The over - auricle fashion is one of the most in effect for enclose the ear and blocking out unwanted disturbance . It ’s also a expectant way of telling hoi polloi you do n’t need to be commove , so if you ’re after the best over - ear earpiece , you ’ve issue forth to the right-hand place .
This leaning includes a pair of over - capitulum for a mixture of spot , including the best pairs for childrens , the best wireless over - ears , the best for audiophiles , the good for office use , and more options besides .
If you want to check out some of our other headphone lists includingbest headphone , best wireless headphonesand thebest wireless earbuds . If you ’re interested in blocking out distractions then have a flavour at ourbest noise - scrub headphones .
Best over-ear headphones at a glance
SQUIRREL_ANCHOR_LIST
How we test
How we test earpiece
Not just anybody can review a pair of earpiece . You do n’t need superhuman hearing to say what ’s good , but you do need to know what to hear out for .
Our headphone test are done by some of the best and most prolific reviewers in the industry , with years of experience heed to everything from the plasticky freebie earbuds that come with your smartphone , to five - figure brute of ice and marble . We fuck music and we want your tunes to go good , too .
So we listen every pair of headphones we can get on or in our ears . We use a variety of source , from basic MP3s playing on a laptop computer to high - quality tracks on dedicated hi - res audio musician .
Our test data track are wide - run to give headphones a thorough challenge . They ’re also intimate , so we lie with every track rearwards , and we be intimate which bits might unhinge the less performing artist .
We listen again and again , and we do that for workweek in fount the sound changes – because it ordinarily does . Then we ’ll hear to similarly priced rivals and come up with a verdict that contemplate the performance and features for the money .
Sony WH-1000XM5
Pros
Cons
Meze Audio Empyrean II
Bowers and Wilkins Px8
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Sony MDR-MV1
Planet Buddies Volume Limited Headphones
Poly Voyager Surround 80 UC
Apple AirPods Max
Shure SRH840A
Puro BT2200 Plus
Trusted Score
TheSony WH-1000XM5are our current pick for the adept tuner over - ear headphones thanks to their rich audio , clean dissonance cancellation and excellent call quality . They also improve mostly on their already democratic predecessors , theWH-1000XM4 , with a stylish young look that efficaciously helps polish off wind racket .
The WH-1000XM5 are some of the more lightweight noise - cancel over - pinna on the market at 255 g. This , compound with the redesign earpads and headphones , makes them very comfortable to wear for extended periods of clock time and creates a solid seal against interference .
The noise - cancelling tech in these phone is fantastic , pillage away the sounds of fully grown crowds , vehicles and voice . TheBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphonesoffer strong ANC , but the XM5s are nevertheless telling . The Ambient Mode here is also even better than that of the XM4s , delivering sounds in a exonerated and natural way that feels almost like you ’re not wearing headphone at all .
The audio timber is rich and melodic , with a detailed midrange and improved down and high frequencies compared to the XM4s . This resultant in instrument sound more defined and focussed , for an overall more refined listen compared to their predecessors , There ’s alsoLDACsupport onboard , enabling support for higher quality tracks from support streaming services .
The Speak - to - confab mode is ready to hand for when you demand to talk to someone , while the Quick Attention mode lets you hear in to your environs . Adaptive Sound Control is also onboard to detect and log locating , grant you to build tradition sound profile for the destinations you frequent in the Sony Headphones app .
There ’s also voice adjunct support from both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa , allowing you to use phonation commands and ask interrogative hands - complimentary .
The 30 - hour battery life ( with ANC on ) , meanwhile , is on par with theBowers & Wilkins Px7 S2and exceeds the the like of theBose QuietComfort 45andAirPods Max .
TheEmpyrean IIare a remarkable pair of headphones for those who require to listen to medicine in the good timber possible .
price at £ 2749 / $ 2999 , you ’ll involve a up to amplifier and high quality generator to take advantage of what the Meze earphone crack but fit in to our commentator , the Meze will happily deal with low calibre sources as long as you ’ve get a nice amplifier to give music a encouragement . If it ’s an uncompromised operation that you want , the Meze Empyrean II deliver on that front .
The demonstration is impersonal one that boasts noteworthy levels of detail retreival and resolution . Our reviewer found their tonal balance from the bottom to the top end of the frequency range to be immaculate . The humble end is conveyed with depth , texture , and nub , while the midrange is full of info . They ’re an engaging , energetic , and entertaining listen .
The earpiece are on the great side , but they ’re easy to wear even after several hours thanks to the suspension wing and headband that help equilibrate weight across the headway . Earpads are included , and swapping them out is easy enough thanks to Rinaro ’s isomagnetic yoke technology . Meze put up five different cable types at different length , so overall you get a choice of ten different cables to fit your bent - up when order the headphone .
If you have a budget that permit you to go up to and beyond the £ 500 home run , theBowers & Wilkins Px8is an excellent selection at £ 599 / $ 699 .
Aesthetically the Px8 look great in whichever colouring you terminate up go for . The build calibre is excellent , and we found they were comfortable to hold out over long menstruation of fourth dimension .
