Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones allow you to listen to music and podcasts without the need to connect an audio wire to your device. These headphones are great for use in public transport, at the office or at home.

Wireless over-ear headphones are available in a variety and noise cancelling capabilities. They are typically packaged in a sleek case.

Soundcore Life Q30

A major upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 from late-2018 The new over-ears are more attractive, feel more durable, and are generally more polished. The hinges are more secure and the soft leather ear cups have been a bit larger. They are still largely made of plastic, however they are more polished. You can also switch the 3.5mm cable for a premium USB-C version to use them with portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also come with dual mics built-in that worked flawlessly during our tests with FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app comes with a broad selection of EQ presets that can be saved and adjusted to listen to podcasts and music in the style that you prefer. The Soundcore app is easy to use and sets these headphones apart.

When ANC is turned on the Q30's 40mm drivers effectively cut out almost all ambient noise, and provide an extremely pleasant listening experience. They have a natural sound profile that leans slightly to the treble side, which some might feel is lacking in bass response (we have had better results using the Bass Booster equalizer). You can fix this easily by using the Soundcore App, which includes an 8-band Equalizer.

The left earcup has an power button as well as a pairing button and an USB-C charging port. The right ear cup has play/pause, volume up/down buttons. Double-clicking on these controls allows you to skip tracks or repeat previous ones. 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 by using your hands to enable ambient modes so that you can hear the world around you without having to remove the headphones.

These headphones have a fantastic battery life. The Q30 lasts for an hour longer in our tests when ANC was turned on than its rivals. This gives you plenty of time to prepare for an extended flight or working for a long time. The USB-C cord included in the kit allows you to quickly recharge them. You'll also receive an alert when the battery is nearing empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless is a pair of powerful over-ear Bluetooth headphones that feature active noise cancellation, as well as Bluetooth playback. They're made to be a pair of premium, high-end headphone that are great for listening to music and podcasts on the go, but sound amazing when used for audiophile home use as well. They're more expensive than other similar headphones but their superior audio quality is the primary selling factor.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a small, attractive white box with a textured finish. It contains all the accessories that you will need. There's a fold-flat headphone carry case, USB-C-to-USB-C cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.

They're powered by a decent 600mAh battery that will get you through a whole day of listening, and include an audio input for wired use. Wirelessly, they are paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions with an app (now called Focal and Naim in line with English Naim's network-aware products) or the dedicated button located on the left earcup which scrolls through ANC profiles like silent, soft transparent,' and 'full.

The app lets you adjust different settings, like the brightness of the LEDs, the EQ presets (including the music profile, that sounds more neutral and brighter than the other profiles) and the battery life. It also gives you the ability to select the ANC mode and its level as well as setting an 'acoustic' setting which adjusts the sensitivity of your audio to simulate how it would sound like if it were placed in a room with different audio acoustics.

The Focal Bathys feature an incredibly bass-rich sound that delivers extra energy and warmth to your favorite tracks. This means that vocals and instruments are nudged back in the mix and can sound veiled while details like cymbals are somewhat less prominent than you might expect on some other headphones. The headphones are also less effective in active noise cancellation compared to other over-ears with more advanced technology, such as the Sony WH1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony has a fine reputation for its headphones and the WH-1000XM5 is not an exception. It is at the top end of the mainstream headphones for over-ear, and is slipping into the 'luxury lifestyle' sector where brands like Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc are a common sight. This means the XM5s come with a high price tag but, if you can afford it, there are few better over the ear wireless headphones available.

The XM5s come with a variety of features that make life easier for the listener, and also automate tasks that they'd otherwise need to perform manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme Engine (which upscales music compressed to near hi-res) and bluetooth stereo headphones's LDAC Technology are all included. This lets high-quality music to be streamed with bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone that can be used for making hands-free calls.

The XM5 headphones aren't different from the previous generation headphones from WH, in regards to noise cancellation. These headphones are one of the best at eliminating the continuous drones that can be heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s are also great at isolating the listener from the noises of airports and busy streets.

The sound quality is also great. The XM5s don't have as high a resolution in the low frequency range as the XM4, but, they do have an increased sense of clarity and Blootooth Headphones a greater sense of openness. The bass on Rage Against The Machine’s Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys power and clarity without affecting the rest of the music. The XM5s also have the ability to produce precise and precise bass notes in Massive Attack's Angel.

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

The XM5s do not come with dust or water resistant. Sony actually advises against sweating on the XM5s or taking them out in the rain. This may not be a problem for many people, but it could cause a problem for anyone who spends much of their time at the gym or lives in a city that is rainy.

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of bt wireless headphones blootooth headphones over-ear with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. They feature 40mm Apple-designed dynamic drivers with an audio profile that is neutral and concentrates on the highs and mids while not going overboard at either end of the spectrum. They are ideal for music and movies. They also offer superior fidelity compared to most competing pairs of headphones.

The headphones have a lightweight build that feels comfortable on the head. The ear cups, which are constructed of memory foam and covered with woven fabric, and sit comfortably over the ear, do not put pressure on the sides or forehead. The ear cups also tilt and rotate to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges provide an incredibly firm, yet not too much clamping force that makes sure the ear cups remain in place during listening sessions.

A small button at the the right ear cup lets you toggle noise cancelling modes. There's also a pushable, Jog-dial-like button, akin to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can twist for volume control and press the button once, twice or thrice to playback control. Siri is invoked by pressing and holding the button. These buttons are placed well and easy to use, but I would have liked a power button to turn off the headphones when they're 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 feature that is quite cool is spatial audio, which makes use of the accelerometers and gyroscopes in the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to determine the direction you're moving in, and then repositions sound to appear as if they're coming from those places. This creates a cinema-like experience with movies and videos made in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. Only iOS devices can be used to listen to the spatial audio.