The 7 Best Noise Cancelling Earbuds And In-Ear Headphones - Winter 2020
Reviews

The best wireless noise cancelling earbuds that we’ve tested so far are the Bose QuietControl 30. With their distinctive neckband style, they’re light and comfortable to wear for hours, but may not be for everyone. These earbuds sound good, with a deep and punchy bass suitable for hip-hop and EDM. The mids are slightly recessed, pulling back the vocals a bit, and while the treble sounds decent, it can be sharp on certain tracks. Overall, they should be able to handle most genres well.

These earbuds provide an impressive amount of isolation across all frequencies. The Bose Connect mobile app lets you control the desired amount of noise cancellation, adjust the auto-off timer, as well as showing the current battery level of your earphones. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t have an EQ to customize the sound. On the subject of the neckband, the rubber sleeve is known to peel off after a few months of regular use, which is disappointing considering how good everything else is.

Aside from the issue regarding the neckband, Bose has managed to put together a good set of features to make these headphones easy to recommend.

The best noise cancelling truly wireless earbuds that we've tested so far are the Apple AirPods Pro. They're quite comfortable for in-ear headphones, with a lightweight design that can be worn for hours without causing fatigue. Their ANC works extremely well, doing an impressive job at blocking out the low engine rumbles of planes or buses, and an even better job at blocking out speech. They have an extremely premium look and feel, with a small case that can easily be slipped into a pocket but still manages to hold close to 32 hours of total battery life, which is outstanding.

Their sound profile is quite well-balanced and suitable for a wide variety of genres, though fans of thumping bass may want to look elsewhere. They're even a great option for the gym since as they feel very stable in the ear, and are rated IPX4 for sweat resistance, though this isn't something that we currently test. If you use Apple Devices, they're extremely easy to pair and switch between multiple devices, thanks to Apple's H1 chip.

Unfortunately, they don't have an app for Android, and only have a settings window within iOS. Their customization options on iOS are limited and only allow you to make some changes to their control scheme, and ANC, with no EQ or preset options available. Overall, they're an impressively versatile pair of truly wireless in-ears with excellent ANC, well-balanced sound, and a surprisingly comfortable fit.

If you need more sports-oriented noise cancelling in-ears, the best noise cancelling earbuds for working out are the Sony WI-SP600N. Their active noise cancelling (ANC) feature isn’t as strong as that of the Jabra Elite 65e Wireless, but they’re well-built and are rated IPX4 for light water resistance. They have a simple in-ear design that fits securely yet fairly comfortably, and they're very breathable.

These wireless in-ears have a very good control scheme that feels complete and provides good feedback. Their portable design is easy to stash in a pocket or a bag when you’re on-the-go, and their 5.6-hour battery life is long enough for a full workout. They’re compatible with the Sony | Headphones Connect app which provides a decent amount of customization options, and they have a standby mode to help save power when not in use.

Unfortunately, they sound rather mediocre. Although you can EQ their sound in the app, there are non-ANC in-ears that sound better out-of-the-box and achieve better passive isolation performance, like the Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless or the JBL Reflect Mini 2 Wireless. That said, these are still well-built and stylish wireless in-ears that are worth considering for athletes who prefer ANC headphones.

If you don't want to spend a ton of money and don't need the extra noise cancelling boost that ANC gives you, the best passively isolating budget earbuds that we've tested so far are the AUKEY Latitude. Unlike the other options on this list, they don't have Active Noise Cancellation and rely on a tight seal to passively block out background sounds, but this means that they're substantially cheaper. They're wireless headphones with the left and right earbuds connected by a cable, and they come with stability fins to help them stay in your ear even during light workouts.

Despite not having ANC, they still block out background noise almost as well as some other options mentioned so far. They don't do as good a job with the low engine rumbles of planes or buses, but they do an absolutely outstanding job in the mid-range, where background speech sits. This makes them a good option to help keep you concentrated at work by blocking out chatty coworkers. Their sound profile is also surprisingly well-balanced for the price, and they should be versatile enough for a wide range of genres, though some S and T sounds may sound a bit sharp or piercing to some people.

Unfortunately, they aren't the most comfortable as they enter your ear canal quite deeply, though thankfully they come with 3 different tip and stability fin sizes to help get the best fit for you. They also can be a bit difficult to find as AUKEY doesn't list model names in their Amazon listings, which can be confusing. Overall, if you don't want to spend too much money, but want something that can still help block out background noises, these headphones are a great choice.