15 best noise-cancelling headphones from our hands-on tests
Noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds are perfect for those times when you need to block out annoying sounds and focus – they're an absolute must-have for lengthy flights, commuting to work or relaxing at home. Yes, the technology comes at a price, but it makes a real difference to your listening experience.
While they can’t yet create total silence, the best noise-cancelling headphones get surprisingly close to it. They both limit and counteract how much distracting background noise you hear while listening to your music, podcasts and audiobooks. We think they're ideal for blocking out the chatter in your local coffee shop, clacking of office keyboards or the constant hum of a tower fan.
The good news is that there are plenty of over-ear and in-ear models that give you active noise cancellation (ANC) for well under £200, so whether you need a set for pairing with your smartphone, laptop and tablet, we’ve rounded up our favourites below, featuring trusted brands including Apple AirPods, Bose, Sony and JBL.
Still not sure how to choose the best set for you or confused about what specs to consider? Keep scrolling, there’s a buying guide under our picks.
Read more: Best true wireless earbuds | Best wireless over-ear headphones | Best noise-cancelling headphones | Best headphones under £50 | Best open earbuds | Best headphones for kids | Best headphones for exercise
How the GH Tech Team tests headphones and earbuds
We test the best noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds by pairing them to a phone or laptop and listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks at various volumes – wearing them for hours at a time to get a feel for comfort and how they perform across multiple music genres.
Of course, we know people often buy noise-cancelling for travel, so we use these on our own commute to check how effective each model is at limiting ambient sounds, hums and drones. We also look at the design, build quality, carry case and any accessories included. This list is based on hands-on testing by the GH Tech Team.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Bose is a leader when it comes to active noise-cancelling technology, and its flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones outclass all rivals if your number one priority is eliminating as much background noise as possible.
The Ultra headphones offer comprehensive ANC with outstanding sound isolation. These are exceptional when it comes to less predictable sounds too; they cancelled out office chatter, coffee shop crowds, keyboard taps and more. It’s the most powerful and most convincing noise-cancelling we’ve heard.
Thankfully, that’s not the only capability of this pair, as they’re also comfortable to wear and have reliable built-in controls through some good old-fashioned buttons and a simple touch surface that you can swipe up and down to alter the volume. They’re also built with sturdy but lightweight materials, using aluminium in the arms and yokes that connect to the hard plastic headband. They’re easy to get into position, and the ear cups are lovely and soft.
We’re also fans of the excellent, albeit fairly bass-heavy, sound. You can customise this in the app, which we appreciate, and they have a capable “awareness” mode to amplify outside sounds when you need to hear the world around you.
They also add a spatial audio mode with Bose’s “immersion” but we find it’s a bit of a heavy-handed implementation that can sound a little unnatural. We don’t think listeners will use this a lot, but luckily it’s only one of the many features on offer from these fantastic over-ears.
JBL Tour Pro 3
These earphones are right at the pinnacle of high-end earbud tech, packing in many more features than their rivals at this price. The active noise-cancelling is exceptional, continuously fine-tuning the sound environment by monitoring and adjusting to external noise over 50,000 times per second.
Whether you're on a roaring train or in a noisy coffee shop, distractions are effectively silenced. Because of this, the buds are an excellent pick for commuters and frequent travellers – they also come with foam tips that further improve the already superb noise cancellation.
The smart charging case with a screen is something unique to JBL. In our full JBL Tour Pro 3 review, we found this touchscreen genuinely useful; it's an intuitive “mini smartwatch” that controls the buds. It’s particularly great for monitoring battery life, controlling playback, and adjusting settings without having to reach for your phone.
The upgraded sound quality is another highlight, thanks to a dual-driver setup that delivers rich, detailed audio. Whether you enjoy energetic pop or delicate classical pieces, the Tour Pro 3 provides a well-balanced sound that competes with the best in the market. The earbuds also support the latest in wireless tech for seamless audio retransmission, “low-energy” Bluetooth audio, “Auracast” sharing and more future-proof additions.
