Best Over the Ear Headphones

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

Wireless headphones with over-ears can feature an elegant design and superior noise cancellation. They are typically packaged in a sleek case.

Soundcore Life Q30

These earphones are a significant improvement over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They look better and are more durable and blue tooth Headphones have a more polished look. The hinges are more secure and the soft ear cups are slightly larger. They are still largely made of plastic, however they are more polished. You can swap the 3.5mm cord for a higher quality USB-C cable and use them with mobile Hi-Res as well as stationary players. They also feature 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 tweaked to listen to podcasts or music in the way you like. The Soundcore app is easy to use and makes these headphones stand out.

When ANC is on the Q30's 40mm drivers effectively eliminate most background noise, making for an extremely pleasant listening experience. They have a natural sound signature that leans a little on the treble end, which some might find lacking in bass response (we got better results with the Bass Booster equalizer). This can be fixed easily using the Soundcore App, which has an eight-band Equalizer.

The headphones come with a power button and pairing button on the left earcup and an USB-C port to charge. The right earcup has play/pause, volume up/down buttons. Double-clicking these buttons lets you skip tracks or replay the previous one. They also have a voice command that allows you to request them to change the mode or set an alarm. You can also cover the right ear cup by using your hands to activate ambient modes so that you can hear the world around you without having to remove the headphones.

The battery life on these headphones is great as well. In our tests with ANC enabled, the Q30 was able to last for nearly an hour longer than its rivals. This leaves plenty of time to prepare for long flights or Blue tooth headphones an office day. The USB-C cord included in the kit allows you to quickly recharge the batteries. You'll also receive a warning when the battery is getting close to empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of powerful over-ear headphones that provide both active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're made to be a premium headphones that are great for listening to music and podcasts on the go but also are a great choice to listen to audiophile music at home as well. The headphones are a bit more expensive than similar headphones, but their superior audio quality is what makes them stand out.

The Focal Bathys come in a compact elegant white box with a textured finish. It comes with all the accessories that you'll need. 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 battery's 600mAh capacity will last for a whole day of casual listening. They also have an audio input to make use of wired. Wirelessly, they're paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions using an app (now named Focal & Naim in the same way as English Naim's products that are network-aware) or by pressing the button located on the left earcup that scrolls through ANC profiles such as'silent,'soft transparent,' and 'full.

The app allows you to alter various settings, including the brightness of the LED and EQ presets, including a "music' profile that sounds more neutral and brighter than the other ones and also their battery life. You can also choose the ANC level and mode and select an 'acoustic environment setting to alter the sensitivity in order to simulate the sound of the headphones in a different room.

The Focal Bathys feature bass-rich, rich sound profiles that adds extra energy, impact and warmth to your favourite tracks. This means that instruments and vocals can be muted, and details like cymbals might be less noticeable than on other headphones. The headphones are also less effective at active noise cancellation when compared with other Blue Tooth Headphones that feature 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 not an exception. It is a top pick in the'mainstream' over ear headphone market and is in the 'luxury' lifestyle market where brands like Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are located. The XM5s are costly, but if you can get them, you won't find a better buy wireless headphones headphones.

The XM5s come with features to make life easier for listeners and, in a few instances, automate tasks they'd otherwise have to deal with manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near hi-res) is available and also support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows streaming of high-quality audio with bitrates that are higher than standard Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone to allow making hands-free calls.

The XM5 headphones are no different than the previous generation WH headphones in terms of noise cancellation. They're among the top in cutting down on the continuous drones that can be heard in underground and train carriages. The XM5s are great at their job of shielding listeners from the noise of busy airports and streets, too.

The sound quality is also very good. The XM5s do not have as many details in the low-frequency range as the XM4, but they do possess more clarity and a greater sense of openness. For instance, the bass work on Rage Against The Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys' muscles with real power and definition without flattening the other elements. The XM5s also have the ability to deliver precise and tight bass notes on Massive Attack's Angel.

Battery life is also good, with up to 30 hours of listening time with ANC active, and 40 hours when it's off. This is plenty for a weekend getaway or a few days of heavy use.

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 don't sweat into them or take them out in the rain. This may not be a problem for a lot of people, but it might cause a problem for anyone considering the XM5s who spend a lot of time in the gym or lives in a city with rain.

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones that fit over the ear equipped with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. They feature 40mm dynamic drivers designed by Apple with an audio profile that is neutral and concentrates on the highs and mids while not going overboard on either end of the spectrum. This makes them perfect for movies and music. They also offer better sound quality when compared with other headphones.

The headphones are lightweight and comfortable on the head. The ear cups are constructed of memory foam and covered with woven fabric, and are comfortable to wear over the ear they do not place pressure on the sides or forehead. The ear cups can tilt and rotate to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges feature a firm but not overly strong clamping force, which makes sure that the ear cups stay in place during listening sessions.

Switch on noise cancellation by pressing a small button on 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 it once twice or three times for playback controls. Pressing and holding the button invokes Siri. The buttons are simple to use and well-placed but I would have liked to see the power button that could turn off the headphones when not in use. The headphones go into standby when removed from your ears, or if they are placed in their case. They will come back to life when you place them over your head.

Another cool feature is spatial audio, which utilizes the accelerometers and gyroscopes of the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to determine where you're moving, then repositions sounds to appear as if they're coming from those locations. This creates a cinema-like experience with videos and movies recorded in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. The only drawback is that spatial audio requires an iOS device to be used and it won't allow you to experience it on other devices.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd feel somewhat smug going into an Apple Store and spending $549 on them if I knew they'd be outdone next year by the new model. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and improved battery performance, so it's difficult to justify the cost for most people.