The 5 Best Budget Noise Cancelling Headphones - Fall 2021 Reviews

The best cheap noise cancelling headphones that we've tested are the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless. These over-ears are the previous generation of the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless. Although they're a bit older and have fewer overall features, their ANC does a good job of blocking out background noise like ambient chatter around you.

These comfortable headphones have over 32 hours of continuous battery life and can be used passively with their 1/8" TRS cable. Their excited sound profile is well suited for genres like pop or rock as it delivers intense thump, punch, and boom while vocals and lead instruments are bright. They also have low Bluetooth latency on iOS and Android, which is great if you like to stream videos.

Unfortunately, their ANC struggles to cut down bass-range noise like bus or plane engines. While they have a bass boost button to help add more rumble to your mixes, they still lack more robust sound customization features like an EQ. However, if you're looking for more affordable headphones with active noise cancelling, they're a suitable choice.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless are the best budget noise cancelling headphones under $100 that we've tested. These well-built headphones have an outstanding ANC system. They can block out a significant amount of noise like the low rumble of bus and plane engines as well as ambient chatter.

Their excited, v-shaped sound profile delivers intense thump, rumble, and boom. At the same time, vocals and lead instruments are bright and sparkly. Thanks to their companion app's graphic EQ and presets, you can also customize their sound to your liking. They have over 44 hours of continuous battery life too, and they can be connected with up to two devices at a time. They support multi-device pairing, so you can connect them with up to two devices like a smartphone and laptop at a time.

However, they're prone to inconsistencies in treble delivery and you may need to adjust their fit and positioning to achieve a more consistent listening experience. They also leak audio at high volumes, which could annoy others around you. However, these over-ears offer a fantastic noise isolation performance as well as a customizable sound profile, making them a suitable choice for most users.

The Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones are the best value noise cancelling headphones under $150 that we've tested. These Bluetooth-enabled over-ears have an ANC system that enables them to block out an amazing amount of background noise. They're also comfortable enough to wear for long listening sessions, have a highly intuitive control scheme, and feel solidly built.

Out-of-the-box, these headphones have a somewhat bass-heavy, boomy sound profile that should suit genres like EDM or hip-hop, but if that isn't to your liking, it can also be adjusted via their in-app graphic EQ or EQ presets. They also support multi-device pairing, allowing you to stream music from your phone while remaining connected to your computer. These headphones offer more than 13 hours of playback time on a single charge, but they come with a 1/8" TRRS cable with an in-line mic, allowing for full audio and mic compatibility on a wired connection.

Unfortunately, like most over-ear headphones, they're quite bulky, which can make them a bit of a nuisance to carry around when not in use. Their integrated mic delivers sub-par overall performance, as it struggles to isolate speech from even moderate background noise and makes your voice sound thin and muffled. Otherwise, their excellent noise isolation performance, comfortable fit, and wide range of customizability make them a good fit for most uses.