Best Over-Ear Headphones

Over-ear headphones, unlike earbuds are able to completely encapsulate your ears. They also permit larger drivers that deliver deeper bass and a wider soundstage. Many come with Bluetooth technology and active noise cancellation.

The Master & Dynamic MW65 is updated with superior audio and various ANC modes, and a long battery life.

1. Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless

Sony has enhanced an already excellent pair of headphones with the introduction of the WH1000XM4 wireless. They are lighter, better built and have an audio profile that is more balanced (though they are bass heavy). They also have an app that lets you customize the audio. They have improved their active noise cancellation, removing more background noises and have a longer battery life.

These headphones are Bluetooth 5.0 compatible, and Sony LDAC is also compatible with. The latter can transfer high-resolution audio however, you'll need compatible equipment and a streaming service. In addition, the WH-1000XM4s can connect to two Bluetooth devices at the same time and switch between them as needed. You enable this feature through the Sony Headphones Connect app and it is extremely effective.

The touch panels are more sensitive than the XM3. They respond faster to tapping on a panel and are easier to manage when making a phone call or listening to music. Sony has also added a feature to make voice calls more clear and precise during calls. This is an obvious and nice touch.

The WH-1000XM4s might not be perfect, but they are among the best wireless headphones that we have ever examined. They're comfortable, feel well made, and have an impressive battery that can last longer than 30 hours continuously. They can also be used with an TRS cable which is perfect if you're traveling or need to save power.

The WH-1000XM4s make a better choice than the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 Wireless over-ears. The Sonys are more comfortable, and their ANC can block out more background noise. They also have an application that lets you adjust their audio performance and EQ settings are more flexible than B&W's. The B&Ws are built better, Bluetooth headphone wireless and can pair with two Bluetooth devices simultaneously. They also support aptXHD and have an AI-driven engine which tries to increase the size of compressed music to high-resolution. This is called DSEE Extreme and it does a good job of improving the clarity of music, particularly when listening to lossless audio files.

2. Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless

The $329 Bose QuietComfort45 Noise-Canceling headset is the most recent version of a headset which has become a popular choice for commuters and passengers across the world. Instead of reinventing the wheel the new model uses the same formula that made its predecessor so popular, and adds USB-C, improved noise cancellation and longer battery life.

These over-ear Bose headsets have a premium feel and look, much like the QC 35 II headphones that were before them. The headband is constructed of plastic, yet it has a sturdy feel with metal hinges at the pivot points and the ratcheting mechanism that is familiar when you open or retract the ear cups. The cups are soft cushioned pads that are securely positioned over your ears and don't apply pressure to your head. When folded, they weigh 238 grams. They can be worn with a coat or sweater since they can be worn even when not on your head.

Despite their reputation for comfort, the QC45s can't provide the best sound quality in this price range. The frequencies are dull and lack the detail that higher-end headphones might be able bring out. The higher registers tend to be amplified, which is fine for most music genres but could cause problems for more delicate or intricate genres of music. The bass is decent, but lacks punch.

The ability to pause playback after removing the headset is a feature that is not available. This is a feature that Bose's rivals have offered for many years. Another issue is the absence of an in-app EQ. Bose has preset EQs in the app, but it would be nice if there was an option to manually control.

You can connect to your tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth Headphone Wireless 5.0 with multipoint support as well as more advanced codecs such as aptX Adaptive. You can download the Bose Audio app to adjust the volume and voice assistant settings.

The QC45s come with four microphones that are built-in to pick up your voice when on the phone. The headphones have good call quality, but they don't let you mute the voice during playback as other wireless headphones. Update: A firmware upgrade for the QC45s came out in February 2022 added manual adjustments to the audio app. This is a welcome upgrade.

3. Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal is a French audio company known for high-performance headphones that provide long-lasting comfort and a style that makes listeners feel like they're listening to something truly special. Their first foray into wireless headphones that block noise, the Bathys are a stunning set of headphones that look and sound amazing. They also have a built in high performance USB DAC which means you can use them for both wired and wireless listening.

The Bathys come with a great battery performance, with Focal promising 30 hours of continuous Bluetooth playtime. We got more than 40 hours of playback time on average on a single charge. If you need to charge your headphones, the indicator light on the right earcup will go red.

For headphones for this price, they offer a lot of features. They can be used with multiple devices simultaneously and have automatic pairing. (You will need to select your source device each time you listen.) The headphones come with built-in microphones that works with voice assistants, such as Siri or Alexa. The headphones also have an intuitive interface that makes it easy to control your music as well as make calls.

For Wireless Over Ear Headphones: ULIPTZ - 65 Hrs Playtime headphones that are over-ear The Bathys excel in our tests of noise cancellation, which reduces the ambient sound by about 9 decibels per hour on average. This isn't as impressive a result as the ANC in the Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless, however it's still pretty effective.

The Bathys headphones did well in our headphone sound tests. Their frequency response was largely similar to the headphone curve of SoundGuys with minor variations in the mids and bass. They have a bass-rich sound profile that adds plenty of boom to the mix, however, they can make vocals and instruments such as cymbals sound veiled.

They also have excellent leakage resistance, which means you can wear them out in public without worrying about people listening to your music. The microphone is able to be used for recording via Bluetooth with only a slight distortion between the mid-treble and treble.

4. Sennheiser Momentum 4

The Sennheiser Momentum Wireless are a new version of the company's flagship Bluetooth headphones. The Momentum 3 was a solid but not a great entry in this category. The latest model is improved over the previous model by having modern design, better gesture controls, and a huge battery life.

A lot of the improvements here are subtle, but they add up to make a pair of over-ears that seem like a step up from the previous model. The Momentum 4s are flat and don't fold. They come with a hardshell case to protect them when on the move. They also follow the trend of several other recent Bluetooth headphones, including the ones from Sony and Bowers & Wilkins, to be incredibly device-agnostic. This means they can work with both Android phones and Apple iPhones, however they do not have the additional features (like Find My support and head-tracked spatial audio) that you'll find on the AirPods.

The most obvious improvement here is the massive battery, which claims up to 60 hours of playback when the noise cancellation feature turned on. That's easily double what most of the competitors offer and enough for a multi-day trip without worrying about finding an outlet to charge them.

Billy Steele, bluetooth headphone Wireless senior editor at Engadget and Engadget, gave the headphones a score of 82. He noted their sound quality and ANC features as strengths. His only complaint is that they lack a sense weight in the mids and the treble, which means that orchestral music tends to sound flat, not grand. The bass is rounded, but it's easy to over-emphasize, which can lead to fatigue in songs with heavy bass lines, like the drums in As I Lay Dying's Forever. The cymbals can sound smoky rather than full and there's not a real feeling of depth in the bass.

The Momentum 4s should not put pressure on your neck or ears. They can be fidgety if you wear them at home or during long listening sessions. They will move around on your head and make a lot of head movements. This can cause them wake up in a sudden manner, which could be distracting when listening to music or making calls. They shut down automatically after 15 minutes, and can be shut off manually using the power button.