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- Great noise-cancelling headphones don't just offer excellent noise cancellation - they're also comfortable and sound great.
- That's exactly why the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are our top pick. This pair blocks out ambient noise better than any other headphones we've tried.
Headphone technology has come a long way over the past few years. Gone are the days when using headphones meant wearing a pair of large over-ear headphones that connected to your listening device with a big cable. These days, there are Bluetooth headphones, true wireless earbuds, and even headphones that are specifically built to block out any outside noise.
Active noise-cancelling headphones are a little different from normal headphones that simply have padding that physically blocks out noise. Instead, they have a microphone that picks up noise around you, and the headphones play a sound opposite to that noise to block it out. It's a pretty neat concept that has given rise to tons of noise-cancelling headphones that are great for
Of course, there are a number of things to consider when buying a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. For starters, you'll want to consider whether you want over-ear, on-ear, or in-ear headphones. Then, you'll want to think about any other features that you may want from your headphones - like whether you want wireless or wired ones. Last but not least, you'll want to decide on a budget. After all, adding noise cancellation to a pair of headphones also generally adds to the price tag.
There's also the fact that not all noise cancellation is created equal. On the contrary, while companies like Bose are known for excellent noise cancellation, some others simply add it for the sake of it, and it's not always up to snuff.
Here are the best noise-cancelling headphones of 2019:
- Best noise-cancelling headphones overall: Sony WH-1000XM3
- Best noise-cancelling headphones for comfort: Bose QuietComfort 35 II
- Best on-ear noise-cancelling headphones: AKG N60 NC
- Best in-ear noise-cancelling headphones: Bose QuietComfort 30
- Best-sounding noise-cancelling headphones: Sennheiser HD 1 Wireless
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.