While they're a serious investment, the JBL Tour Pro 3 are the buds to pick if you want an extensive list of features and impressive noise control. From the innovative charging case to the superb sound quality and market-leading noise-cancelling, they’re a top choice for anyone needing high-end, high-performance earphones.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
We loved the previous generation of these Bose earbuds, but the new ones are more impressive in every way. We think they're the top earphones you can buy for noise-cancelling and they impressed in a challenging test on the London Underground’s busy Central Line (which regularly gets as loud as 90db) by cutting out the background distractions just as capably as over-ear models.
They come in a pocketable case and offer a secure fit, with a good range of ear tips and wings. They deliver a fantastic dynamic sound quality too, so you can rest assured that you’ll get a rich listening experience whether you’re playing your podcast queue or streaming music.
The real reason to buy these instead of any other ANC earbud though is for that class-leading noise-cancellation. Yes, they’re quite expensive, but if you’re after the best ANC you can get in a compact package, we’d pick these every time. For more on these earbuds, read our Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds review.
Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro
The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earphones are a great choice for those seeking top-notch noise-cancelling capabilities for less than £150. We found these buds offer impressive adaptive ANC that can outperform many pricier models. The tech on board is supported by six microphones and a pressure sensor, to effectively minimise ambient noise. They’re ideal for noisy environments like public transport or bustling offices.
On test for our Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro review, they also offered a wide range of handy features beyond noise-cancelling. Their dual-driver setup delivers a dynamic and punchy sound, well-suited to pop and electronic music. And, while they may be a little bass-heavy by default, the app allows you to personalise the sound profile through a “HearID” test.
They’re also a top performer for battery life, offering up to 7.5 hours of playtime, with an additional 30 hours provided by the case (with ANC on). And, speaking of the case, it’s got a tiny display so you’ll always know how much juice you’ve got left. The companion app also lets you fully customise sound settings and earbud controls.
While the transparency mode and spatial audio options might not rival some higher-end models, the Liberty 4 Pro delivers if you’re after great value. This pair has a comprehensive feature set, especially if you’re prioritising noise-cancelling and overall versatility.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
The Bose QuietComfort Headphones have superb active noise-cancellation, top sound quality and comfortable earcups wrapped up in an iconic design. On test, the soft plush ear-cup covers were comfortable to wear for hours and the fit is secure without feeling tight. There are two listening modes – Quiet (ANC) and Aware (transparency) – and we found ANC drowns out the clacking of a mechanical keyboard, the hum of a fan and some passing traffic.
Turning the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ up, you’ll hear the vocals and guitar notes clearly, and there’s no unwanted distortion or muddiness at high volumes. You tailor the sound via the Bose Music mobile app (for Android and iOS), which is easy to navigate and lets you tinker with loads of settings, including the amount of bass and treble in the sound mix.
We like the physical buttons and prefer them over the touch controls on the (admittedly sleeker looking) Sennheiser Momentum 4, and we enjoyed that the QuietComfort pair is significantly more portable thanks to their foldable ear-cups and super small travel case. Taking a busy flight or need a reliable pair of ANC over-ears for your daily commutes? These tick all the boxes.
If you're trying to decide between these and the flagship Ultras, we have a dedicated comparison of the Bose QuietComfort vs QuietComfort Ultra headphones.
Soundcore Life Q20i
Proper noise-cancelling for £50? It may sound a little unlikely, but it's possible with Soundcore's Life Q20i. These cans cut out more background annoyances than you'd think, with adequate ANC for the price and, unlike the old Q20 model, they now charge via a USB-C cable instead of Micro USB.
On test, we found that they do a decent job with anything that isn't too loud, whether that's a whirring fan or some light office chatter. They'll struggle with higher volumes, though, so might not be ideal for trains and planes.
The sound quality is capable too. They're heavy on the bass before using the "BassUp" mode to amplify it. We recommend avoiding that setting unless you want a bass emphasis over any detail in your music.
Where these deliver is comfort, user-friendliness and battery life – you'll get a massive 40 hours of playtime when the ANC is on, and 60 with it switched off. For more of our hands-on thoughts, read our Soundcore Q20i review.
