Earbuds are great for carrying around in your pocket and wearing discreetly in your ears, but if you want the most involving and comfortable music listening experience, over-ear headphones are the way to go.
Not only do over-ears sit around your ears, enclosing them fully for a more isolated and immersive listening experience, but their larger size also means bigger drivers and thus a greater potential for better sound. Indeed, you can expect a more accomplished performance from the best over-ears than the best on-ear headphones or earbuds – which is why they are a must for those who are after quality time with their music.
So, your options: performance-first wired over-ears for high-quality listening out and about or at home, or a wireless over-ear model that offers the ultimate convenience of smart features (such as ANC) and, of course, no wires. Whichever route you go down, the very best pairs combine class-leading sound at their price with all-day comfort and durable build.
Our expert review team's best-of pick below features both kinds across a wide range of budgets, having passed our stringent in-house testing process which includes comparing every model to the current class leader in its field. So without further ado, let's dive into them...
The quick list
A great, affordable pair of wired headphones for those on a tight budget, these studio-style cans put more street-ready pairs to shame.
A brilliant pair of affordable wireless over-ears that deliver superb sound quality in an affordable package.
If you want active noise cancellation but can't pay through the nose for it, we heartily recommend these Sony all-rounders.
With their refined, entertaining sound, comfortable build and great-value price, the wired NTH-100 are outstanding.
Sony hits yet another home run with its flagship wireless model. They look good, feel good, and deliver best-in-class sound.
Read more below
If you don't mind a leaky open-backed design and dated aesthetic, you will be rewarded with a spacious, dynamic sound that puts musicality first.
Read more below
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As the price tag demands, the No.5909 bring wired-standard sound to wireless convenience.
The legendary T1 model is as good as it's ever been. Not cheap, but truly exceptional wired headphones.
Read more below
Recent updates
July 2024: The new wired Sennheiser HD 620S weren't quite a match for their Grado and Beyerdynamic rivals, while the wireless Sonos Ace proved highly disappointing.
I've been testing and writing about headphones for more than a decade and am one of What Hi-Fi?'s go-to reviewers for home and portable headphones. Over-ears vary wildly in capability across the sound and feature departments (and if you aren't sure what to look for, skip now to my how to choose section), so my top recommendations below are a mix of wired and wireless, budget and premium but all have one thing in common: class-leading performance at their respective level. I can assure you they won't disappoint.
Best cheap wired headphones
Looking for a bargain? Bargain wired headphones that marry decent sound with a super-affordable price tag are very rare indeed, but these AKGs are the exception.
The K72's solid build means they are going to last – AKG bent the cable 80,000 times during production just to test longevity. The generous padding is nice and comfy, while the 3m cable provides enough play for listening comfortably at home. This is a classic studio headphone design, and while you could just about get away with wearing these out on the street, the long cable demonstrates that they're not made specifically for that purpose.
How about the sound? It’s pleasingly expansive, with a breadth and scale rarely found in the kind of headphones you'd normally see on the high street at this sort of price. "By aiming for the more neutral presentation of a pro headphone, AKG has managed to deliver many of the basic ingredients of [pricier] headphones at a much lower price here," said our expert reviewers in our K72 review. They certainly come across as smoother than the similarly priced Sennheiser HD201, not to mention with better-controlled bass. The midrange isn't quite as clean as we would like, but for the money, these are the best over-ear headphones if affordability is a factor.
If you can stretch your budget slightly further, though, two current What Hi-Fi? Award winners are well worth considering instead: the Austrian Audio Hi-X15 and, even more so, the Røde NTH-100 (below).
Read our full AKG K72 review
Best cheap wireless headphones
The WH-CH520 on-ear headphones are without doubt one of the less glamorous products in the Sony headphones lineup, but that doesn’t automatically mean they are not worthy of your attention. If you want value for money at a modest price point, they are one of very few pairs at this price point that make perfect sense.
They are certainly put together well, with a sturdy construction that feels built to last – the headband adjustment mechanism, for example, is robust and moves with reassuring solidity. There is mild padding on the inside of the headband and the earpads, and while it's not exactly lavish, it helps no end with comfort. An all-in weight of just 147g doesn’t do any harm in this respect either, and even though they are pleather-covered, the earpads resist returning your body heat for quite a while.
