Best Over the Ear Headphones
Wireless headphones let you listen to podcasts or music anywhere without having to run an audio wire to your device. These headphones are great for use in public transport, at the office or at home.
Wireless over-ear headphones can have an elegant design and superior noise cancellation. They usually come with a stylish storage case.
Soundcore Life Q30
These earphones are an important upgrade from the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They are more attractive and feel more durable and have a more polished look. The hinges are tighter and the soft leather ear cups are slightly larger. They're still made of plastic, but they're more polished. You can even swap the 3.5mm cable for a high-quality USB-C version to make use of them with portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also feature dual built-in microphones, which are great in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.
The Soundcore app offers a vast range of EQ presets that can be altered and saved to listen to music or podcasts in the style you prefer. The Soundcore app is easy to use and sets these headphones apart.
The Q30's 40mm speaker effectively block the majority of ambient noise when ANC is turned on. This results in an extremely pleasant listening experience. They have a natural sounding signature that leans a little on the treble end, which some may be unable to reproduce bass (we had better results using the Bass Booster equalizer). However, you can easily solve this issue with the Soundcore app, since there's an eight-band equalizer to help you tinker.
The headphones come with the power button and a pairing button on the left ear cup along with the USB-C port for charging. The right ear cup features play/pause, volume up/down buttons. Double-clicking these controls lets you skip tracks or replay the previous one. They also have a voice command that allows you to ask to switch the mode or set an alarm. You can also cover the right earcup with your hand to enable ambient modes to allow you to hear the world around you without removing the headphones.
The battery life of these headphones is fantastic as well. In our tests with ANC switched on the Q30 was able to last for nearly an hour longer than the other headphones. This allows you to enjoy an extended flight or a long day at work. They can be easily recharged with the included USB-C cable, and you'll see an alert when they're getting empty.
Focal Bathys Wireless
Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of high-quality headphones for over-ear use that provide both active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're designed to be a pair of premium headphones that are ideal for listening to music and podcasts on the go but also are a great choice to listen to audiophile music at home too. The headphones are a little higher priced than comparable headphones, but their outstanding audio quality is the reason they stand out.
The Focal Bathys come in a compact, slim and attractive fabric-finished white retail box with all the accessories you'll need in. The package also includes a fold-flat carrying case for the headphones and a USB-C cable to USB C cable, 1.2mmSE cable and an audio converter.
They're powered by a decent 600mAh battery that can get you through a full day of listening, and also have an audio input that can be wired for use. Wirelessly, they're paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions via an app (now named Focal & Naim in the same way as English Naim's products that are network-aware) or the dedicated button on the left earcup, which scrolls through ANC profiles like silent, soft transparent,' and 'full.
The app allows you to change various settings such as the brightness of the LED as well as EQ presets that include a "music' profile that sounds more neutral and brighter than other presets and also their battery duration. You can also choose the ANC level and mode and set an 'acoustic environments that adjusts the sensitivity in order to simulate the sound of headphones in a different acoustic room.
The Focal Bathys have a bass-rich sound profile that delivers extra energy, impact and warmth to your favorite tracks. As a result, vocals and instruments are nudged back into the mix, and can sound dull, while details like cymbals are somewhat less prominent than you'd expect from other headphones. They're not as efficient in active noise cancellation contrasted to other headphones with more advanced technology, like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony has a stellar reputation for its headphones and the WH-1000XM5 is not an exception. It sits at the upper end of the'mainstream' over-ear headphone market, but it is also dipping into the 'luxury lifestyle' category where brands like Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc are a common sight. The XM5s are costly, but if you can, there aren't many better wireless headphones for over-ear use.
The XM5s have a lot of features that make life easier for the listener and automate tasks that they'd otherwise be required to do manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near hi-res) is also included as well as support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. beats studio3 wireless over ear headphones matte black allows high-quality audio to be streamed with bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. There's a built-in mic for making hands-free phone calls.
Similar to the previous generation of WH headphones the XM5s excel in noise cancellation. These headphones are among the top in reducing the constant drones that are heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s are also excellent at isolating the listener from the noises of busy streets and airports.
Sound quality is also excellent. The XM5s don't have as much detail in the low-frequency range as the XM4, but they do possess more clarity and openness. The bass in Rage Against the Machine’s Bullet in the Head shows off the Sonys strength and clarity, without affecting the rest of the music. Similar to Massive Attack's brooding Angel shows off the XM5s ability to create tight and precise bass notes.
Battery life is also good, providing up to 30 hours of audio with ANC active, and 40 hours when it's off. That's more than enough for a weekend getaway or a long period of use.
The XM5s aren't waterproof or dust-proof. Sony actually recommends not sweating on them or taking them out in the rain. This may not be a problem for some people, but it might be a problem for anyone who spend a lot of time in the gym or lives in a city with rain.
Apple AirPods Max
Apple AirPods Max is a pair of wireless headphones over-ear that come with Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. Apple created dynamic drivers measuring 40mm with a neutral sound profile that emphasizes mids and highs without going overboard. This makes them perfect for movies and music. They also have better sound quality when compared with other headphones.
The headphones have a light build that feels comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made of memory foam covered with woven fabric and sit comfortably over the ears they do not place pressure on the sides or the forehead. The ear cups can also be tilted and rotated to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges have a strong but not too powerful clamping force, which makes sure that the ear cups stay in place during listening sessions.
A small button on the the right earcup can be used to toggle noise cancellation modes. You can also use an earphone-style jog dial with a push button similar to the digital Crown on the Apple Watch. You can twist it for volume control, and press it once, twice, or three times to playback the controls. Siri is invoked by pressing and holding the button. These buttons are placed well and simple to use, however I missed having an option to turn off the headphones when they are not in use. The headphones automatically go into standby mode after being removed from your ears or put in their case, and they only come back on when you place them on your head again.
Another great feature is spatial audio, which uses the accelerometers and gyroscopes of the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to figure out where you're moving, then repositions sounds to make it seem like they're coming from these locations. This creates a theater-like experience when watching movies and videos that were recorded in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. The only drawback is that spatial audio requires an iOS device for use and you won't be able to enjoy it with other devices.
The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd be a bit ripped off going into an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones if I knew that they'd be beaten in a year by the new model. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and a better battery performance, so it's difficult to justify the additional cost for most people.