How to find the right over-ear headphones with noise cancelling
19.12.2019
Translation: machine translated
Winter is over-ear time. The circumaural headphones keep your ears warm as well as your music. Here you can find out what you should look out for when buying noise-cancelling headphones.
There are different types and uses for over-ear headphones. Before you decide on headphones, it helps to know the different functions of the headphones and what you should look out for. This article is about over-ear headphones with active noise cancelling (ANC for short).
In addition to over-ears, there are also on-ear models. These rest on the ears. Over-ear models completely enclose the ears, making them somewhat larger and heavier.
What you should look out for
With over 500 headphones in our range, it's easy to lose track. The points below are a guide to help you make your purchase decision.
- Sound
- Noise cancelling
- Size, weight, material and wearing comfort
- Battery life
- Bluetooth connection
- Operation
- Design
- Microphone
How do you recognise good sound?
Unfortunately, good sound is difficult to recognise from the specifications given by manufacturers. And sound is a matter of taste anyway: some people like the bass to boom, others prefer their music to be neutral.
When checking the manufacturer's specifications, you should make sure that the headphones cover at least the human hearing range. This ranges from 20-20,000 hertz. So you have the entire playback spectrum. Most newer headphones cover this range. To find headphones with good sound quality, it helps to read through various reviews and test listen to the headphones. Headphones that are on display in our shops are labelled with the "Showroom" tag.
For me, Sennheiser has long been the brand with the best sound for mainstream headphones. With the new Sennheiser Momentum 3, however, I found, like my colleague David Lee, that the bass was too strong and the mids didn't come out enough.
In terms of sound, the Bose Headphones 700 impressed me the most. Compared to other current headphones, they don't have too much bass and are also very well tuned in other respects.
Noise cancelling: when you just want music
To shield you from ambient noise, there is active noise cancelling. This allows you to hear your music better and the noise around you less . The quality of the noise cancelling, like the sound quality, is also difficult to tell from the specifications. Many manufacturers specify the ANC with decibel figures. However, these should be treated with caution, as low noises are less disturbing than high noises. It is not possible to tell how much noise is being produced in which range from the decibel figures.
If you don't want to be constantly isolated, you should make sure that the noise cancelling of the headphones can be adjusted and that the model has a transparent mode. This picks up ambient noise with the microphones and plays it back in real time.
Wearing comfort: size, weight and material
The best headphones are useless if they become uncomfortable after a short time. You probably know from experience where you are sensitive. For some people, headphones always pinch behind the ears, for others on the head. Make sure that the headphones of your choice are well padded in your problem areas.
Lighter headphones are generally more comfortable. But with the right padding, even heavy headphones won't pinch your head. The lightest noise-cancelling headphones are around 220 grams, the heaviest around 350 grams.
I have had the best experiences with leather, metal and memory foam models. Plastic headphones are cheaper and lighter, but they break more quickly and are not as comfortable.
Runtime
Especially if you are often on the move, you should make sure that the battery life of your headphones is long enough. The best headphones have a runtime of up to 45 hours, poorer ones around 18 hours.
The runtimes specified by the manufacturers are average or laboratory values that deviate from reality. In practice, it depends on whether you listen with noise cancelling constantly activated and at a high volume.
For me, headphones with a runtime of 30 hours were good enough for a few days of commuting and in the office.
Connection: Keep an eye on the Bluetooth codec
Bluetooth is not just Bluetooth - pay attention to the Bluetooth codecs. Because the sound quality of your headphones also depends on the connection, among other things.
The most important codecs are SBC, aptX and AAC. SBC is the standard codec; all devices must support it. However, it has poor audio quality at low bandwidths. It also has greater latency than the other codecs, which is annoying when watching videos. Because then it can happen that the picture comes before the sound.
AptX is on board with Android phones. The codec compresses more efficiently. There are several improved versions of AptX: AptX HD, AptX Low-Latency and AptX Adaptive.
