Best Over the Ear Headphones
Wireless headphones allow you to listen to music or podcasts anywhere, without the necessity of running an audio wire to your device. They are an excellent choice for public transportation, at work, or at home.
Wireless over-ear cans are offered in a variety of designs and noise cancellation capabilities. They are typically packaged in a stylish case.
Soundcore Q30
These earphones are an important upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They look better and are more durable and have a more polished appearance. The hinges are tighter, and the soft leather ear cups are a bit larger. They're still made of plastic, but they are more polished. You can switch the 3.5mm cord for a high quality USB-C cable and make use of them with mobile Hi-Res and stationary Hi-Fi players. They also have dual microphones that work well in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.
The Soundcore app comes with a broad selection of EQ presets that can be saved and tweaked to play podcasts and music in the way you prefer. This is what makes these headphones stand out from most other ANC headphones and the Soundcore app is extremely simple to use.
The Q30's 40mm speakers effectively block out almost all ambient sound when ANC is turned on. This makes for an extremely enjoyable listening experience. They have a natural sound signature that leans slightly to the treble side, which some may find lacking in bass response (we had better results using the Bass Booster equalizer). However, you can easily rectify this with the Soundcore application, as there is an 8-band equalizer to help you tinker.
The left earcup has an power button and a pairing button and a USB-C charging port. The right earcup is equipped with buttons for play/pause, volume up/down and volume up/down. Double-clicking these controls lets you to skip tracks or play previous ones. They also have a voice command that allows you to request to switch the mode or set an alarm. You can also cover the right earcup with your hand to activate ambient modes to allow you to hear everything around you without removing the headphones.
These headphones have a great battery life. The Q30 lasted an hour longer in our tests when ANC was on than its rivals. This gives you plenty of time for long flights or working for a long time. They can be easily recharged by using the USB-C cable that comes with them, and you'll see an alert when they're getting empty.
Focal Bathys Wireless
Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of powerful over-ear headphones that feature active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. These headphones are made to be premium, high-end headphones that can be used at home or on the go. They're slightly more expensive than other similar headphones but their superior sound quality is the main selling factor.
The Focal Bathys are packaged in a slim, compact and attractive white fabric-finished retail box with all the accessories you'll need in. The package includes a fold-flat headphone carrying 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 casual listening. They also include an audio input so that you can use wired. Wirelessly, they are paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions using an app (now called Focal & Naim in the same way as English Naim's network-aware products) or the button on the left earcup that scrolls through ANC profiles like silent, soft transparent,' and full.
The app allows you to modify different settings, like the brightness of the LEDs as well as the EQ presets (including a'music' profile that sounds more neutral and brighter than the other profiles) and the battery life. You can also select the ANC mode and level as well as select an 'acoustic environment setting to alter the sensitivity to mimic the sound of the headphones in a different acoustic room.
The Focal Bathys come with an incredibly bass-rich sound that delivers extra energy, impact and warmth to your favorite tracks. In the end, instruments and vocals are pushed back in the mix and can sound veiled while other details such as cymbals sound somewhat less prominent than you'd expect on other headphones. They're also not as effective in active noise cancellation contrasted to other headphones with higher-end technology like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony headphones are known for their quality and the WH1000XM5 headphones are no exception. It sits at the upper end of the mainstream over-ear headphone market, edging into the 'luxury lifestyle' category where brands like Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc are a common sight. The XM5s have a premium cost, but should you be able to afford it, there are better wireless over-ear headphones on the market.
The XM5s come with features to simplify the lives of listeners and, in a few instances, automate tasks they'd otherwise have to deal with manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near-high resolution) is also included and also support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This lets high-quality audio be streamed at bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. There's a built-in mic for making calls hands-free.
As with the previous generation of WH headphones, the XM5s excel in noise cancellation. They're among the best-performing cans for cutting out constant drones found in underground and train carriages. The XM5s are also great at separating listeners from the hum of busy streets and airports.
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 openness as well. The bass on Rage Against The Machine's Bullet in the Head shows the Sonys' power and definition, without affecting the rest of the music. Similar to Massive Attack's brooding Angel shows off the XM5s ability to create precise and precise bass notes.
Battery life is also good, providing up to 30 hours of audio with ANC active and 40 hours when it's turned off. This is plenty for a weekend getaway or several days of heavy use.
The only issue is that the XM5s lack any water resistance or dust resistance protection. Sony recommends not sweating in the XM5s or taking them out in the rain. This might not be a problem for some people, but it could cause a problem for anyone who spend a lot of time at the gym or lives in a rainy city.
Apple AirPods Max
The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones over-ear that come with Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. Apple designed dynamic drivers measuring 40mm with a neutral sound profile that focuses on mids and highs without going too loud. This makes them great for movies and music. They also have better sound quality when compared with other headphones.
The headphones have a light construction that is comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made from memory foam covered in a woven fabric. They are comfortable to wear without putting pressure on the sides of the face. The ear cups can also be rotated and tilted to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges offer an incredibly firm, yet not too strong clamping force that makes sure the ear cups remain in place throughout listening sessions.
A small button located on the top of the right earcup allows you to switch between noise cancelling modes. There's also best budget over ear wireless headphones , like a jog-dial, similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can twist for volume control and press the button once, twice or thrice to control playback. Pressing and holding the button invokes Siri. The buttons are easy to use and well-placed however, I would like to have a power button that would shut off the headphones when in use. The headphones automatically switch to standby mode when removed from your ear or placed in their case. They only come back on when you put them on your head once more.
Spatial audio is a cool feature. It makes use of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and iPads or iPhones to determine where you're moving. Then, it repositions the sounds to make them seem to be coming from that location. This creates a theater-like experience with videos and movies recorded in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. The only drawback 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 a bit ripped off entering an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones if I knew they'd be outdone in a year by the second-generation model. AirPods Pro are more expensive, but they have superior battery life and more advanced features.