Best Over-Ear Headphones for 2025

When you have a product that a lot of people love, change can be risky. Such is the case for Sony's WH-1000XM5, the fifth generation of the 1000X series headphones, which were first released in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and have become increasingly popular as they've improved with each generation.

Over the years, Sony has made some tweaks to the design, but nothing as dramatic as what it's done with the WH-1000XM5. Other than the higher price tag, most of those changes are good, and Sony's made some dramatic improvements with voice-calling performance, as well as even better noise-canceling and more refined sound.

We've always been fans of Sony's MDR-7506 wired studio monitor headphones, which have long been the favorite headphones of recording engineers and other sound professionals. The new-for-2024 MDR-M1 are essentially a premium version of the 7506, delivering sound that's hard to match for the price. These are the wired headphones that will make you realize what you're missing after listening to wireless headphones for so long. They feature big, open sound with excellent clarity, accuracy and tight bass. Not only is their sound a noticeable step up from the 7506's, but these get high marks for their comfort level (they weigh a svelte 216 grams). No, there isn't any noise canceling, but the soft, cushy ear pads offer good passive noise isolation.

They play louder with a headphone amp, and they're easy to drive (50 ohms), so you can plug them directly into a computer's headphone port or a smartphone (likely with a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter). They come with 1.2m and 2.5m straight detachable cables and a 3.5mm to 6.3mm screw-in plug adapter, but no carrying pouch or case is included. The only downside I see is that the ear pads aren't all that deep, so those with large ears that stick out a bit might have some issue with the M1's fit -- your ears might press up against the drivers, which are notable for serving up distortion-free audio, even at higher volume levels. They look and feel like an upgraded version of the 7506 so if those worked for you, these should too.

Several years in development, Sonos' new Ace headphones are finally available. They're mostly very impressive, though they aren't without a few downsides, including a rather high price tag and some potential glitches with a key feature. Overall they're very well designed and also deliver top-notch sound quality, noise canceling and voice-calling performance.

Earfun has made some very solid budget earbuds, and now it's entered the full-size ANC headphone space with its new-for-2024 Wave Pro headphones. They list for $80, but click the 20% instant coupon on their product page to get a discount. They may not sound as good as premium noise-canceling headphones from Bose or Sony, but they're comfortable to wear, feature decent sound with punchy bass (they're a bit lacking in clarity and bass definition compared to more expensive models), and offer respectable noise canceling (you can toggle between two levels of ANC) and voice-calling performance. I found them to be a step up from the Soundpeats Space headphones, which sometimes cost a little less.

They're rated for up to 80 hours of battery life with noise-canceling off and 55 hours with it on and support multipoint Bluetooth pairing as well as Sony's LDAC audio codec for Android smartphones and other compatible devices. I also like that they come with a hard case and a cable for wired listening (though noise-canceling is disabled when you go wired, which is a bit of a bummer).

Yes, they're expensive, but AirPods Max delivers richer, more detailed sound than lower-priced competitors from Bose and Sony. They also feature arguably the best noise canceling on the market along with premium build quality and Apple's virtual surround spatial audio feature for video watching. While they're heavy, they manage to be surprisingly comfortable, although I did have to adjust the mesh canopy headband to sit a little more forward on my head to get a comfortable secure fit when I was out walking with them. They should fit most heads well, but there will be exceptions.

Sennheiser's previous-generation Momentum Wireless headphones have always had a pretty distinct look that was part retro, part modern and stood out for the exposed metal on their headband. For better or worse, that's all gone now, and the new Momentum 4 Wireless, Sennheiser's flagship noise-canceling headphones, look a bit more subdued and also a bit more like some of their competitors.

The Momentum 4 Wireless offers superior performance over the Momentum 3 Wireless in every regard, although the biggest gains are with noise canceling and voice-calling performance as well as battery life, which is outstanding -- up to 60 hours at moderate volume levels. There's also a transparency mode that allows ambient sound in, and they have the ability to create a custom sound profile in the Smart Control app for iOS and Android using the built-in EQ, sound modes and a new Sound Personalization feature that "assesses the user's listening preferences and adjusts the listening experience according to their taste." 

Equipped with 42mm drivers, Sennheiser says the Momentum 4 Wireless offers "best-in-class" sound, which is debatable. I'd say the Momentum 4's sound quality is right there with other models in this price range -- they sound excellent, with the requisite well-defined, punchy bass, relatively wide soundstage (they sound pretty open) and smooth treble that brings out some of the finer details in well-recorded tracks. They're a pleasure to listen to.

