Every time we go on a trip, I make sure to pack our travel headphones. Specifically, over-the-ear headphones are far more comfortable. I use them on long flights, during workouts at the gym when I want to look “absorbed,” and all-day tasks when I’m posted up at a desk. We all have headphones in the house, but some of the CLJ team members were looking to buy some for their summer trips, so I wanted to help them (and you) out. Time for one of our infamous product tests!
The Winner of the Best Headphones Test
If you want to skip the testing, my top three picks for over-the-ear headphones with their corresponding superlatives:
- The Best-in-Class for Sound Pick: Bose QuietComfort Headphones (usually retail $350, can be on sale for $300)
- The Most Comfortable & Stylish Pick: Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones (usually retail $325)
- The “How Is That Price Real for the Quality” Pick: Soundcore Anker Life Q20 Headphones (usually retail $50!!!)
For the full in-depth review on the pros and cons of each model we tested, read on!
I’ll caveat with this: If you want what are, in my opinion, the best over-ear headphones out there, then get the Sonos Ace. Feature-rich, amazing sound, really comfortable (I’ve worn them on 5-hour flights beginning to end), and they get 3 hours of playback time on a 3 minute charge!!! I can’t emphasize enough how incredible that is. However, they are in what I would call the “premium” price category. I mean, there are worse headphones that cost way more, but $449 is a hefty amount.
So if you’re looking for decent headphones in a low-to-mid-price point ($40-$350), then here are some thoughts I have about the more popular options available. And I share which ones I would never buy for myself.
Testing 8 Popular Over-the-Ear Headphones
*Prices are accurate as of publication date
1. Bose QuietComfort Headphones ($359 at Bose | $359 at Amazon) – bought on sale under $300
Weight: 8.3 oz
Look: All black, very sleek. Have minimalistic volume buttons. Folds up pretty compact with the semi-hard case, which would be great for packing in a travel bag.
Comfort: Comfort is good. Large enough to wrap around grown-up ears; a little tight maybe if you have a bigger head. I could see needing to take these off every couple hours or so to give your noggin a rest.
Sound quality: Out of the box, these have the best sound by default. The bass is clean, not a deep booming sound unless you adjust levels in the app. Very rich on the orchestral strings—the levels are all clear and even without any adjustments.
Noise-canceling: Noise cancellation is really good. The action button toggles between aware mode and quiet mode, then also tells you your battery level as you toggle between those, which is odd but fine once you know what it’s doing.
Overall ranking: These are in 1st place out of 8. The sound is already great, but it gives you a simple adjust for bass, mid, and treble, which I like. The controls are probably the easiest to learn, and the fit of the earcups is very comfortable. There are actual buttons for up and down on volume, and the app has walkthroughs on how to use the other buttons. I would say the EQ on the Bose app is the easiest to use. The one downside is it has the shortest battery time, which is only 24 hours. You do get a choice of headphone colors though—if you’re into that. Hot tip: Watch for sales…especially around Prime Day and Black Friday!
2. Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones ($328 at Amazon | $320 at Walmart)
Weight: 8.8 oz
Look: These just look expensive. The style is very sleek with minimal buttons: just the inputs, power button, and a button called “custom”. They are the most flush to my head and seem to fit seamlessly. Includes a very sleek oval hard case covered in a linen-like brown fabric with a mesh pocket on the other side.
Comfort: Excellent comfort level. Didn’t get too hot and large enough not to squish my ears. There is padding at the apex of your head and thinner padding at the ear, but the earcups are deeper to envelop your ears more. Not too strong a pressure. Very lightweight feeling and a tilt swivel for a customized fit.
Sound quality: Sound is really good. The higher pitches on the strings were nice, while the bass was softer and warmer. A podcast sounded like someone speaking to you in real life. Overall, the tones were just a little flatter than Bose.
Noise-canceling: Noise cancellation is really good, maybe the best. I turned it on, and it was like a silencer on the background—just wiped that layer away. The controls on it are a push button to cycle through the settings, but it sometimes adds settings randomly? I think it’ll take some getting used to.
Overall ranking: These take 2nd place out of 8. The controls on the Sony headphones are really nice (and you can choose from sleek colors). The swipe and tap on the outside works really well and is intuitive. The Sony app has good EQ customization settings. The ladies in the office liked the matte taupe color a lot. While it has up to a 30-hour charge (on the lower side), these are the most comfortable and offer the best noise-canceling. The sound just isn’t quite as good as the Bose.
3. Soundcore Anker Life Q20 Headphones ($44 at Amazon | $59 at Walmart)
Weight: 9 oz
Look: These are matte black, and the look is nondescript. Not too heavy, but not as sleek. No one will ask you where these are from, because they don’t really give off high-end vibes. There are 5 buttons total, plus inputs, so not as minimal as others.
