The Best Noise-Canceling Headphones of 2025, Tested

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Noise-canceling headphones have come a long way since 1989. That’s the year Bose released the first commercially available active noise-canceling (ANC) headsets, which were originally designed for airline pilots. Many people still buy ANC headphones for the same reason they were invented — to reduce jet engine noise while on a flight. But these days, people use ANC headphones everywhere from the office to commutes and even at home. 

Given the fierce competition in the headphone market, noise-canceling headphones are expected to do more than just cancel background noise, with features like microphones for phone calls, immersive audio, transparency modes, and more. 

We’ve rounded up the best noise-canceling headphones on the market, ranging from new releases by brands like Sony and Nothing to tried and true models from Bowers & Wilkins and Apple. For this guide, we focused on over-ear models, but if you’re looking for earbuds, we have guides for the best noise-canceling earbuds, best sounding earbuds, and best workout earbuds. 

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones live up to the name. They’re quiet, with exceptional noise-canceling performance (although Sony and Apple are fierce rivals), and they’re comfortable, thanks to the lightweight yet cushioned build.

The headphones are primarily plastic, but the aluminum accents and sleek design make them feel premium and high-end. The amply cushioned headband and earcups are standouts as well — not only are they more comfortable, but the cushioning helps ensure a proper seal for ANC performance. 

As for the physical controls, there’s a single multifunction button that controls playback and ANC modes, a power/pairing button, and a touch volume slider, which can take some getting used to. The headphones can be somewhat slow to turn on, requiring a long press of the power button, which is a minorly frustrating quirk.  

The standout feature of the noise-canceling isn’t necessarily the strength, but the adjustability. There are ten levels to choose from, and you can save up to four preset modes: Quiet and Aware, plus two custom modes, which are customizable from the intuitive Bose app. 

As for the sound quality, it’s warm and enjoyable, although perhaps not as detailed as other options on the list. Crucially, the audio performance remains consistent across different ANC levels, something other headphones can struggle with. 

Full Review: Bose QuietComfort vs. QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: We Put Both to the Test

There’s little daylight in the quality between Bose and Sony’s best headphones, which is why they’re so often mentioned in the same breath. I’d personally give a slight edge to Bose’s QC Ultras, simply because I find them more comfortable and I appreciate the aesthetics more. But there’s an easy case to be made for the XM6s being the best headphones to buy right now. 

For starters, Sony redesigned the headphones so the earcups fold and rotate, a sticking point of the XM5s. Otherwise, they have a similar blocky design of the XM5 headphones. The case has been redesigned as well; it’s much smaller, and has a clasp instead of a zipper. They’re comfortable, with a slightly wider headband than the XM5s and light, but sufficient cushioning for all-day wear. 

As expected from the XM series, the headphones have exceptional audio quality and ANC performance. The ambient mode is adjustable in the app, giving you greater customization of the ANC performance, although there aren’t the same customized ANC modes like with Bose.

There are a ton of features, such that it’d be hard to list them all. Some are gimmicky (I’m not sure I need location-based ANC), while others can be genuinely useful, like speak-to-talk, which automatically pauses the music and switches to aware mode. These headphones also have a solid 30-hour battery life, a plus if you’re frequently on the go. 

Full Review: The WH-1000XM6 Noise-Canceling Headphones Are Yet Another Hit From Sony

True to Apple’s design-forward reputation, the AirPods Max headphones are a truly striking piece of hardware. The squared aluminum earcups and mesh headband make these impossible to miss. Despite the substantial build, they don’t feel overly heavy, thanks in part to the mesh headband and unique mesh fabric earcups.

The earcups rotate outward but don’t fold. They come with Apple’s notorious “bra” case, which is necessary to put the headphones into low power mode but offers precious little protection. It should come as no surprise that there are a lot of third-party cases out there.

The controls on these headphones are a delight to use — the two buttons respond with a satisfying but quiet click, and the volume knob, inspired by the Apple Watch, is reliable and clever.