Noble is an audiophile brand known more for its in-ear monitor headphones, but it's got a new-for-2024 wireless noise-canceling headphone called the Fokus Apollo that sounds terrific and features a special dual-driver design that combines a 40mm dynamic driver with a 14.5mm planar-magnetic driver. The result is rich, open sound, with tight bass and excellent treble detail and clarity, especially for a wireless headphone (it sounds a tad better in wired mode but it's not a huge difference). It's more dynamic than many monitor headphones that have a flatter, more neutral sound profile, but it still leans toward being an accurate, well-balanced headphone.

The design of the headphones is slightly generic looking, but they have some premium accents (Alcantara material on the headband and protein leather ear pads that are replaceable) and fit my head comfortably. A decent, albeit somewhat large carrying case is included along with a cable for wired listening (USB-C audio is supported). And in case you want to use the headphones for video conference calls at home or do a little multiplayer gaming, a detachable boom microphone ships with the headphones.

Equipped with a Qualcomm QC3084 chip (Bluetooth 5.3) and an ADI chip, the Fokus Apollo supports a wide variety of audio codecs, including LDAC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and SBC. Interestingly, that's not Qualcomm's higher-end 5-series chip, but I had no issues with wireless performance and voice-calling performance was good with decent noise reduction.

Like a lot of audiophile active noise-canceling headphones, the noise canceling is decent but not up to the level of what Bose, Sony and Apple ANC headphones offer. ANC impacts sound quality, so it's not surprising it's a little lighter with this headphone (there's also a transparency mode and a companion app for iOS and Android that allows you to tweak settings). It's also worth noting that you don't get extra bells and whistles like wear sensors that pause your music when you take the headphones off -- you're really buying this headphone for its sound quality and those dual drivers. Battery life is another plus. It's rated for up 60 hours with ANC on at moderate volume levels.

Love 'em or hate 'em, Beats Studio headphones are among the most popular headphones of all time, launching as wired headphones back in 2008. This is the fourth generation of them, and they carry the same list price as their predecessor and look very similar on the outside but have some big changes on the inside that make them significantly better headphones. I'm tempted to describe them as more affordable plastic versions of the AirPods Max. That's not quite accurate due to a choice in chipsets and one notable missing feature. Read our full Beats Studio Pro review to find out what makes these very good headphones, albeit with some caveats.

QCY is another Chinese brand like Tribit, Earfun and plenty of others that make budget-priced headphones that sound better than you'd think they would for their relatively low price (the company says the Q stands for quality, C stands for creative and Y stands for youth). Its new-for-2024 H3 Pro headphones are similar to models in this price range from 1More, Tribit and Edifier, but they arguably sound a touch better and I found them relatively comfortable to wear, as they feature a lightweight design and memory foam ear pads.

The sound quality on these budget models tends to vary a bit from track to track. While I encountered some occasional distortion on badly recorded material and the treble just can't produce the clarity and detail that you get with more premium headphones, all in all, the sound quality was quite respectable. The noise canceling also is fairly decent -- there are a few different modes to choose from in QCY's companion app for iOS and Android, which has a low-frills-looking interface but is robust enough under the hood -- and callers said the voice-calling performance was also good, especially given the price of these headphones.

You do get multipoint Bluetooth pairing that allows you to connect two devices simultaneously (you have to activate it in the app), but features like wear sensors that pause your music when you take the headphones off are missing. Also, you can set the headphones to automatically turn off after not being in use for a certain amount of time (I set it for 15 minutes), but the headphones turned off in the middle of a long call I was making, not seeming to realize that I was using the headphones. The H3 Pro are all in all a very good value, particularly when their price dips closer to $50.

The well-designed and comfortable JBL Live 770NC offers some modest improvements over its predecessor, including better battery life (up to 65 hours with ANC off and 50 hours with ANC on) and Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio (via a future firmware upgrade). Equipped with 40mm drivers, you get bold, nicely defined sound with powerful bass that's relatively tight. JBL's Ambient Aware and TalkThru features are on board along with multipoint Bluetooth pairing (the one feature that's missing is ear-detection sensors that pause your music when you take the headphones off). I thought the headphones' noise muffling capabilities were good and callers said they could hear me well even in noisier environments except when the wind picked up around me. The headphones fold up and a simple carrying pouch (no hard case) is included along with a cable for wired listening.

Sony's improved entry-level noise-canceling headphones, the CH-720Ns, have a bit of a plasticky budget vibe, but they're lightweight and very comfortable. Part of me was expecting them to sound pretty mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised. No, they don't sound as good as the WH-1000XM5s. But they sound more premium than they look (and feel), and their overall performance is a step up from their predecessor, the CH-710Ns. Are they worth $150? Maybe -- or maybe not. The good news is that, like the CH-710N and WH-XB910 before them, these have already seen significant discounts, with prices dropping to as low as $100 during flash sales.

