Best Over Ear Headphones of 2020
Best Overall
Bose Noise Cancelling 700
If we had to pick one pair of headphones to use for the rest of our lives, it would be the Bose Noise Cancelling 700. First off, the even sound profile and exceptional clarity make just about every genre of music sound great, whether you like soprano singers or bass-heavy ballads. That sound quality is backed up by impressive active noise cancellation that manages to make much of the cacophony of the world melt away without creating a weird feeling of pressure in your ears. Combine that with wireless capabilities and an extremely comfortable fit and you've got a pair of headphones that you can wear all day, every day, and anywhere.
Really the only downside to the Bose Noise Cancelling 700 is the hefty price tag, particularly considering that there are many models available that still sound good yet cost significantly less. However, if you're the type that wears headphones for multiple hours a day, the premium price is well worthwhile.
Read review: Bose Noise Cancelling 700
Best Bang for the Buck
Soundcore Life Q20
Active Noise Cancellation: Yes | Weight: 9.3 oz
Punching above its weight class in every category, the Soundcore Life Q20 offers one of the best values currently on the market. For just a fraction of what the premium models cost these headphones provide a well balanced and smooth sound, as well as some of the most effective active noise cancellation we've ever seen in this price range. Perhaps most notably, they also buck the budget model trend of small, claustrophobic earcups in favor of ample space and fluffy padding.
While we think these headphones sound great, they certainly have drawbacks when compared to many of the higher end models. Namely, they lose some clarity in the vocals and in very bassy tracks the low end can get a bit muddled. The noise cancellation also lets in more voices than slightly pricier versions of the technology do. However, these are only slight imperfections and certainly not flaws that ruin the overall listening experience. If you're looking for all-day comfort, good sound, and reasonable noise cancellation at a low price, these are the headphones for you.
Read review: Soundcore Life Q20
Best on a Tight Budget
Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear
Most people make the switch from earbuds to over-ear headphones for two reasons — comfort, and the modicum of noise isolation that covering one's ears provides. The Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear provides both for a bargain basement price. In fact, these are some of the most comfortable headphones we've worn, rivaling some of the premier models and even graciously accommodating those of us with larger noggins. The sound, while certainly not premium, feels fairly good for the price.
Obviously these cans can't compete with the sound produced by the models that cost 10 times as much. In comparison the low end shrinks to the background a bit and the upper registers can sound a bit thin and tinny. However, if you're looking for some headphones that sound good enough and that can comfortably be worn all-day on a budget, you can't do much better than the Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear.
Read review: Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear
Best Wired Model
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Opting for a pair of wired headphones can often get you great sound quality for a lot less than competing wireless models. Perhaps the best example of this is the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. These headphones produce exceptional sound, balancing sharp, punchy bass with phenomenal clarity and separation in the higher registers. These headphones are a staple of the audio industry for a reason. We also found them to be comfortable enough for long periods of wear, and like that they come with multiple different lengths and styles of detachable cables.
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x is a bit less portable than many of the wireless models on the market, not only because of its required cable but because it doesn't fold up particularly small and includes no carrying case beyond a cloth bag. It also lacks active noise isolation. While the earcups block some sound, we often found ourselves cranking the volume higher to drown out ambient noise. These headphones are a great choice for those seeking exceptional sound quality that don't care about wireless functionality or noise cancellation.
Read review: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Best for Clarity and Brightness
beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC
If you're one whose attention instantly goes to the vocals, violins, acoustic guitars, or any other mid to higher pitched instruments in an ensemble, you'll likely love the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC. These headphones absolutely flatter the mid and treble frequencies, imbuing them with a clear brilliance that suggests the musician is sitting right next to you. This is balanced by a defined low-end that, while not overpowering, gets the job done.
The biggest potential disappointment in choosing these headphones comes from the active noise cancellation. When shopping in this price range one would be reasonable to expect a bit better performance at blocking out voices and typing noises. However, we still found the noise cancellation effective enough to both limit distractions and improve our listening experience in noisy environments. Plus, if you're mostly here for the impressive clarity, the noise cancellation just feels like a bonus.