AAC is the preferred codec for iOS devices and is comparable in quality to AptX.
For optimum sound quality, your Bluetooth headphones should have the same codec as your playback device. Newer Android devices can sometimes be switched to AAC, but iOS devices cannot be switched to AptX.
Here you can find all headphones with AAC codec.
Here to all those with Aptx.
Sony has installed the proprietary LDAC codec in some headphones. This has slightly less compression and therefore slightly better audio quality. However, the LDAC standard is practically only supported by Sony mobiles.
Here you can find all headphones with Sony's LDAC.
Operation
To change the volume on the headphones or to fast-forward and rewind, there are two types of operation: either with buttons or with touch control. With touch control, some manufacturers rely on swipe control, others on tapping. Which is better is a matter of taste.
I prefer the button control, as it usually reacts more reliably and can also be operated with thin gloves. Swipe controls are somewhat more prone to malfunctions. However, the Bose Headphones 700 have a very accurate swipe control that is a lot of fun to use.
Operation is simplified if your headphones have an auto-stop function: if you take the headphones off, the music pauses automatically and doesn't just keep playing.
Transport & making phone calls
If you are often travelling with your headphones, you should make sure that your model comes with a transport case.
And if the ear cups can be folded in, the headphones take up significantly less space in your rucksack. The Bose QC 35 II and the Sony WH-1000XM3 are headphones that can be stowed away very compactly.
Making phone calls with ANC headphones is rather secondary for most users. Nevertheless, if expensive headphones cannot be used for making calls, this can be quite annoying.
With the Sony WH-1000XM3, some people complained that I was too quiet. Even with the PX7 from Bowers & Wilkins, the call quality didn't exactly knock my socks off. The Sennheiser Momentum 3, on the other hand, is a good example of call quality. You can also use it to make calls in louder environments.
Recommendations
Headphones are always a matter of taste. Nevertheless, I give three recommendations in each of the three segments: high-end, mid-range and low-budget.
As new, better models come out, I will adjust the recommendations.
High-end
The Bose Headphones 700 are the headphones that convinced me the most this year. They are right up there, especially in terms of sound. They are also comfortable, the controls are great and the workmanship is beautiful. And the noise cancelling is very strong. But: unfortunately, the ear cups cannot be folded in and the battery life of 20 hours is not beyond all doubt.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 stands out above all with its good noise cancelling. This can be adjusted very dynamically in conjunction with the Sony app. In terms of sound, the WH doesn't have to hide either, but it is quite bass-heavy. The headphones are also great if you're travelling a lot, as they can be folded up and come with a small hard case.
The PX7 from Bowers & Wilkins has a very wide sound spectrum, a good battery life and a very high-quality finish. It is extremely bass-heavy, but you can get rid of it well with an equaliser. The noise cancelling is roughly on a par with Sony and Bose. People with a small head will find the headphones very comfortable, but those with a larger head should definitely try them on first.
Midrange
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II is a perennial favourite among noise-cancelling headphones. They have good sound and good noise cancellation. They also weigh just 240 grams and the ear cups can be folded in. The operation works with buttons.
Although the headphones are rather inexpensive, the WH-H900N h.ear on 2 Wireless NC are equipped with Sony's LDAC codec. At 28 hours, the battery life is quite long.
Many users are not entirely convinced by the noise cancelling of the HD 4.50 BTNC from Sennheiser. However, the sound is said to be quite good. The ear cups are retractable and the headphones are also rather light. They also have a micro USB plug for charging.
Low budget
Finding affordable headphones with noise cancelling is not easy. The XQISIT OE500 ANC looks pretty solid according to the specifications.
The Skullcandy Venue has a longer battery life of 24 hours than many more expensive models. Although the noise cancelling on this model is not the best, the sound should be okay according to most users.
For the price, the JBL E65BTNC also has adequate sound and noise cancelling. According to several reviews, however, they are not very comfortable, especially with a larger head.
You can find all our noise cancelling over ear headphones at this link.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.