The W830NB is the successor to Edifier's popular W820NB Plus, one of the better-value noise-canceling headphones of the last few years. The W830NB looks slightly more premium than its predecessor, and like that earlier model, is fairly lightweight (265 grams) and comfortable, with cushy memory foam ear pads. They also sound very good for their price, offering decent clarity and fairly well-defined bass with an amply wide sound stage (they lack the refinement and depth of higher-end headphones, but you can't expect the world from sub-$80 headphones). You can tweak the sound profile in Edifier's companion app for iOS and Android.

The W830NB do have a few additional improvements over the W820NB Plus. First, you get Bluetooth 5.4 (instead of 5.2). Also, along with the LDAC and SBC audio codecs, the W830NB support the AAC audio codec. The noise canceling is a tad better (it's decent but not up to the level of what you get with Bose and Sony headphones) and battery life is rated for up to an impressive 54 hours with noise canceling on, up from 49 hours. A couple of things are still missing. There's no official carrying case or headphone jack, although you can connect them to your computer with a USB-C cable (a USB-C to USB-A cable is included but most computers and smartphones have USB-C now).

When Bose released its new flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, it also replaced the QuietComfort 45s with a new, slightly updated model simply called the QuietComfort Headphones. Like the QC 45s, this model carries on the very comfortable tried-and-true legacy QuietComfort design that's been around for a few generations and that a lot of people continue to love. The QC Ultra Headphones add Bose's new Immersive Audio feature and have a more refined design with some metal parts (they also have Bluetooth 5.3 instead of Bluetooth 5.1). The QuietComfort Headphones still feature very good sound (the Ultras offer a small step up in sound quality), excellent noise-canceling and strong voice-calling performance.

As for differences between these and the QC45s, Bose says it adjusted some of the electronics to improve battery life (now 24 hours vs. 22 hours) and adjusted the logos to make the products "visually distinguishable and more in line with its latest design language." It also added an inline microphone to the auxiliary cable to "help with some users who may prefer a plug-and-play solution rather than Bluetooth pairing." There's also a Wind Block feature and some additional small performance improvements due to software upgrades. Finally, the headphones come in new color options, including green and a light blue version that's only available at bose.com.

The QuietComfort Headphones carry a $350 list price that's $50 higher than that of the QC 45s, but we expect them to be regularly discounted to around $250 or possibly less than that in 2024 -- so look to buy them when they're on sale. You can read our review of the QuietComfort 45 to get a good take on the QuietComfort Headphones.

In 2023, Sennheiser released a new midrange noise-canceling headphone called the Accentum that was sort of a slightly stripped-down version of its flagship Momentum Wireless 4 headphones with smaller 37mm drivers (the MW4 has 42mm drivers). The Accentum Plus, new for 2024, adds some extra features for $50 more, or $230. They include touch controls, adaptive noise canceling, support for the AptX Adaptive Audio codec, an analog port for wired listening and a hard carrying case. Even though it costs more, I do recommend this model over the Accentum because of those extras.

When I first tried them, they clamped down on my head a little too snugly. But after I worked them in and stretched out the headband a bit, they fit comfortably. They're an all-around strong performer, with good noise-canceling and voice-calling performance along with excellent sound quality that offers good clarity and well-defined bass (I also appreciated that they have USB-C audio so you can connect them to a computer or USB-C enabled smartphone with a USB-C cable and listen to audio). Like the flagship MW4s, which do offer slightly better sound quality, they're a bit generic looking. Still, they're a very solid midrange headphone that are an even more appealing option when they get discounted to less than $200.

Available in three color options, the Soundcore Space One by Anker are a good value for around $100, offering a strong feature set along with good sound quality and performance. They can't compete sound-wise with many of the premium noise-canceling models, but you don't feel like you're giving up that much on the sound front to save a good deal of money. They lack a bit of that natural, refined quality you look for in a great set of cans, but the Space One sounds respectable, with decent clarity and bass definition and measures up well to the more expensive Soundcore Space 45.

Noise-canceling and voice-calling performance are also good for headphones in this price range, though the transparency mode is only OK. Anker has developed a version of Sony's Speak-to-Chat feature -- Anker calls it Easy Chat -- that automatically pauses your music and enters a transparency mode when you walk up to someone and start a conversation. The headphones are equipped with wear-detection sensors, a feature not usually found at this price, and include a carrying pouch. LDAC audio codec support is available for Android users.

I found them comfortable to wear, but they do look a bit bulky compared to more premium models. 

Available in gray, blue or black, Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 headphones offer some significant improvements over the first-gen version. Not only are these headphones more comfortable -- they tip the scales at 307 grams -- but they sound better and have better noise-canceling and voice-calling performance with improved noise reduction. I don't necessarily think they're a better option than the lighter and even more comfortable Sony WH-1000XM5. The PX7 S2 certainly looks and feels luxurious, with its sturdy design, and delivers very good sound with better voice-calling performance, thanks to an upgraded microphone setup.