While there's no ANC, you do get a marathon 50 hours of battery life from a single charge as well as Bluetooth 5.2 (with ‘Fast Pair’ for Android devices) and a few companion app features.
Sonically, the CH520 aren't the most expressive headphones you have ever heard where low frequencies are concerned, but the low end they do generate is solid, deep and properly controlled at the leading edges. Better still, they hit reasonably hard, and keep bass firmly in its lane where it can’t interfere with the midrange activity above. "The midrange itself lacks ultimate clarity," notes our WH-CH520 review, "but by prevailing price standards it’s informative and actually quite eloquent where vocalists are concerned."
Despite a few very reasonable (at this price) sonic inhibitions, Sony's budget wireless headphones are a bit of a mini-marvel at a price level severely lacking in excellent competition.
That said, if active noise cancellation (ANC) is a must-have feature, your best bets are the next-model-up Sony WH-CH720 below...
Read our full Sony WH-CH520 review
Best cheap ANC headphones
The Sony WH-CH720N aim to plug a gap in the wireless headphones market by offering active noise cancellation (ANC) and a premium-ish build quality at what is still a very reasonable price. In essence, they are designed for those who aren’t keen on forking out hundreds for premium noise-cancelling over-ears (like the Sony WH-1000XM5 below) but who equally don’t want to skimp on ANC or suffer a drop in audio fidelity by opting for a true entry-level pair (like the Sony WH-CH520 above).
The CH720N don’t fold up and away, nor do they come with a designated carry case, but they feel good in the hand and on the head; never do they feel as though they're about to be torn asunder by the wear and tear of everyday use. Battery life is excellent – 35 hours with ANC on, 50 with it off – and Bluetooth 5.2 support is a welcome inclusion too.
Sound-wise, we can’t think of a pair of over-ear headphones at this price that could keep up with such a spirited and energetic (if slightly bass-heavy) delivery. Hip-hop and rock fare especially well, greatly benefiting from the meat and texture these classy over-ears afford. Listen to the absolute percussive force you receive from Nirvana’s You Know You’re Right and you will hear exactly what we mean. As our in-house reviewers penned in our WH-CH720N review, "the CH720N’s punchy presentational style feels tailor-made for the genres that can get the best use from it, namely rock, hip-hop, big orchestral numbers and peppy, energetic pop hits."
The WH-CH720N deliver exactly what Sony intended. For a very reasonable price, they are a dependably made, enthusiastic-sounding pair of headphones that, while occasionally straying into the realm of excessive bass, deliver good ANC and a strong feature set to the mid-to-low price bracket of the wireless headphone market. Hence they are current What Hi-Fi? Award winners.
Read our full Sony WH-CH720N review
Best overall wired headphones
There are quite a few things that make the Røde NTH-100 something of a wonder. Firstly, they are the first consumer-ready headphones the Australian company (better known as a maker of microphones) has ever made. Second, they are a pair of wired cans trying to make it in a world dominated by the all-consuming Bluetooth behemoth. Thirdly, and most importantly, they sound truly stunning for the price.
Headphones are for one of two things: they are for either casual entertainment or critical, businesslike purposes such as monitoring or mixing. It’s unusual to find a pair of headphones that can fulfil both roles adequately – and it’s even rarer at the sort of money Røde is asking for with the NTH-100.
The mission is achieved with startling confidence, though. Detailed, dynamic and yet relentlessly well-balanced, you really can imagine using the NTH-100 as both a pair of casual listening cans or as a studio-grade model for monitoring or mixing. They are that versatile; they are that good. Our expert reviewers praised their midrange in particular, which they called the "star of the show". "Add in considerable dynamic headroom, a big and solidly constructed soundstage and an overarching impression of ‘control’, and it should become apparent the Røde NTH-100 are deeply capable headphones," the NTH-100 review reads.
No, you don't get many features with a pair of wired cans, and yes, paying for an extra cable seems a little mean-minded, but these shouldn't be enough to dissuade you, especially if sound-per-pound value is your primary concern. Measured by that metric, the Røde NTH-100 are pretty much unbeatable, hence their current What Hi-Fi? Award crown.
