Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones let you listen to music and podcasts without the need to connect a wire to your audio device. They're an excellent choice for public transport, while at work or at home.

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

Soundcore Q30

A major upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 from late-2018 These earphones look better, feel sturdier and generally feel more polished. The hinges are stronger, and the soft ear cups are slightly larger. They're still made of plastic, blue tooth head phones but they're more polished. You can switch the 3.5mm cord for a higher quality USB-C cable to connect them to mobile Hi-Res and stationary Hi-Fi players. They also come with two microphones built-in, which are great 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 way you prefer. This is the thing that sets these headphones apart from other ANC headphones and the Soundcore app is extremely simple to use.

When ANC is turned on the Q30's 40mm drivers cut out almost all ambient noise, and provide very pleasant listening. They have a natural sounding signature that leans a little on the treble end, which some may feel is lacking in bass response (we have had better results using the Bass Booster equalizer). However, you can easily fix this by using the Soundcore app, since there's an eight-band equalizer to help you tinker.

The headphones come with an power button and a pairing button on the left earcup and the USB-C port for charging. The right ear cup features play/pause, the volume up and down buttons. 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. The right ear cup can also be covered with your hand to activate ambient mode, so you can hear what is going on around you without taking off the headphones.

These headphones have a great battery life. In our tests with ANC turned on, the Q30 lasted nearly an hour longer than its rivals. This gives you plenty of time to prepare for a long flight or working for a long time. They can be quickly recharged with the included USB-C cable, and you'll see a warning when they're approaching empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of premium over-ear headphones that offer both active noise cancellation as well as Bluetooth playback. These headphones are made to be high-end, premium bluetooth headphones headphones that can be used at home or on the go. The headphones are a more expensive than other headphones, but their outstanding sound quality is the reason they stand out.

The Focal Bathys come in a small, slim and attractive fabric-finished white retail box with all the accessories you'll need in. There's a fold-flat headphone carry case, USB-C to USB-C cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.

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

The app allows you to modify different settings, like the brightness of the LEDs and the EQ presets (including a'music' profile which is more neutral and brighter than the other profiles) and the battery life. You can also select the ANC level and mode and select an 'acoustic environment that adjusts the sensitivity to mimic the sound of the headphones in a different room.

The Focal Bathys have an incredibly bass-rich profile that gives extra warmth, punch and impact to your most loved tracks. This means that instruments and vocals are pushed back into the mix and can sound veiled while details like cymbals and vocals are slightly less prominent than you might expect on some other headphones. The headphones are also less effective at active noise cancellation when compared with other over-ears that have more advanced technology, like the Sony WH1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony has a fine reputation for its headphones, and the WH-1000XM5 is no exception. It is the best of the over-ear headphone market, which is a mainstream market and borders the 'luxury' lifestyle market where brands such as Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are situated. The XM5s come with a high cost, but if you can afford it, there are few more superior wireless over-ear headphones available.

The XM5s have a lot of features that simplify the lives of the listener and automate some tasks that they would have to do manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near-high resolution) is also included as well as support for bluetooth wireless's LDAC technology. This allows streaming of high-quality audio at rates that are higher than traditional Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone to allow making calls hands-free.

Similar to the previous generation of WH headphones the XM5s excel in noise cancellation. They're among the best-performing cans for cutting out 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 airports and streets as well.

The sound quality is very good. The XM5s lack as much detail in the low-frequency range like the XM4, however they do possess an increased sense of clarity and openness. The bass on Rage Against The Machine's Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys power and clarity without affecting the rest of the music. The XM5s also have the ability to produce precise and precise bass notes in Massive Attack's Angel.

Battery life is great and can last up to 30 hours listening time when ANC is on and 40 hours if off. This is more than enough to last a weekend getaway or several days' heavy use.

The only real drawback here is that the XM5s do not have any dust or water resistance protection. In fact, Sony recommends that you avoid sweating on them or wear them in the rain. This may not be a problem for some people, but it could cause a problem for anyone who spends much of their time at the gym or lives in a city that is rainy.

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones over-ear that come with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. They feature 40mm dynamic drivers that are designed by Apple and have a neutral audio profiles that emphasizes the mids and highs while not going overboard on either end of the spectrum. This makes them great for both music and movies. They also offer superior fidelity compared to most other headphones.

The headphones are lightweight and feel comfortable on your head. The earcups are made from memory foam covered in a woven fabric. They fit comfortably on the ears without pressing on the sides of the face. The ear cups can be tilted and rotated to accommodate different head shapes. The hinges that are spring loaded have a strong but not too strong clamping force, which ensures that the ear cups remain in place throughout listening sessions.

Switch on noise cancellation by pressing a small button at the top of the right earcup. You can also use an earphone-style jog dial with a push button similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch. You can twist it for volume control and press it one three, twice, or even three times to playback the controls. Pressing and holding the button will activate Siri. These buttons are well-placed and easy to use, but I missed having an option to switch off the headphones when they're not in use. The headphones automatically switch to standby mode when removed from your ears or placed in their case, and they only wake up when you put them on your Blue Tooth head phones again.

Another cool feature is spatial audio, which uses the accelerometers and gyroscopes of the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to determine the direction you're going, and then repositions sound to make it seem like they're coming from those places. This gives you a theater-like experience with videos and movies that were recorded in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. The only downside is that spatial audio requires an iOS device to use it, and it won't allow you to experience it on other devices.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd be a bit ripped off going into an Apple Store and spending $549 on them if I knew they'd be outdone in a year by the second-generation model. AirPods Pro are more expensive, but they have superior battery life and more advanced features.