Top 10 Best Bluetooth Headphones with Noise Cancelling (2022)

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In my opinion, the best headphones in this test are the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95. They are scoring high on all metrics, but with a price, when tested, above $800, I think there are other headphones that give you more bang for your buck.

The best overall in this test is, therefore, the Sony WH-1000XM4. They have the most powerful noise canceling and are headphones that are suited for most people and most areas.

Active noise canceling in headphones is a fantastic feature, although it is probably mainly used in the home office during the current lockdowns, not on airplanes.

Previously, Bose was the clear market leader in Bluetooth headphones with noise-canceling. Still, in recent years, most manufacturers have thrown themselves into this market, some also with excellent results.

New models are being launched quite often, and that is why I’m doing this test to help you make a smooth and easy decision and figure out what product is best suited for you.

I have tested as many as ten models, all of which are placed in or around the top of the market. In other words, the quality is generally very high, and in many cases, it is small nuances that distinguish the models.

These models are, in most cases, the manufacturers’ absolute flagship, and it shows.

Image	Product	Features	Price
Best Overall	Sony WH-1000XM4	Battery Life: 30 Hrs	Check Price
Runner Up	Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700	Battery Life: 20 Hrs	Check Price
Fantastic Sound Quality and Design	Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 (3rd Gen)	Battery Life: 25 Hrs	Check Price
Best Budget	Sony WH-1000XM3	Battery Life: 30 Hrs	Check Price
Best for Phone Calls	Jabra Elite 85h	Battery Life: 36 Hrs	Check Price
Terribly Expensive, But Also Very Very Good	Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95	Battery Life: 38 Hrs	Check Price

How To Choose The Best Headphones with Noise Cancelling

Before you buy noise-canceling headphones it’s important that you decide what’s important to you, and how you will use the headphones. With active noise canceling you are paying a little premium to get the feature. And sometimes you have to compromise on what to focus on.

Should you pay a little less to get very good noise canceling, but reduced sound quality? Or do you want the best of the best, no matter the price? 

So what traits should we consider when making a decision of what headphones to buy? When I’m making a buying decision I emphasize:

• Noise Canceling quality
• Sound Quality
• Weight and comfort of the product
• Battery Life
• Design, and additional features
• Price / Value for money

Top 10 Noise Cancelling Headphones

Here we’ll dive into the 10 Best Bluetooth Headphones with Noise Cancelling. Each review will contain a list of pros and cons with a key benefit to each product in order to help you make an easy decision. In doing so you can easily figure out which product is best suited for you.

1. Sony WH-1000XM4

“Choose these if: You want the most powerful noise canceling and headphones that work in all areas.”

Noise Cancelling

Sony’s 1000X series has since the launch been among the best you could get from headphones with noise cancelling, but with this model, they take the step all the way to the top of the podium.

1000XM4 has first and foremost an uncompromising noise cancelling that effectively kills most of the ambient noise, be it an aircraft cabin or traffic from the road next to you. None of the competitors can completely match this.

Compared to 1000XM3, the improvements are so subtle that you will probably find it difficult to notice them if you do not have the opportunity to compare directly, but XM4 is better than XM3 in some areas.

For example, they definitely reduce some more of the most high-frequency engine noise on aircraft, which is perhaps also the most annoying to listen to. They are also a little better at muffling the voices of the passengers around you, and overall it makes the “my own bubble” effect even greater in the new version. If you play music, you hardly notice any sound other than that you feel the vibration in the floor.

Sound Quality

For the fourth generation, Sony has also made changes to the sound that I think is for the better. All in all, it gives a more balanced and open sound than its predecessor: Still fantastically engaging and fun to listen to, but a little less humming and bass-focused than before.

Weight and Comfort

Sony has worked with the comfort since the XM3 and the result is very good. The headphones now squeeze more evenly around the ear and give a more even pressure than before.

Despite a number of new sensors and larger ear pads, the weight has also been reduced slightly – from 255 to 251 grams. I can confirm that the comfort is at the very top, with very soft leather pads, good with padding, and low weight. This also applies if you wear glasses.

