Best Over the Ear Headphones
Wireless headphones allow you to listen to podcasts and music without the requirement to connect an audio wire to your device. These headphones are great for public transport, at the office or at home.
Wireless over-ear headphones can have an elegant design and outstanding noise cancellation. They are typically packaged in a stylish case.
Soundcore Life Q30
These earphones are an important improvement over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They appear better and are more durable and have a more polished look. They're still mostly made of plastic, but the hinges are tighter and the soft leather cups are larger. You can even swap the 3.5mm cable for a high-quality USB-C model to make use of them with portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also have dual mics built-in that worked flawlessly during our tests with FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.
The Soundcore app offers a wide variety of EQ presets that can be saved and adjusted to listen to podcasts and music in the style that you prefer. This is what sets these headphones apart from other ANC headphones, and the Soundcore app is extremely simple to use.
The Q30's 40mm speaker effectively block the majority of ambient noise when ANC is enabled. This results in an extremely pleasant listening experience. The Q30's sound is natural, but a little on the treble. Some might find the bass response lacking (we had better results with the Bass Booster equalizer). But, you can rectify this using the Soundcore app, as there's an equalizer with 8 bands to help you tinker.
on ear wireless headphones has a power button as well as a pairing button and USB-C charging port. The right earcup is equipped with buttons for play/pause, volume up/down and volume up/down. Double-clicking on these controls allows you to skip tracks or repeat previous ones. You can also make use of voice commands to instruct them to change modes or set alarms. The right ear cup can be covered with your hands to enable ambient mode, so that you can be aware of what is happening around you, without removing the headphones.
These headphones have a great battery life. In our tests with ANC switched on the Q30 ran for almost an hour longer than its rivals. This gives you plenty of time for a long flight or a day at the office. The USB-C cable included allows you to quickly recharge the batteries. You'll also get a warning when the battery is about to run out.
Focal Bathys Wireless
Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of premium over-ear headphones that provide both active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're designed to be an elite, high-end headphone that are ideal for listening to music and podcasts on the go, but sound fantastic when used to listen to audiophile music at home too. The headphones are a higher priced than comparable headphones, but their exceptional sound quality is the reason they stand out.
The Focal Bathys are packaged in a small, slim and attractive, white, fabric-finished box that includes everything you need inside. There's a fold-flat headphone carry case, USB-C to USB-C cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.
They're powered by a decent 600mAh battery that will get you through a full day of listening to music and have an audio input for wired use. Wirelessly, they're connected via Bluetooth. You can control their functions using an app (now named Focal and Naim in the same way as English Naim's products that are network-aware) or the dedicated button located on the left earcup which scrolls through ANC profiles like silent, soft 'transparent,' and 'full.
Utilizing the app, you are able to change various settings such as the brightness of the LED, EQ presets including a'music profile' that sounds brighter and more neutral than the other ones and their battery life. It also allows you to select the ANC mode and its level as well as setting an 'acoustic' setting which adjusts the sensitivity of your music to simulate how it would sound like if it were placed in a room with different audio acoustics.
The Focal Bathys feature a bass-rich sound profile that adds additional warmth and punch to your favourite tracks. The result is that vocals and instruments can sound muted, while details such as cymbals may be less noticeable than on other headphones. The headphones are also less effective in active noise cancellation when compared with other over-ears that have more advanced technology, like the Sony WH1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony has a fine reputation for its headphones, and the WH-1000XM5 is not an exception. It sits at the upper end of the'mainstream' headphones for over-ear, and is slipping into the 'luxury lifestyle' category where brands like Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc are a common sight. This means the XM5s are expensive in cost, but should you be able to afford it, there are better wireless over-ear headphones on the market.
The XM5s come with a variety of features that simplify the lives of the listener, and also automate tasks they would otherwise be required to do manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near hi-res) is available, as is support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows for streaming of high-quality audio with bitrates that are higher than standard Bluetooth. It also has a built-in microphone for making hands-free phone calls.
Similar to the previous generation of WH headphones, the XM5s excel in noise cancellation. These headphones are among the best at eliminating the constant drones that are heard in underground and train carriages. The XM5s also excel at separating listeners from the hum of airports and busy streets.
The sound quality is also top-quality. The XM5s may not be as precise in the lower frequencies as the XM4, however, there's a more pronounced sense of clarity and openness, too. The bass in Rage Against the Machine’s Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys power and clarity without affecting the rest of the music. The XM5s also have the ability to provide precise and accurate bass notes on Massive Attack's Angel.
The battery life is fantastic and can last up to 30 hours listening time when ANC is active and up to 40 hours when it's off. That's more than enough for a weekend getaway or a few days of heavy usage.
The only issue is that the XM5s lack any water resistance or dust resistance protection. Sony actually advises against sweating on them or wearing them in the rain. This might not be a big deal for most people however for those who spend long hours in the gym or live in a rainy region, it could be a big issue.
Apple AirPods Max
The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones that fit over the ear with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. They feature 40mm Apple-designed dynamic drivers with an audio profile that is neutral and is focused on the mids and highs while not going overboard on either ends of the spectrum. They are great for music and movies. They also provide higher fidelity than most competing pairs of headphones.
The headphones have a light construction that is comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made of memory foam, are covered with woven fabric, and fit comfortably over the ear, do not put pressure on the sides or the forehead. The ear cups also tilt and rotate to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges provide an incredibly firm, yet not too strong clamping force that ensures the ear cups stay in place during listening sessions.
Toggle noise cancelling mode by pressing a small button located at the top of the right earcup. It also has a pushable jog-dial-like button, similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can turn to control volume and press the button once twice or three times to control playback. Pressing and holding the button invokes Siri. These buttons are well-placed and easy to use, but I would have liked a power button to turn the headphones off when not in use. The headphones automatically switch to standby mode when they are removed from your ear or placed in their case, and they only wake up when you slide them over your head once more.
Another cool feature is spatial audio, which makes use of the gyroscopes and accelerometers in the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to figure out the direction you're going, and then repositions sounds to make it seem like they're coming from those places. This gives you a theater-like experience with videos and movies made in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. Only iOS devices are able to listen to the spatial audio.
The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd feel somewhat smug walking into an Apple Store and spending $549 on them if I knew they'd be outdone in a year by the second-generation model. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and a better battery life, making it difficult to justify the additional expense for most people.