Bowers & Wilkins has also released a step-up model, the PX8, that features even better sound but costs significantly more. 

We were fans of Beyerdynamic's earlier DT 770 Pro headphones. The new DT 700 X is easier to drive than the 770 Pro, thanks to the company's new Stellar.45 sound transducer with an impedance of 48 ohms, so it plays better with smartphones, tablets and laptops without requiring a headphone amp.

These headphones are targeted at content creators who want accurate audio reproduction, but it's a bit more dynamic sounding and less bass-shy than many studio headphones, which tend to restrain the bass and hew toward a very neutral sound profile. The DT 700 X are revealing, clean-sounding headphones that offer invitingly open sound (particularly for closed-back headphones) and make you realize what you're missing after listening to similarly priced Bluetooth headphones. 

Unlike the earlier DT 770 Pro, which is being sold at a nice discount (around $160), the DT 700 X comes with two interchangeable (detachable) straight cables in different lengths, and the DT 700 X arguably has a little cleaner look than their predecessor.

Solidly built -- they weigh 350 grams -- they're quite comfortable, featuring upgraded soft, velour-covered memory foam earpads that offer decent passive noise isolation. The earpads and the headphones' other parts are replaceable, Beyerdynamic says. 

Beyerdynamic also sells the open-back DT 900 X for $30 less. That model should provide slightly more open, airy sound, but the big drawback is people around you can hear whatever you're listening to -- and sound also leaks in. This closed-back version is more versatile.

French audio company Focal is known for its high-end speakers and headphones. You might call it the Bowers & Wilkins of France. Now it's finally done what a lot of high-end audio companies have had to do in this age of on-the-go wireless music listening: make active noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones. 

Over three years in development, the Bathys cost $799 and feature not only wireless connectivity but a built-in digital-to-analog converter for USB wired listening with any computer, smartphone or tablet with USB-C. They are easily one of the best-sounding wireless headphones.

The Sennheiser 660S2 may seem expensive, but it's one of the more affordable true audiophile headphones, sharing the same design as its predecessor, the 660S. The changes are all on the inside, with improved airflow and upgraded drivers that include a new ultralight aluminum voice coil. This leads to better sound, with the bass adding more depth and definition, while the treble gains a bit more clarity and sizzle (the very natural-sounding mids remain pretty much unchanged as far as I can tell). The soundstage also seems more spacious and airy -- yes, these are open-back headphones so they do leak sound.

Note that the 660S2 requires some extra power to drive (it's now a 300-ohm headphone), so you'll want to pair it with a dedicated headphone amplifier. I did manage to use it with an iPhone but plugged it into an AudioQuest Dragonfly USB DAC/Amp designed for use with iPhones (there's also a version for Android smartphones). It sounded great listening to high-resolution tracks from Qobuz, the music streaming service.

Audiophile headphones usually have a very neutral sound profile, but the 660S2 doesn't suffer from being overly so. It mixes in just enough excitement while also managing to sound really clean and smooth. It's also a comfortable headphone, although some people with larger heads have complained that it feels a bit too tight on their heads. (I have a more medium-size head and they felt good over long listening sessions.)

All of Master & Dynamic's headphones are well built (they're sturdy) and have a unique retro-modern look. The higher-end MW75 has active noise canceling and sounds a little better than the freshly updated MH40, which features new drivers and a new chipset that delivers improved sound and performance. The MH40 sounds more refined than its predecessor, with better clarity and definition, and now offers support for the AAC and AptX audio codecs, plus improved voice-calling performance. Additionally, you can plug its USB-C cable into a computer or Android smartphone for a wired digital connection for high-resolution audio. Battery life is rated at a healthy 30 hours.

To be clear, this isn't a noise-canceling headphone, but you do get decent passive noise isolation from the nicely padded ear cups, which adhere magnetically and are easy to swap out should they eventually show some wear. Available in several color options, the MH40s are comfortable to wear -- they weigh 280 grams -- but may not be a good fit for those with smaller heads. 

Introduced way back in 1991, the Sony MDR-7506 has long been the favorite headphones of recording engineers and other sound professionals (yes, these are wired headphones). The origins of its design date even further back, since the MDR-7506 headphones are, in fact, a refresh of the Sony MDR-V6 that rolled out in 1985. Both models were designed for the pro sound market but remain hugely popular with consumers.

The two models have the same design and are very comfortable, but they don't sound identical. Both offer very well-balanced sound and excellent clarity for their modest prices -- and both are great overall values. The MDR-V6 headphones make a little more bass and sound more laid-back and mellow, while the 7506 headphones are leaner with a more accentuated treble range, which makes the sound a little crisper and livelier.