They supportadaptive ANCand while the performance not as strong as theSony WH-1000XM5or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones that also sport on this list , liken to the more expensiveFocal BathysandDali IO-12 , the Bowers are the best of the lot .
Call timbre is among the best we ’ve see from any headphones lately . Voices coming across clearly and background dissonance are kept to a lower limit . The wireless connection is another aspect of these earphone performance that is superb with hardly any dip in the signal , and the assault and battery is respectable at thirty hr .
With 40 mm dynamical full - mountain chain drivers , the Px8 offers a big and expansive soundstage , taking a slightly warm but impersonal approaching audio , giving modest frequency upright definition and slug , with a sharp and clear midrange and the high frequencies are distinctive and bright .
When it comes to disturbance - strike down earpiece , Bose has always been there or thereabouts , and with theQuietComfort Ultra Headphones , they ’re on top of the pile as far as racket - cancelling over - ears go .
The ANC is , in our opinion , division - leading , spectacularly reducing noise wherever we go . They ’re the unspoiled ANC headphones we ’ve used on planes , public transport , or just idly walk about ; besting theSony WH-1000XM5 .
They dismiss people ’s voices with an telling stage of precision , and best of all , there ’s none of that interference - cancel ‘ whimper ’ we often hear with other couplet when the ANC is activated .
The transparentness mode is just as good , clear and detail as well as sounding very natural to our pinna . It ’s as if we ’re not wearing headphones at all .
The Bluetooth performance is strong with only a few stutters as we walked through meddlesome area of interference . Call quality is firm but could be better as these headphones have a tendency to let in noise whenever we speak .
The good quality is a very mainstream sound from Bose . Before they headphones used to sound quite crisp and shilly , but they ’re more or less warm with a bigger bass performance , a placid and detailed midrange and well-defined senior high school . The Immersive Audio feature that conduct stereo medicine and spatialises works , though we found that we did n’t necessarily require to discover every running outputted in this format . Some are best result to stereo .
TheMDR - MV1are wired headphones from Sony ’s professional sphere , and we regain them a blast to listen to .
While they ’re stand for for mixing , you could conceivably use these phone for plate hear too . Though Sony describes them as a neutral - sound pair of earpiece , that does n’t really describe what kind of auditory sensation these over - ears can acquire . They ’re a fun , energetic , and wide and active sounding duet , which a fat bass performance ( especially for an open - plunk for twosome ) .
TheAustrian Audio Hi - X65offer a more balanced , reference performance with a spirit level of sharpness and detail that the Sony does n’t match . But if you want a play audio , the Sony offers plenty of it .
They ’re light to drive with their humiliated impedance , and they ’re very comfy to wear thanks to the lightweight frame and cushy earpads . They ’re also compatible to be used with Sony’s360 Reality Audioformat for professionals who are combine in that legal format .
If you ’re a parent in want of a pair of over - ear suited for children , we ’d urge give thePlanet Buddies Volume Limited Headphonesa tone .
We ’ve tested the wireless interpretation of these headphone and found them be efficient , and the pumped up models are just as cunning in appearance for the younger one , but the headline feature film here is that they are mass confine to 85dB. This is the intensity level WHO recommend to protect small pinna from develop haphazardness - induced sense of hearing personnel casualty .
The headphones come in a miscellanea of adorable purpose , from the vibrant Olive the Owls , to the dog-eared Pippin the Pandas and the customisable Colour and Swaps . All are soft and adjustable and some fold up to steal into carry pouch as well . These headphones are quite light on characteristic . The Olive the Owl and Colour and Swap couple feature multi - function buttons on their cable , while the Pippin the Pandas actually have two ports so shaver can heed to music and see film with friends .
We did see the book limit subdued some of the dynamism produced by these headphones , and there ’s much in the direction of detail but the bass still has a good amount of comportment and it feel like a desirable deal off to protect your Kyd ears . For adults , consider thePuroPro Hybrid ANCheadphones which also have mass limited technology inside .
Since the pandemic , there ’s been a rise in people using headphones for online meetings , but rather than using the a pair of headphones that might not offer the good call timber , why not get a pair designed specifically for the chore ?
That ’s where thePoly Voyager Surround 80 UCenters the discussion . usable in a few dissimilar shape , the adaptation we prove is rather expensive but if you look around £ 259 is one of the cheaper price on pass ( and far less than the £ 466 quoted on some sites ) .
They ’re not the smallest phone for an over - ear , an aspect our referee had qualms with , but they ’re comfortable to wear as using them across a full workday , the reviewer mark there was estrus build - up that they noticed , nor any tegument annoying . Build quality is sturdy and well - constructed , which you ’d gestate for the expenditure .
The noise - cancellation is effective , not quite up to the level of theSony WH-1000XM5 , but strong enough to submerge out the monotone of an everyday office . Wireless call quality is excellent , with the ten ‘ boomless ’ mics working well to capture your spokesperson and depict it clearly . expend the USB connection and we noted an even sound call quality functioning .
Bluetooth multipoint is endure for connecting to two devices at once , while there ’s authentication with Microsoft Teams .
