No matter if you take noisy public transit or flights frequently, work in an office with high noise levels or just want to shut out your HVAC system and neighbor’s lawn mower, noise cancelling headphones can provide relief from unwanted sound pollution. Good Housekeeping Institute Lab Assistant Nik Greenwald reviews four effective options.
Sound Quality
Noise canceling headphones are designed to block out ambient sounds while also improving audio quality of music, podcasts and phone calls. Depending on their design and audio components used, noise canceling headphones may sound dull or muddy or they can provide an incredible sense of space and detail.
The sound quality of headphones depends heavily on their form factor and materials of construction; an over-ear pair may offer fuller sound with stronger bass response that brings out instrument and vocal details more effectively than its in-ear counterparts.
Bose over-ear headphones wowed us during our testing with their rich and engaging sound that’s very clear. Paul Simon’s Graceland played perfectly while Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon III: The Chosen drums never became overshadowed by vocals. Additionally, these headphones feature high-quality aptX/AAC support, making them suitable for video calls as well as Bluetooth compatible audio devices.
Noise Cancellation
Noise cancellation is an integral component of headphones that can help improve focus. While passive noise isolation employs ear cups to seal off ambient sound, active noise cancelling headphones utilize microphones which monitor their surroundings and generate an anti-noisewave to block out external distractions.
Noise cancelling headphones are an invaluable asset to business travelers, preventing coworkers from overhearing your calls and distracting you with their conversations. Audiophiles may find ANC especially helpful for ensuring their favorite songs sound clear and detailed.
However, active noise cancellation (ANC) can often leave ears feeling slightly uncomfortable over long periods of time, so it’s essential to consider your desired level of ANC, battery life and other features when selecting headphones or earbuds. Thankfully, modern headphones offer affordable ANC capabilities with excellent ANC capabilities without sacrificing performance for price; we even tested some incredible Focal headphones which had great ANC capabilities at just PS249.
Comfort
No matter whether you commute on noisy public transit, fly frequently or work in an office filled with chatty colleagues, noise cancelling headphones can help you focus on the audio content that matters. Make sure they’re comfortable for extended use and offer excellent wireless sound quality along with hands-free calls capability – otherwise they won’t help much at all.
Choose headphones that offer customizable listening experience and transparency mode for better situational awareness and conversation in person. Furthermore, consider battery life and ease of charging, design features such as portability and durability when choosing your headphone pair.
Battery Life
ANC headphones require considerable power to actively cancel out ambient sound, which can significantly diminish battery life capabilities. Luckily, today’s noise canceling headphones are highly efficient and usually have remarkable battery lifespan capabilities.
Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones offer impressive listening time with and without Active Noise Cancellation enabled, lasting for up to 30 hours before needing charging again – plus, their quick charge feature adds 8 hours of listening time after only 15 minutes of charging!
Anker Soundcore Space Q45 headphones use hybrid ANC technology to eliminate background noise and require only a single charge for up to 40 hours of usage. You can even take calls while using these noise cancelling headphones as regular Bluetooth headphones if the noise cancelling feature is no longer needed. They have ergonomic designs with touch controls for voice capture for phone calls as well as touch controls with clear voice capture; plus a high-end finish and comfortable fit!
