Best Over the Ear Headphones
Wireless headphones let you listen to music and podcasts without the requirement of connecting wires to your audio device. These headphones are great to use on public transport, at the office or at home.
Wireless over-ear headphones may have an elegant design and outstanding noise cancellation. They typically come with a sleek storage case.
Soundcore Life Q30
These earphones are an important improvement over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They look better and feel more durable and have a more polished look. They're still mostly made of plastic, but the hinges are tighter and the soft protein leather ear cups are larger. You can even swap the 3.5mm cable for a high-quality USB-C version so that you can connect them to portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also come with dual microphones that perform well in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.
The Soundcore app has a huge selection of EQ presets, which can be adjusted and saved so you can listen to podcasts and music in the style you prefer. This is what sets these headphones apart from other ANC headphones and the Soundcore app is extremely easy to use.
When ANC is on the Q30's 40mm drivers block out most of the background noise, making for excellent listening. They have a natural sound signature that leans slightly to the treble side, which some might find lacking in bass response (we have had better results using the Bass Booster EQ preset). However, you can fix this using the Soundcore app, as there's an equalizer with 8 bands to help you tinker.
The headphones come with an power button and a pairing button on the left earcup as well as the USB-C port for charging. The right ear cup has play/pause and volume up/down buttons. Double-clicking on these controls allows you to skip tracks or replay previous ones. You can also make use of voice commands to instruct them to switch modes or set alarms. You can also cover the right ear cup with your fingers to activate ambient modes so that you can hear the world around you without taking off the headphones.
The battery life of these headphones is great and the battery life is also excellent. In our tests with ANC enabled, the Q30 ran for almost an hour longer than its competitors. This allows you to take advantage of a long flight, or a long day at work. They can be charged quickly with the included USB-C cable, and you'll see warnings when they're about to run empty.
Focal Bathys Wireless
Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of premium over-ear headphones that offer both active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're made to be an elite high-end headphones that are great for listening to podcasts and music on the go, but are a great choice for home use by audiophiles too. They're a little more expensive than similar headphones, but their superior sound quality is the main selling point.
The Focal Bathys come in a small, slim and attractive fabric-finished white retail box that includes everything you'll need in. There's also a fold-flat carry case for the headphones and a USB-C cable to USB C cable, 1.2mmSE cable and an audio converter.
The battery's capacity is 600mAh, which can last for a full day of listening to music casually. They also include an audio input so that you can connect wired. Wirelessly, they're connected via Bluetooth. You can control their functions via an app (now named Focal and Naim in the same way as English sister brand Naim’s products that are network-aware) or the dedicated button on the left earcup that scrolls through ANC profiles such as'silent,'soft transparent,' and full.
The app allows you to alter various settings like the LED brightness as well as EQ presets that include a "music profile' that sounds brighter and more neutral than other presets and their battery duration. It also allows you to select the ANC mode and the level, as well as setting an 'acoustic' environment that will adjust the sensitivity of your audio to simulate how it would sound like when worn in a room with different audio acoustics.
The Focal Bathys come with bass-rich, rich sound profiles that adds more punch, impact and warmth to your favourite tracks. In the end, instruments and vocals are pushed back into the mix, and sound muffled, while other details such as cymbals sound somewhat less prominent than you'd expect from other headphones. They're also not as effective in active noise cancellation compared to other over-ears with higher-end technology like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony headphones are renowned for their quality, and the WH1000XM5 is not an exception. It is at the top end of the'mainstream' over-ear headphone market, but it is also dipping into the 'luxury lifestyle' sector where brands like Bang & Olufsen, Apple and Montblanc are a common sight. The XM5s come with a high cost, but when you can afford it, there are a few better over the ear wireless headphones available.
The XM5s are loaded with features to help listeners and, in certain instances, automate tasks that they'd otherwise have to deal with manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to close to high-res) is included and also support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. That allows for streaming of high-quality audio with bitrates higher than conventional Bluetooth. It also has a built-in microphone for making calls hands-free.
As with the previous generation of WH headphones the XM5s excel at noise cancellation. These headphones are among the best at reducing the constant drones that are heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s do a great job isolating listeners from the traffic noises of busy airports and streets also.
Sound quality is also excellent. The XM5s aren't quite as precise in the lower frequencies as the XM4, but there's a greater sense of clarity and transparency also. For example, the bass work on Rage Against The Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys muscles with real power and definition, without reducing the other elements. The XM5s are also able to deliver precise and tight bass notes in Massive Attack's Angel.
The battery life is fantastic and can last up to 30 hours listening time when ANC is active and 40 hours if off. This is more than enough to cover the weekend or a few days' heavy use.
The XM5s do not come with waterproof or dust-proof. In fact, Sony recommends that you avoid sweating on them or wear them out in the rain. This may not be a major issue for everyone else however for those who spend long hours in the gym or live in a rainy region this could be a major problem.
Apple AirPods Max
Apple AirPods Max is a pair over-ear wireless headphones that come with Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. They feature 40mm dynamic drivers that are designed by Apple and have a neutral audio profiles that emphasizes the mids and highs without going overboard on either end of the spectrum. This makes them great for movies and music. They also have higher fidelity compared to other headphones.
The headphones are light and comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made of memory foam covered with woven fabric and sit comfortably over the ears, do not put pressure on the sides or forehead. The ear cups can tilt and rotate to accommodate various head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges offer a strong, but not too much clamping force to ensure that the earcups remain in position during listening sessions.
Switch on noise cancellation by pressing a small button located at the top of the right earcup. There's also a button that can be pushed, Jog-dial-like button, akin to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can twist best wireless in-ear headphones for volume control and press the button once, twice or thrice to playback control. Pressing and holding the button triggers Siri. The buttons are well-placed and simple to use, however I missed having a power button to turn the headphones off when they are not in use. The headphones automatically switch to standby mode when they are removed from your ear or placed in their case, and they only wake up when you place them on your head again.
Another feature that is quite cool is spatial audio, which makes use of the accelerometers and gyroscopes of the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to figure out where you're moving, then repositions the sound to make it seem like they're coming from these locations. This creates an immersive theater-like experience for videos and movies made in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. Only iOS devices are able to listen to spatial audio.
The AirPods Max is a decent pair, but I'd feel a little ripped off for spending $549 at an Apple Store knowing that the newer model would be better after a year. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and a better battery performance, making it difficult to justify the additional cost for the majority of people.