Best Noise Canceling Headphones (2025): Sony, Bose, and more

Honorable mentions

Now that the majority of new headphones and earbuds offer at least a modicum of noise cancellation, it would be impossible (and unproductive) to list everything we love above. If you haven’t found yours yet, here are more favorites worth considering.

Sony WF-1000XM5 in-ear headphones, $328: Sony’s flagship 5th generation earbuds taper off as they scale up. These buds are smaller and smoother (perhaps a little too slick when it comes to grip) than the previous XM4 buds. As before, they offer great sound and noise cancellation beyond a lot of options, and at an affordable cost. In true Sony fashion, it offers a wealth of adaptive features and EQ controls while still maintaining eight hours of playback time per charge with ANC and 12 hours without it.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 $180: These simple-looking earbuds are a great way to experience quiet luxury. They have up to 10 hours of battery life with noise cancellation, and they have some of the best audio drivers for singing I’ve heard in any earbuds.

Sony WH-1000XM4, $198: Sony’s WH-1000X range has been producing some of the best noise canceling headphones for nearly a decade, and the old WH-1000XM4 are no exception. They periodically go on sale for under $300, but it’s hard to find them for less than full price, which is difficult for a five-year-old model.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds for $500: Bowers & Wilkins’ Pi8 offers a sleek, ergonomic design, strong (though not Bose-beating) noise cancellation, and great sound. Call quality is also excellent, making these perhaps the ideal earbuds for the business class, although their hefty price tag won’t appeal to everyone.

Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S2e for $400: The Px7 S2e features enhanced audio quality for great sound in a sleek, sophisticated design. They’re also among the most comfortable headphones we’ve tested, but their noise cancellation doesn’t live up to the best players for the money.

Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 $280: These Beyerdynamic over-ear headphones feature the brand’s classic studio sound, with clear highs, tight lows and lows. The downside is that it doesn’t cancel noise as fully as models from Sony, Bose, and others. However, they look great and are worth considering, especially if you can get them on sale.

Soundcore Space A40 for $60: Another great value buy from Anker’s Soundcore brand, the Space A40 are among our favorite cheap earbuds, especially as their price continues to drop. You’ll find a sleek design, plenty of features, sound quality, and great noise cancellation for its class.

Apple beats the Fit Pro for $170: The Beats Fit Pro are an older pair of wireless headphones but still superior, with great sound, easy-to-reach physical buttons, and solid noise cancellation to boot. Add to that six hours of battery life, and spatial audio compatibility with Apple Music and other services, and you’ve got one of the best “designed in California” pairs of earbuds ever. Interestingly, these earbuds have been updated with a new fin for a more secure fit (and not much else), which are now called Powerbeats Fit. (Test coming soon.)

Epos/Sennheiser Adapt 660 for $301: Want premium sound, comfortable fit, and high-quality noise-cancelling technology for less than you’d pay for Sony or Bose headphones? Check out this collaboration between Epos and Sennheiser. The Epos/Sennheiser Adapt 660 sound great, and are some of the lightest noise canceling headphones I’ve ever worn. They also feature excellent microphones to provide great silence on calls and zooming.

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