Apple AirPods Max
Easily one of the most expensive sets on our list, Apple's premium AirPods Max are something special. With a price tag that makes them more expensive than several top-spec TVs, they have to be.
If you're prepared to spend £500, we can guarantee you'll be getting some of the most impressive headphones on the market. The sound is superb, the noise-cancelling is brilliant, and they come in five gorgeous shades (we love the blue).
They deliver some advanced features you won't find elsewhere too, including cinema-like spatial audio for your movies and shows and audio sharing with other Apple and Beats headphones. They also have a transparency mode that beats all rivals. When it's on, you can amplify sounds and have a conversation without it feeling like you've got headphones on at all.
We love the supreme comfort of the fabric cushions, the hands-free Siri access, and quick setup on Apple devices. The only quirks are with the heavy weight and the battery life. There's no on/off button – they need to slip back into a low-power mode in the included "Smart Case", and we find they run out of battery sooner than rivals.
For more on the benefits of these headphones for travellers, read our AirPods Max review.
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2nd Gen)
As the company that first pioneered the tech back in the ‘60s to protect pilots' hearing, Bose is well regarded as the class leader when it comes to ANC. We’re happy to confirm that the brand’s noise-cancelling prowess extends to its newest offering too. The second-generation QuietComfort Earbuds are a slightly more affordable option compared to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, and they’re likely to be even better value when they drop from their £179 launch price.
They’re better at noise-cancelling than rivals in this price tier and just a little behind the performance of the Ultra. We’ve used them on the London Underground, in the office, in busy cafes and while walking in windy conditions, and we’ve been impressed at just how good they are at silencing distracting background noise.
They’re almost as good as Bose’s flagship pair, but there are a few downsides to note. The case is far from pocketable and the buds themselves are very large compared to the competition. We do like that they have a great in-ear seal and stability wings, but each bud weighs 8.5g, which you'll feel if you want to wear them for a long time.
On the plus side, the sound quality is great, with punchy bass and detailed high notes, while the app is full of features (many of which, like Bose’s voice control and remote camera shutter, you may not even use). It's a shame that it doesn’t use the same app as the other Bose audio equipment, but it isn’t a major downside.
Soundcore Space One Pro
Soundcore has focused on the features that matter for travellers with this release, designing the Space One Pro to be super comfortable, compact and foldable, and excellent at both noise-cancelling and transparency. They deliver a lot of value for the £149.99 price tag and are a worthy rival when compared to more expensive pairs from Bose and Sony.
The large ear cups are quite prominent, but the whole thing folds down into a small size that you won’t have trouble stashing in the included soft pouch to take with you for a day at the office or a holiday. And, during any trip, the fantastic adaptive noise-cancelling and 40 hours of battery life are certain to come in handy.
The Space One Pro is made of reasonably lightweight plastic, and the headband is easy to adjust. On test, we’ve had no trouble wearing them for a long time and they sound great whether we’re listening to podcasts or music. The sound signature is an energetic one with a boosted bass and treble for a lot of dynamism, but it can be tweaked and we think you’ll find they sound even better after you’ve done the “HearID” personalised listening test within the full-featured Soundcore app.
It's a shame that the headphones don’t come with a hard carrying case and that they lack the wear sensor included in the older Space One, but these are very minor downsides. Overall, these are top contenders. The soft plush ear cups and headband are super comfortable, the headphones are incredibly portable, and the noise-cancelling is good enough to match more expensive rivals. For more, read our Soundcore Space One Pro review.
Apple AirPods Pro 2
If you’ve already got an iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch and are shopping for a pair of wireless earbuds, the AirPods Pro 2 are the natural fit – we love the iconic white stem design, quick pairing with your phone and top noise-cancelling.
The latest update improves them with advanced noise-cancelling, better transparency, a much richer sound and volume controls on the stem of the buds, along with a number of clever additions to the charging case, including full “Find My” support (so you’ll never lose them!) and a built-in speaker to help you locate the case or for it to tell you when it’s running low on juice.
