The Best noise canceling headphones to purchase in 2021..

The best noise-cancelling headphones take music listening to the next-level by blocking outside noise and allowing you to focus in on your favorite songs. Whether you plan on using them at home or taking them with you on-the-move, they’re a must-have for music lovers, commuters, intrepid explorers, and office workers alike.

For instance, If you’ve never tried a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, you really are missing out. They’re one of the true wonders of the modern era as they can totally tune out any unwanted sounds or even ambient noise while making your music sound better than any pair of earbuds.

As a matter of fact, The best noise-cancelling headphones are perfect for blocking out the noise of the world around you. If you’ve ever had your musical enjoyment disturbed by rumbling engine noise, the rattle of a train carriage or just other peoples’ conversations, active noise cancellation (ANC) could be just what you need.

1. Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones

The best noise-cancelling headphones

As a matter of fact, The Sony WH-1000XM4 deliver excellent noise-cancellation and surprising sound quality all in a lightweight, comfortable design.

While they don’t look significantly different from their predecessors, the Sony WH-1000XM3. In addition, The number of new features including multipoint pairing, DSEE Extreme upscaling, conversational awareness and auto-play/pause using a built-in sensors. All help the WH-1000XM4 claim the title of best headphones in 2021.

By every possible metric, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a wonderful pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones. They deliver exactly what they promise and then some thanks to their exceptional noise cancellation and cutting-edge codec support.

2. Sony WH-1000XM3

A close second-best headphone

As a matter of fact, The Sony WH-1000XM3 were the best noise-cancelling headphones in the world for two years running. While they’ve been surpassed by the new Sony WH-1000XM4, there’s still loads to love about these over-ear cans.

Above all, For music lovers, the Sony WH-1000XM3 features aptX HD and Sony LDAC, two of the best ways to listen to Hi-Res music from your phone without a wire. Plus, all of Sony’s flagship headphones offer both Google Assistant and Alexa support.

Excellent for making calls

3. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

 Class-leading noise cancellation

They don’t quite beat the Sony WH-1000XM4s in terms of battery life and price, but the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are still a brilliant pair of over-ear cans – and the best Bose headphones we’ve reviewed.

Traditionally, noise-cancelling headphones have been designed to block out the environmental sounds around you, so that you can hear your music more clearly (or catch some shut-eye on a noisy flight).

This can be really effective if you’re listening to music. If you’re making a phone call however, the person you’re speaking to can still hear everything that’s happening around you.

4. Bose QuietComfort 35 II

Smart noise-cancelling headphones for voice assistant diehards

Coming in at number four are the Bose QuietComfort 35 II – a nearly identical product to the already-excellent Bose QuietComfort 35 but updated with Google Assistant. This means you still get the class-leading noise cancellation Bose is known for, good sound quality and incredible comfort, plus a convenient assistant to answer any inquiries you might have while traveling. 

In conclusion, Taken as a whole, the Bose QC35 II NC are an excellent  pair of headphones for travelers and commuters, bose has found a good balance of features that will satisfy most mainstream listeners.

5. Sony WF-1000XM3

True Wireless Earbuds Noise-cancelling true wireless headphones

Above all, It’s not often you’ll find a pair of wired earbuds, let alone a pair of true wireless earbuds on a list of the best noise-cancelling headphones; considering it’s still rare to find the technology in earphones at all, the Sony WF-1000XM3s are very impressive indeed, and fully deserve a place in this roundup.

The Sony WF-1000XM3s manage to offer a level of noise cancellation that’s very good for a pair of earbuds – they won’t offer the same isolation as a pair of over-ear cans, but if you’re after a sleek form factor then the compromise is worth it. These are the best noise-cancelling headphones for those who prefer an in-ear form factor.

6. Shure AONIC 50

Expansive, convincing sound

As a matter of fact, The Shure AONIC 50 sports a wireless, active noise-cancelling over-ear design, selling at a premium price to compete with the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose NC 700 Headphones.

Ultimately, while you won’t find every feature under the sun here, the Shure AONIC 50 are laser-focused on delivering the best sound-quality of almost any noise-cancelling headphone – making them the best noise-cancelling headphones for audiophiles

7. Jabra Elite 85H

Offering class-leading battery life, terrific style and plenty of personalization when it comes to sound profiles, the Elite 85h is easy to recommend. That said, purists will bemoan the lack of high-end codec support and there are punchier headphones on the market at this price point.

When you consider that Jabra’s Elite 85h headphones are the company’s first attempt at premium wireless ANC headphones, the result is quite commendable. We can’t wait to see what the company’s next premium ANC headphones will accomplish. 

In addition, If you want an alternative to Sony’s WH-1000XM4, these are a great pair of noise-cancelling headphones

8. Bowers and Wilkins PX7 Wireless

Best-in-class sound quality

Moreover, If you’re looking for really stylish noise-cancelling headphones and you’re not put off by the $399 / £349 / AU$600/ R3999 price tag, the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 are well worth considering.

In addition, it comes with sophisticated noise cancellation, brilliant sound quality, and a honed aesthetic, the PX7 could give any of the headphones on this list a run for their money.

Plus, they’re packing aptX Adaptive for improved stability and latency between the headphones and your device, as well as high-quality (24-bit) streaming aptX HD brought to the table.

9. Apple AirPods Max

As a matter of fact, The Apple AirPods Max were the most hotly-anticipated headphones for quite some time, having been the subject of rumor and speculation for two years, and come with active noise cancellation, superb audio quality, and a design that sets them apart from most noise-cancelling headphones on the market.

While their exceptional audio performance and class-leading ANC impresses, they’re  let down by their eye-watering price, baffling carrying case, and lack of support for Hi-Res Audio codecs.

Moreover. if you’ve already bought into the Apple ecosystem, you have a lot of money to burn, and you don’t care about Hi-Res Audio, you won’t find headphones that sound better or are easier to use than the AirPods Max.

10. Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless

In terms of sheer sound quality, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones sound brilliant, with high levels of detail, warm bass, and natural-sounding highs.

In addition, The customizable noise cancellation on offer here is also good, but it doesn’t quite reach the class-leading standards set by the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless headphones.

Well, if built-in Tile tracking appeals to you, and you like the industrial design and premium materials of the Momentum 3 Wireless, that could be reason enough – and if you do opt for them over the Sony model, you won’t be missing out on any audio quality. In that respect, they’re truly matched.

The bottom line

We believe that noise-cancelling headphones are just as vital as your laptop, TV or mobile phone when it comes to tech that’ll change how you live, work and play – especially if you have a long commute each day or a flight ahead of you. That means that choosing the right pair for you is important. The demands of a good pair of headphones for a flight are different to those you’ll only ever use at home.

Design is hugely important, as a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones need to be comfortable for long listening sessions – look out for padded earcups and headbands in materials like memory foam for ultimate comfort.