Battery Life and other features

Battery life is measured to 30 hours with active noise canceling active. Sony has also added a number of features I have been waiting for. Perhaps the most important is the multipoint connection, meaning that you can be connected to more than one Bluetooth device at the same time. This was something that was lacking on 1000XM3, and also something many have chosen Bose for in the past. Just be sure to enable the feature in the Sony app.

Microphone

The microphone quality has been a bit of an Achilles heel for Sony in the past, and they even claim that it should be improved with 1000XM4. I will say that they have improved it a little, but Sony is still not on par with competitors like Bose and Jabra in this area.

The XM4 does a better job of distinguishing your voice from background noise, but noisy environments are still more problematic at Sony than at the Bose NCH 700 and Jabra Elite 85h. In short: They have gone from being reasonably weak to be quite decent, but still not as good as the best.

Final Verdict

Overall, though, the Sony WH-1000XM4 are the headphones I think most people will be happy with, and the ones that give you the most value for your money. And that is why they end up at the top in a very good field.

2. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

“Choose these if: All in all, Bose has taken a big step from the QC35, but they may not be as good a buy as the Sony WH-1000XM4.”

Bose has lost its top position to Sony in regards to noise-canceling over the past year. But with the latest model, they have again placed themselves right up there, and also improved the sound quality a few notches compared to the QuietComfort series.

Noise Cancelling

The impression of the noise canceling is that it has become somewhat better and that Bose with this model is almost as good as Sony, at least before the WH-1000XM4 was launched. The Bose headphone is probably better with even noise, while Sony may have a slight advantage over the slightly more uneven sounds that are more difficult to silence. All in all, it is fairly even, and these two are now the very best in noise-canceling, closely followed by Jabra and B&O H95.

Sound Quality

In terms of sound, the NCH700 is also better than the QC35. Bose, however, retains its slightly sedate and laid-back playing style, and if you are looking for bass and fun, you will find more of it in other models. When it comes to the sound of Bose – some like it well, others find it boring. I also miss the equalizer option in the Bose app. Bose thrives best on well-produced songs with a lot of bass.

Weight and Comfort

Noise Canceling Headphones (NCH) 700, has been given a design that must be said to be slightly more modern and stylish than the more tank-like QC35. Unfortunately, this also means that the NCH700 is simply a little more “sloppy” than its predecessor.

If you shake your head with the NCH 700 on, you will hear noises from the plastic and metal in the construction, and it can also cause some unwanted noise in the music if you step a little hard with the headphones on.

On comfort, however, Bose is at the top. With a low weight of 250g, they are among the absolute best in the field. The pads have become a little bigger, but are as soft and good as they’ve ever been on any QC model before. 

Battery Life

The battery life is stated to be 20 hours with wireless playback and noise reduction, compared to up to 30 hours with Sony and 36 hours with Jabra. Bose is thus somewhat behind the closest competitors, but everyone qualifies as “persistent enough”, so it is not a big minus in the ratings.

Microphone And Other Features

The call quality is also good; much better than what you get with Sony, but not quite on par with the Jabra model.

It must also be mentioned that the touch controls on the outside of the Bose headphones are very good. Pulling your finger up and down on the right pad feels almost as physical as pushing up and down a volume switch. 

Final Verdict

If you like the Bose sound and think low weight and high comfort are especially important, these may be worth considering once again.

3. Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 (3rd Generation)

“Choose these if: If you think fantastic sound quality in everyday life is more important than having the best noise-canceling – and think design is fairly important.”

Danish Bang & Olufsen has come to its third generation H9, and we still consider them as one of the best headphones you can buy, with or without noise cancellation.

The design is largely the same as before, but generation three has received a slight change to the ear pads to provide better space for the ears.

They have also added a little more padding over the head than before, all to increase comfort, and added a separate, dedicated button to activate the voice assistant on your phone.