On test for our AirPods Pro 2 review, they were highly effective at blocking out loads of external noise – we were unable to hear road works and background noise on a flight – and we’re fans of the incredible transparency mode that amplifies outside noises over your music or phone call if you need to be more aware of your surroundings, such as when crossing the road or out for a morning jog.
This transparency is even better on the second-generation buds, and they’re the only ones we’d be prepared to leave in while ordering a coffee or having a conversation. We find them comfortable to wear, and we like that they sound excellent and provide an impressive six hours' worth of listening time from one full charge, boosted to 30 hours when you factor in the extra juice in the charging case.
Soundcore Life Q30
While we recommend going for the Soundcore Q20 if you’re on a tighter budget, it’s worth looking at the Q30 for a bit of a step up. They’re still excellent value for money, usually £79.99 and often on offer, and while they won’t turn heads with their style, they deliver terrific noise-cancelling performance for the price and app support that allows you to tweak the sound and customise settings.
By default, they sound fairly bass-heavy, but you shouldn’t have much trouble changing that in the app if you’d prefer a less booming signature. We find these spacious and comfortable, we like that they pack in a massive 40 hours of battery life, and that a quick charge for five minutes restores four hours of battery life.
Another positive over the Q20 is that these charge with a USB-C cable rather than the older micro-USB cable. This makes them more future proof, in our view. Overall, these are lightweight, easy to control and customise, and have a long battery life and entertaining sound quality. We’d recommend them to anyone looking for a pair to see them through flights, commutes and office work, especially as they fold down into a neat hard shell case for travel.
Soundcore Liberty 4 NC
If you want a slightly more aggressive ANC for blocking out background noises, a more AirPods-like design and a futuristic case that opens up like the door of a DeLorean, go for the Liberty 4 NCs. While we’re not quite sure if we can confirm the brand’s claim that it reduces noise by more than 98%, it’s undeniable that the noise cancellation is extremely effective – our tests on a London tube carriage showed they cut out a significant amount of noticeable background noise even as it reached close to 85db.
The ANC is adaptive so it adjusts the level needed based on what’s happening around you, and the Liberty 4 NCs have a nice feature that plays a tone as they recalibrate. This can be changed in the app – it’s called environment detection – and we noticed it playing after getting on a tube carriage and in a shop when a conversation was happening nearby. The ANC tinkering doesn’t stop there. You can manually set it from “weak” (level one) to “strong” (level five), or use a transportation mode: taxi, bus, plane or train.
We like how you also get a built-in safe volume and a “sound leak compensation” that adapts the audio if it senses sound leakage. The imprecise touch controls do take some getting used to, though.
Sony WH-1000XM5
The Sony XM5s are our go-to pair of over-ear headphones for popping in our bag for travelling. That’s how good they are at blocking out noises – especially effective when worn during our commute on a London overground train, and they virtually silence traffic sounds and typing on a laptop keyboard. The audio is bass-heavy and the ANC is aggressive, but it doesn’t overpower the mix. They deliver an expansive sound with all genres of music – from the beats of Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ to the jangly guitar of Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’. The vocals are clear, too, so these headphones are ideal if you love podcasts and audiobooks.
Comfort-wise, they’re not quite as good as the Bose QuietComfort but the padding around the cups is nicely cushioned and covers our entire ears – we’ve worn them for multiple hours at a time without issue. The XM5 design is sleek but unremarkable – they won’t draw as much attention as the AirPods Max but it’s an upgrade from the chunky XM4s.
Some of the best features of the XM4s are still here – they’ll switch into an ambient mode when they sense you’re talking so you can hold a conversation without having to remove them. The ANC level automatically changes based on your surroundings, and pressing the right ear cup turns on the ambient mode, too – when you remove your hand, it returns to ANC. It’s just a bit of a shame that the ear cups don’t fold for extra portability when travelling and that the app experience (while still perfectly usable) isn’t quite as intuitive as we’d like. Read more about these headphones in our Sony WH-1000XM5 review.
Dyson OnTrac
Dyson has thankfully abandoned the air-purifying face visor of its previous release for its audio-focused OnTrac headphones. While they’re some of the heaviest headphones we’ve ever tested and they have a distinctive eye-catching look that won’t be for everyone, we can’t argue with the seriously impressive noise-cancelling performance that rivals the capabilities of class-leading Bose pairs.
