Best noise-canceling headphones 2024

If you're a commuter, work in a busy environment, or heading to class, you're likely in the market for some of the best noise-canceling headphones. Drown out all that background noise with active noise-canceling (ANC) technology, which has become one of the most highly sought-after features that's no longer exclusive to expensive headphones.

The Sony WH-1000XM5's ANC heads up a group of class-leading headphones through their excellent performance and battery life, making them our top choice. But there are plenty of other options on this list for various lifestyles and budgets on this list, as well as those heading back to school.

Ted Kritsonis

For 20+ years, Ted Kritsonis has been spending a lot of time testing out gadgets to help others make the best decision with their hard-earned money. When it comes down to audio devices, Ted's picks come from countless hours of listening for all the nuances that matter.

At a glance

Best overall

Sony has been in the top spot before with its WH-1000XM4, the best ANC headphones on the market before they were replaced by the WH-1000XM5 based on our own review. Sony's flagship cans have become the benchmark for the industry as a whole, forcing others to catch up. What makes them so good is the unique QN1 processor and a dual-noise sensor that work together to block out ambient sound. There are eight microphones at work here, so for a daily commute on a bus or train, walking on a busy street, or sitting on a flight, the WH-10000XM5 are up to the task.

They may not look dramatically different from their predecessors, but there are enough differences that still fall within Sony's comfortable design for most ears. ANC benefits from that with excellent passive isolation, plus you can pair with two devices simultaneously. This way, you can listen to music on one device and take calls on another, for example. Phone calls also sound better because Sony's Precise Voice Pickup and Speak to Chat features optimize sound and volume during conversations.

They will last up to 30 hours per charge, with fast charging always an option when they're dead. You still can't listen to the WH-1000XM5 when they're charging, however, whether wired or wireless.

Sony chose not to tweak or alter the sound signature, so the same bass-heavy sound comes through. It can sometimes drown out the mids and highs, but Sony's Connect app has a trusty equalizer you can use to offset that. It also has a "clear bass" slider to affect the overall thump of the bass itself. With those tools, you can make these headphones sound more to your preference.

Best runner up

Bose has positioned itself into the conversation among the best in the business in this category, and the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are serious players. They take over from the previous Noise Canceling Headphones 700 and QC 45 II, delivering better performance in almost every way. It's the ANC that especially stands out, muffling background noise so well that they're easily on par with Sony's best. Wear them pretty much anywhere, including during a commute, and you'll be blissfully immersed in the content you're listening to.

Higher-pitched sounds are a challenge for any pair of ANC headphones, but the Ultra are up to the task and do an admirable job blocking out varying frequencies. You can also adjust how much you want, making this one of the most versatile ANC experiences available.

Sound quality gets a modest boost with a focus on balance that you can always tweak however you like through the EQ in the Bose Music app. A new Immersive mode brings spatial audio into the mix, including the option of whether you want head tracking or not.

That's great because the QC Ultra are comfortable to wear for longer periods. Plus, their new hinge design means they fold in and flat for easier transport with the included smaller protective case.

At up to 24 hours per charge, battery life is fine, but not as good as others in this category or price point. A quick 15-minute fast charge through USB-C will deliver up to 2.5 hours of playback, ensuring you can listen to some tunes in a pinch.

Best sound quality

Sennheiser's pedigree for sound quality is well-known, and we found the Momentum 4 Wireless carry that same torch in our own review. A rich soundstage helps deliver the kind of definition associated with the brand. Slightly boosted bass balances nicely with clear midrange and smooth treble. It's wide enough to suit almost every musical genre — instruments, vocals, and electronic elements never sound out of place.

The most advanced ANC performance doesn't always match the company's audio fidelity, and that contrast didn't take a big leap forward here. That's not to say the ANC is bad. They block out a decent amount of low-end noise, and though improved with higher pitches, it won't match what Sony and Bose are able to do with their headphones. One plus to note is the wind noise reduction that is pretty effective at cutting down how much wind can affect what you're listening to.

The Momentum 4 Wireless sport an all-new design but are really comfortable to wear, even after long periods. Thanks to a well-made headband and ear cups soft enough to enjoy whenever you listen to audio, you don't feel much of a squeeze with these.

