Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones allow you to listen to music and podcasts without the requirement of connecting an audio wire to your device. They're also a great choice for public transportation, at work, or at home.

Wireless over-ear headphones may have an elegant design and outstanding noise cancellation. They typically come with a stylish storage case.

Soundcore Life Q30

These over-ears are a major upgrade from the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They appear better and are more durable and have a more polished finish. They're still mostly plastic, however the hinges are more secure and the soft leather cups are bigger. You can replace the 3.5mm cord with a high quality USB-C cable to connect them to portable Hi-Res devices and stationary players. They also come with dual built-in microphones, which perform well in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app offers a vast range of EQ presets, which can be customized and saved to allow you to listen to podcasts and music in your preferred style. The Soundcore app is simple to use and makes these headphones stand out.

The Q30's 40mm speakers effectively eliminate the majority of ambient noise when ANC is turned on. This makes for a very pleasant listening experience. They have a natural sound signature that leans a little on the treble end, which some might be unable to reproduce bass (we have had better results using the Bass Booster EQ preset). It is possible to fix this using the Soundcore App, which comes with an 8-band Equalizer.

The headphones come with a power button and pairing button on the left ear cup and the USB-C port for charging. The right ear cup has play/pause and Bluetooth Headpones the volume up and down buttons. Double-clicking these buttons lets you skip tracks or replay the previous one. You can also make use of voice commands to instruct for a change in mode or set alarms. The right earcup can also be covered by your hand to activate ambient mode, so that you can hear what's happening around you, without removing the headphones.

These headphones have a great battery life. The Q30 lasted an hour longer in our tests when ANC was on than its competitors. This gives you plenty of time for long flights or an office day. They can be easily recharged using the USB-C cable included, and you'll see 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 provide both active noise cancellation as well as Bluetooth headpones playback. These headphones are made to be premium, high-end headphones that can be used at home or on the move. They're slightly more expensive than other similar headphones, but their exceptional sound quality is their main selling factor.

The Focal Bathys come in a compact, slim and attractive white fabric-finished retail box that includes everything you need inside. There's also a fold-flat carry case for the headphones as well as 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 listening, and also have an audio input for wired use. Wirelessly, they're connected via Bluetooth. You can control their functions with an app (now called Focal and Naim in line with English sister brand Naim’s network-aware products) or the dedicated button on the left earcup, which scrolls through ANC profiles like silent, soft transparent,' and full.

The app lets you modify different settings, like the brightness of the LEDs, the EQ presets (including music's profile, which is more neutral and brighter than the other profiles) and the battery life. It also lets you to choose the ANC mode and its level as well as setting an 'acoustic' environment which adjusts the sensitivity of your music to simulate what it would sound like when worn in a space with different soundproofing.

The Focal Bathys feature an incredibly bass-rich sound that delivers extra energy and warmth to your favourite tracks. The result is that instruments and vocals can be muted, while other certain elements like cymbals could be less prominent than other headphones. The headphones are also less effective at active noise cancellation compared to other over-ears that have more advanced technology, such as the Sony WH1000XM5 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, but it is also dipping into the luxury lifestyle sector where brands like Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc hang out. This means the XM5s are expensive in cost, but when you can afford it, there are few better over the ear wireless headphones on the market.

The XM5s are loaded with a number of features that simplify the lives of the listener and automate some tasks that they'd otherwise need to perform manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme Engine (which upscales music compressed to near hi-res) and Bluetooth's LDAC Technology, are both included. This allows streaming of high-quality audio with rates that are higher than traditional Bluetooth. The built-in microphone is capable of making calls hands-free.

The XM5 headphones aren't different than the previous generation headphones from WH, in terms of noise cancellation. They are among the best at cutting down on the constant drones that can be heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s do an excellent job of shielding listeners from the noise of busy streets and airports as well.

The sound quality is excellent. The XM5s aren't as clear in the low frequencies as the XM4, however, there's a more pronounced sense of clarity and transparency also. The bass on Rage Against The Machine’s Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys' power and definition but without affecting the music. Similar to Massive Attack's brooding Angel shows off the XM5s ability to produce precise and precise bass notes.

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

The only issue is that the XM5s lack any dust or water resistance protection. In fact, bluetooth headpones Sony recommends that you don't sweat into them or wear them out in the rain. This may not be a big deal for the majority of people however, for those who spend much time in the gym or live in a humid location this could be a big issue.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max is a pair of wireless headphone uk headphones over-ear that feature Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. They feature 40mm Apple-designed dynamic drivers with a neutral audio profile that is focused on the mids and highs while not going overboard on either end of the spectrum. They are ideal for movies and music. They also have superior fidelity compared to most other headphones.

The headphones are lightweight and feel comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made of memory foam covered with woven fabric, and fit comfortably over the ears and do not place pressure on the sides or the forehead. The ear cups can tilt and rotate to accommodate various head shapes. The hinges that are spring loaded have a strong but not too robust clamping force that ensures that the ear cups stay in place throughout listening sessions.

You can toggle noise cancelling by pressing a small button located at the top of the right earcup. There's also a button that can be pushed, like a jog-dial, similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can twist for volume control and press once, twice or thrice to control playback. Pressing and holding the button triggers Siri. The buttons are easy to use and are well-placed, but I would have liked to see a power button that would turn off the headphones when in use. The headphones are put into standby when they are removed from your ears, or if they are placed in their case. They only come back into use when you put them on your head.

Spatial audio is another great feature. It makes use of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and iPhones or iPads to determine where you are moving. Then, it alters the position of the sound so that they appear to originate from that particular location. This creates a cinema-like experience when watching movies and videos made in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. Only iOS devices can be used 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 newer model would be better in the next year. AirPods Pro are more expensive, but they have better battery life and advanced features.