Noise Cancelling

The noise-canceling, on the other hand, seems to be identical to the H9i. This means that it is relatively capable, but falls short from the level of Bose and perhaps first and foremost Sony. In the office, for example, the H9 casts a pleasant veil over its surroundings but fails to cancel out as many voices and other uneven sounds as Sony can.

Sound Quality

They sound almost concert-like and gives an airy and big experience. There is a fabulous balance throughout the register and they manage to sound both engaging and relatively neutral at the same time. Unfortunately, the active noise canceling causes the sound quality to deteriorate slightly, with a slight veil over the vocals in particular.

Weight and Comfort

The materials used are top class, with aluminum, leather, and lambskin in the front. As before, the comfort is very good, although the padding over the head is a bit stiff and hard. It is admittedly a little more padding than before, but it would still have been better with a slightly softer variant.  The weight is not the lowest compared to its rivals, but a weight of 285 grams is not bad.

Battery Life

Battery life is also significantly updated from before, with 25 hours compared to 16 hours earlier. This makes the H9 3rd Gen significantly more competitive – 16 hours was in the lower tier, while 25 hours place them approximately in the middle of the herd and well within what I consider acceptable battery operating time.

Final Verdict

Bang & Olufsen H9 3rd Gen is an expensive pleasure. However, I believe it is a pleasure you will enjoy in everyday life, although there may be other headphones that give you better noise canceling, especially on planes.

4. Sony WH-1000XM3

“Choose these if: You think noise cancellation is more important than most other things, like a lot of bass and fun, and do not want to spend as much as the XM4.”

Although 1000XM4 is the first choice, 1000XM3 is also a very capable choice with a little cheaper price than the successor. As mentioned, the noise canceling is only a small notch weaker than the 1000XM4, and the sound is also a little more bass-heavy and with less clear treble – but still good.

The battery life is also the same, with around 30 hours with the noise-canceling activated, and the comfort is good here too. The two biggest challenges with 1000XM3, which to some extent have been solved with XM4, are the lack of multipoint connection and that the call quality is lousy. If you use the headphones a lot for conversations, we would perhaps recommend choosing the Jabra Elite 85h, but also 1000XM4 is a better choice than 1000XM3 here.

So you miss out on a few small improvements if you choose 1000XM3 over 1000XM4, but in return, you save at least a hundred bucks at the time of writing. And the 1000XM3 is still right up there when it comes to noise-canceling headphones, although there are others that deliver better sound than Sony.

5. Jabra Elite 85h

“Choose these if: You use the headphones a lot for phone calls, want a little more neutral sound than Sony offers – or just do not like touch controllers.”

Last year, Danish Jabra threw itself into the market with noise-canceling, and they did it with gusto. They are right up there with Sony in combining good sound quality with hefty noise canceling in a comfortable package.

Noise Cancelling

Jabra is almost as good as Sony and Bose when it comes to noise-canceling, but Sony is a bit more uncompromising in its approach, both with 1000XM3 and 1000XM4.

However, the Jabra are more comfortable and feel more natural to wear when the noise reduction is active, and also the Jabra manages in an impressive way to block out even uneven sounds such as the conversation of two colleagues standing two meters away.

We also like that you can change noise-canceling mode easily through a separate button on the headphone and that the Jabra app is also user-friendly and good.

Sound Quality

The sound of the Jabra is more neutral than with Sony, and they feel more open and airy – at least compared to the 1000XM3. They are not quite as big and engaging as, for example, B&O and Shure, but they are great to listen to.

We must also pay tribute to Jabra for fantastic call quality. You can use these even in noisy environments without the other party struggling to hear you. Here, the Danes are on a completely different level in this competition.

Weight and Comfort

The comfort is also good here, but Sony and Bose feel slightly better. The Elite 85h is also quite heavy with a weight of 296 grams, and the competitors have a little more padding around the ears compared to Jabra.

