If you’re looking for the best noising wireless and noise-canceling headphones in the market, then you’re in the right place.
Listed below are some of the best active noise cancelling headphones for 2020, that you can invest in, and you’ll also save a bit of cash while sporting on these luxurious headphones.
So before investing in a set of headphones, let’s dive deep into each device’s specifics, design, performance, and features.
Buyers Guide
- The wireless, noise-canceling headphones will provide you the top and best quality either if you’re traveling, enjoying nature, or just strolling through the cityscapes.
- You won’t be able to hear your noisy environment, which results in an added depth of impressive immersion to your music and media.
- These headphones also provide you with wireless features and also come with sensor motion controls by swiping specific directions on an ear cup, which can give you the controls to adjust the headphones volume, settings, and skip tracks.
- And these headphones also let you answer incoming calls, which then automatically activates certain features to boost call experience and quiets down your surrounding environment noises.
- With the added features for each of these headphones, you’ll also be able to increase your awareness and your listening experience to the next level.
- If you’re seeking out quality headphones, then you’ll need both excellent performance and design. If you’re checking out affordable headphones that also packs the performance, it’s also listed down here as well.
- So if you’re looking for a mix of high-quality design, impressive performance, great bass, sounds, and with a combination of remarkable features, then you’ll need to check out this list of top quality headphones that you may want to invest in.
- If you’re also a gamer looking for the best audiophile headphones for gaming this year, then the following list will help you choose the best wireless headset for gaming.
- Listed below are the first top 5 best wireless headphones.
1. Sony WH1000x M3 Headphones
The Sony WH1000x M3 is exceptionally well built. The overall design is durable. Thanks to its blend of high-quality material and impressive aesthetics to go along with the headphones. The overall design does feel and look luxurious, as well.
The Sony WH1000x M3 is exceptionally light by design (254 g) and is a plus if you do plan on wearing the headphones for prolonging uses, which is great if you’re ever on long trips or the road.
When testing the headphones for prolonged use, they remained super comfortable and didn’t cause any stressors in the head nor facial regions. But the ears started to warm up a bit but remained super comfortable.
And the comfort is pretty much improved compared to its previous predecessors, thanks to its leather cushion located on top of the headphone and the slight change of shape of each ear cups. It is resulting in the ear cups letting your ears breathe much better, which is a bonus.
The headphones also didn’t fall off during fast-paced activities or rapid head movements and remained consistently intact in the whole session.
In terms of charging, the Sony WH1000x M3 uses USB-C’s for charging, which is pretty quick to charge the headphones if you’re ever on the go or rushing.
And thanks to its quick charge feature, ten minutes’ worth of charge gave the headphones five hours of battery life, which is truly impressive if you’re nowhere near a power outlet.
Sony WH1000x M3 max battery life is 30 hours with active noise canceling on, and at most up to 38 hours of battery when noise canceling was off.
Also the M3’s is also considered one of the best wireless headphones with noise cancelling qualities in the current market.
In terms of buttons, the buttons are easily located on the left ear cup and are relatively convenient to use whenever you’re busy or doing any type of exercise.
The controls are also touched sensor, which lets you swipe up and down to control the volume, and swipe left or right to control the track and music. They were comfortable and very convenient to control, which is another bonus.
And you’ll be able to double-tap, which lets you pause or play your current music.
The controls feel intuitive once you get used to the entire controls.
The Bluetooth 4.2 feature also works great, which is great if you’re away from your mobile or electronic device, you’ll still get great coverage.
Also in terms of media, the the M3’s also makes this one of the best wireless headphones for movies as well, you’ll be fully immersed in the films.
The Sony WH1000x M3 uses LDAC (990 KBPS), which is one of the best sound transmissions in headphones. The LDAC feature makes music and sounds very clear, crisp, and overall high quality sounds that you can fully enjoy with full immersion.
The high-quality of sounds easily makes the Sony WH1000x M3 the best value active noise cancelling headphones on the market.
The Sony WH1000x M3’s is also one of the best wireless headphones for gaming, and you can pair this with an awesome fast gaming monitor and you’ll have a full outstanding gaming immersion experience.
Overall the Sony WH1000x M3 headphones are pretty much future proof, and are one of the best active noise cancelling headphones for 2020. And investing in one of these headphones may be your solution if you’re seeking out state of the art design and quality sounds.
Pros
- Awesome state of the art quality design
- Sound performance is outstanding with heavy bass
- Noise Cancelation is top-notch
Cons
- Expensive
2. Bose QuietComfort 35 ii
The Bose QuietComfort 35 ii noise cancelling headphones, are another state of the art headphones that you can invest in and are some of the best active noise cancelling headphones for 2020.