Comfort: The ear part is on a turn and swivel, and there’s an extension for over the head, so it’s very malleable to fit. Has a very thick, soft foam on the earcups. I tried these on an hour flight, and they were actually quite comfortable.
Sound quality: Very bright sound, very clean, strings and mid-tones. Seems like an even sound across the full range! Good bass, but a little strong on the mid-tones, so the overall music comes out a little imbalanced. Podcast sounded pretty crisp.
Noise-canceling: The hybrid active noise cancellation was quite good. Full noise-cancelling mode is really a good immersive sound experience, but will take your battery life down.
Overall ranking: These are in 3rd place out of 8. These are heavier and plenty more bulky than the Bose and Sony, but they offer respectable sound quality. The noise-canceling was on point. Plus, you get up to 60 hours of battery playtime, more than double each of my first two picks. And that price of under $100?! It’s unbeatable. Grab the Soundcore app if you want customizable EQ and control over the noise cancellation. These were a rec from a sound group—they were spot on!
4. Beats Solo 4 Headphones ($129 at Amazon | $129 at Target)
Weight: 7.7 oz – the lightest!
Look: It’s hard not to like the look of these—the team thinks the silver-gold elements are like jewelry. You’ll probably get stopped and asked about these. The on-ear controls are minimalistic and sleek—only a tiny power button, and the volume control, pause/start, and forward/reverse are all controlled on one earcup. They come with a soft padded case.
Comfort: So uncomfortable. They’re too small for an adult: I had them on for 5 minutes and my ears were already sweating. If I wore these for a full 3-hour flight, I bet my ears would hurt so bad afterward. The next version up (Beats Studio Pro) look more comfortable, but they break this price range, coming in at $350.
Sound quality: The sound is super clear, but they don’t have amazing depth of sound straight out of the box. In order to have more EQ settings, you have to use the Beats app (OK, fine), and there’s a weekly charge if you want all the features (uh, not fine). That to me is so stupid. The app also only works with Apple Music as the music source, so if you’re a Spotify user (like I am), then you’re not getting the most out of these headphones.
Noise-canceling: These do not offer active noise cancellation; they rely on “passive noise isolation,” which means the fit and design of the earcups is meant to reduce ambient noise. I thought it was fairly decent at that. Beats Studio Pro offers ANC.
Overall ranking: These are 4th place out of 8. While they may look cool, the big benefit of Beats headphones is they are owned by Apple, so they are maximally compatible with Apple devices and services. Turn on and your phone just finds them and connects easily. You get 50 hours of battery life and a “fast fuel” feature that buys you up to 5 hours of playback with a 10-minute charge. But these are not comfortable, you don’t get noise cancellation options, and they’re not feature-rich without paying (and tying into Apple Music). So they’re out of the winners’ circle.
5. JBL Live770NC Headphones ($119 at Amazon | $119 at Best Buy)
Weight: 8.9 oz
Look: I’m the pit crew at a NASCAR race with these behemoths. At first glance, these just look dated. The top is made of fabric! There are giant embossed JBL logos on each side of the ear, and it’s like they couldn’t decide between a circular look and an oval look for earcups, so they stacked both. Other than the inputs, there are 5 buttons, so they’re not that minimal. Comes with a soft charcoal suede-ish bag case with a drawstring. Kind of a cheap move—not going to protect them much.
Comfort: The arc is padded across the whole thing. They’re actually relatively comfortable on, even though I feel like I put on an industrial headset. The pressure is even across my ear. I feel “strapped in”—like an upside-down roller coaster.
Sound quality: Good hummy bass, but a little fuzzy on the upper tones. A little bit more definition than the Sony, actually, which was surprising. The podcast voices came in very clear and crisp with a very good range of highs and lows.
Noise-canceling: Great overall. In ambient aware mode, I can still hear the music I had on in the background. On noise-canceling, I can’t hear that music.
Overall ranking: These are 5th place out of 8. They’re a good middle-of-the-road option: decent price point, good sound. They actually have the best playtime battery life at 65 hours. But the look is very dated to me, I don’t love the massive logo placement, and the accessory bag should be nicer at this price point.
6. Skullcandy Crusher Anc 2 Headphones ($149 at Amazon | $149 at Walmart)
Weight: 11.7 oz – the heaviest!
Look: Are these for air traffic control? The matte black is sleek, but the earcups are about as thick as the Anker ones, so they’ll stick out a good amount. There is a large orange power button that I don’t love, and a dial that controls bass levels. On the right side, there are volume buttons and a middle button to play/pause or answer/end calls. There’s one more button for active noise canceling that lets you adjust between stay aware, off, and on. Comes with a soft rucksack-style bag? It’s like they’re trying really hard to look counter-culture.