You might consider another Award winner in the excellent and slightly more affordable Austrian Audio Hi-X15 if your budget is a little tight, but the NTH-100 certainly justify their extra spend.
Read our full Røde NTH-100 review
Best overall wireless headphones
When Sony first unveiled the WH-1000XM5 wireless noise-cancelling over-ears, we wondered whether it was a smart decision to give one of the company's greatest headphone successes – the WH-1000XM4 – a major redesign.
Happily, it paid off. The current XM5 do feel a smidge less premium than the cans they ousted, but the jump in sound quality between the generations is startling. Essentially, to quote our WH-1000XM5 review, "the new headphones expose greater detail and can differentiate between notes more easily". They manage to deliver even greater clarity and a more open presentation, too, and timing and precision is spot-on.
Better call quality and improved noise-cancelling also make them a compelling buy for anyone who can stretch their budget to meet their not-inconsiderable asking price.
If you're hunting for a new pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones, your search should start here. The older XM4 were already the finest in town – and still are if you can't afford the latest pair – but the XM5 are undoubtedly better for those who can. They have a better combination of sound and features than their closest rivals, including the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Bose QuietComfort, and just about pip the beautiful Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e to the post due to their friendlier price. They trounce the new Sonos Ace, too, if you were wondering.
That's why they are the best Bluetooth headphones at this premium price point and worthy What Hi-Fi? Award winners.
Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review
To Sony XM4 or to XM5? That is the big question while the older former is still available. Obviously, we're enamoured with the current WH-1000XM5 Award-winners, mainly because there aren't many comparatively priced headphones that sound anywhere near as good. That said, the outgoing WH-1000XM4 still sound very good, and can be snapped up at seriously generous discounts in their final months of shelf life. If you can live with having a slightly older model and love a bargain (who doesn't?), the old dogs still have plenty of great tricks.
Best headphones for home
Over the past 30 years, Grado's Prestige range has produced some of the Brooklyn-based company's finest headphones. The series has evolved considerably over time, but the latest ‘x’ generation cans all offer the same balance of quality and value that we've come to expect from one of the most likeable audio brands around.
The range-topping SR325x headphones appear similar to like their predecessors, the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning SR325e, lighter-coloured stitching on the headband and flatter foam earpads. The key difference goes far beyond cosmetics: the SR325x sound notably cleaner and sharper than their predecessors, presenting a superbly detailed and articulate performance that comes across more precisely and insightfully than ever.
"We listen to Massive Attack’s Heligoland and the SR325x sound notably cleaner and clearer than before... we can follow low-level instrumental strands with more ease, especially in the album’s more densely produced tracks," reads our SR325x review.
Like every pair of Grados, they have an open-back design, meaning they leak sound in and out and therefore aren't ideal for public use. For quiet listening environments, however, they're ideal and benefit from the greater clarity and spaciousness open-backs deliver.
If you are looking for the best wired headphones around this price and you don't mind the sound leakage associated with an open-back design, the SR325x should be top of your list. Their unbeatable value made their What Hi-Fi? Award win a formality.
For a more traditional closed-back (i.e. non-leaky) alternative, the excellent Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X should be your go-to at this level.
Read our full Grado SR325x review
Best premium wireless headphones
The wireless Mark Levinson No. 5909 aren’t necessarily replacements for a similar priced wired set-up you’re happy with. A laptop feeding a Chord Mojo 2 DAC connected to Grado SR325x wired headphones (above), for example, offers greater all-round sonic sophistication and finesse. But for anyone who is after the convenience of wireless without sacrificing too much sound quality to get it, and are lucky enough to afford such a best-of-both-worlds solution, the Mark Levinsons are highly recommendable.
They sound exceptionally clean and crisp for wireless over-ears – much more so than the class-leading crop of cheaper competition – and noise cancellation is very decent too. Aesthetics may divide people, and we ourselves aren't fans of the plasticky on-cup buttons, but build quality can't be questioned – these should last years, as you'd quite rightly expect them to. The bonus is that they have come down in price in recent months, so they're considerably more accessible than when they launched.
Can't quite stretch the budget? If you're an Apple addict, the AirPods Max are certainly worth considering, whereas the beautifully made B&W Px8 and Focal Bathys are also slightly more affordable alternatives with five-star sound. For the very best-sounding wireless performance out there, the even pricier T+A Solitaire T are highly desirable too.
