Best Noise Cancelling Headphones for 2024
Google Pixel Buds Pro: The Pixel Buds Pro are Google’s first earbuds to feature active noise cancellation. While it’s nice to finally have a feature that many true wireless earbuds have had for a while, what ultimately sets the Pixel Buds Pro apart and makes them worth considering — particularly for Android users — is their distinctive design and winning fit. That helps improve their performance in both the audio quality and noise cancellation departments. While they’re not exactly elite for voice calls, they performed well as a headset for taking calls, too. Read our Google Pixel Buds Pro review.
Soundcore by Anker Space One: Available in three color variations, the Soundcore Space One is Anker’s latest noise-cancelling headphone and a good value at around $100, with a strong feature set along with good sound quality and performance. They can’t quite compete sonically with many of the premium noise-cancelling models, but you don’t feel like you’re giving up all that much in the way of sound to save a bunch of money. They lack a little of that natural, refined quality you look for in a great set of headphones, but the Space Ones sound respectable, with decent clarity and bass definition, and hold their own against the more expensive Soundcore Space 45. Noise-cancelling and voice-call performance are also good for headphones in this price range, though the Transparency mode is just okay. Anker has developed a version of Sony’s Speak-to-Chat feature — Anker calls it Easy Chat — that automatically pauses your music and goes into a transparency mode when you walk up to someone and start a conversation. The headphones are equipped with sensors to detect wear, a feature not normally found in this price range, and come with a carrying case. Support for LDAC audio codec is available for Android users.
Shure Aonic 50: A lot of us liked Shure’s original Aonic 50 headphones, but they had pretty mediocre noise cancellation. Well, the Gen 2 versions fix that problem — the noise cancellation is much improved — and Shure has more than doubled the battery life to about 45 hours (they now have a quick-charging feature) and also shrunk the headphones’ carrying case slightly, though it’s still not quite as compact. Those upgrades make the Aonic 50 Gen 2 a top-notch noise-cancelling headphone. While the Aonic 50 Gen 2s are fairly hefty at 12.5 ounces, they’re solidly built and comfortable, with nicely padded earcups. They deliver excellent sound quality, with very good clarity and well-defined bass. Shure calls them “studio headphones,” so the sound profile is fairly neutral, but you can add more bass in the EQ settings in the companion Shure app for iOS and Android (turning on the Spatializer setting in the app expands the soundstage a bit, but it doesn’t make a huge difference).
JBL Tuning 670NC: The JBL Tune 670NC is one of the relatively small on-ear headphones that offers active noise cancellation. It’s a fairly good value — it doesn’t come with a carrying case — but it does have memory foam ear cushions that give you a comfortable fit for an on-ear headphone. Delivering clear sound with punchy bass, it has 32mm drivers and improves on its predecessor’s battery life, with a whopping 70 hours (or 44 hours with ANC on), and an additional three hours of battery life from just a five-minute charge. This model features the latest Bluetooth 5.3 (with LE Audio) and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. It also has JBL’s Ambient Aware (transparency mode) and TalkThru features. It comes in black, white, and blue, and ships with a cord for wired listening.
Mark Levinson No. 5909: The No. 5909 is the first headphone from premium audio brand Mark Levinson, and yes, they’re expensive at $999. But they’re also really good. They’re sturdy in design without feeling heavy on your head (read: substantial but not too heavy), and they’re comfortable to wear for long periods of time thanks to their nicely padded (and replaceable) leather-wrapped earcups and headband. Read our Mark Levinson #5909 hands-on.
Focal bathys: French audio company Focal point is known for its high-end speakers and headphones. You could call it the Bowers & Wilkins of France. And now it has finally done what many high-end audio companies have had to do in the age of wireless music on the go: make active noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones. These $699 headphones sound fantastic and are generally great, but their noise-cancelling is pretty light, so don’t buy them for their ANC.
Master & Dynamic MW09: Master & Dynamic headphones and earbuds have always featured unique, eye-catching designs that make use of premium materials like aluminum, sapphire glass, and Kevlar. The latest MW09 flagship earbuds look quite similar to the earlier MW08 earbuds, but come with a number of upgrades inside that deliver better performance, particularly when it comes to battery life and noise cancellation (it’s now very close to what Bose and Sony offer, but not quite on their level for ANC).
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise cancellation along with very good audio and voice call performance, plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you’re a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. That said, their biggest upgrade is arguably their new design and smaller size, making them a better fit for more ears. Aside from their slightly high price tag, their only downside is that some of their key features only work with Samsung Galaxy devices.
Beats Studio Buds Plus: Sadly, for those of you who purchased the original Beats Studio Buds, which are still on the market for now, I’m sorry to report that these new Plus earbuds are significantly improved, with better sound, noise cancellation, and battery life. Plus, they now deliver top-notch voice call performance.
Beats Fit Pro: While the Beats Fit Pro aren’t technically AirPods, they’re built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats’ earlier, cheaper Studio Buds and the new 2023 Studio Buds Plus, the Beats Fit Pro pack Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the features found in the AirPods Pro, including active noise cancellation, spatial audio, and adaptive EQ. I’d go so far as to call them the sports AirPods you’ve always wanted.
Technology EAH-A800: There’s a bit of an old-school vibe to the Technics EAH-A800 — and it’s not just the Technics brand, which Panasonic has revived in recent years. The design is a bit of a throwback, but the headphones are comfortable and fold up or flat. They have a big, energetic sound with punchy bass and good detail (they do take a day or two to break in, though).
Technics EAH-AZ80: Panasonic has done a great job of creating a pair of earphones that deliver on all fronts. They fit better, sound great, offer good noise cancellation and have a robust feature set.