Compared to its previous version, the Bose QuietComfort 35 ii looks a bit similar to the Bose QuietComfort 35’s, but the 35 ii’s have been upgraded and packs better performance.
The Bose QuietComfort 35 ii’s build, is beautiful and elegant by design. Thanks to its high material, the headphones are durable and also lightweight as well, weighing in just 230 g.
Additionally, the matte-black texture to the overall headphones makes it look elegant and visually pleasing to look at, which you can admire from afar,
With the lightweight design, it feels like you’re not wearing the headphones at all and won’t cause any facial nor head region tensions.
The top region of the headphones is made up of high-quality leather, which feels great and will give you the added comfort.
During prolonged use, the ear cups remained consistently comfortable thanks to its roomy interior design, your ears will be able to breathe much better and will thank you at the same time.
Located on the right side of the ear cup, you’ll be able to identify the power button, which also lets you use it to activate pairing mode as well.
And located on the rear of the right side, you’ll find the controls to adjust the Bose QuietComfort 35 ii’s volume, and pause and play feature.
In terms of battery life, the Bose QuietComfort 35 ii’s has 20 hours worth of battery, which is fantastic for long journeys.
And the headphones use a USB-C port for fast charging. And with a 15-minute charge from a zero percent battery will give you two and a half hours of playback, which is quite fast for charging if you’re ever on the go.
Located on the left ear cup is the noise-canceling feature button, which also lets you use Google Assistance as well.
And you don’t have to use the app to enable or disable the active noise canceling feature, which is super helpful thanks to a press of a button.
During the Bluetooth 4.0 testing session, the Bose QuietComfort 35 ii wireless bluetooth headphones range can go up to 60 feet, which is great if you’re not anywhere near your mobile or electronic device. The Bose QC 35 ii’s easily makes this headphone one of the best wireless bluetooth noise cancelling headphones for 2020.
Also, in terms of noise-canceling, the Bose QuietComfort 35 ii does block out 99% of the noise environment while in busy streets or in a busy coffee shop, which is great if you’re looking for total sound immersion.
The audio quality performs excellent and gives you a crisp and great sounding performance. Plus, with the added bass, you’ll be able to jam to your favorite tunes.
Compared to its previous version (QuietComfort 35), the Bose QuietComfort 35 ii’s sounded the same and still has the same high-quality state of the art sounds.
In general, the Bose QC’s are one of the top best wireless headphones with noise cancelling features.
So if you’re looking for an overall great design with an excellent sounding performance with the extra bass, then the QuietComfort 35 would be your number one.
Also if you’re a gamer, the Bose QC’s make these headphones easily one of the best wireless headphones for gaming on the market.
Pros
- Aesthetically pleasing design
- Noise Cancelation is great
- Comfort is awesome
- Performance is equal to Sony’s M3
Cons
- Quite a price tag
3. Sennheiser PXC 550 Headphones
The Sennheiser PXC 550 headphones are aesthetically pleasing and luxurious at the same time, with an overall excellent quality build that you can admire from afar.
The Sennheiser active noise canceling headphones feel extremely lightweight, thanks to its 227 g weigh. And it feels super light when wearing these on, which is ideal if you’re traveling or do plan on using them for prolonging uses.
Also, the bands have a leather built and have a feeling of overall comfort and softness, which makes it pleasurable for the ears.
In terms of headphone control, located on the right ear cup, you’ll have the ability to swipe up and down to adjust the volume from loud to quiet, which is convenient if you’re walking or doing exercises.
And, you’ll be able to swipe left and right to control the media and music tracks, which is very touch-sensitive, which makes it easy to swipe.
When tapping into the ear cup, this will let you pause or resume your current track and media as well.
Also, the noise cancellation feature was perfect, in case if you’re in a loud environment, you’ll be able to experience further immersion.
With the noise cancellation feature, you’ll be able to adjust its setting by increasing or decreasing its percentage through the app, which is quite handy.
However, it didn’t entirely block out 100% of outside noises, but it was great enough to get a full immersion of the current music and multimedia.
Additionally, you’ll be able to use Bluetooth and go wireless, or you can use a three and a half mm cord that comes along with the Sennheiser PXC 550 and plug it into your mobile or electronic devices in case the battery is out.
In terms of battery charging, a full charge can last the headphones at most thirty hours of operational use. From a zero percent battery, the charging times can take up to three hours.
When the noise cancellation was activated, the Sennheiser PXC 550 lasted up to 20 hours of battery time, which is great if you’re on long trips.