Comfort: Padded on the top of the headphones and a thick pad on the ear as well. Earcups are on a tilt/swivel, but they don’t allow much tilt, only a few degrees. It is comfortable on, but feels bulky/heavy.
Sound quality: Very nice warm upper sounds, and the bass is booming. Great lower range! The dial lets you control the sensory bass, which I really like, actually. But a podcast voice sounded farther away.
Noise-canceling: Adjustable active noise-canceling was a mixed bag. In stay aware mode, it’s like the song and background song were at the same levels. I could actually hear LESS background noise when ANC was off than in stay aware. Could barely hear background music through the ANC on-mode, so I guess that works.
Overall ranking: I’ll give these 6th place out of 8. They have pretty rich sound with some easily adjustable settings on the headphones. If you want to skip an app for EQ settings, then this one is nice for that purpose. You do get 60 hours of battery playtime. On the downside, they’re far and away the heaviest of the bunch, which will tire your head out, and the rucksack carrying “case” is not my style.
7. Philips 8000 Series Headphones ($59 at Amazon | $47 at Walmart)
Weight: 10 oz
Look: The pressure or the angle is just not working. The ear portion is quite large. The outer hard shell is sized to match the inner soft padding, but the shape is kind of futuristic. The padding is really thick. These are not subtle. There’s only one button area. Includes a padded waffle case that would keep them secured nicely.
Comfort: Swivel and tilt. Padding at the top. The pressure is strong. Feels tighter at the top of my ear than the bottom, almost like it’s pressurized on half of it. Ugh, these are just uncomfortable to me…I can tell they won’t feel good for longer periods of time.
Sound quality: The sound is a little more muted on the upper range of tones with the strings. Bass is better than the upper sounds. The podcast sounds farther away and not very clear.
Noise-canceling: Has active noise-canceling options with awareness mode for ambient sounds. The settings were fine, but they weren’t my favorite of the bunch.
Overall ranking: These are 7th place out of 9. Wouldn’t pair right away and needed to be charged out of the box (they get 30 hours of playback time). Still not easy to pair later on for some reason. Comes with the world’s shortest USB cord. Sound is actually pretty good, but the comfort is so low—they’re pretty heavy—and getting paired was beyond annoying…I don’t recommend these.
8. Sennheiser Accentum Plus Headphones ($129 at Amazon | $129 at Best Buy)
Weight: 8 oz
Look: They’re very subtle, although there is this bridge from over the ear to the ear that is a little more pronounced than it needs to be. They kind of look like ear mittens for winter. Comes in an egg-shaped semi-squishy case. There are removable stickers on each headphone that introduce you to the controls. That’s kind of nice.
Comfort: It has padding at the top, and the padding on the ears is nice, but what I don’t like is that there’s a strong amount of pressure on my ears. Maybe that’s good for activities like running. but it feels too intense, like it’s going to give me a headache after 3 minutes. The earcups are comfortable. It’s the head that hurts.
Sound quality: Song was OK on the string sounds—kind of twinkly. But the music sounds…far away? Very minimal bass. Very minimal. Podcast sounds muffled.
Noise-canceling: You have to get the app in order to use noise-canceling, and when I turned it on, it was like the entire sound was much quieter. In transparency mode, I heard more background noise than the sound in my ears! There are experience EQ presets that allow you to change the listening style between dance, rock, default, pop, and classical. Neutral was the best option. The others sounded oddly faded out.
Overall ranking: These are in last place. These were a recommendation from another online sound group, but I have to say, they’re a fail for me. Sure you get 50 hours of battery life, but I didn’t like the sound—it was muffled and not rich. The app’s EQ presets did nothing for me. The fit was downright painful. Hard pass.
The Final Verdict
After testing and reviewing each, it might be obvious that Bose QuietComfort Headphones are the winner for me. They’re known for good sound quality, and they deliver in spades with these. These headphones look sleek and come with a higher-end carrying case. Second place are the Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones if you are okay sacrificing some sound quality for more comfort and better noise cancellation. Third place is the new-to-me Soundcore Anker Life Q20 Headphones. They’re a budget-friendly pick and easy to use, with solid sound and noise cancellation.
I know my kids like 4th place Beats Solo for the look. Maybe they’re more comfortable on smaller ears, but friends, skip those if you’re an adult and more on Spotify than Apple Music. And the rest? You’re on your own. They just didn’t make the cut, in my opinion.
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Another great pair is Mpow H19 IPO Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, on sale now at $51.
https://www.xmpow.com/collections/headphones/products/mpow-h19-ipo-active-noise-cancelling-headphones