These also deliver layered, detailed and balanced sound quality much more ably than many other headphones at this price tier. While we’re not entirely convinced by the touch controls for changing noise-cancelling modes as they require very firm taps, we like the intuitive joystick controls.
The app is also straightforward and provides useful data about your exposure to harmful noise by giving you details on the noise monitored externally and the volume levels of your audio within the headphones. Together, these give you handy insights to keep your ears protected.
We’re most impressed by the 55-hour battery life with noise-cancelling on, which exceeds all our favourites here, but we also find these quite large and cumbersome for travel. Read more about them in our Dyson OnTrac headphones review.
Beats Fit Pro
The wing-tip design of the Beats Fit Pro means they’re a perfect choice for the gym or your morning jog as they’ll stay secure in your ears during movement.
The ANC effectively blocks out background noises when you’re working or travelling, but there’s also a quality transparency mode for when you’re exercising or walking outdoors and need to hear the sounds around you. These are more expensive than many models on our list, but they support immersive audio features including dynamic head tracking and spatial audio.
While you’ll have no problem using them with an Android smartphone or tablet, there’s no doubt that (like the AirPods) these work best with iPhones. That’s because they use Apple’s own H1 chip that opens up iOS-only features, including automatic switching, audio sharing and the Siri voice assistant.
The charging case is bigger than rivals and there’s not quite as much battery life in the tank, but we appreciate the quick charge feature that gives you an hour of playback when you charge for five minutes.
Are there different types of noise cancellation?
Headphones and wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC) use small microphones and speakers to analyse sounds (and sound waves) coming from your surroundings. The technology then plays an opposing soundwave to cancel out any “low frequency” background noises, like hums, drones and soft voices.
The result is that you won’t be able to hear these background noises, although ANC doesn’t work quite as well against “high frequency” sounds of a higher intensity, such as a child’s voice, whistles, car alarms, bird chirping and a phone ringing.
Some headphones and wireless buds have a transparency mode – this lets in more background noises – or adaptive ANC, which automatically adjusts the level of the active noise cancellation to match the sounds happening around you.
How to buy the best noise-cancelling headphones
Budget
These days you can pick up a really good pair of ANC headphones or wireless earbuds from around £50, although the cost easily rises to £500+ if you want the latest features or a high-end design. Expensive models often have a sturdier build quality, a better mobile app, longer battery life and gesture controls, but sometimes you’re just paying for the brand name.
Type
Wireless earbuds fit neatly inside your ears, while over-ear headphones cover them completely. If you’re commuting to work or getting a long flight, you’ll find that over-ear headphones are more comfortable and block loads of ambient noises.
On the other hand, wireless earbuds are more subtle to wear and give you a very stable fit if you’re out for a walk, run or powering through a gym session.
Battery life
How long do you want your headphones or earbuds to last? The answer is probably “as long as possible” – and we agree. Over-ear headphones are physically larger and have bigger batteries (roughly between 20 and 60 hours) but even though in-ear buds are smaller and may only last five or six hours with ANC on, their battery life can be boosted to 24 hours or more using a rechargeable case.
Accessories
Headphones and wireless buds come with cables used for charging or connecting to a wall adapter, plus extra ear-tips to find a comfortable fit. Over-ear headphones, especially more expensive models, usually have a hard carry case that makes them perfect for storing in a rucksack during your travels, while wireless buds pop inside a case for charging and this is usually pocketable.
Controls
There are two main ways to control your headphones and buds – such as changing the volume, activating built-in voice assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa, skipping tracks or Bluetooth pairing.
Some headphones use touch or gesture controls, while others need you to press physical buttons. We find buttons to be more reliable (as there’s less room for error) but it’s a personal choice.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth version impacts how far your headphones can stray from your phone without losing connection, reduces the lag between you hitting play on Spotify and hearing music and how many devices your headphones can connect to. We recommend going for at least Bluetooth 5.0, but Bluetooth 5.4 is the most recent – and best – version.
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