If you do happen to have an awesome TV, the 550’s are one of the best wireless headphones for tv listening and for movies due to its high-quality sound performance.
In terms of bass and sound performance, they both performed outstanding, and you will feel the deep bass running as well. And the brand has come a long way from the previous Sennheiser PXC 250 active noise canceling headphones.
In general, the Sennheiser PXC 550 will keep you immersed for hours, and the headphone does indeed provides you overall excellent experience. And also making these headphones one of the best wireless headphones for TV in todays market.
Also, if you’re a competitive gamer, the 250’s are some of the best wireless headsets for gaming as well due to its strong microphone feature and noise-cancelation.
Pros
- Great durable design
- Noise Cancelation is one of the greatest
- Performance is awesome with added immersion
Cons
- Noise cancellation can be better
4. Jabra Elite 85h
The Jabra Elite 85h’s are some of the fabulous headphones that will provide you the sound performance, and also easily makes the 85h’s the best wireless headphones for music.
With its beautiful aesthetically pleasing design, with its fabric design and a durable built, thanks to its high-quality material.
Also, the Jabra Elite 85h is water resistance, which makes it a great and excellent headphone to wear if you’re outdoors or even hiking in the middle of the rain, which is another bonus.
The adjustable arms work great and with a quality adjusting resistance mechanism, which feels like a work of art.
In terms of weight, the Jabra Elite 85h feels very light when wearing these on.
Also, the ear cups are nicely designed with more than enough room for your ears to breathe. However, during prolonged use, the ears started to warm up a bit. So you may have to take breaks in between long sessions.
And the Jabra Elite 85h lets you replace the ear cups as well in case if was damaged or you just need a replacement.
Thanks to its lightweight design, the Jabra Elite 85h feels very light when put-on, thanks to its 300 g weight. Compared to both Bose and Sony’s headphones, the Jabra Elite 85h did compete well in this area.
For comfortability, the headphones felt great thanks to its beautiful ear cup design and great band design. There were no facial nor head region discomfort-ability.
The passive noise for each ear cup works very well, and outside noises were not an issue.
In case if you want to hear your immediate environment, the Jabra Elite 85h’s can also let you amplify your current surroundings. Thanks to its microphone feature, you’ll be able to pick up noise all around you with precision and clarity, which feels natural.
Also, each ear cup has exterior buttons you can control and feels very functional and convenient when pressing them. You’ll also be able to activate the noise cancellation feature through the use of a button, which lets you toggle through from decreasing to increasing.
During phone calls, the microphone worked awesomely well, with zero noises from the immediate background in busy streets or crowded areas. And this is great if you’re on the phone line with someone.
The charging time is excellent, thanks to its USB-C port. A fast 15-minute charge can give you a five-hour battery life, which is great if you’re on the rush and go.
When active noise canceling was on the Jabra Elite 85h can run up to 34 hours of battery life, which is very impressive.
The Jabra Elite 85h has BlueTooth 5.0 capabilities, which gives you a more excellent range and more stable coverage. It went up to around eighty feet with BlueTooth coverage with no sound lag at all.
Additionally, the Jabra Elite 85h can also get paired with two devices simultaneously as well, which is very convenient if you’re using two devices for projects and phone calls.
The screen app performed well with a lot of features that you can adjust with, such as the auto-pause feature, which you can toggle off or on the app.
The auto-off and on feature lets you take off the headphones, and the Jabra Elite 85h will automatically pause your music and will resume your music once you put on the headphones back on, which is very convenient.
You can also use Google Assistance, and Siri with the voice assistance feature on by using the app, which is very user-friendly to use, and you should be up and running in no time.
The hear-through feature works great by amplifying your immediate environment. This feature can be controlled through the app and is very useful if you want to hear the people in your surroundings better.
Sound performance was impressive, and sound clarity was on point as well. The bass was extra as well, with a nice bass to all music. But sounded pretty decent.
The high-frequency sounds, the Jabra Elite 85h, was an authority of this area. The music had a natural frequency to it.
If you’re looking for a great headphone with water resistance, and if you’re on a budget, then you’ll need to check out the Jabra Elite 85h headphones, which have excellent performance with a bang to the buck. This headphone easily makes it one of the best wireless and noise cancelling headphones in the market.
Pros
- Water Resistant
- Performance and sound quality was on-point
- Design is built for durability
Cons
- May cause headwear region stress after prolong uses
5. Bowers and Wilkins PX7
The Bowers and Wilkins PX7active noise-canceling headphone has a beautiful overall design to the build.
