Whether or not you make money working from home, spend quite a lot of time on airplanes, or just wish to flip down the quantity of the surface world, noise-cancelling headphones are a worthwhile funding.
Even the perfect worth headphones will really feel missing if they do not come outfitted with midway first rate noise cancellation. Apart from, there are just too many headphones available on the market (our testing pool will get greater by the month) so that you can pay lots of solely to get subpar ANC.
The 7 greatest earbuds to purchase in 2025 from Bose, Apple, and extra
That can assist you wade via the highest choices from manufacturers like Apple, Beats, Bose, Sony, and Sonos, Mashable editors and reviewers examined dozens of headphones and earbuds. From flagship fashions to funds buds, we picked out the perfect noise-cancelling headphones of 2025.
What are the perfect noise-cancelling headphones?
Bose is usually a high title (and in our high picks) on the subject of noise-cancelling audio, typically main the business for the perfect ANC obtainable.
With that stated, it is not the one model price trying out. If you would like top-notch ANC with nice sound high quality, Sony makes glorious choices. Then again, people on the lookout for a extra inexpensive choice may be drawn to EarFun, which brings nice worth to the noise-cancelling area. Basically, what makes the perfect noise-cancelling headphones is dependent upon what different options and worth vary you are on the lookout for in a pair of headphones — our information under lays out the place every of our picks shines.
How do noise-cancelling headphones truly work?
Even low-cost headphones can block some noise from the surface world. And you’ll at all times blast your music loud sufficient to drown out close by conversations and avenue noise through passive noise cancellation. Nonetheless, in the event you actually wish to flip the quantity of the world right down to the restrict, then you definitely want headphones with lively noise cancellation.
Energetic noise-cancelling headphones electronically cowl up the sounds coming out of your environment. They use inner microphones to hearken to the world round you, then invert the noise and ship it to the audio system. The concept is that each the output and the enter will cancel out, leaving you with near-silence. One of the best over-ear headphones additionally create a good seal round your ears, offering an additional layer of passive sound blocking.
Testing the Apple AirPods Max headphones, which did not make the ultimate reduce for this information.
Credit score: Zlata Ivleva / Mashable
Getting up shut and private with Sony WH-1000XM5 noise-cancelling headphones.
Credit score: Molly Flores / Mashable
For those who’ve tried a pair of noise-cancelling headphones earlier than and have not been impressed, do not be discouraged, as not all ANC performs equally. As an example, cheaper ANC headphones might have a extra noticeable hissing sound that you will hear when the noise cancellation is turned on, which will be distracting for some people.
Different headphones could also be nice at blocking low tones, however extra susceptible to letting in high-pitched tones. Usually, premium headphones will yield higher outcomes throughout, however we have now funds picks under that also do a stable job.
Prior to now, not many wi-fi earbuds featured lively noise cancellation that was akin to over-ear headphones, however newer iterations just like the AirPods Professional and Bose QuietComfort Extremely earbuds maintain their very own within the ANC area. Nonetheless, even these earbuds cannot fairly get the identical seal (or match as many mics) that headphones can, so in the event you’re on the lookout for most silence, keep on with over-ear headphones.
Latest testing updates
In September 2025, we changed the unique Bose QuietComfort Extremely earbuds with the up to date second-gen mannequin.
As of July 2025, we changed the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones with their newer counterpart, the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.
Our testing in February 2025 noticed the addition of the EarFun Air Professional 4 earbuds as our favourite earbuds decide below $100. We determined that they deserved to knock the Beats Studio Buds+ off the checklist (after the Apple-owned earbuds beat out the newer AirPods 4), because of the Air Professional’s superior noise cancellation, battery life, and worth. We additionally added the Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones as an alternate decide for the perfect battery life headphones in March 2025.
In September 2024, we tried out the JBL Dwell Beam 3 earbuds, and we loved their sound, distinctive design, and touchscreen case that made it simple to test the headphones’ battery life and management audio. Nonetheless, their noise cancellation wasn’t fairly as much as par for $200 earbuds. We have additionally added the Dyson OnTrac headphones as our decide for the perfect battery life, due to the spectacular 55-hour battery life.
In August 2024, we stated goodbye to the Bose 700 headphones as our advice for the perfect noise-cancelling headphones with adjustable ANC. This was a very long time coming — these headphones have technically been discontinued for the reason that launch of the Bose QC Extremely headphones in September 2023, however remained obtainable from retailers aside from Bose. We’ll be looking out for any new fashions that match the adjustable noise cancellation that these Bose headphones as soon as provided.
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