Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones allow you to listen to podcasts or music anywhere without having to run an audio cable from your device. These headphones are great for use in public transport, in the office or at home.

Wireless over-ear headphones can have an elegant design and superior noise cancellation. They usually come with a stylish storage case.

Soundcore Life Q30

A major upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 from late-2018 The new over-ears look better, feel sturdier and generally feel more polished. The hinges are stronger, and the soft ear cups are slightly larger. They are still largely made of plastic, however they are more polished. You can replace the 3.5mm cord for a higher quality USB-C cable and make use of them with mobile Hi-Res and stationary Hi-Fi players. They also come with two built-in mics that worked well in our tests using FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app comes with a wide range of EQ presets that can be customized and saved to listen to music or podcasts in the style you prefer. This is the thing that sets these headphones apart from 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 make for excellent listening. The Q30's sound signature is natural, but a little on the treble. Some might be disappointed by the bass response (we have had better results with the Bass Booster EQ). This can be fixed easily with the Soundcore App, which has an 8-band Equalizer.

The left ear cup has a power button as well as a pairing button and an USB-C charging port. The right ear cup features play/pause, wireless bluetooth Headphone volume up/down buttons. Double-clicking these buttons lets you skip tracks or repeat the previous one. You can also make use of voice commands to instruct them to switch modes or set alarms. You can also cover the right ear cup with your fingers to activate ambient modes, so that you can hear everything around you without removing the headphones.

These headphones have a fantastic battery life. In our tests with ANC switched on the Q30 lasted nearly an hour longer than its competitors. This allows you to enjoy an extended 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 studio wireless headphones are a set of premium over-ear headphones that feature active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're designed to be an elite headphones that are ideal for listening to music and podcasts on the go, but sound amazing when used for home use by audiophiles too. They're slightly more expensive than other similar headphones, but their superior sound quality is their main selling factor.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a compact, slim and attractive white fabric-finished retail box with all the accessories you'll need in. 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 can last for a full day of listening to music casually. They also have an audio input to make use of wired. Wirelessly, they're paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions via an app (now called Focal & Naim in keeping with English Naim's products that are network-aware) or the button on the left earcup that scrolls through ANC profiles like silent, soft transparent,' and full.

Using the app allows you to alter different settings, including 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 lets you to select the ANC mode and the level, as well as setting an 'acoustic' setting that adjusts the sensitivity of your music to simulate what it will sound like when worn in a room with different audio acoustics.

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

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony headphones are renowned for their high-end quality and the WH1000XM5 is not an exception. It is the best of the'mainstream' over ear blue tooth headphone market and is in the luxury lifestyle segment where brands such as Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are located. The XM5s are costly however, if you can afford it, there aren't many better wireless headphones for over-ear use.

The XM5s are loaded with features to make life easier for listeners and, in certain instances, automate tasks that they'd otherwise have to handle manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to close to high-res) is available and also support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows high-quality audio to be streamed with bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. It also has a built-in microphone for making calls hands-free.

The XM5 headphones aren't any different from the previous generation WH headphones in terms of noise cancellation. These headphones are among the top in eliminating the constant drones that are heard in underground and train carriages. The XM5s do a great job isolating listeners from the traffic noises of busy airports and streets also.

The sound quality is also top-quality. The XM5s lack as high a resolution in the low frequency range as the XM4, but, they do have an increased sense of clarity and openness. The bass in Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys power and clarity but without affecting the rest of the music. The XM5s are also able to provide precise and accurate bass notes on Massive Attack's Angel.

The battery life is also good, providing up to 30 hours of listening time with ANC active and 40 hours when it's off. This is more than enough to cover the weekend or a few days' heavy use.

The only issue is that the XM5s do not have any dust or water resistance protection. Sony actually recommends not sweating into them or wearing them in the rain. This might not be a major issue for most people, but for those who spend much time in the gym or live in a rainy location it could be a significant issue.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max is a pair over-ear wireless bluetooth Headphone headphones that come with Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. Apple designed dynamic drivers measuring 40mm with a neutral audio profile that focuses on mids and highs without going too loud. They are perfect for music and movies. They also have better sound quality when compared with other headphones.

The headphones have a light construction that is comfortable on the head. The earcups, which are constructed of memory foam and covered with woven fabric, and fit comfortably over the ears and 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 provide a firm, but not too much clamping force to ensure that the ear cups remain in place throughout listening sessions.

Toggle noise cancelling mode by pressing a small button on the top of the right earcup. There's also a pushable, 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 three times to control playback. Siri is invoked by pressing and holding the button. These buttons are well-placed and simple to use, however I was disappointed that there wasn't the power button that could turn the headphones off when they are not in use. The headphones automatically go into standby mode after being removed from your ears or placed in their case. They only wake up when you put them on your head again.

Another great feature is spatial audio, which uses the accelerometers and gyroscopes of the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to determine the direction you're going, and then repositions sound to appear as if they're coming from those locations. This creates a cinema-like experience when watching movies and videos made in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. The only catch is that spatial audio requires an iOS device for use, and you won't be able to experience it on other devices.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd feel slightly smug about entering an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones if I knew they'd be outdone next year by the new model. AirPods Pro are more expensive and have better battery life and advanced features.