Best Noise-Canceling Headphones (2025): Over-Ears, Wireless Earbuds, Workout Pairs
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Best Overall
A Close Second
Best for Working Out
Best for iOS
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Shaking off the world and sinking into a new album can feel like a train ride through the countryside … unless you're sharing that seat with two young toddlers. Or if your neighbor's dog is barking. Come to think of it, there are a lot of sounds that can ruin a good song. That's why we have headphones that isolate and cancel out noise. Below are the best noise-canceling headphones and earbuds you can buy, handpicked and tested by the Gear team here at WIRED.
Not seeing anything you like? Check out our other audio guides, like the Best Wireless Earbuds, Best Workout Headphones, Best Cheap Headphones, and Best Wireless Headphones.
Updated April 2025: We've added the Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 and Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW2, and updated links and prices.
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Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Best Overall
Bose QuietComfort UltraWhat Bose doesn’t know about active noise-canceling headphones isn’t worth knowing, frankly. With the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (9/10, WIRED Recommends), the company has managed to improve on its own giddily high standards. These headphones do a simply remarkable job on external annoyances, leaving you in splendid isolation to enjoy the balanced, poised, and articulate sound they serve up. They’re on the pricey side when compared to their most obvious competitors, but with these Bose you get exactly what you’re paying for. Frequent fliers and the like should form an orderly queue. —Simon Lucas
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Photograph: Sony
A Close Second
Sony WH-1000XM5Sony redesigned the exterior of its popular flagship headphones for the fifth generation (9/10, WIRED Recommends), making them a bit sleeker and more competitive with Apple and Bose in looks. What didn't go away is the company's excellent noise cancellation, super customizable sound, and fantastic battery life. They're pricier than previous generations, but the sound is more absorbing, with a more energetic feel than the less dynamic models that came before.
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Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Best for Working Out
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2The Powerbeats Pro 2 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are a full-scale update, which includes modern touches like a heart rate monitor based off the Apple Watch and standards that were lacking in the original, like transparency mode and—of course—noise canceling. Their solid cancellation skills can't match the very best like Bose's QuietComfort Ultra, but the buds hold their own against plenty of rivals at this price and above, including Sony's WF-1000XM5.
Thanks to the H2 chip, they work brilliantly with Apple gear with features like iCloud device switching, Find My functionality, and hands-free Siri, while Android extras include a dedicated app and one-touch pairing. You'll also get convenient (if touchy) controls, excellent battery life, and a flashy new acoustic architecture for brash sound with a side of hi-fi. Maybe most importantly, their ironclad fit is graciously comfy, making them excellent for working out, checking out, and everything in between. —Ryan Waniata
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Photograph: Brenda Stolyar
Best for iOS
Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)If you use an iPhone and you are willing to pay $550, Apple's noise-canceling over-ears (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are a fantastic choice. They are probably among the best wireless headphones you'll have ever heard, but astonishing fidelity isn't the only reason to buy the company's flagship cans. Excellent pairing and connection with Apple devices, top-notch noise reduction, and some of the finest build quality you'll find this side of $1,000 make these a great pair for most people. The only thing not to like about the AirPods Max? The included soft case does very little to protect the headphones when they're not on your head.
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Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds
Bose QuietComfort Ultra EarbudsIt bears repeating: Bose is the absolute master of active noise-canceling technology. The QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are just the latest demonstration of the company’s expertise. Get these earbuds positioned just so, set them up to your satisfaction using the excellent control app, and the outside world need never bother you again. It almost goes without saying that the sound you’ll enjoy is big, bold, and vivid—which is something else Bose knows all about. —Simon Lucas
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Photograph: Apple
Also Great for Apple Devices
Apple AirPods Pro 2 (With USB-C)AirPods are middling, but the AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are a different story. This is the second generation of the buds, and they have the same great fit and noise-canceling tech as the first generation, with better audio quality. One of their best features is constant improvement, including OTA additions like Adaptive Audio, which transitions between noise canceling and transparency mode based on your environment, and a new hearing aid feature. This version also has an improved codec, in case you end up using it with your new Vision Pro headset, as well as USB-C charging.
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Photograph: Sonos
Best for Home Theater Adventures
Sonos AceThe Sonos Ace (8/10, WIRED Recommends) launched with lofty expectations, yet their mix of luxe comfort, smooth sound, and top-tier noise canceling still caught us off guard. Their significant skills put them in regal company with the likes of Bose and Sony. Those points aside, their most intriguing feature, the ability to instantly swap TV audio from a Sonos soundbar, was buggy at launch (along with the rest of the Sonos app).
Since then, Sonos has put in the work, and I've been able to seamlessly “swap” sound between the Ace and the Sonos Arc and Arc Ultra soundbars with minimal latency. The natural transparency mode and head tracking effectively mimic a home theater experience, and Sonos has added support for the Beam and Ray soundbars. It's still not the Wi-Fi experience we were hoping for, but even on their own, the Ace's serious skills make them well worth considering. —Ryan Waniata
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Photograph: Focal
Best for Audiophiles
Focal BathysIf money is no object, this pair from French hi-fi brand Focal (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best. The magnesium and aluminum headphones—with custom French-made drivers and super soft ear cups and headband—offer listeners some of the best wireless audio I have ever heard. From deep lows to crisp highs, these resemble their more expensive, corded, brethren but allow you to listen in planes, trains, and automobiles without toting along an external digital-to-analog converter or special audio player.
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Photograph: Sony
Still Great
Sony WH-1000XM4This isn't the newest model, but Sony's WH-1000X lineup has produced some of the best noise-canceling headphones for nearly a decade, and the previous-generation WH-1000XM4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are no exception. Sleek, businesslike looks and a 30-hour battery life match its successor, and this version sports better noise cancellation and audio upscaling than its predecessors, both of which contribute to a cleaner overall sound signature. The high-quality microphones don't make you sound like you're underwater in Zoom meetings, which is an essential upgrade in the post-Covid world. It periodically goes on sale for under $300, so avoid buying it at full price.
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Photograph: Sony
Best Backup Buds
Sony WF-1000XM5Sony's fifth-generation flagship earbuds (7/10, WIRED Recommends) slim down while stepping up. These buds are smaller and slicker (maybe too slick when it comes to grabbing them) than the previous XM4 buds. As before, they provide great sound and noise canceling that outduels most buds not made by Bose. In true Sony style, they serve up a truckload of adaptive features and EQ controls while retaining their battery bragging rights of up to eight hours of playback time with ANC and 12 hours without it. —Ryan Waniata
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Photograph: Parker Hall
Best Battery Life Earbuds
Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW2You'll get 15 hours of noise canceling before needing to return this pair of Audio-Technica buds to their wireless charging case. They have a surprisingly comfortable design despite bulky battery compartments on the outside of each bud, with a cool pair of magnets that allows you to stick the buds together to enter standby mode if you don't want to lug along the case. The sound and noise canceling quality are decent but not as good as the best from Sony and Bose, though passive noise isolation is some of the best I've tested, thanks to long trunks that seal off your ear canals to the world.
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Photograph: Amazon
Best Cheap Buds
Soundpeats Capsule3 Pro+These unassuming buds from Soundpeats offer surprisingly good noise canceling and features for the money. That's a great start, but their real superpower is stellar sound quality, which helped earn them a perfect 10/10 review score. Using a combination dynamic driver for bass and a next-gen xMEMS driver for the midrange and treble, you'll find gloriously rich, clear, and balanced fidelity across your catalog. They fill things out with solid battery life and a helpful app for a great experience at a surprisingly low price. —Ryan Waniata
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