Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones allow you to listen to music and podcasts without the need to connect an audio wire to your device. These headphones bluetooth wireless are ideal for use in public transport, at the office or at home.

Wireless over-ear cans are offered in a variety of designs and noise cancellation capabilities. They typically come with a sleek storage case.

Soundcore Life Q30

These earphones are a significant upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They look better, feel more durable, and have a more polished look. They're still mostly plastic, but the hinges are tighter and the soft leather ear cups are bigger. You can swap the 3.5mm cord for a higher quality USB-C cable and make use of them with mobile Hi-Res as well as stationary players. They also have dual mics built-in that worked flawlessly during our tests with FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app has a huge range of EQ presets that can be customized and saved to listen to music or podcasts in your preferred style. This is what sets these headphones apart from most 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 excellent listening. The Q30's sound is natural, but it is a bit the treble. Some may be disappointed by the bass response (we have had better results using the Bass Booster EQ). But, you can solve this issue using the Soundcore app, since there's an equalizer with 8 bands to allow you to tweak.

The headphones come with the power button and a pairing button on the left ear cup along with the USB-C port for charging. The right ear cup features play/pause, and volume up/down buttons. Double-clicking on these controls allows you to skip tracks or play previous ones. They also have an option to speak to them that allows you to ask to switch the mode or set an alarm. You can also cover the right ear cup with your hand to enable ambient modes so that you can hear the world around you without removing the headphones.

The battery life of these headphones is fantastic and the battery life is also excellent. In our tests with ANC switched on the Q30 lasted nearly an hour longer than its competitors. This allows you to take advantage of a long flight, or a busy day at work. They can be charged quickly using the USB-C cable included, and you'll see warnings when they're about to run empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless is a pair of powerful over-ear Bluetooth headphones that offer active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're designed to be an elite high-end headphones that are ideal for listening to music and podcasts on the go, but sound amazing when used to listen to audiophile music at home too. They're more expensive than other similar headphones but their superior audio quality is the primary selling factor.

The Focal Bathys come in a small attractive white box with a cloth finish. It contains everything you'll require. The headphone carry case folds flat, and comes with a case, USB-C to USB cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.

The 600mAh battery will last for a whole day of listening to music casually. They also have an audio input to use wired. Wirelessly, they're connected via Bluetooth. You can control their functions with an app (now called Focal and Naim in keeping with English sister brand Bluetooth Headphones wireless Naim’s network-aware products) or the dedicated button located on the left earcup which scrolls through ANC profiles such as'silent,'soft transparent,' and 'full.

Using the app allows you to alter various settings like the brightness of the LED as well as EQ presets that include a "music profile' that sounds brighter and more neutral than the others and also their battery duration. It also gives you the ability to select the ANC mode and its level, and also set an 'acoustic' setting that adjusts the sensitivity of your music to simulate what it would sound like if it were placed in a room with different soundproofing.

The Focal Bathys come with a bass-rich profile that adds more warmth, punch and impact to your most loved tracks. This means that instruments and vocals are pushed back into the mix, and sound muffled, while details like cymbals are not as prominent as you'd expect on other headphones. They're also not as effective in active noise cancellation when contrasted with other headphones that have more advanced technology, like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony headphones are known for their quality, and the WH1000XM5 is not an exception. It is the best of the mainstream over ear headphone market and borders the 'luxury' lifestyle area where brands such as Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are situated. This means the XM5s are expensive in price tag, but when you can afford it, there are few more superior wireless over-ear headphones out there.

The XM5s are loaded with features to help listeners and, in some instances, automate tasks they'd otherwise have to deal with manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme Engine (which upscales music to near-high-resolution) and Bluetooth's LDAC Technology are all included. This lets high-quality audio be streamed with bitrates that are higher than bluetooth headpones. There's even a built-in microphone for making hands-free calls.

Like the previous generation of WH headphones the XM5s excel at noise cancellation. These headphones are among the best at reducing the constant drones that can be heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s do a great job of separating listeners from background noise of airports and busy streets also.

The sound quality is also excellent. The XM5s do not have as much detail in the low-frequency range like the XM4, however, they do have more clarity and a greater sense of openness. For instance the bass track on Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys' muscles with real power and definition, while not sagging the other elements. In the same way, Massive Attack's grooving Angel showcases the XM5's ability to create tight and precise bass notes.

Battery life is also excellent, offering up to 30 hours of listening time with ANC active, and 40 hours when it's off. This is more than enough to last a weekend getaway or several days of heavy usage.

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

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones over-ear that come with bluetooth Headphones wireless technology and noise cancellation. They feature 40mm Apple-designed dynamic drivers with a neutral audio profile that emphasizes the mids and highs without going overboard on either end of the spectrum. This makes them great for movies and music. They also provide better sound quality when compared with other headphones.

The headphones are light in construction that is comfortable on the head. The ear cups, which are made of memory foam covered with woven fabric, are comfortable to wear over the ears, do not put pressure on the sides or the forehead. Ear cups can be rotated and tilted to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges offer a strong, but not too strong clamping force that makes sure the ear cups stay in place throughout listening sessions.

A small button at the top of the right earcup allows you to switch between noise cancelling modes. It also has a pushable jog dial-like button similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch. You can turn it to control the volume and press it one three, twice, or even three times for playback controls. Pressing and holding the button triggers Siri. The buttons are easy to use and well-placed, but I would have liked to see an option to power off or turn off the headphones when not in use. The headphones automatically switch to standby mode when removed from your ears or placed in their case. They only wake up when you slide them over your head once more.

Spatial audio is another cool feature. It utilizes accelerometers, gyroscopes and iPhones and iPads to determine where you're moving. Then, it adjusts the sound so that they appear to originate from that location. This creates a cinema-like experience for movies and videos that were recorded in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. Only iOS devices are able to listen to the spatial audio.

The AirPods Max is a decent pair, but I'd feel a little ripped off if I spent $549 in an Apple Store knowing that the second-generation model would be better after a year. AirPods Pro are more expensive, but they have more battery life and are equipped with the latest features.