Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones 2022: Block the world out

Sony’s WH-series of wireless headphones have been some of the best we’ve tested, especially on the noise cancelling, and the WH-1000XM5 are Sony’s latest and greatest effort yet.

Improvements to the noise cancellation bring refinements over the WH-1000XM4, with Sony claiming they deal with voices and higher frequency sounds better than previous generations did. We found that large crowds were silence and commutes were noticeably quiet, though we’d say that with voices the XM4 dismiss them slightly better, though in the XM5’s favour is that the tone of their noise cancellation is much cleaner. The Sony Headphone app offers 20 different levels of noise cancellation, with the Ambient Mode much clearer and more expansive in its performance than the older models.

The biggest change is the look of the headphones, with redesigned earcups (now more oval in shape to fit more ears), tweaked earpads for comfort. They carry a more modern look and like the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the AirPods Max, they can no longer be collapsed and folded. It’s a change that some won’t like but comparing it to the XM4 model we did feel that it helped reduce the impact of wind noise.

There’s a lot to appreciate with regards to its feature set, the XM5 plunders the best features from the XM4 by carrying over the Quick Attention (which filters outside sound for a brief moment) and Speak To Chat (which pauses music when you’re speaking.

Despite including new V1 processor that lengthened battery life for the WF-1000XM4, the battery life (with ANC) is the same as the older models at 30 hours. With noise cancelling off the XM5 ekes out a couple of hours more than before at 40 hours. Over the course of testing, we managed to get a week’s use before we felt the need to charge, so it’s still plenty enough to last a while.

The steady rate of small, but useful improvements continue in the audio department, with the WH-1000XM5’s mid-range sounding richer, the soundstage more spacious and a low-end of the frequency range that has more depth and texture to it. It’s not a complete overhaul of the sound but in terms of audio quality, they’re still above the likes of the Bose QuietComfort 45 and Technics EAH-A800 we’ve tested.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WH-1000XM5

The Final UX3000 demonstrate the point that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get solid noise cancelling headphones.

The UX3000 is not the most feature-packed of headphones, lacking a transparency mode and app support, but the active noise cancellation is solid for the price, dealing with busy road junctions and crowds of people well. You can even use noise cancellation without powering the headphones if you just want some peace and quiet. We’d recommend turning the ANC on if you’re listening to music, as much like the Ausounds AU-XT ANC, they are a pair that sounds better with it on.

We also found battery life here to be good enough for around a week when used for a few hours a day, the battery rated at 25 hours with the ANC on and up to 35 with it off. The design is minimalistic and simple, the UX3000 proved comfortable to wear for extended periods, which we found made them a good partner for commutes into work.

The finish is what Final refer to as ‘Shibo’, an old Japanese term that refers to wrinkled paper or leather. and here it is used to repel dirt and dust. With no touch or gesture controls in sight, Final has utilised a handful of physical buttons for volume, ANC, and media playback, which makes this an accessible pair of headphones to operate.

The audio here is some of the best you’ll find for less than £150, producing a confident, musical performance with weightiness to the bass, expressive highs and rich mids. The warmth of their sound means they’re quite as detailed or incisive as while the Cleer Enduro ANC model, but overall we found the UX3000 to have a better handle over music, showcasing a good depth, solid dynamics and decently wide soundstage.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Final UX3000

Of course, it’s not just over-ear cans that offer best-in-class ANC, but also in-earphones as the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds demonstrate.

During our testing, the QuietComfort Earbuds suppressed virtually all the noise around us, with large crowds reduced to a hush, busy traffic sections quietened down and people’s voices reduced to a barely noticeable patter. The Bose managed this type of noise cancellation without any music playing, which provides benefits in terms of hearing health in that you don’t need to turn volume as much. It is, in our opinion, a class-leading performance, better than that of the Sony WF-1000XM4.

Not so class-leading is the battery life, especially for a pair of earbuds prices this much. They only offer a total of 18 hours from its charging case, six hours less than the WF-1000XM4 and 10 hours less than the Sennheiser Momentum True 3 Wireless. While the battery life is enough to get through several days of use, these Bose earphones will likely need to be charged more frequently than other pairs we’ve tested.

The passive noise isolation on offer here also proved rather good, especially thanks to Bose’s StayHear Max ear-tips provide an excellent seal to block noise, as well as also making these comfortable to wear and preventing them from falling out. The fit is so secure that it would make these a good choice for indoor exercise, as will the IPX4 water resistance that keeps water splashes and sweat at bay. When we used them for outdoors running we encountered wind noise, so if you’re looking for a pair specifically for exercise then consider the Bose Sport Earbuds.

The sound quality is typically Bose in character, bearing a clear, sharp and detailed sound along with a neutral presentation. The top end of the frequency range is particularly bright, and bass is conveyed with decent depth. A recent update has allowed for customisation of the sound, offering options in managing bass and treble performance. We didn’t find these headphones as musical sounding as either the Sony or Sennheiser pairs, but they’re still a very talented sounding pair.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds