Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones allow you to listen to podcasts or music anywhere, without the need to run an audio wire to your device. These headphones are great for use in public transport, at the office or at home.

Wireless over-ear headphones can have an elegant design and superior noise cancellation. They usually come with a stylish storage case.

Soundcore Q30

A major upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 from late-2018 The new over-ears appear better, feel stronger and generally feel more polished. The hinges are stronger and the soft leather ear cups have been a bit larger. They are still largely made of plastic, but they're more polished. You can even swap the 3.5mm cable for a high-quality USB-C version to make use of them with portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also feature two microphones built-in, which are great in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app offers a vast variety of EQ presets, which can be customized and saved to allow you to listen to music or podcasts in the way you prefer. The Soundcore app is simple to use and makes these headphones stand out.

The Q30's 40mm speaker effectively block almost all ambient sound when ANC is enabled. This results in an extremely pleasant listening experience. They have a natural sound profile that is a bit on the treble side, which some might be unable to reproduce bass (we had better results using the Bass Booster Equalizer preset). You can fix this easily with the Soundcore App, which includes an eight-band Equalizer.

The headphones come with an power button and a pairing button on the left earcup and an USB-C port to charge. The right ear cup features play/pause and the volume up and down buttons. Double-clicking these buttons lets you skip tracks or repeat the previous one. You can also make use of voice commands to instruct them to switch modes or set alarms. The right ear cup can also be covered with your hand to activate ambient mode, so you can hear what's happening around you without removing the headphones.

The Q30 headphones offer a long battery life. The Q30 lasts for an hour longer in our tests when ANC was turned on than its rivals. This allows you to take advantage of an extended flight or a full day at work. The USB-C cord included in the kit lets you quickly recharge the batteries. You'll also get a warning when the battery is about to run out.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys wireless bluetooth headphones is a pair of high-quality over-ear Bluetooth headphones that offer active noise cancellation as well as Bluetooth playback. They are designed to be high-end, premium headphones that can be used at home or on the move. The headphones are a more expensive than other headphones, but their superior sound is the reason they stand out.

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

They're powered by a decent 600mAh battery that can take you through a full day of casual listening and wireless Headphone include an audio input for wired use. When used wirelessly they're paired via Bluetooth and you'll be able manage their functions via an app (now known as Focal & Naim which is probably in line with their English Naim brand's network-aware audio products) or via the button on the left ear cup that allows you to switch between ANC profiles like'silent','soft' transparent', and 'full'.

Utilizing the app, you are able to change various settings, including the brightness of the LED as well as EQ presets that include a "music' profile that sounds more neutral and brighter than the other ones and their battery life. You can also select the ANC level and mode as well as select an 'acoustic environment that adjusts the sensitivity in order to simulate the sound of headphones in a different acoustic room.

The Focal Bathys come with an incredibly bass-rich sound that adds more punch, impact and warmth to your favourite tracks. As a result, instruments and vocals are pushed back into the mix and can sound veiled while details like cymbals are slightly less prominent than you might expect on some other headphones. They're not as efficient in active noise cancellation when compared to other over-ears with more advanced technology, like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony has a fine reputation for its headphones, and the WH-1000XM5 is no exception. It's located at the top end of the'mainstream' over-ear headphone market, edging into the 'luxury lifestyle' sector where brands like Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc hang out. The XM5s can be expensive however, if you can afford it find them, there's not a better pair of wireless headphones.

The XM5s have a lot of features that simplify the lives of the listener, and also automate tasks that they would have to do manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to close to high-res) is available and also support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. That allows for streaming of high-quality audio at 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 in noise cancellation. They're among the top in eliminating the constant drones that can be heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s are great at their job isolating listeners from the traffic noises of busy streets and airports as well.

The sound quality is also top-quality. The XM5s lack as many details in the low-frequency range as the XM4, however they do possess a greater sense clarity and a greater sense of openness. For example, the bass on Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys muscles with real force and definition, without reducing everything else. The XM5s also have the ability to deliver precise and tight bass notes on Massive Attack's Angel.

The battery life is also good, providing up to 30 hours of listening with ANC active, and 40 hours when it's off. This is enough to cover an entire weekend or a few days of heavy use.

The XM5s do not come with dust or water resistant. Sony actually advises against sweating in them or taking them out in the rain. This might not be a problem for many people, but it might prove a stumbling block for anyone who spend a lot of their time in the gym or lives in a rainy city.

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of Wireless headphone (37.ernorvious.Com) headphones over-ear equipped with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. Apple designed dynamic drivers measuring 40mm with a neutral sound profile that focuses on highs and mids, but not going too loud. They are perfect for music and movies. They also have higher fidelity than most other headphones.

The headphones are light in build that feels comfortable on the head. The earcups are made from memory foam covered in a woven fabric. They sit comfortably on the ears without placing pressure on the sides of the face. The ear cups can be rotated and tilted to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges have a firm but not overly robust clamping force that ensures that the ear cups stay in place during listening sessions.

A small button located on the top of the right ear cup can be used to toggle noise cancellation modes. There's also a pushable, Jog-dial-like button, akin to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can twist for volume control and press it once, twice or thrice to playback control. Pressing and holding the button invokes Siri. These buttons are placed well and simple to use, however I missed having an option to turn the headphones off when they are not in use. The headphones go into standby when they are removed from your ears, or when they are put in their case. They will come back to life when you place them over your head.

Spatial audio is another great feature. It makes use of accelerometers, gyroscopes and iPads or iPhones to determine where you are moving. Then, it repositions the sound so that they seem to be coming 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 the spatial audio.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd feel somewhat smug going into an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones if I knew that they'd be beaten in a year by the second-generation model. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and improved battery life, making it difficult to justify the additional expense for most people.