Read our full Mark Levinson No. 5909 review
Best premium wired headphones
The decade-old, original Beyerdynamic T1 models are a touchstone for us as far as premium headphones go. The main evolution from this third-generation model and its predecessor is that the new pair is far easier to drive for mobile devices and laptops: the old model had a 600ohm impedance, whereas this new one takes that down to 32ohms. That said, the high level of transparency these Beyerdynamics deliver is such that they deserve to be paired with a high-quality source – not 'just' a phone.
The resulting sound is very similar to the originals albeit cleaner, clearer, slightly less bright and a little more rounded in the treble, making them a bit more forgiving of aggressive electronics and recordings. There's that same musical delivery with a palpable sense of power and authority, and vocals come through with nuance and clarity. Our expert in-house reviews team says they were "taken by the sense of control and organisation, but also the way in which these headphones entertain" in our T1 (3rd Gen) review.
The T1 are comfortable enough for long listening sessions thanks to a nicely shaped, Alcantara-covered headband and generous velour-trimmed earpads. These aren’t the kind of open-back headphones that impress on a short listen, but given a few days or even weeks, it’s hard not to be captivated by their spell.
Want closed-back versions of these headphones that don't leak sound? See our five-star Beyerdynamic T5 (3rd Generation) review. For anyone with more cash to spend, the Sennheiser HD820 and the Focal Stellia should be on your shortlist.
Read our full Beyerdynamic T1 (3rd Generation) review
Also consider
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e: Excellent alternatives to the Sony WH-1000XM5 if you can afford the slightly higher price, these premium wireless noise-cancellers combine hugely competitive sound with arguably the best design on the market.
- Focal Bathys: If you don't love the Mark Levinson No.5909's design, you may well fall for the beautiful Bathys, which hardly put a foot wrong for their price. The Mark Levinsons are that bit more revealing, mind you.
- Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X: Not sold on the Grado SR325x's marmite aesthetic and/or open-back (leaky) design? You might prefer these highly revealing closed-back Beyerdynamics. The DT 700 Pro X are their equally compelling open-back siblings, too.
How to choose the best over-ear headphones for you
These days, over-ear headphones come in many styles. You have wired models with open-back (which leak sound) or, more typically, closed-back (which don't) designs, predominantly for listening at home when portability isn't a priority – though wearing wires out and about is fine too, of course! You can read all about the closed-back vs open-back headphones differences here. Go wired for the best possible sound quality for your budget.
Prioritise convenience and features? Go wireless. These are best for portable, on-the-go listening, not only because of their wire-free nature but the fact that nowadays many throw in active noise cancellation (ANC) for more privacy with your music – a Godsend for listening in particularly noisy environments. For these Bluetooth pairs, you'll want to note battery life and Bluetooth codec specs support, both of which can affect your headphones experience and audio quality respectively.
Unsure which route to go down? Our wired vs wireless headphones traverses all the pros and cons of each.
Alternatively, if you know which style you want already, you can visit our dedicated Best Buys for more focused lists – best wired headphones, best wireless headphones and best noise-cancelling headphones. Want a pair of high-end headphones to plug into your desktop or component hi-fi system? As well as the pairs featured above, we also have a definitive list of the best audiophile headphones to satisfy healthier budgets.
But if you are still on the fence as to what sort of pair to punt for, the list above will give you a comprehensive overview of the best pair for each style and price point.
How we test over-ear headphones
Here at What Hi-Fi? we review hundreds of products every year, including bucketfuls of over-ear headphones. After all, the likes of Sony, Bose, Apple and Sennheiser often update their numerous pairs fairly regularly, and that isn't even taking into account all the other renowned – and less so – headphones brands. So how do we arrive at our review verdicts, and why can you trust them?
We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading in the UK, where our team of expert reviewers, who have a combined 150 years of experience, carries out all our product testing. We have price-appropriate DACs to help us test wired headphones, and put wireless noise-cancelling pairs through the wringer in working offices, out and about on city streets, and on public transport (including planes when we can) too.
