Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones let you listen to podcasts or music anywhere, without the necessity of running a wire from your audio device. These headphones are ideal for use in public transport, in the office or at home.

Wireless over-ear headphones may have an elegant design and superior noise cancellation. They are typically packaged in a stylish case.

Soundcore Q30

These earphones are an important improvement over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They look better, feel more durable, and have a more polished look. They're still mostly made of plastic, however the hinges are more secure and the soft leather ear cups are larger. You can switch the 3.5mm cord for a high quality USB-C cable to make use of them with mobile Hi-Res as well as stationary players. They also come with dual microphones that perform well in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app offers a wide selection of EQ presets that can be saved and adjusted to listen to podcasts and music in the style you like. The Soundcore app makes it easy to use and sets these headphones apart.

The Q30's 40mm speaker effectively block the majority of ambient noise when ANC is turned on. This makes for an extremely pleasant listening experience. The Q30's sound signature is natural, but it is a bit the treble. Some may find the bass response lacking (we had better results using the Bass Booster equalizer). However, you can easily rectify this using the Soundcore app, since there is an 8-band equalizer to help you tinker.

The left ear cup has the power button and a pairing button and a USB-C charging port. The right earcup has buttons for play/pause, volume up/down and volume up/down. Double-clicking these controls lets you skip tracks or replay the previous one. You can also make use of voice commands to instruct them to change modes or set alarms. You can also cover the right earcup with your hand to activate ambient modes, so that you can hear the world around you without taking off the headphones.

The battery life on these headphones is great and the battery life is also excellent. In our tests with ANC enabled, the Q30 was able to last for nearly an hour longer than its rivals. This lets you enjoy a long flight, or a busy day at work. They can be charged quickly by using the USB-C cable that comes with them and you'll get an alert when they're getting empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of high-quality headphones for over-ear use that offer both active noise cancellation as well as Bluetooth playback. They're made to be a pair of premium headphones that are ideal for listening to podcasts and music on the go but also are a great choice for home use by audiophiles as well. They're slightly more expensive than other similar headphones, but their superior sound quality is the main selling feature.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a slim, compact and attractive fabric-finished white retail box that contains all the accessories you'll need in. There's also a fold-flat carry case for the headphones, a USB-C to USB C cable, 1.2mmSE cable and an audio converter.

They're powered by a decent 600mAh battery that can get you through a full day of casual listening and include an audio input that can be wired for use. Wirelessly, they are paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions via an app (now named Focal & Naim in line with English Naim's products that are network-aware) or the button on the left earcup that scrolls through ANC profiles like silent, soft transparent,' and full.

The app allows you to alter different settings like the brightness of the LED, EQ presets including a'music profile' that sounds brighter and more neutral than the other ones and also their battery life. You can also select the ANC mode and level and set an 'acoustic environments setting to alter the sensitivity in order to simulate the sound of headphones in a different room.

The Focal Bathys feature a bass-rich sound profile that adds extra warmth and punch to your favorite tracks. This means that instruments and vocals sound muted, while details like cymbals might be less prominent than other headphones. They're also not as effective in active noise cancellation when contrasted to other headphones with higher-end technology like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony headphones are known for their quality and the WH1000XM5 headphones are no exception. It is at the top portion of the over-ear Headphone Wireless bluetooth (leewhan.com) market, edging into the 'luxury lifestyle' category where brands like Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc are a common sight. This means the XM5s come with a high price tag, but should you be able to afford it, there are few better over the ear wireless in headphones headphones available.

The XM5s have features to make life easier for listeners and, in certain instances, automate tasks they'd otherwise have to handle manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near-high resolution) is also included, as is support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows for streaming of high-quality audio with bitrates that are higher than standard Bluetooth. It also has a built-in microphone for making calls hands-free.

Similar to the previous generation of WH headphones, the XM5s excel at noise cancellation. They're among the best-performing cans for removing the continuous drones that can be heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s do an excellent job of shielding listeners from the traffic noises of busy streets and airports also.

The sound quality is very good. The XM5s do not have as high a resolution in the low frequency range as the XM4, however they do have an increased sense of clarity and a greater sense of openness. For example, the bass work on Rage Against The Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys muscles with real force and definition, without reducing the other elements. The XM5s are also able to deliver precise and tight bass notes on Massive Attack's Angel.

Battery life is also good, with up to 30 hours of audio with ANC active and 40 hours when it's turned off. This is enough to last for a weekend getaway or several days' heavy use.

The XM5s do not come with water resistant or dust resistant. Sony recommends not sweating in them or wearing them in the rain. This may not be a big deal for everyone else however, for those who spend much time in the gym or live in a humid location, it could be a major Headphone wireless bluetooth problem.

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones that fit over the ear with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. They have 40mm dynamic drivers designed by Apple with a neutral audio profile that is focused on the mids and highs without going overboard on either end of the spectrum. This makes them ideal for both music and movies. They also offer better sound quality than many other headphones.

The headphones are lightweight and feel comfortable on the head. The ear cups are constructed out of memory foam that is covered in woven fabric, and they sit comfortably on the ears without placing pressure on the sides of the face. The ear cups can tilt and rotate to accommodate different head shapes. The hinges that are spring loaded have a strong but not too robust clamping force that ensures that the earcups remain in place throughout listening sessions.

Toggle noise cancelling mode by pressing a small button at the top of the right earcup. It also has a pushable like a jog-dial, similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can twist for volume control and press it once twice or three times to playback control. Pressing and holding the button will activate Siri. The buttons are easy to use and well-placed, however, I would like to see the power button that could turn off the headphones when they are not in use. The headphones go into standby when removed from your ears or when they are put in their case. They will come back into use when you place them on your head.

Spatial audio is a cool feature. It uses the gyroscopes, accelerometers, and iPhones and iPads to determine where you are moving. Then, it repositions the sound so that they appear to come from that particular location. This creates a cinema-like experience for movies and videos made in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. Only iOS devices can be used to listen to spatial audio.

The AirPods Max is a decent pair, but I'd feel a bit ripped off if I spent $549 in an Apple Store knowing that the next-generation model will be better in the next year. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and a better battery life, making it difficult to justify the expense for most people.