Over The Ear Headphones Wireless: What s New No One Is Talking About

Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones let you listen to music and podcasts without the requirement to connect a wire to your audio device. They are ideal for public transportation, at work, or at home.

Wireless over-ear headphones can have an elegant design and outstanding noise cancellation. They are usually packed in a stylish case.

Soundcore Q30

A major improvement over the Soundcore Life 2 from late-2018 These earphones appear better, feel stronger and generally feel more polished. The hinges are tighter, and the soft leather ear cups are a bit larger. They're still made of plastic, but they're more polished. You can also switch the 3.5mm cable for a premium USB-C model to connect them to portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also have two microphones built-in, which perform well in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app offers a vast variety of EQ presets, which can be customized and saved to listen to podcasts and music in the way you prefer. This is the thing that sets these headphones apart from other ANC headphones and the Soundcore app is extremely easy to use.

When ANC is turned on the Q30's 40mm drivers effectively eliminate most background noise, making for an extremely pleasant listening experience. The Q30's sound is natural, however it lags a little on treble. Some might find the bass response lacking (we had better results with the Bass Booster equalizer). This can be fixed easily by using the Soundcore App, which includes an 8-band Equalizer.

The headphones come with the power button and a pairing button on the left earcup as well as a USB-C port for charging. The right earcup has play/pause, and the volume up and down buttons. Double-clicking these controls lets you skip tracks or repeat the previous one. You can also use voice commands to ask them to switch modes or set alarms. You can also cover the right ear cup by using your hands to enable ambient modes so that you can hear the world around you without having to remove the headphones.

The Q30 bt headphones offer a long battery life. In our tests with ANC switched on the Q30 was able to last for nearly an hour longer than its rivals. This leaves plenty of time for an extended flight or working for a long time. The USB-C cable included allows you to quickly recharge the batteries. You'll also receive an alert when the battery is about to run out.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of premium over-ear headphones that feature active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're designed as an elite, high-end headphone that are ideal for listening to podcasts and music on the go but also sound amazing when used to listen to audiophile music at home as well. The headphones are a little more expensive than other headphones, but their superior sound is what makes them stand Blue Tooth headphones out.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a slim, compact and attractive fabric-finished white retail box with all the accessories you need inside. The package includes a fold-flat headphone carrying case, USB-C-to-USB-C cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.

They're powered by a good 600mAh battery that will get you through a whole day of listening, and also have an audio input for wired use. When connected wirelessly, they're paired via Bluetooth and you can control their functions using an app (now named Focal & Naim which is probably in the same line as their English Naim brand's network-aware audio products) or via the dedicated button on the left earcup that scrolls between ANC profiles such as'silent','soft' 'transparent' and 'full'.

The app lets you adjust various settings, such as the brightness of the LEDs and the EQ presets (including music's profile, which is more neutral and brighter than other profiles) and the battery life. You can also choose the ANC mode and level and set an 'acoustic environments that adjusts the sensitivity in order to simulate the sound of headphones in a different room.

The Focal Bathys feature a bass-rich sound profile that adds extra energy and warmth to your favourite tracks. In the end, instruments and vocals are pushed back into the mix, and sound muffled, while details like cymbals are slightly less prominent than you might expect on some other headphones. The headphones are also less effective at active noise cancellation compared to other over-ears with higher-end technology, such as the Sony WH1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony headphones are renowned for their quality and the WH1000XM5 is no exception. It sits at the upper portion of the over-ear headphone market, edging into the 'luxury lifestyle' area where the likes of Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc are a common sight. The XM5s are expensive however, if you are able to, there aren't many better wireless headphones.

The XM5s come with a variety of features that simplify the lives of the listener and automate tasks that they would need to perform manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near-high resolution) is available and also support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows streaming of high-quality audio at bitrates that are higher than standard Bluetooth. There's a built-in mic for making hands-free phone calls.

The XM5 blue tooth Headphones aren't different from the previous generation of WH headphones in regards to noise cancellation. They're among the most efficient headphones for cutting out continuous drones that can be heard in underground and train carriages. The XM5s also excel in separating the listener from the noises of busy streets and airports.

Sound quality is also excellent. The XM5s may not be as clear in the low frequencies as the XM4, but there's a more pronounced sense of clarity and openness, too. The bass on Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys power and clarity but without affecting the rest of the music. The XM5s are also able to provide precise and accurate bass notes on Massive Attack's Angel.

Battery life is excellent with up to 30 hours of listening time when ANC is on and up to 40 hours when it's off. This is more than enough to last for a weekend getaway or several days of heavy usage.

The only real drawback here is that the XM5s don't have any dust or water resistance protection. In fact, Sony recommends that you avoid sweating on them or wear them out in the rain. This might not be a problem for many people, but it might be a problem for anyone who spends much of their time at the gym or lives in a city with rain.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max is a pair over-ear wireless headphones which feature Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. They have 40mm dynamic drivers designed by Apple with an audio profile that is neutral and is focused on the mids and highs without going overboard on either end of the spectrum. They are ideal for movies and music. They also have superior fidelity when compared to other headphones.

The headphones are light and comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made from memory foam covered in a woven fabric. They fit comfortably on the ears without placing pressure on the sides of the face. The earcups can also tilt and rotate to accommodate different head shapes. The hinges that are spring loaded have a solid but not overly robust clamping force that makes sure that the ear cups stay in place throughout listening sessions.

A small button on the the right ear cup allows you to switch between noise cancelling modes. You can also use the jog dial that is a push-button similar to the digital Crown on the Apple Watch. You can twist it for volume control and press it once three, twice, or even three times for playback controls. Siri can be activated by pressing and pressing the button. The buttons are simple to use and well-placed, however I would have liked to see an option to power off or switch off the headphones when in use. The headphones automatically switch to standby mode when removed from your ears or placed in their case, and they only wake up when you slide them over your head again.

Spatial audio is another cool feature. It utilizes gyroscopes, blue tooth headphones accelerometers, and iPhones and iPads to determine where you are moving. Then, it alters the position of the sound to make it appear to originate from that location. This creates an immersive theater-like experience for films and videos made in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. The only downside is that spatial audio requires an iOS device to be used and you won't be able experience it on other devices.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd be slightly smug about walking into an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones if I knew that they'd be outdone next year by the new model. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and better battery performance, making it hard to justify the extra expense for most people.