Best Over the Ear Headphones
Wireless headphones let you listen to music and podcasts without the need to connect wires to your audio device. They're also a great choice for public transportation, at work, or at home.
Wireless over-ear headphones are available in a variety of styles and noise cancelling features. They typically come with a sleek storage case.
Soundcore Life Q30
These earphones are an important upgrade from the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They are more attractive, feel more durable, and have a more polished look. They're still largely plastic but the hinges are tighter and the soft protein leather ear cups are a bit bigger. You can switch the 3.5mm cord for a high quality USB-C cable and make use of them with portable Hi-Res devices and stationary players. They also have dual mics built-in that worked flawlessly in our tests using FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.
The Soundcore app offers a vast selection of EQ presets that can be altered and saved to listen to music and podcasts in the style you prefer. The Soundcore app is easy to use and sets these headphones apart.
The Q30's 40mm speakers effectively block out the majority of ambient noise when ANC is turned on. This results in an extremely enjoyable listening experience. The Q30's sound quality is natural, however it lags it is a bit treble. best over ear wireless headset might not be a fan of the bass response (we got better results with the Bass Booster EQ). But, you can fix this by using the Soundcore app, as there's an eight-band equalizer to help you tinker.
The left earcup has an power button, a pairing button, and USB-C charging port. The right earcup has play/pause, and the volume up and down buttons. By double-clicking these controls, you can skip tracks or replay the previous one. They also come with the ability to speak, so you can ask them to change the mode or set an alarm. You can also cover the right ear cup with your hand to activate ambient modes so that you can hear the world around you without taking off the headphones.
The battery life of these headphones is excellent as well. The Q30 was able to last for a full hour in our tests when ANC was on than the other models. This allows you to take advantage of a long flight, or a full day at work. 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 powerful over-ear headphones that provide both active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're made to be a pair of premium headphones that are ideal for listening to podcasts and music on the go, but are a great choice to listen to audiophile music at home too. The headphones are a little higher priced than comparable headphones, but their superior sound quality is what makes them stand out.
The Focal Bathys are packaged in a small elegant white box with a textured finish. It contains everything you will need. 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 good 600mAh battery that can get you through a full day of listening to music and have an audio input that can be wired for use. Wirelessly, they're paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions with an app (now called Focal & Naim in keeping with English Naim's products that are network-aware) or the button located on the left earcup which scrolls through ANC profiles such as'silent,'soft transparent,' and 'full.
Using the app allows you to alter different settings, including the LED brightness, EQ presets including a'music profile' that sounds brighter and more neutral than the others and also their battery life. You can also select the ANC mode and level and set an 'acoustic environments that adjusts the sensitivity to simulate the sound of headphones in a different room.
The Focal Bathys have a bass-rich sound profile that adds more punch, impact and warmth to your favourite tracks. The result is that instruments and vocals be muted, while other details such as cymbals may be less noticeable than on other headphones. The headphones are also less effective at active noise cancellation when compared with other over-ears with higher-end technology, such as the Sony WH1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Max.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony headphones are well-known for their quality, and the WH1000XM5 is not an exception. It is at the top of the mainstream over ear headphone market and also falls within the 'luxury' lifestyle area where brands like Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are located. This means the XM5s are expensive in price tag but, when you can afford it, there are few better over the ear wireless headphones out there.
The XM5s come with features that help listeners and, in certain cases, automate tasks they'd otherwise have to handle manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near hi-res) is included as well as support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows high-quality audio to be streamed with bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone that can be used for making calls hands-free.
The XM5 headphones are no different than the previous generation headphones from WH in regards to noise cancellation. They're among the top in eliminating the constant drones that are heard in underground and train carriages. The XM5s are great at their job of separating listeners from background noise of airports and busy streets also.
The sound quality is also great. The XM5s aren't as clear in the low frequencies as the XM4, but they have a higher level of clarity and realism, too. For instance, the bass track on Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys' muscles with real force and definition, while not sagging everything else. The XM5s also have the ability to deliver precise and tight bass notes in Massive Attack's Angel.
The battery life is also good, providing up to 30 hours of listening time with ANC active and 40 hours when it's turned off. This is more than enough to last for a weekend getaway or several days' heavy use.
The only drawback is that the XM5s lack any water resistance or dust resistance protection. In fact, Sony recommends that you avoid sweating on them or take them out in the rain. This might not be a problem for a lot of people, but it might be a problem for those who spend a lot of their time at the gym or lives in a rainy city.
Apple AirPods Max
The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones that fit over the ear equipped with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. Apple designed dynamic drivers measuring 40mm, with a neutral sound profile that emphasizes mids and highs without going overboard. This makes them great for movies and music. They also provide superior fidelity when compared to other headphones.
The headphones are lightweight and comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made from memory foam covered in woven fabric, and they are comfortable to wear without placing pressure on the sides of the face. The ear cups can be rotated and tilted to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges offer a firm, but not too strong clamping force that ensures the ear cups remain in position during listening sessions.
You can toggle noise cancelling by pressing a small button at the top of the right earcup. There's also a pushable, Jog-dial-like button, akin to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can turn to adjust the volume and press it once twice or three times to control playback. Siri can be activated by pressing and pressing the button. The buttons are easy to use and well-placed, however I would have liked to see the power button that could shut off the headphones when in use. The headphones go into standby when they are removed from your ears, or when they are put in their case. They return to life when you place them over your head.
Spatial audio is another cool feature. It utilizes accelerometers, gyroscopes and iPhones and iPads to determine where you're moving. Then, it repositions the sound to make it appear to originate from the location you are in. This creates a theater-like experience with movies and videos made in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. Only iOS devices are able to listen to audio in spatial format.
The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd be slightly smug about entering an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones if I knew that they'd be outdone next year by the second-generation model. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and better battery performance, making it hard to justify the extra cost for most people.