Battery Life

The battery life is also top-notch, with a tremendous 36 hours of wireless playback with noise-canceling enabled. They also charge extremely fast via the USB-C connection and support connection with two devices at the same time.

Final Verdict

There is not much to complain about with the Jabra Elite 85h. They offer very good sound quality, good noise canceling, fantastic battery life, and call quality. The price is also a little lower than their top competitors, so it’s actually possible that this could be the best buying decision for you.

6. Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95

“Choose these if: If you have money burning in your wallet and want to spend the extra bucks on Danish luxury sound: By all means, you will hardly be disappointed.”

Just as if Bang & Olufsen’s headphones were not expensive enough already, the new Beoplay H95 arrived earlier last autumn. At $800, they are among the most expensive wireless headphones I’ve ever tested, and if you look at what you get per dollar, it is obvious that there are other models that give you better value for your money. That does not mean that H95 is not good. Noise Cancelling

First and foremost, the noise canceling is a notch up from the H9. The H95 is not far behind Sony WH-1000XM4, and they have definitely the ability to make a “my own bubble” feeling with good noise canceling.

Sound Quality

In terms of sound, the H95 is also almost unsurpassed. With the H95, B&O has finally hit the right note, and the result is a very holistic, well-balanced, and fantastically engaging sound. 

The call quality is also very good, even in noisy environments. 

Weight and Comfort

The comfort is good even with a weight of  323 grams. The use of materials is – not surprisingly – still in the top class, with lambskin around the ears and construction in aluminum. The H95, like the H9 and most other B&O headphones, feels like luxury headphones, which they should at this price.

Battery Life

The battery life is very solid with 38 hours of active noise canceling, which is the best in this test.

Final Verdict

All in all, fabulous headphones from B&O, and the H95 improve a lot from the H9. The reason I don’t rank them even higher is of course because of the price, which is a little more expensive than I think most people want to spend on headphones.

7. Shure Aonic 50

“Choose these if: If the sound quality is the most important thing for you, you should definitely listen to these before you decide.”

Shure’s first headphones with noise-canceling will probably not win any design awards, but they catch up with good construction quality, high comfort, and last but not least a spectacularly good sound quality.

Aonic 50 supports primarily everything you need of Bluetooth codecs, with AAC, Aptx, Aptx HD, and LDAC. So you can be pretty sure that your devices are capable to deliver the best sound quality available.

Noise Cancelling

The noise-canceling is not the best, but they are okay. They reduce the low frequencies well, but it’s still a bit up to the best in the market.

It feels that I’m repeating myself here, but the fact is that Sony and Bose are a class of their own at the top, with most of the competitors a bit behind. Shure is actually a bit below the second-best in this test with regards to noise canceling. But they are not bad.

Sound Quality

When it comes to sound quality, Aonic 50 is first and foremost tremendous, detailed, and well-balanced. It’s easy to hear that Shure actually comes with a background in studio products. Although, it’s not a given that the background in studio production results in such an engaging and fun experience as they do here. 

When I tested the call quality outdoors the result was not very good. In particular, they are very sensitive to noise and wind, and it can be quite hard for those on the other end of the call to understand what you are saying.

Weight and Comfort

They are comfortable to wear, but with a weight of 334 g, they might feel a little heavy after a very long session. 

Battery Life

The battery life is stated at 20 hours with wireless playback and noise cancelling active, which is fine, but somewhat behind the best.

Final Verdict

The main reason for buying these is because of the sound, which is almost at the top. In that sense, it is a pity that the rest of the experience is not quite at the same level. But if sound quality is the most important thing for you, you should definitely listen to these before you decide.

8. Marshall Monitor II ANC

“Choose these if: Marshall II ANC are the headphones for you who want a Rock & Roll look on the headphones – and good sound quality .”

The next candidate on the list comes from Marshall – which for the vast majority is probably associated with amplifiers and other props on a concert stage. But the company shows with its Monitor II ANC model that they can master making audio equipment for us consumers too.

