Best Noise Cancelling Headphones What Hi Fi?

best noise-cancelling headphones 2026 – 6 sensational pairs hand picked by our expert reviewers

best buys by joe svetlik contributions by becky roberts harry mckerrell last updated 9 january 2026

i've been writing for what hi-fi? for a decade now, with over another decade's experience on other tech titles prior to that. in my 20+ years in the industry, i've covered all kinds of noise-cancelling headphones. my original bose quietcomfort 15 still have a fond place in my heart, even if they did rely on a aaa battery. all of the below noise cancellers impressed our reviews team enough to earn four or five stars, and earn a place on this list. and without a aaa battery between them.

• what hi-fi? awards winner. sony’s flagship wireless headphones are fabulous all-rounders and set a new benchmark
• what hi-fi? awards winner. the best noise-cancelling headphones you can buy on a budget
• bose's 2nd gen pair improve on the original's sound quality while boosting anc performance
• a bundled accessory helps these sennheiser's set new standards for sound quality.
• what hi-fi? awards winner. affordable wireless anc earbuds that deliver sensational value for money
• bose's top-tier earbuds lead the noise-cancelling field – and they're excellent elsewhere, too

best bose

• 3. bose quietcomfort ultra headphones (2nd gen)
• ☆☆☆☆☆
• bose's 2nd gen pair improve on the original's sound quality while boosting anc performance
• reasons to buy
• +noise cancellation up there with the best
• reasons to avoid
• -convincingly beaten for sonic transparency

best cheap earbuds

i haven't come across a pair of wireless earbuds that offers this much value for money since, well, their predecessors arrived in 2023. they sound musical, mature, refined and detailed, and also boast impressive levels of comfort, 8.5 hours of battery life, a rechargeable carry case and, of course, that all-important noise-cancelling functionality.

• what hi-fi? awards winner. affordable wireless anc earbuds that deliver sensational value for money
• reasons to avoid
• -case and earbuds are bulkier than before

best premium earbuds

bose's top-tier earbuds lead the noise-cancelling field – and they're excellent elsewhere, too

• reasons to avoid
• -immersive audio severely impacts battery life

immersive audio is bose’s take on spatial audio; it works with any stereo music to try to add a layer of extra spatialisation to the sound. while we’re not 100 per cent sold on the technology, we would still suggest it’s worth having a play with to hear the effects for yourself.

it should work out of the box, and there is an option to recalibrate the headphones should the mode sound completely out of sorts. head to the main menu then select immersive audio to have a listen.

comparison table

best over-ear headphones 2026

best buys by joe svetlik contributions by harry mckerrell last updated 14 may 2026

over 20 years in the game has seen me test and cover all kinds of headphones, including my share of over-ears. we've included all kinds here, from wired to wireless, open-backed to closed-backed, and plenty of which feature active noise cancellation for silencing the world beyond your earcups. we've also covered all bases price-wise. so whatever your needs, you should find a great pair of over-ears below.

• talented wireless headphones that offer superb value for money.
• what hi-fi? awards winner. perfect for anyone who wants solid sound and decent anc on a budget.
• battery life: 50 hours (anc and bt off), 35 hours (anc / bt on)
• reasons to buy
• +forceful, robust sound presentation
• reasons to avoid
• -a little over-enthusiastic in the bass

best wireless over-ear all-rounders

what hi-fi? awards winner. the best wireless over-ear all-rounders available.

xm5 or to xm6? that is the big question while the former is still available. obviously, we're enamoured with the current wh-1000xm6 award winners, mainly because they set the benchmark for sound quality, rival bose for anc, and offer competitive features. that said, the outgoing xm5 still sound very good, and can be snapped up at a significantly lower price. if you can live with having an older model and love a bargain (who doesn't?), the old dogs still have plenty of great tricks. want cheaper still? the even older xm4 are in their final months of shelf life and also excellent value.