And if you were to use these headphone for euphony , then they put in a good performance . Bass is in the main quick and gumptious , working well wiht genre such as spunk and dance that require wad of sea bass . Clarity in the twofold realm allows for good grade of particular , and there ’s a nice degree of stereo separation too . We do n’t experience you ’d be disappointed if you were to use these phone for euphony while you ferment . For a chintzy choice there ’s theLogitech Zone Vibe Wireless , although these office headphones do n’t vaunt dissonance - cancellation .
TheAirPods Maxare Apple ’s only over - ear headphones , and as a result they offer the good iOS desegregation of all the headphones on this tilt .
The AirPods Max have a spectacular plan with heavy alloy cups , a mesh banding and a telephone dial that ’s crib from the Apple Watch . Despite being far heavier than theSony WH-1000XM5and theBose QC Ultra Headphones , the AirPods remain comfy to assume with their weighting broadcast across the headband to the point where we could just feel them at all .
However , there ’s noIP military rating , so we would n’t recommend using them at the gym , but very few over - auricle headphones have an IP rating anyway . The physical push button and telephone dial make it well-heeled to move through tracks , adjust the bulk and on/off switch between noise cancellation and foil modes , while the ANC itself is some of the best around with the adaptative setting doing a fantastic job of altering the stochasticity cancellation level to fit your surroundings .
The transparency mode is excellent too , and the addition of spatial audio makesDisney PlusandApple TV+content find much grander and less flat than it does with a regular pair of over - ear . However , some feature film like spacial audio recording and seamless nimble equipment switching are only sustain on iOS devices .
When it add up to audio performance the AirPods Max are excellent , though perhaps not as big of an advance over the Bose and Sony headphones to apologize the in high spirits price . The custom 40 mm driver , twofold H1 chip and adaptative EQ work together to proffer a balanced and various sound that instill us across a wide range of songs and genres . There ’s great deal of basso and higher oftenness never sound rough or distorted ,
The 20 - time of day battery life should get you through a long flight but it is n’t class - leading and the storage instance offer little tribute . However , if you ’re looking for a twosome of orchard apple tree - centric over - capitulum , you wo n’t find better than the AirPods Max .
TheShure SRH840Aare an affordable span of home studio - form denotation headphones that are ideal if you value sound caliber above all else .
They are the follow up to theSRH840 , build from a mix of Al , credit card , man-made leather and a framework weave , with a redesign headband that tracks nearer to the shape of the nous than that of their predecessor . As such , we determine these improvement to be positive , ensuring good comforter as the breathable headband and firm ear cup pads enabled our reviewer to wear them for up to six hours with no obvious fatigue .
The earphone come with a long 3 MiB cable system , which limits their portability , making them well - suited for listening around the home plate but less idealistic for using out and about . throw they are home studio apartment - degree reference headphones , it would n’t make sense to use these outside of the home .
The auditory sensation of the SRH840A is similar to their predecessor with the same 5–25000Hz frequency response and low impedance for use with non - specialist hardware . They have the neutrality required of a pair of monitor headphones with some heaviness in the upper bass voice and low mids to avoid sounding infertile . The bass is measured and punchy and the heavy breadth is good , but we were less impressed by the sense of depth in the soundstage . A less expensive choice to consider is Shure ’s ownSRH440A , which can be had for less than £ 100 / $ 100 .
We ’ve quiz a few headphones designed for grownup from Puro , but theBT2200 Plusare the first model we ’ve really tested of theirs for child . And it ’s much good than they need to be .
Puro claims studio apartment - grade quality and they ’re not fair off . Clarity is skillful , item levels are piquant , and the soundstage is described in broad enough terms , though we did find that some clarity and detail is lost when the volume is nudged up . They lack oomph , which we ’d expect for book limited headphones , and bass is wilted at nonremittal intensity ( though it get unspoiled when the volume is pushed up .
Battery life story is long at 20 hours , and in our tests we felt you may get much longer . We do find the wireless connection to be a bit patchy in busy signal areas , the connection drops on a regular basis even when we on the London Underground hold back for the subway system .
The figure quality is of surprisingly effective character for a children ’s earphone . They ’re not the cheap , plasticky calibre that you get with less expensive options such as thePlanet Buddies earphone . We found them well-situated to wear , and the clamping force is low-cal enough that it should n’t have an undue irritation for untried ones . The headphones also descend with a bare pair of earpads , so if you wanted to , you could switch and turn these headphones into an on - pinna pair .
Test Data
Full Specs
The Planet Buddies Volume Limited Headphones can not be pushed past 85dB , which is the limit recommended by the World Health Organisation to help prevent noise - induced sense of hearing loss . This can be especially useful on Thomas Kid headphones as children might not agnize when their euphony is too gimcrack .
ANC put up for Active Noise Cancelling , a feature designed to embarrass out distraction and outside noise when you wear your headphones .
Over - ear headphones have prominent spike cups that envelope the ears and in the main volunteer better passive disturbance isolation . You might also find them to be more comfortable than on - auricle headphone , but this hail down to personal druthers .