These headphones are true to Marshall’s well-known style when it comes to design. The surface of the headphones has the pattern that has been used on the company’s amplifiers for a number of years. At the same time, there are also other details, such as spirally wound cables, which give you a slightly more rock feeling than other models.

Noise Cancelling

These headphones have active noise canceling, and that of the good sort. Admittedly, they can’t reach all the way up to Sony and Bose, but Monitor II ANC joins the rather large numbers of models that follow just behind.

Sound Quality

The sound is kind of honest and neutral. This, combined with a nice open and rich detail in the treble, will suit those looking for this type of sound. At the same time, you have the opportunity to enrich the sound as you wish in a separate equalizer function in the Marshall app.

Weight and Comfort

They are comfortable to wear, but with a weight of 320 g, they might feel a little heavy after a very long session. 

Battery Life

The battery life is solid with 30 hours of active noise canceling.

Final Verdict

Marshall II ANC is the headphones for you who want a rock & roll look on the headphones – and a sound quality that is pretty good. 

9. JBL Club One

“Choose these if: A good but quite expensive alternative to the models above. However, the sound means that they can definitely be worth a consideration.”

Noise Cancelling

The noise-canceling is good, but not quite on a par with the very best. Club One removes all the right amounts of the lowest frequencies but has a little more trouble with the sounds higher up in the register. Outdoors, however, Club One gives a rather pleasant “bubble feeling” where much of the noise is muffled, even though it is not quite up there with Sony and Bose.

Sound Quality

What impressed me the most with Club One is the sound quality. The sound is very well balanced, airy, and detailed – and even with a fairly solid bass foundation. Shure has another small advantage in resolution and level of detail, but JBL catches up with more bass and commitment. The result is a sound that is suitable for most things. One downside, however, is that they do not support either Aptx or LDAC, only AAC.

However, the call quality is not the most impressive. Indoors and in quiet environments, it works well, but in noisy environments or in windy places, I experienced that the noise canceling on the microphone is too intense and in many cases removes both noise and voice. Pretty mediocre, unfortunately.

Weight and Comfort

JBL’s flagship is a fairly heavy and solid pair of headphones, with a weight that is dangerously approaching 400 grams. However, the weight is distributed in such a way that the headphones do not press on any particular point, well helped by fairly firm padding over the head.

Battery Life

Battery Life is 23 hours.

Final Verdict

Overall, the JBL Club One is a good but quite expensive alternative to the models above. However, the sound means that they can definitely be worth considering.

10. Sennheiser PXC 550-II

“Choose these if: You want headphones with low weight and the most anonymous look possible.”

Noise Cancelling

The noise-canceling is very solid, and in fact almost completely in line with Sony and Bose.

Sound Quality

The sound is very typical of Sennheiser, which is a positive sign. The PXC 550-II sounds neutral, well-resolved, and balanced, as Sennheiser is known for.

These are not the headphones for you who want heavy, pumping bass.

The call quality is also good – I was able to make myself understood even in very noisy environments, and there are many headphones that would not be able to reproduce our voice at all in equal conditions.

Weight and Comfort

They are also very light with only 227 grams, and they can largely be translated directly into high comfort, although I would have liked a little more padding on the headband. It has hardly any foam around it at all, and that can make the PXC 550-II somewhat gnawing, at least before the head has had time to get a little “hardened”.

Battery Life

20 hours battery is fine, though not very impressive, but it is a minus that they use micro USB for charging in 2021.

Final Verdict

A sober but solid set of noise-canceling headphones.

FAQ

Conclusion

The above mentioned are the top 10 Bluetooth headphones with noise-canceling you should consider purchasing in 2021. Even if you don’t plan to buy any of them, at least they’ll make a memorable gift for that special person in your life. The good thing is that it doesn’t matter whether they are young or past 70 years, these headphones will make both your lives better.

The best overall headphones in this test are the Sony WH-1000XM4. But there are many models that are very close so it’s important for you to consider which one is best suited for you.

And please comment and share your experience with the different models. This can help others to make their best decisions. 

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