Sennheiser completely reversed the previous pair's mediocre battery life and hit it out of the park with this pair. Expect up to 60 hours on a single charge — with ANC on, though volume levels will have an impact. If need be, you can use the USB-C port for simultaneous listening and charging when connected to an Android phone or tablet.

Best budget

The SonoFlow may not look it at first, but they are an impressive pair of cans. Comfortable to wear for long periods, they neatly fold up into their case and have physical buttons for controls.

Active noise cancelation (ANC) is one of the major selling points, performing as well as pricier headphones, and that's a big reason why they made the cut. They do a great job drowning out background noise, with particular strength in muffling low-frequency sounds, and for a pair of affordable headphones, the results can sometimes seem surprising. If you plug the cable in to listen in wired mode, you lose out on any ANC features, treating the headphones as standard analog cans.

If you care about codecs, you'll like that the SonoFlow support the LDAC codec for hi-res audio, though you may not like that aptX is missing, leaving you only SBC and AAC as the other alternatives. At least everything sounds good regardless of which codec's playing. Plus, you can always use the 1More Music app to tune the sound however you want.

Doesn't hurt that you can expect up to 50 hours per charge with ANC on (up to 70 hours with it off). A quick five-minute charge could get you up to five hours of playback, depending on volume levels.

Best battery life

Cleer Audio may not be the household name others are on this list, but the Enduro ANC are the kind of headphones that make you remember who they are. The long battery life certainly stands out, giving you up to 60 hours on a single charge. They also feel comfortable for longer stretches, complementing the outstanding battery performance. Plus, if you need a quick charge, plug them in for five minutes and you can get up to two hours of playback.

Sound quality may also come as a surprise, and the best part is you can tinker with it through the Cleer+ app. The onboard equalizer lets you ramp up or dial back the bass, along with the other parts of the spectrum to get these headphones playing even better. ANC performance is pretty good, and even when on, battery life doesn't take a huge hit. You'll find they cancel noise out best on a plane, train, or bus.

They're also nifty in other ways, like multipoint connections to pair with two devices simultaneously, and wired playback through the included 3.5mm cable and airplane adapter. Cleer Audio also throws in a case to keep the headphones safe.

Best bass

It took a long time for Sonos to get into the headphone market, and the Ace prove to be a solid debut, led in part by how good the noise cancelation is. A big reason why is how it designed the headphones to offer some passive noise isolation to help keep out more background noise. We noticed the same thing in our review, where the Ace stand out for the combination they offer.

You can replace the ear cups, adding some modularity to these headphones that isn't always an option with others. More than that, you can connect with the company's soundbars, letting you pair with the Sonos Arc, Beam 2, Beam, or Ray to create your own home theater setup. It's possible to set up TV Audio Swap on an Android phone, where you only need to hold the Content Key on the right ear cup to switch between them.

Sonos even includes a cable for wired playback, which you can use any device with a headphone jack. Perfect if you want to take them on a plane and plug into the onboard entertainment system. They are Bluetooth headphones, after all, so there's no integration with Sonos' other speakers. TV Audio Swap is the one time the Ace use Wi-Fi. More is coming in the form of TrueCinema, which will calibrate the headphones to emulate the soundbar's acoustic response in the room it's in.

Sonos rates the Ace at up to 30 hours per charge, though the number drops at higher volumes and using features like TV Audio Swap. Plug them in quickly for three minutes and you get about three hours of playback. Great if you need some juice in a pinch.

Best premium

Bowers & Wilkins is a luxury brand, and its products come with the expectation of looking good. The PX8 are easy to look at, even if you don't consider yourself the type to put design over all else. And it doesn't matter if it's the black or tan variant — they exude class.

On top of the slick aesthetic, they also come with a pretty unique feature set. One standout is the ability to use the headphone's USB-C port for audio. So just plug them into your phone's USB-C port, and not only will you get audio, but power as well. A 3.5mm cable also comes in the box.

The PX8 are a sonic powerhouse in so many ways. It's not just the balanced sound signature that plays well with every genre, the sound is spacious and pronounced, where instruments and vocals feel warm, resonant, and full. It wouldn't be a stretch to say these may be the headphones to beat from a purely audio perspective. You do have to pay a hefty price for them though.

Improved ANC helps muffle background noise, but they're not quite at the level of Sony and Bose yet. At this price range, you could expect better results, and on the bright side, the soft cushioning and superb fit help with effective passive isolation. The Bowers & Wilkins app offers limited customization, however, as you can't adjust the range of ANC, while the EQ is limited to just bass and treble sliders.

