The Best Noise Canceling Headphones In 2024

Audio is a relatively fickle industry when it comes to the choices of devices that one might want to use to listen to one’s favorite tracks, watch a movie, or simply as an alternative to a speaker set. Noise-canceling headphones are hardly a new market but have made considerable inroads lately as they become more affordable, function better, and overwhelmingly come in wireless offerings with different form factors.

Picking The Best Noise Canceling Headphones

Considering some of the best noise-canceling headphones involves a fair bit of research and personal preference to determine what works for users individually. If one is actively considering investing in or upgrading to a new pair of Headphones or Earbuds, they can follow a few simple guidelines to make it a more accessible and more rewarding experience as an end-user:

Noise Canceling: Noise canceling has historically been more of a ‘premium’ feature for headphones and earphones alike, and while it has become cheaper, some headphones manage noise cancelation better than others. This means picking a unit that has been tested to be more uniform than others at different noise levels. Most professional-grade reviews tend to have accompanying charts that show relative performance versus more mainstream benchmark headsets and ideal noise-canceling performance.

At the same time, many manufacturers take liberties with noise cancellation, often interchanging the terms “passive” and “active” noise cancellation. Active noise cancellation involves using microphones and software to ensure that outside noise is canceled out in real-time, while passive noise cancellation is all about isolating sound by leveraging the shape of the headphones/earphones.

Price: Noise-canceling headphones can range from entry-level units that cost anywhere from $50 to units that cost thousands of dollars. Finding an ideal pair that works for users without breaking the bank is crucial, especially for audio, with diminishing returns kicking in considerably faster than most other products to ensure value and better price-to-performance versus the competition.

Connectivity and Compatibility: Some of the best noise-canceling headphones and earphones are a mix of wired and wireless. This means using an adapter with some of the latest phones and devices that do not sport headphone jacks for the wired ones. At the same time, the wireless variants involve using different Bluetooth versions and wireless codecs to get the best performance. Not all mobile devices or hardware support the latest codecs, which could affect audio streaming quality.

Some headphones and earphones also have dedicated applications and EQ presets, which may not be available on all hardware, such as PC, iPhone, Mac, and Android, resulting in a more fractured experience across platforms.

Form Factor: Picking out the style of headphones is vital to ensuring they are comfortable for long periods. Debating different shapes and sizes can go on forever and be different for everyone. There is one question to make this search easier. Should the headphones be over-ear or in-ear?

Earbuds (especially wireless earbuds) are the way to go for those who want a lightweight, portable experience. Whether these earbuds are for commuting, the gym, or just lounging around the house, in-ear headphones will be way easier to carry around and have ready at a moment’s notice. For those who want a powerful sound and typically wear their headphones in lower-impact environments, over-ear headphones will probably be the way to go.

The Best Nose Canceling Headphones And Earphones

The Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones are a mainstay in most headphone guides as they provide excellent sound quality that makes even some higher-end studio-quality monitors sound dated while coupling it with some of the best noise-canceling available. The WH-1000XM5 is perfect for users who are looking to get a reliable set of headphones; while not the most affordable, they offer incredible value and deliver fantastic performance for a very reasonable price.

Serving as a capable replacement to the WH-1000XM4, the WH-1000XM5 is not a necessary upgrade for those who already own the previous version, but there are a ton of worthwhile upgrades that make the overall experience of these headphones a bit nicer. While most features like ANC and 360 audio are mostly the same, the significant improvement comes with the battery life. The WH-10000XM4 lasts a measly 19 hours with ANC turned on; in contrast, the WH-1000XM5 can go 31 hours of continuous playback with ANC on. Whether users are commuting every day or going on an international trip, these headphones can last on a single charge.

The WH-1000XM4 already had quite impressive ANC performance, but the WH-1000XM5 takes the cake with better ANC across the frequency range rather than just lows and mids. With ANC on, users will be hard-pressed to hear their surroundings regardless of the environment. Plus, the redesigned earcups perform even better when it comes to passive isolation.

The QuietComfort Earbuds II is Bose’s second attempt to capture a very competitive noise-canceling earphone market with one of the more premium offerings in the business, and it does not disappoint. Building on Earbuds’ success, it’s the replacement from the audio equipment manufacturer. As the company that practically invented noise-canceling technology, Bose does go out of its way to establish market dominance when it comes to that part of the equation and then some. For people who still want fantastic ANC performance but in earbud form, it is hard to go wrong with the QuietComfort Earbuds II.

Using four microphones per earbud and a proprietary technique Bose calls custom tune, these earphones cater to each user’s needs individually based on the size and shape of their ear canal. It is part of a robust ecosystem of Bose products coupled with some of the latest tech in connectivity thanks to its support for Bluetooth 5.3 with USB-C charging on the carrying case.

Noticeably missing from the equation is wireless charging which should be on offer for a pair of headphones at the price point the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II commands. One might also expect more robust battery life, which could help round out what is otherwise an excellent offering from Bose.

