Bose’s new QC Ultra buds are an impressive upgrade to their existing line. Ideal for travelers, these noise cancelling headphones combine impressive noise cancellation with premium design for optimal travel audio.
Apple-centric fans may find them worthwhile as they do an exceptional job of cutting low-frequency noise from engines or chatty colleagues.
1. Comfort
Noise canceling headphones are an ideal way to enjoy music comfortably at home and during travel, while simultaneously blocking out ambient sounds like airplane engines or chatty neighbors on public transit. Not only can they filter out music but they can also block out noise sources like aircraft engines rumbling overhead or your seatmate’s lively conversation on public transit.
Active noise cancellation uses technology to digitally invert sound waves to cancel them out, so all that remains in your ears is your music. This differs from simple isolation methods which work by sealing around your ears with earbud tips or over-ear headphones that fit securely over them – which simply keeps outside noise out by sealing around the ears with rubber seals or sealing your ears with plastic caps that fit tight against them.
The Monoprice BT-600ANC are lightweight and budget-friendly noise cancelling headphones that deliver all the performance expected from more expensive alternatives. Comfortable with multiple features (ANC and Ambient Awareness modes), these lightweight cans support both AAC and aptX for high-quality audio playback on Android and iOS devices while offering some sense of spaciousness compared to higher-end options.
2. Noise Cancellation
Noise cancelling headphones work by listening to ambient noise around you and producing sound waves with opposing waves that cancel out those sounds – creating a barrier that effectively cancels out what would otherwise be heard, leaving only your music as soundtrack. They work best on continuous, low-frequency sounds such as engine rumbles or subway trains than sudden sounds like screeching brakes or your seatmate’s animated conversation.
Decide on the ideal pair of headphones depending on how important privacy and sound quality are to you. A pair that offers good levels of active noise cancellation, is comfortable to wear for extended periods and has sufficient passive isolation to block out most environmental sounds will likely be your ideal pair – such as Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra or Sony’s WH-1000XM5 (or Anker’s Soundcore Space Q45 if travelling on-the-go are among some great examples).
3. Sound
Noise cancellation works well to muffle low-frequency sounds like the rumbling of a plane engine or your seatmate’s animated conversation, while being less effective against higher-frequency sounds such as screeching brakes or your neighbor’s lawn mower. But modern noise canceling headphones are getting increasingly adept at mitigating these issues.
Keep in mind that noise cancellation comes with its own downside: degraded sound quality. Therefore, it is vitally important that you find noise-canceling headphones with excellent audio quality such as earbuds or over-ear headphones that enclose or cover both of your ears.
The Edifier W820NB Plus wireless noise-canceling headphones offer clear, well-rounded sound. Comfortable to wear and equipped with high-quality aptX and LDAC Bluetooth codecs that offer an audio upgrade over older Bluetooth standards, these premium headphones will meet all your requirements if your phone supports these audio codecs (check your spec sheet to be sure).
4. Battery Life
Battery life of noise cancelling headphones is of the utmost importance whether on an airplane flight or your daily commute, whether long listening sessions are involved. They should have enough power for longer listening sessions without running out during the day.
When selecting the ideal noise cancelling headphones, pay close attention to which audio codecs they support. Since Bluetooth can sometimes be unreliable and incompatible with certain music files, try searching for headphones with support for the latest aptX or LDAC codecs so that you can listen to high-quality tunes anywhere.
If you’re on a tight budget but looking for exceptional noise cancelling headphones under $200, check out Anker Soundcore Space Q45 headphones. With their superior ANC performance and impressive isolation features – which block out sounds such as aircraft engines whizzing by or chatty coworkers talking – these comfortable headphones provide impressive isolation from sounds such as plane engines whirring overhead, as well as easy recharge via their portable case that holds two additional charges – the Soundcore Space Q45s are sure to deliver excellent ANC performance while remaining lightweight so they’re easy on-the-go with two extra charges stored safely inside.