As with all AirPods and Beats headphones, there’s no native EQ control, and you can’t customize the ANC. The ANC performance is up there with the best of the best, but the transparency mode borders on magical. In the way a pair of polarized sunglasses can enhance your vision, these modify outside sounds to somehow be clearer, without drowning out the music.

Still, there are the same usual Apple quirks, including the fact that you can’t fully turn these headphones off and Apple’s walled ecosystem.

Full Review: AirPods Max Review: Apple’s Headphones Go Big

There’s no denying that Bowers & Wilkins’ Px8 headphones feel like a truly premium product. Nappa leather and aluminum abound, setting these apart from the primarily plastic build of most noise-canceling headphones. Suffice to say, these are a beautiful pair of headphones, although I find the Bowers & Wilkins branding a little loud. 

All that metal and leather comes at a cost — these are heavy headphones, which can be a drawback for extended wear. Despite the bulky build, these are still comfortable, particularly as someone with a larger noggin.

They come in a substantial zippered case, which has clever organization for cables, including a USB-C to 3.5mm cable for wired listening. The earcups rotate both inward and outward, but they don’t fold, unlike Sony or Bose headphones, so they’re not super compact. 

The headphones feature dedicated buttons for ANC, separate volume buttons, and a textured playback button. There’s also a slider for power/Bluetooth pairing. While the physical controls are great, the app could be better, particularly for Android. I’ve had trouble pairing the headphones to the app, and it bothers me (maybe more than it should) that an email is required to use the app. 

It’s easy to forget these drawbacks when you put the headphones on, though — the sound quality lives up to Bowers & Wilkins’ reputation. The ANC is competitive, if not up to Bose and Sony’s standard. If pure sound quality and a striking design are what you’re after, Bowers & Wilkins’ Px8 headphones may just be the ANC cans to beat.  

Full Review: A Class Apart: Bowers & Wilkins’ Px8 Headphones Pack Sleek Design and Well-Rounded Sound

Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 headphones are aesthetically bland, particularly compared to the retro good looks of the Momentum 3. But if you’re looking for a comfortable pair of headphones that no one is likely to ask you about, the Momentum 4 headphones tick a lot of boxes.

The hard zippered case is fairly large, but it has dedicated slots for the charging cable and audio cord, and it even comes with a two-pronged airplane adapter. The earups rotate both inward and outward, although they don’t fold. Adding to their travel friendliness is the battery — we’re not sure where you need to fly where 60 hours of battery life is necessary, but it’s certainly a nice-to-have.

As for the controls, Sennheiser is all in on taps and swipes — there’s only one button on the headphones, which controls power and can be used for a voice assistant with one press. Like Sony’s headphones, swiping up or down controls volume, and forward and back skips tracks. A unique pinch control adjusts the transparency level, although this can be finicky.

The noise-canceling is great, although it’s not quite as good as Apple’s and Sony’s, but the customization features in the app are impressive. I tested out the wind noise reduction using a table fan pointed at my face (thanks, summer), which did a good job at cutting the noise to a whisper.

In terms of audio performance, you get an impressive level of detail and clarity, and the EQ isn’t overly tilted toward lows or highs. There’s a five-band EQ in the app, but if you don’t want to play around with it, you can instead pick the “bass boost” or “podcast” modes.

Let’s get this out of the way — these are some weird-looking headphones. The retrofuturistic design is sure to be alienating (I’ve come to like them), borrowing design cues from the AirPods Max and cassette tapes, or something off Alien’s USCSS Nostromo.

The earcups rotate inward but don’t fold, and while the case is rather large, it’s very thin. The headphones, despite their squared-off design, don’t protrude from the head too much, unlike Sony’s XM6 headphones. 

The controls are satisfyingly tactile — there’s a volume roller that doubles as a playback/ANC control, a paddle to skip tracks, and a dedicated button for a voice assistant. The physical power switch is a nice touch as well, although the headphones are surprisingly easy to accidentally wear backwards. 