We spend weeks with every pair to ensure every aspect is reviewed thoroughly, from their comfort and build quality to features and performance. Our test tracks span a variety of music genres, too, from classical to hip-hop and everything in between. And while one single reviewer at What Hi-Fi? naturally writes the review, all verdicts are first agreed upon by the team as a whole, helping to ensure consistency and avoid individual subjectivity.
As over-ear headphones come in multiple forms – wired or wireless, noise-cancelling or not, open-back or closed-back – and naturally span a wide price spectrum, we keep hold of current five-star class leaders of every type and budget to compare with each pair we review to determine its star rating and position in this eminent list.
Indeed, from all of our reviews, we choose the products to feature in our Best Buys, such as this one. That's why if you take the plunge and buy one of the products recommended above, or on any other Best Buy pages, you can rest assured you are getting a What Hi-Fi?-approved product.
You can read more about how we test and review products on What Hi-Fi? here.
FAQ
Are over-ear headphones better than on-ear headphones?
On-ear headphones have smaller earpads that sit 'on' your ears, and over-ear headphones have larger earpads that sit around and cover your ears – and the former is something of a dying breed. On-ears have their advantages: they are often lighter, inherently less obtrusive and isolating, and usually more physically compact and portable. But there is more choice of over-ear headphones, period, and they tend to accommodate more isolated and immersive listening.
In the over-ear camp is where you will find the very best-sounding headphones too.
Are over-ear headphones good for working out and at the gym?
Due to their innate bulk compared with earbuds, over-ear headphones aren't typically designed for exercise. They are more likely to move around on your head while running, for example, and for outdoor exercise in general, their isolating physical design could block out more external sound than is safe. That said, wireless pairs can be suitable fitness buddies, especially for use in the gym – though think about what your gym routine is. If you are doing weights in a horizontal position, over-ears are likely to slide around or, worse, slide off. We would look out for ones that are lightweight, water resistant and preferably have a fit that clamps on the tighter side. Alternatively, in-ear models are more suited to working out and sports.
Do over-ear headphones have mics?
Regardless of whether they are wired or wireless, most over-ear headphones have microphones integrated into the earcups or the in-line cable to facilitate voice and video calls. Nowadays, wireless pairs especially tend to complement that with clever voice clarity technology to help reduce wind and other external noise and put your voice in the limelight so it can be heard clearly on the other end.
If you want a pair with a mic solely for gaming, however, you might be better off with a gaming headset that has a dedicated boom mic.
Can over-ear headphones cause headaches?
If your over-ear headphones are causing headaches or head pain, it's likely down to one of two reasons: you're playing music too loudly for too long, or the headband is putting too much pressure on the top of your head. Fit is important when it comes to over-ears. You want the headband and earpads to clamp securely enough so that they don't move around on your head and leak sound; but if the earpads clamp too tightly, they can be uncomfortable and cause your ears to overheat. Too much pressure on the crown of your head may be down to insufficient headband padding.
Heads come in all shapes and sizes, of course, which is why more than one reviewer at What Hi-Fi? always tests the fit of every pair of over-ear headphones we review.
Are over-ear headphones noise cancelling?
As over-ear headphones clamp around your ears, they are generally the best type of headphones for 'noise isolation', which is a physical thing. The term is used to describe headphones that block out external sounds – and reduce the amount of sound leaking into your ears – achieved purely through build quality and design. So yes, many over-ears will block out some external sound when worn.
'Noise-cancelling', however, often refers to a technology – active noise cancellation (or ANC). It's an electrical feature that requires power to work and uses two tiny microphones on the outer housing of the headphones that 'listen' to the noise around you and quickly create a mirror image of the compression and rarefaction of the air (i.e. external sound). It essentially blocks out external noise far more effectively than a headphones' physicality alone can.
Most wireless Bluetooth over-ear headphones have ANC these days, though it is far less common to have it on wired over-ears.
Recent Updates
- May 2024: No new entries, despite having tested six pairs since the last update, including the disappointing Sony ULT Wear and fantastic high-end Austrian Audio The Composer. Added an 'Also consider' section above to offer readers greater choice.
- February 2024: Added a top tip, and a FAQ section to help with buying decisions and frequently asked questions.
- November 2023: What Hi-Fi? Award winners labelled after the 2023 Awards Best Buys and Product of the Year announcements.
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