• what hi-fi? awards winner. comfy, beautifully made and sonically versatile – the best-value wired over-ears you will find.
• reasons to avoid
• -may sound analytical to some ears
• what hi-fi? awards winner. balance, insight, comfort... these open-backed cans have got the lot.
• reasons to buy
• +clean, revealing sound that’s packed with detail
• reasons to avoid
• -won’t shy away from revealing musical flaws

premium wireless and audiophile over-ears

• what hi-fi? awards winner. the over-ears of choice for wireless fans with a big budget.
• reasons to avoid
• -styling might be too flashy for some
• the latest t1 keep the model's legacy alive – these are exceptional audiophile over-ears.
• reasons to avoid
• -needs top-class partnering electronics
• a bundled accessory helps these sennheiser's set new standards for sound quality.
• usb-c dongle improves bluetooth audio for iphone and other devices

confusion about the best noise-cancelling headphones currently available

i do a lot of travel for work and am after a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. i will be using the headphones exclusively for air travel on an iphone 4 (i have a pair of grado sr80i's i use when not travelling on an airplane).

price is not an issue, so value for money is not a consideration in my purchasing decision. i am simply after the best sounding noise-cancelling headphones currently available, i have read what hifi's online review of the bose quietcomfort 15's and sennheiser pxc450's, which state the qc15's are currently the best, beating the pxc450's. however in the reviews section at the back of the current what hifi magazine, they list the senheisser pxc450 under "best noise-cancelling headphones" section. these two reviews contradict each other and have me thoroughly confused.

i know for sure the bose qc15 has better noise cancelling abilities, but which has the best overall sound quality? are there any other noise-cancelling headphones that you think are the better the qc15's or pxc450's?

• don't go for the bose products, whilst they continually perform 'ok' they never get excellent reviews. if you're looking for excellent quality 'in ear' phones buy a pair of shure or sennheiser, either are fantastic brands.
• the category of best noise cancelling headphones has seen various changes over the past few years. you will find that the goldring ns1000 are also award winners.
• the back of magazines listings will have previous winners and i think that the bose is the last group test best of.
• the bose and goldring i have heard and even though the goldring is much cheaper i would recommend them as they are better made, work even once the batteries run out as very good closed backed isolating headphones and they have a nice secure case which will fit your ipod or whatever you use.

bose, goldring and sennheiser listening notes

i find that bose have a marmite sound where they do bass, miss the lower midrange, have good midrange, then there is another dip and then good treble. i like it, many do not. the goldrings are surprisingly dynamic and rock well with a slighly more veiled sound than the bose. i have not heard the sennheisers.

thanks everyone for the advise. i recently was able to hear the goldring (which i never considered until you all posted your replies, so thank you), bose qc15 and senheisser pxc 450's together. the bose was clearly better at noise cancelling and the other two, but i think the pcs450's had the best overall sound quality. the goldring's sounded very good, but noise cancelling and to my ears sound quality was below the bose. since i will be using the headphones purely for air travel, the poorer noise cancelling of the pxc450's means any sound quality advantage may get lost with the extra background noise.

i also got lucky when travelling with two colleagues, one had the bose qc15 and another had the pxc450's. this was great because i got to hear both on an airplane. to me the bose were superior once on the plane. the sound quality of the bose in the shop did not sound quite as good as the senheisser's did, though again once on the plane the extra noise leaked in by the senheisser's to my ears made the bose the better sounding product.

• thanks all for your advice the goldrings were very impressive for the price offered, but as i was not concerned about value for money, i really only was after best outright performance and the goldrings to my ears did not quote sound as good the the senheisser or bose products.
• i will be going for the bose.
• one last thing, i have always been anti-bose. i have always thought their products were overrated and have never been impressed with their lifestyle systems.
• so much to my surprise i really liked the quiet comfort 15's.
• well, actually, bose noise cancelling headphones have consistently been reviewed as amongst the best noise cancelling headphones.
• i've got bose qc2 & goldring ns1000. for noise cancellation and outright clarity, the bose is clearly better.