In terms of audio, Nothing teamed up with venerated audio brand KEF, which tuned the sound. It’s solid and clear, although there’s not as much separation and detail as with Sony or other higher-end headphones. Still, for $300, they’re about $100-$150 less than flagship headphones from Sony and Bose. 

Full Review: Nothing Is Onto Something With Its First Over-Ear Headphones

Bose’s QuietComfort headphones don’t have the same refinement or features as the QC Ultras, but they’re still an excellent alternative to Bose’s flagship headphones. For starters, they have the same customizable ANC modes as the Ultras, identical battery life, and great comfort for about $100 less.

The build is very similar to earlier QC 45 and 35 models. The earcups fold in and rotate, and the carrying case is compact yet protective, making these great for travel. Design-wise, they’re available in a range of poppy pastels, giving them a fun, youthful energy.

The physical controls are intuitive, with dedicated buttons for volume, playback, and ANC, plus a switch for power and Bluetooth pairing. I found the controls easier to familiarize myself with than the QuietComfort Ultras. Plus, these headphones can be used passively with the included cable, meaning you can plug them in on a long flight and conserve battery.

A few creature comforts are missing from these headphones, including wear detection; they lack features like Immersive Audio found on the QC Ultras and don’t look as high-end. Still, the noise-canceling performance is up to Bose’s high standards, as is the audio quality.

Full Review: Bose QuietComfort vs. QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: We Put Both to the Test

There’s a slight caveat to this endorsement. For the full $350 list price, there are better options out there, but they’re a great option for the frequently on-sale price of around $250. The headphones have a stylish yet inconspicuous look, and there are plenty of colors to choose from. 

The headphones fold, but the earcups don’t rotate. Still, they feel more compact than other options. Instead of a hard case, you get a zippered pouch that almost resembles a toiletry bag. I was surprised by how much I liked the case, thanks to its compact size and inner organization for cables. Comfort-wise, they’re somewhat stiff, with shallow earcups. They’re not uncomfortable, but comfort is not the strongest suit of these headphones. 

Like most Beats headphones, these feature physical controls, rather than touch controls. Pressing the center “B” logo controls playback, while pressing the ring above or below controls volume. The power button doubles as a multifunction button for ANC. The ANC performance is solid, capably blocking out a variety of noises. The stated battery life of up to 40 hours is impressive as well.

Audio performance is solid as well, and you can use a USB-C cable to stream lossless audio, though, like most Apple products, there is no option to customize the EQ. Overall, these are a solid option for both iOS and Android devices, and particularly for iPhone users who want the convenience of Apple’s ecosystem without shelling out for the AirPods Max. 

Sometimes you don’t want to blow half your month’s rent on a pair of headphones. We get it. OneOdio (whose Studio Max headphones made the cut for Rolling Stone’s Audio Awards), recently released the A6 noise-canceling headphones. There are inevitable trade-offs at this point, but for about $70, you get a decently stylish, comfortable pair of headphones with surprising ANC performance.

The headphones fold and rotate, making them compact, but you’ll need a separate carrying case — these don’t come with one. The physical controls could also be better; the buttons are small and close together, although it is nice to have separate controls for volume, ANC, and power. There’s also no wear detection, so these headphones won’t pause when you take them off.

Despite these drawbacks, the ANC is impressive at this price point, cutting loud sounds to a whisper and outperforming some much more expensive headphones. The audio quality is somewhat flat, but it doesn’t sound as distant or tinny as some cheaper headphones.

Overall, if you’re looking to spend well under $100, these headphones are tough to beat.

How We Picked the Best Noise-Canceling Headphones 

All of the options on our list were hand-tested. We prioritized factors that are hard to evaluate without hands-on testing, such as comfort, fit, and sound quality, while also looking at the spec sheet for factors like battery life, Bluetooth codecs, and more. 

While it would be tough to test every option on a plane without burning through some serious miles, we tested the noise-canceling in real-world (flights, busy streets) and simulated (table fans, loud TVs) settings, all to see how well they handle a variety of distractions.