Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones allow you to listen to music and podcasts without the need to connect wires to your audio device. They're also a great choice for public transport, while at work or at home.

Wireless headphones with over-ears can feature a premium design and exceptional noise cancellation. They usually come with a stylish storage case.

Soundcore Q30

These earphones are a significant upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They are more attractive and soho.dothome.kr are more durable and have a more polished look. They're still mostly made of plastic, but the hinges are tighter and the soft leather ear cups are a bit larger. You can also switch the 3.5mm cable for a high-quality USB-C version to use them with portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also come with dual mics built-in that worked flawlessly in our tests with 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 or music in the style you like. This is the thing that sets these headphones apart from most other ANC headphones, and the Soundcore app is very easy to use.

The Q30's 40mm speakers effectively block out almost all ambient sound when ANC is turned on. This results in a very pleasant listening experience. They have a natural sounding signature that leans a little on the treble side, and some may be unable to reproduce bass (we got better results with the Bass Booster equalizer). It is possible to fix this with the Soundcore App, which comes with an eight-band Equalizer.

The left earcup has a power button as well as a pairing button and a USB-C charging port. The right earcup has play/pause, and the volume up and down buttons. Double-clicking these controls lets you to skip tracks or play previous ones. You can also use voice commands to ask them to switch modes or set alarms. The right ear cup can also be covered by your hand to activate ambient mode so you can hear what's happening around you without taking off the headphones.

These headphones have a fantastic battery life. The Q30 lasts for an hour longer in our tests when ANC was on than its competitors. This gives you plenty of time for an extended flight or a day at the office. They can be quickly recharged with the included USB-C cable, and you'll see an alert when they're getting empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of powerful over-ear headphones that offer both active noise cancellation as well as Bluetooth playback. They're made to be an elite high-end headphones that are ideal for listening to music and podcasts on the go, but are a great choice for audiophile home use as well. The headphones are a more expensive than other headphones, but their outstanding sound is what makes them stand out.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a small elegant white box with a cloth finish. It includes all the accessories that you'll need. The package also includes a fold-flat carrying case for the headphones, a USB-C to USB C cable, 1.2mmSE cable and an audio converter.

The battery's capacity is 600mAh, which will last for a whole day of listening to music casually. They also include an audio input so that you can connect wired. Wirelessly, they are paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions via an app (now named Focal & Naim in the same way as English Naim's network-aware products) or the button on the left earcup, which scrolls through ANC profiles such as'silent,'soft transparent,' and 'full.

The app allows you to adjust different settings, like the brightness of the LEDs as well as the EQ presets (including music's profile, which sounds brighter and neutraler than the other profiles) and the battery life. It also allows you to select the ANC mode and its level as well as setting an 'acoustic' environment which adjusts the sensitivity of your music to simulate how it would sound like when worn in a room with different soundproofing.

The Focal Bathys come with an incredibly bass-rich sound that delivers extra punch, impact and warmth to your favorite tracks. This means that instruments and vocals are pushed back into the mix and sound muffled, while details like cymbals and vocals are not as prominent as you might expect on some other headphones. The headphones are also less effective in active noise cancellation when compared with other over-ears with more advanced technology, such as the Sony WH1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony has earned a reputable reputation for its headphones, and the WH-1000XM5 headphones are no exception. It is a top pick in the mainstream over ear headphone market and is in the luxury lifestyle segment where brands like Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are located. The XM5s are expensive, but if you can find them, there's not a better pair of wireless headphones for over-ear use.

The XM5s have features to help listeners and, in certain cases, automate tasks they'd otherwise have to handle manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near hi-res) is included and also support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This lets high-quality music to be streamed at bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone for making calls without hands.

The XM5 headphones are no different from the previous generation headphones from WH in regards to noise cancellation. They are among the best at cutting down on the constant drones that are heard in subway and train carriages. The XM5s are also excellent at isolating the listener from the hum of airports and busy streets.

The sound quality is also top-quality. The XM5s lack as many details in the low-frequency range like the XM4, however they do have more clarity and openness. For example the bass on Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys' muscles with real power and definition, without reducing 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 excellent, with up to 30 hours of listening time when ANC is active and up to 40 hours when it's off. This is plenty for a weekend getaway or several days of heavy usage.

The only issue is that the XM5s do not have any dust or water resistance protection. Sony actually advises against sweating in them or taking them out in the rain. This might not be a problem for a lot of people, but it could prove a stumbling block for anyone considering the XM5s who spend a lot of their time at the gym or lives in a city that is rainy.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max is a pair of wireless headphones bluetooth headphones over-ear that come with Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. Apple created dynamic drivers that measure 40mm with a neutral audio profile that emphasizes mids and highs without going overboard. They are great for music and movies. They also offer higher fidelity than most other headphones.

The headphones are light and comfortable on the head. The earcups, which are made of memory foam covered with woven fabric, and sit comfortably over the ears they do not place pressure on the sides or forehead. The earcups can also tilt and rotate to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges offer a firm, but not too strong clamping force to ensure that the ear cups stay in position during listening sessions.

A small button located on the 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 control playback. Siri is activated by pressing and pressing the button. These buttons are placed well and easy to use, but I would have liked a power button to turn the headphones off when not in use. The headphones automatically go into standby mode when they are removed from your ears or put in their case. They only wake up when you put them on your head again.

Another feature that is quite cool is spatial audio, which makes use of the accelerometers and gyroscopes of the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to determine where you're moving, then repositions the sound to create the illusion that they're coming from those places. This creates an immersive theater experience for videos and movies recorded in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. The only drawback is that spatial audio requires an iOS device for use, and you won't be able to enjoy it with other devices.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd feel slightly smug about walking 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 however they offer better battery life and advanced features.