Thanks to its high-quality plastic material, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 is stable and durable, so you won’t have to worry about the headphones breaking. Because during the stress test, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 remained durable, and all components remained at a stable state.
With a high-quality build, the headphone also has a beautiful matte-black finish to the overall design, which adds to the aesthetics.
Along with a high-quality design, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7’s do swivel but don’t fold.
Located on the front ear cups, you’ll find the Bowers and Wilkins logo, which has a beautiful reflective touch to it.
The headphone arms are made up of high-quality carbon composite material, which also adds to the aesthetics. Which makes the Bowers and Wilkins PX7’s super lighter (310 g) thanks to its unique materials used for the overall design.
Compared to its previous versions, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7’s design has dramatically improved throughout the years, including the beautiful ear cups, which were all improved.
But the Bowers and Wilkins PX7’s felt light, but the Sony’s and Bose headphones were a bit lighter than the PX7’s, but the PX7’s still felt lightweight.
During the test wear, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7’s felt a bit a discomfort after a few hours of wearing them. Yet the ear cups remained comfortable and soft and has a lot of room for the ears to breathe.
But compared to the Bose QuietComfort 35 ii and the Sony WH1000x M3, these two headphones win for prolong uses and long term comfort.
The Bowers and Wilkins PX7’s passive noise cancellation performed quite well; however, it didn’t block out all the noises within the immediate environment.
Located in the left ear cup is the noise-canceling button, which is relatively easy to press and use. The noise-canceling feature works great too. You’ll have the ability to toggle through the settings to either decrease or increase the noise-canceling function as well.
The sound performance were crisp and clear easily making the PX7’s one of the best wireless headphones for music and movies.
Along with that button, you’ll also find the USB-C port, which allows for charging as well as simultaneously listening to music while it charges, which is another excellent feature.
In terms of battery power, a full battery will last you up to 30 hours of playtime, with active noise canceling.
Without active noise canceling, the headphones will last you up to 31 hours, with active noise canceling off.
And also, on the left side of the ear cup, you’ll be able to find the volume controls and a port for an audio cable in case if you don’t want to go wireless. However, the Bowers and Wilkins PX7’s need to be on if you do plan on using the cables.
Also, your music and tracks will automatically pause when you do lift off the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 off your ears. Thanks to its automatic sensors which can sense if you’re wearing the headphones or not.
The app performs and functions excellent with a friendly interface as well. You’ll be able to change the audio settings, profiles, and volume along with a set of different features as well.
The Bowers and Wilkins PX7 also has Bluetooth 5.0, which works great if you’re away from your mobile or electronic device. The Bluetooth worked well and was very reliable, which also didn’t have any delays during use.
The Bowers and Wilkins PX7 can also have multi pairing, which is very useful if you do plan on using two devices for the headphone.
In terms of performance, the audio and sound performed tremendously well and had beautiful crisp and clear sounds.
The noise cancellation was on point as well, compared to some of the more prominent brands like Sony and Bose; the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 can hang in there with the top brands.
But in terms of active noise canceling, the Sony headphones win over this one, but the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 still faired well.
If you’re looking for a robust device, with quality sound, great bass, and a decent active noise canceling headphone, then the Bowers and Wilkins PX7 is your go-to.
Pros
- A good bang for the buck, saves money
- Performance and sound quality was great
- Design multi-pairing
Cons
- Active noise cancelation could be improved
6. Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC
If you’re looking for a budget headphone, the Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC would be your best bet.
The quality design is excellent thanks to its high-quality plastic material used to its overall built.
And thanks to its excellent built, the Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC feels lightweight overall, weighing in just around 235 g.
In comparison, somewhat close to the Bose QC35’s weight, which was also around 235 g. It felt very light to wear, especially for prolonged uses.
However, during long hours of use, the head region and the upper facial areas began to get a bit discomforting, so you may have to take the headphones off during long term sessions.
The Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC’s are quite super durable and comfortable as well. The paddings for the headbands are high quality, as well as adding to the extra comfort.
The Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC’s ear cups can fold for easy storing away if you want to store them safely. However, they won’t swivel. And the headphones do fold neatly into the bag as well, which is very convenient if you do plan on taking the headphones outdoors or for traveling use.
In terms of buttons, you’ll be able to locate the power button on the right ear cup along with the other controls that you can adjust. Passing the buttons and going over the controls are smooth and quite convenient if you’re in the middle of an activity.
There is also a multi-functional switch that lets you control the track of your music and media, and you’ll also be able to use that same button to answer incoming calls, which is great if you’re wanting to switch back and forth throug