

Their noise cancellation is still excellent – only the XM4s and XM5s truly surpass them – and they're incredibly comfortable, with useful features including a battery life of about 30 hours. While they've now been upgraded by the new Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Sony WH-1000XM5, if you can find deals on the XM3s they're well worth considering. Read more: Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphones reviewĪs an indication of how good Sony's wireless over-ear 1000XM lineup is, the Sony WH-1000XM3 were the best noise-cancelling headphones in the world for two years running.

The unfortunate bit there, though, is that it no longer supports aptX or aptX HD, so your Hi-Res Audio support mileage may vary. On top of the adjustments listed above, the Sony WH-1000XM4 support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format that enables spatial audio on stereo headphones plus the LDAC codec that can send a bitrate of up to 990 kbps.

It sounded supremely powerful on the WH-1000XM4 headphones, from the bop of the percussion to the wall of sound that accompanies the pre-chorus.

In our tests we listened to Janelle Monae’s absolute banger Make Me Feel. They deliver exactly what they promise and then some thanks to their exceptional noise cancellation and cutting-edge codec support. The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones deliver excellent noise cancellation and surprising sound quality in a lightweight, comfortable design. While they don't look significantly different from their predecessors, the Sony WH-1000XM3, a number of new features including multipoint pairing, DSEE Extreme upscaling, conversational awareness and auto-play/pause using a built-in sensor all help the WH-1000XM4 claim the title of best noise-cancelling headphones right now.īy every possible metric, the Sony WH-1000XM4 are a wonderful pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones. Our list below features the best of the bunch, but it’s also worth considering cheaper options in our best budget headphones guide where you'll find some noise-cancelling models. We've tested hundreds of noise-cancelling headphones, looking at their sound quality, noise cancellation ability, and battery life. If you want new headphones for a more specific purpose, you'll also find noise-cancelling devices in our best running headphones and best workout headphones guides. Whether you want to feel fully immersed in your favorite music, are looking to block out the chatter to focus on a great podcast, or are sensitive to sound and need a buffer between your ears and the world, the best noise-cancelling headphones can make a huge difference. This means you can pay better attention to whatever you're listening to and, without distractions, you'll generally get a superior listening experience as well. Now many of the best noise-cancelling headphones can significantly drown out loud noises, as well as completely block out ambient sounds. Noise-cancelling tech has evolved quickly in the space of a few years.