The Bose QC Ultra has replaced these earbuds, but while Bose is still selling these, the QC Earbuds II are a better deal for similar performance.

The Soundcore Anker Life Q30 ANC Headphones are an excellent pair of budget-oriented wireless headphones with decent ANC performance and some of the most popular features that much more premium noise-canceling headsets offer. With amazing battery life and support for wired audio (without ANC) and Bluetooth with NFC pairing, the Life Q30 covers all bases that need to be covered from a tech perspective while delivering decent performance from the get-go.

While the audio isn’t the best money can buy, it still offers decent audio quality and ANC support, and users could easily mistake these for a much more premium-priced pair of headphones with only audiophile-grade headphones truly being significantly different. The one thing Game Rant didn’t like is that Anker does not officially have an IP rating for the product, which means it’s not certified to be water or sweatproof and might be a poor choice for gym-goers given the lack of certification coupled with user reports of it getting warm relatively fast with extended use.

While not quite the same level as the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds put up quite the performance for about a third of the price. Blocking out an impressive 98.5% of outside noise, these earbuds make it easy to tune out the world without spending an arm and a leg.

In Game Rant’s full review of the Liberty 4 NC, we found that Soundcore’s AI noise-canceling algorithm performed quite impressively, blocking out a wide frequency of sounds. However, to get the best performance, users first have to find ear tips that give them the best passive isolation. Luckily, Soundcore includes a wide range of ear tip sizes, so most people should be able to find an ear tip that fits them best.

While the ANC alone is pretty impressive, the sound quality backs it up quite nicely. Music sounds rich and full, although sometimes there is a bit of phasing during stereo effects. Thanks to the app, it is easy to customize the EQ, either using the HearID sound tool, which gives users a series of tones to help create the perfect custom EQ, or just using the manual 8-band EQ to dial in the sound.

When it comes to premium ANC headphones, the Apple AirPods Max is one of the best options for those who can afford them. These are some of the best headphones currently available in the right scenarios, with fantastic ANC performance and incredible sound quality.

The AirPods Max’s ANC performance is currently unmatched. When users put on these headphones for the first time, all outside noise just melts away, whether it’s the hiss of heating vents or people talking. These headphones do an excellent job of making sounds either completely disappear or barely audible. Not only is the ANC excellent, but the transparency mode makes it easy to come back to the real world for a couple of moments to talk to someone and then go back to a noise-isolated paradise.

These headphones, while fantastic, are not quite as versatile as the Sony WH-1000XM5; for example, there is no direct way to use these headphones wired, so users will have to pick up a couple of adapters just to plug in a 3.5mm audio cable. However, as long as people plan to use these headphones via Bluetooth, there should be very little of an issue.

The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) Wireless Earbuds are a sizable upgrade to the first-generation AirPod Pros, which were Apple’s first take on consumer-grade noise-canceling earphones. While the AirPods Max is excellent for premium users, Apple users looking for a good pair of daily driver headphones that are reasonably priced will not be disappointed by the AirPods Pro (2nd generation).

At this point, AirPods are the typical go-to choice for most Apple users, and for good reason. Very few other headphones are as seamless with Apple products as AirPods Pro. From the outside, these earbuds look very similar to their predecessor. Still, the shape and overall lightweight design quickly became a fan favorite for a good reason, so Game Rant can’t fault Apple for keeping it pretty much the same.

The most significant upgrade for the second generation is the move to the H2 chip, which has vastly improved the overall sound quality and ANC performance. The ANC blocks out the majority of outside noise without giving that weird inner-ear feeling that is created with heavy ANC. However, a lot of the noise-canceling depends on how well users can get the earbuds to fit. While the rest of the updates don’t really seem like enough reason for first-generation AirPods Pro to upgrade, this massive step up in ANC performance makes it well worth it.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset is an excellent gaming headset that firmly lodges itself as one of the best gaming headsets money can buy. It offers considerable noise-canceling clout thanks to its above-average active noise-canceling performance and a noise-canceling microphone.

It has the unique ability to stay wireless as long as needed, offering a hot-swap solution for its battery packs for end users, allowing them to stay wireless as long as needed without any disruption essentially. Thanks to support for both low-latency 2.4GHz audio and Bluetooth, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is compatible with far more devices than some of its other gaming headset competitors while offering excellent sound quality.

The price, however, might be somewhat restrictive for most users looking for a cheaper option. Still, it does come out noticeably ahead when competing with similar products at premium price points, making it a no-brainer purchase for those looking for the best possible gaming headset with noise-canceling technology.

FAQ

Q: Does the Apple AirPods Pro work with Android devices?

The Apple AirPods Pro does work with Android-based devices but does not have any dedicated OS-level support for the hardware or charging case. They are simply recognized as standard Bluetooth headphones.

Q: How does Active Noise Canceling work?

Active Noise Canceling (ANC) works by harnessing one or a series of microphones near the audio source to detect external sound and help by ‘canceling’ out its sound to avoid interference with audio from the headphones.