Battery life is solid, with up to 30 hours per charge. The USB-C port is always convenient, as is the fast charging support. If the PX8 are dead, a 15-minute charge will get you a good seven hours of listening time.

Best modularity

Dyson has always been synonymous with its unique design, which is partly what's made its products such standouts. Headphones are a different game, even if the OnTrac aren't the company's first attempt at making a pair of over-ear cans. The most notable design trait is the modularity involved, meaning you can swap out the ear cups and outer caps to change up the color scheme or replace them over time.

The larger cups do a nice job forging a cocoon for your ears to help deliver some passive noise isolation. Turn on the ANC and you can block out or dampen a wide range of frequencies. Even more unique is the way the MyDyson app shows you the very frequencies it's canceling out in real time. 

Even better, the OnTrac produce great sound quality, with crisp instruments and vocals shining through every track. There's also plenty of bass, though you can always add more with the bass booster in the app. Just too bad you can't set up your own EQ presets because there's no option for that. 

As comfortable as they are to wear, they're also heavier than most headphones, so longer periods may feel a little weighted after a while. That matters when battery life can go up to 55 hours at default volume levels with ANC on. You won't have to charge these as often, though it does take three hours to fully recharge them.

Best earbuds

The WF-1000XM5 take all the good stuff from their predecessors and make it even better. They benefit from the same ANC tech found in Sony's over-ear WH-1000XM5, which is a big reason why they're so effective. With slimmer bodies, they also fit better this time around, ensuring that a greater subset of ears can enjoy what they have to offer without worrying about comfort.

The tighter fit helps passively flush out some of the background noise, while the outstanding ANC does wonders for stamping out those noises for serenity as you listen to your content. Adaptive Sound Control is getting better when you tell it when you want more noise cancelation (the gym, commuting) and where you might want more transparency (office, home). They're not as rugged as other earbuds, so you need to be careful when using them at the gym or out for a run.

Sony also equipped the WF-1000XM5 with new drivers that balance out the soundstage with a more subdued bass response. If you're expecting a big boom, you won't get it out of the box, but you can always find it through the equalizer settings in the Headphones Connect app.

Battery life is solid at up to eight hours per charge, and an additional 16 hours with their charging case, which is smaller than the previous one was. The USB-C port is convenient, as is the fast charging ability. A quick 15-minute charge can provide a few hours of playback in a pinch.

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How to choose

One thing about headphones and earbuds is that as much as sound improves, noise cancelation is often part of that evolution. It used to be that the audible hiss that helped block out background noise also affected audio quality, but that hasn't been the case for years now that active noise cancelation works much quieter. Hence, good active noise cancelation correlates far more with better sound these days.

The reasons are obvious: isolate sound to your ears and you hear more of you want to hear. Simply having ANC doesn't necessarily mean headphones will block all sounds, so the differences come down to variances. Some headphones will drown out more ambient noise than others will. You may notice more premium pairs do better at that than more affordable pairs do. So, if you really care about blocking as much of the background as possible, you'll have to keep that in mind.

Bear in mind that fit and comfort play a big role too. If the ear cups cover your ears, the passive isolation helps the ANC do its job. Same goes for wireless earbuds nestled into your ears. If the headphones or earbuds work with dedicated apps to control the strength of the noise cancelation, then you may find additional benefits from that. Some may even have "adaptive ANC", which adjusts the potency in real time based on how much noise the onboard microphones detect. These features are generally available in the most premium pairs. 

Get rid of that noise

The headphone jack has pulled a disappearing act for the last couple of years, putting the onus on wireless Bluetooth headphones to keep the audio flowing to your ears.

If you're willing to pay the price, Sony's WH-1000XM5 are the best noise-canceling headphones you can get right now. They're fully loaded with fantastic noise-canceling technology, great sound, long battery life, handy controls, and a comfortable fit. Unfortunately, finding great wireless headphones or wireless earbuds with equally good ANC performance isn't as easy as it may seem, despite how ubiquitous the feature is now becoming.

What makes Sony's pair even better is that the ANC supports everything else that's good about the WH-1000XM5. They may not sound all that different from their predecessors, except phone calls are better, as is any average commute once you drown out all that background chatter and dull noise.