Review & Buying Guide
Are you looking for the best noise-canceling travel headphones on your budget? In this review, we break down the top 5 best noise-canceling travel headphones that are available on the market. Actually, we tried to make the list based on their quality, popularity, price & user opinions.
Top 5 Best Noise-Cancelling Travel Headphones:
-
Microsoft Surface Headphones
-
Sennheiser MOMENTUM Wireless
-
Beats Studio3 Wireless
-
Marshall Monitor II A.N.C.
-
Sony WH-1000XM4
The Best Noise Cancelling Travel Headphones
Number 05. Sony WH-1000XM4
[Details About Sony WH-1000XM4]
Sony WH-1000XM4. When we reviewed the Sony WH-1000XM4 noise cancelling headphones upon their release in 2018, we wrote it’s actually hard to imagine this technology getting any better. The next generation of their industry-leading headphones the W81000XM4S take everything that made their predecessors so incredible, and added a handful of extra useful bells and whistles.
Unchanged to the whopping 30 hours of battery life comfort that lends itself well to long-haul listening sessions, a noise cancelling technology that’ll drown out even the loudest seat neighbor on the flight. New features include the ability to pair to two devices at once. An auto pause capability when the headphones are removed, and a speak to pause feature that’ll pause the music when you start talking to someone. The mic array has been updated too making for clearer phone calls. Most importantly of course, the headphones still sound incredible rendering music, the way musicians wanted you to hear it. The best did in fact get better.
[Pros & Cons]
- Dynamic, detail-rich sound.
- Sensational sense of timing.
- Lightweight, comfy and clever.
- No IP rating.
- No aptX support.
The Best Noise Cancelling Travel Headphones
Number 04. Marshall Monitor II A.N.C.
[Details About Marshall Monitor II A.N.C.]
Marshall Monitor II A.N.C. Sure, there are less expensive and more effective noise cancelling headphones, but there aren’t any that look as cool as these. There’s a reason why Marshall has become such an iconic badge brand. You know exactly what to expect when it comes to design. released in March 2020, the Marshall Monitor II A.N.C. arrives in a black drawstring denim bag, and features a familiar minimal black colorway accented with leather grain texture and that familiar white cursive logo on the ear cups. plus, a useful cold accented playback knob.
In terms of functionality, these headphones represent the best of marshall’s offerings by a long shot. Unlike older A.N.C. models they come with over-the-ear rather than on-ear ear cups. They’re great for playing music in any setting built with custom tuned 40 millimeter dynamic drivers for quality depth of sound. Plus, an adjustable transparency mode that allows in just the right amount of sound when you need to be aware of your surroundings.
[Pros & Cons]
- Great build quality.
- Good active noise cancelling.
- Playback control knob is great.
- Transparency mode is super useful.
- Folds down to a more compact size.
- Battery life.
- Priced similarly to other (better) headphones.
- No aptX or AAC Bluetooth codec support.
- Microphone is not great.
The Best Noise Cancelling Travel Headphones
Number 03. Beats Studio3 Wireless
[Details About Beats Studio3 Wireless]
Beats Studio3 Wireless. Apple’s Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones deserve a spot on this list. Because, when they’re unleashed to their full potential they are really spectacular. Great sound, especially when bumping something bass heavy. Easy to use controls, all the encompassing noise cancelling compared to the noise isolation of their tight foot and when paired with an Apple device, a seamless super solid connection courtesy of Apple’s proprietary W1 chip.
While these work brilliantly if you live in an all Apple ecosystem. The system really starts to break down when working with basically any other device. Bluetooth initial pairing and the connection is frustrating and spotty with a chromebook or non-Apple phone, and the headphones battery life also suffers when not being used in conjunction with Apple products. For the collector who swears by Apple, these are a good option. Simply because, they’re so darn easy to pair and use with iPhones, MacBooks, and iPads. But for everyone else look further on the list.
[Pros & Cons]
- Plenty of color options
- Smooth matte finish
- Battery life
- Connection, Apple W1 chip
- Price
- Build quality
The Best Noise Cancelling Travel Headphones
Number 02. Sennheiser MOMENTUM Wireless
[Details About Sennheiser MOMENTUM Wireless]
Sennheiser MOMENTUM Wireless. Luxurious sheepskin leather ear pads, three different noise cancellation settings, and top of the line bluetooth functionality are some of the defining features of this recent release from Sennheiser. Clearly meant to compete with offerings from Sony and both these sleek modern headphones are best in class when it comes to comfort and sound. Music is lush and crystal clear offering studio quality depth and precision.
The experience is fully customizable too. You can use the sennheiser smart control app to adjust the level of noise cancellation or switch to anti-wind mode when you’re outside. If you’ve got sensitive ears, the anti-pressure mode relieves some of the physical pressure applied by noise cancelling headphones for a slightly more comfortable listening experience. Lastly, transparent hearing mode allows you to hear just the right amount of ambient sound like car horns or metro announcements to be present in the world. The headphones are perfect for folks on the go.
[Pros & Cons]
- Bluetooth 5.
- aptX LL, aptX, and AAC.
- Effective noise cancellation.
- Sound quality.
- Excellent build quality.
- Multiconnect, fast autoconnect.
- Cloth, rather than hardshell, carrying case.
- Cost.
- No in-line mic/remote on 3.5mm cable.
The Best Noise Cancelling Travel Headphones
Number 01. Microsoft Surface Headphones
[Details About Microsoft Surface Headphones]
Microsoft Surface Headphones. While most of the brands on this list follow a similar system. When it comes to controls, a combination of finger tap commands, or buttons to stop and start music, answer calls, and activate digital assistants Microsoft took a refreshingly new approach with its Surface headphones. While you tap on either ear cup to start and stop music, there are also two dials. One around each ear cup to control volume and the level of noise cancelling.
It’s precise and easy to use. The noise cancelling dial on the left side runs through 13 different levels from full on isolation that comes within striking distance of the best in the business. To audio transparency, that picks up every sound around you. Still a discouragingly low battery life some issues with comfort, and the continuing disappointment of cortana. Microsoft’s voice assistant although they work great with Google Assistant and Siri means, the next generation of these will likely be even better.
[Pros & Cons]
- Ingenious control dials.
- Stylish look and premium feel.
- Shockingly good wireless performance.
- Excellent noise canceling.
- Some comfort issues.
- Uncompetitive battery life.
- Lacking support for AptX, AAC, or LDAC for higher-quality sound.
[Buying Guide]
1. How Do Noise Cancelling Headphones Work?
Noise cancelling headphones work by creating a noise cancelling wave that's 180 degrees out of phase with the ambient noise around you. This wave acts like a noise eraser and cancels out any surrounding sounds that diminish the audio you really want to hear. Noise cancelling headphones aren't magic but they can feel like something close to it in the right situations, but the clever processes that cancel out intruding sound waves only work really well at blocking out certain frequencies.
2. Are Noise Cancelling Headphones Worth It For Flying?
Noise cancelling headphones are worth the price tag especially, when flying. On an airplane, the low hum of engine noise is almost completely obliterated, but higher or transient sounds like crying babies and people's voices may still be able to seep in depending on the quality of your headphones.
[Conclusion]
So, that was all about the top 5 best noise-canceling travel headphones just for you. Which one do you want to buy? We would love to hear from you. Please let us know and as always. Thanks for reading the article. Comment, and share with your friends if you found this article helpful.
Leave a Reply