unnecessary features.

Build. 8.17 The headphones are big and spacious. But the earcups press on the ears, and discomfort starts after 20-30 minutes, and after an hour, you’ll want to take a break. The build and materials of the headphones are top-notch. Reference-quality reliability. They look good, available in black and white.

Reasons to buy:

BEST build quality among full-size headphones
Responsive to EQ tuning — a dozen working presets
Volume headroom, optimal level 70%

Reasons not to buy:

Soundstage is narrow — lacks spaciousness
Earcups press on ears, need a break after an hour
Sound is a bit dry, lacks bass and transparency out of the box
ANC is weaker than competitors (Sennheiser, Bose, Sony)

13. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 7.73Best over-ear headphones for noise cancellation under $300

Drivers

no data

Codecs: AAC, SBC

aptX Adaptive

Battery life:

24 hrs.

Bluetooth:

5.3

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are the best over-ear headphones for noise cancellation under $200. These headphones feature the best spatial audio on the market, excellent ANC that blocks virtually everything, and a warm, comfortable sound signature perfect for everyday listening.

Sound. 7.58 With a good emphasis on bass. There’s a lack of transparency and airiness, so the sound is a bit muffled and not bright enough. Yet, the performer sings for you, standing right in front of you. And the sound is natural, without noticeable artificial timbre, though there’s a bit of grain on the cymbals. Detail retrieval is enough to discern texture, and the soundstage has good instrument separation and width.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Microphone. 7.00 In quiet conditions: 9 In noisy conditions: 5 Recording in quiet conditions is clear, but in noisy conditions, background noise is poorly blocked.

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Features. 8.13 The headphones have top-tier active noise cancellation and transparency. The microphone is detailed in quiet conditions, but strong noise blocking is weak. Battery life is up to 18 hours with maximum active noise cancellation. Controls are convenient, with a swipe for volume change. The app is decent; it’s worth downloading for EQ tuning and ANC modes. The connection doesn’t drop within 10 m.

Build. 7.50 The earcups press, and after about an hour, you’ll want to take a break. No dust and water resistance, but the build looks sturdy and reliable. The finish is a fingerprint magnet and tough to clean. You get 5 colors to pick from.

Reasons to buy:

Best active noise cancellation up to $200
Reference-quality transparency
Top-tier sound via cable
Reference-quality Spatial Audio

Reasons not to buy:

Needs EQ tuning
Weak microphone noise cancellation

14. Ugreen Studio Pro 7.37Best budget over-ear wireless headphones — best sound for the price

Drivers

40 mm DD + 12 mm

Codecs:

LDAC

Battery life:

120 hrs

Bluetooth:

6.0

Ugreen Studio Pro are the best budget over-ear headphones, often dropping to $30-35 during AliExpress sales. Main reason to buy: surprisingly good sound quality for the price, comfortable fit, and solid battery life. A steal for anyone who wants full-size wireless headphones without breaking the bank.

Sound. 7.13 The headphones have great sound, and definitely the best among budget models. And the headphones sound as good as you tune the EQ. The sound’s main strength is its detailed mids: vocals and instruments sound highly resolved. There’s also good detail retrieval, better than some models up to $70. The sound’s main downside is its natural timbre. The sound is a bit unnatural with a slight artificial timbre and grainy treble. Ugreen Studio Pro is the best option for those looking for versatile headphones for different genres. Considering the price, these are a real hit among budget models up to $40.

Microphone. 7.50 In quiet conditions: 8 In noisy conditions: 7

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Features. 7.46 Decent functionality, with the 120-hour battery life standing out the most. Effective active noise cancellation and an average microphone. The proprietary app is average with many flaws.

Construction. 7.83 Build and materials are solid. The ear cups just squeeze a bit.

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Reasons to buy:

Best sound under $70-80 with EQ
Reference-quality battery life – up to 120 hours of playback time

Reasons not to buy:

The headphone cups are tight on the ears
Proprietary app with flaws and needs to be installed manually

15. UGREEN HiTune Max5c 6.87Best cheap over-ear headphones under $30

Drivers

40 mm DD

Codecs: AAC, SBC

LDAC

Battery life:

75h

Bluetooth:

5.4

UGREEN HiTune Max5c ($23) are the best cheap over-ear headphones under $30 among all models. These budget full-size headphones offer surprisingly natural sound, decent build quality, and solid battery life — an unbeatable value at this price point.

Sound. 7.06 Comfortable, naturally-timbre, lively sound with an emphasis on lows. The bass dominates but doesn’t prevent other frequencies from shining. Mids are rich and punchy. Highs are comfortable but the least developed. With the LDAC codec and wired connection, the sound reaches another level.

UGREEN HiTune Max5c Microphone. 8.00 In quiet conditions: 8 In noisy conditions: 8 The microphone is pretty good, made to a high standard both in its class and overall. You can definitely grab these for long phone calls; people will hear and understand you clearly, whether you’re on a noisy street or in a quiet room.

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Features. 6.25 The 43dB active noise cancellation is almost on par with the Sennheiser Momentum 4. Transparency mode lets you hear your surroundings even better than without headphones. Battery life is 75h without ANC, 45h with LDAC. The 4-button controls have everything you need. The UGREEN Home app is functional, but it doesn’t have custom EQ presets. Bluetooth 5.4 doesn’t drop out even through 3 walls.

Build. 7.33 Smart Casual style — they look more expensive than their price. Soft-touch plastic, faux leather, aluminum hinge. Comfortable fit, weight ~250g. Two colors: black and white. Nothing to break, the metal hinge is reliable.

Reasons to buy:

Best sound for $30
Pleasant, intuitive controls
Good battery life
Low latency in Game Mode

Reasons not to buy:

No option to change EQ preset settings
LDAC codec activation only through the app
Questionable Spatial Audio feature