Best Over the Ear Headphones
Wireless headphones let you listen to podcasts and music without the requirement of connecting a wire to your audio device. They're also a great choice for public transportation, at work, or at home.
Wireless over-ear cans are offered in a variety of styles and noise cancelling capabilities. They are usually packed in a stylish case.
Soundcore Life Q30
A major improvement over the Soundcore Life 2 from late-2018, these over-ears appear better, feel stronger and are generally more polished. The hinges are more secure, and the soft ear cups have been a bit larger. They're still made of plastic, but they are more polished. You can swap the 3.5mm cord for a high quality USB-C cable and use them with portable Hi-Res devices and stationary players. They also come with two mics built-in that worked flawlessly in our tests with FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.
The Soundcore app has a wide selection of EQ presets that can be saved and tweaked to listen to podcasts and music in the style that you like. This is the thing that sets these headphones apart from most other ANC headphones and the Soundcore app is extremely simple to use.
When ANC is turned on the Q30's 40mm drivers effectively block out most of the background noise, making for very pleasant listening. The Q30's sound signature is natural, however it lags a little on treble. Some may be disappointed by the bass response (we got better results using the Bass Booster EQ). But, you can rectify this using the Soundcore app, as there's an eight-band equalizer that can help you tweak.
The left earcup has a power button, a pairing button, and USB-C charging port. The right earcup features buttons for play/pause, volume control and volume up/down. Double-clicking these controls lets you to skip tracks or repeat previous ones. You can also make use of voice commands to instruct for a change in mode or set alarms. The right earcup can also be covered by your hand to activate ambient mode to allow you to hear what's happening around you without taking off the headphones.
These headphones have a great battery life. The Q30 was able to last for a full hour in our tests when ANC was on than the other models. This leaves plenty of time to prepare for an extended flight or working for a long time. The included USB-C cord lets you quickly recharge them. You'll also get an alert when your battery is getting close to empty.
Focal Bathys Wireless
Focal's Bathys Wireless is a pair of powerful over-ear Bluetooth headphones that offers both active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're made to be a pair of premium headphones that are ideal for listening to music and podcasts on the go, but sound amazing when used for home use by audiophiles too. They're slightly more expensive than similar headphones, but their exceptional audio quality is the primary selling factor.
The Focal Bathys are packaged in a compact, slim and attractive fabric-finished white retail box that contains all the accessories you require inside. There's a fold-flat headphone carry case, USB-C to USB-C cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.
The battery's capacity is 600mAh, which will last for a whole day of listening to music casually. They also have an audio input to connect wired. Wirelessly, they're connected via Bluetooth. You can control their functions via an app (now called Focal & Naim in keeping with English Naim's network-aware products) or by pressing the button located on the left earcup that scrolls through ANC profiles like silent, soft 'transparent,' and 'full.
The app lets you modify various settings, such as the brightness of the LEDs and the EQ presets (including music's profile, that sounds more neutral and brighter than other profiles) and the battery life. It also lets you to choose the ANC mode and the level, as well as setting an 'acoustic' environment which adjusts the sensitivity of your audio to simulate what it will sound like when worn in a room with different soundproofing.
The Focal Bathys come with an incredibly bass-rich profile that gives more warmth, punch and impact to your favourite tracks. This means that instruments and vocals can be muted, while other certain elements like cymbals could be less prominent than on other headphones. They're not as efficient in active noise cancellation compared to other over-ears with more advanced technology, like the copyright WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.
copyright WH-1000XM5
copyright headphones are well-known for their quality and the WH1000XM5 is no exception. It is the best of the mainstream over ear headphone market and borders the luxury lifestyle segment where brands such as Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are located. The XM5s are expensive in cost, but should you be able to afford it, there are a few better wireless over-ear headphones out there.
The XM5s have a lot of features that make life easier for the listener, and also automate tasks they would otherwise be required to do manually. copyright's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed best wireless over ear headset music to near-high resolution) is available, as is support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows streaming of high-quality audio at bitrates that are higher than standard Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone for making calls hands-free.
Similar to the previous generation of WH headphones, the XM5s excel at noise cancellation. They're among the best at eliminating the continuous drones that can be heard in underground and train carriages. The XM5s do an excellent job isolating listeners from the background noise of airports and busy streets also.
The sound quality is also top-quality. The XM5s aren't quite as detailed in the low frequencies as the XM4, but there's a greater sense of clarity and realism also. The bass on Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys' power and definition, without affecting the rest of the music. Similar to Massive Attack's brooding Angel showcases the XM5's ability to create accurate and precise bass notes.
Battery life is excellent and can last up to 30 hours of listening time when ANC is active and up to 40 hours when it's off. This is enough to last a weekend getaway or several days of heavy use.
The only real drawback here is that the XM5s don't have any dust or water resistance protection. In fact, copyright recommends that you avoid sweating on them or wear them in the rain. This may not be a problem for many people, but it could cause a problem for anyone considering the XM5s who spend a lot of time in the gym or lives in a city with rain.
Apple AirPods Max
The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of over-ear wireless headphones with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. They have 40mm dynamic drivers designed by Apple with neutral audio profiles that is focused on the mids and highs without going overboard on either end of the spectrum. This makes them great for both movies and music. They also offer higher fidelity compared to other headphones.
The headphones have a light build that feels comfortable on the head. The ear cups are constructed from memory foam covered in a woven fabric. They sit comfortably on the ears without placing pressure on the sides of the face. The ear cups can tilt and rotate to accommodate various head shapes. The hinges that are spring loaded have a firm but not overly powerful clamping force, which ensures that the earcups remain in place during listening sessions.
A small button on the the right earcup can be used to toggle noise cancellation modes. You can also utilize the jog dial that is a push-button like the digital Crown on the Apple Watch. You can twist it for volume control and press it one three, twice, or times for playback controls. Pressing and holding the button invokes Siri. These buttons are placed well and easy to use, but I was disappointed that there wasn't the power button that could turn off the headphones when not in use. The headphones go into standby mode when removed from your ears or when they are put in their case. They only return to life when you place them over your head.
Spatial audio is another cool feature. It uses the accelerometers, gyroscopes and iPhones or iPads to determine where you are moving. Then, it adjusts the sound to make it appear to come from that particular location. This creates an immersive theater-like experience for movies and videos that were recorded in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. The only catch is that spatial audio requires an iOS device for use, and you won't be able experience it on other devices.
The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd be somewhat smug entering an Apple Store and spending $549 on them if I knew they'd be outdone in a year by the new model. AirPods Pro are more expensive and have more battery life and are equipped with the latest features.