Read review: Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC
Why you Should Trust Us
In designing our sound quality testing process we consulted with Palmer Taylor, who has been working as a professional sound recordist since 2005. In that time he has worked on music composition and recording and has completed location audio projects for clients such as ESPN, Apple, and National Geographic. Reviewers Michelle Powell and Max Mutter have now used that testing process to assess the quality of more than 130 personal audio products.
To complete this review we spent hundreds of hours listening to dozens of headphones in a side-by-side manner, meticulously critiquing their relative clarity and overall quality in every frequency. We also employed multiple testers with all different sizes of heads and ears to wear each pair for a full day to determine long-term comfort. Finally, we traveled with all of these headphones on planes, trains, and to noisy coffee shops to test their portability, ease of use, and ability to isolate from outside noise. All of our headphones were purchased: our testing results are never influenced by manufacturer freebies!
Related: How We Tested Headphones
Analysis and Test Results
We divided our over-ear headphone tests and resulting scores into five weighted metrics. We gave the most clout to sound quality, comfort, and noise isolation — the three things you'll notice most when using your headphones. We assigned less weight to user-friendliness and portability as these are two things that can be differentiating and significant in certain circumstances, but are generally less noticeable in day to day use.
Related: Picking the Right Headphones for Music and Noise Isolation
Value
If your budget is more at the shoestring level, the Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear and the Soundcore Life Q20 both offer decent sound at impressively low prices, with the latter even offering active noise cancellation. If you want truly premium sound you are going to have to pay a corresponding price premium, but for those that value great acoustics we think the high price tags of the Bose Noise Cancelling 700and the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC are well worthwhile. If you can deal with wires, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x provides great sound quality for much less than the elite wireless models.
Sound Quality
Thanks to superior nose isolation and proximity to your ears, over-ear headphones can produce some fantastic listening experiences. To assess sound quality we listened to a range of music, from bass-heavy thumpers, to balanced melodies, and higher-pitched acoustic numbers, with each pair of headphones. All of this listening was done back-to-back, quickly shifting through multiple models, so that we could accurately grade their relative bass, mid, and treble quality, overall clarity, and fullness. We also threw some podcasts into the mix to see how accurately each could convey the dulcet tones of Jad Abumrad's voice.
We've tested a number of headphones that we think sound great. However, sound quality is a somewhat subjective thing, and each of these headphones appeal to different tastes and preferences. Perhaps the most universally loved headphones we've tested are the Bose Noise Cancelling 700. These headphones lean into the warm, bass-forward sound that has made Bose famous. Combine that with good clarity through the mid and treble ranges, and you have a pleasant listening experience that can flatter all genres.
Two models that provide a similarly warm and pleasing sound profile are the original Bose QuietComfort 35II and the Sony WH1000XM3. While both sound great, the Bose QuietComfort 35II sacrifices a bit of the bass power of its sibling, and the Sony WH1000XM3 loses a tiny bit of clarity in comparison.
Arguably the best sounding pair of headphones we tested is the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. These headphones emphasize the bass and treble ranges, producing a powerful yet controlled low end and an incredible amount of detail in vocals and higher guitar riffs. This creates a broad and engrossing soundscape. However, some people can find that extra brightness and detail in the upper registers a bit taxing to listen to, preferring a warmer overall sound.
The Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC sounds quite similar to the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, but with a bit less bass power. In the upper registers it sounds exceptionally clear and bright. If you're looking for noise cancelling headphones that put an emphasis on clarity, these are the headphones for you.
If you're looking for a more balanced sound, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 32 ohm is a great choice. Of all the headphones we've tested these provide the most even expression throughout the bass, mid, and treble ranges, anointing each with a good amount of clarity and separation. Since every instrument receives even billing with these headphones, they offer possibly the most detailed and nuanced listening experience of all the models we've tested. This sort of flat and accurate response is what many audiophiles search for as it theoretically more faithfully recreates music, but for casual listening this profile can feel less lively.
Perhaps the most niche of the models we tested is the Sony MDR-7506. These headphones offer incredible clarity, particularly in the higher registers, lending an exceptional brightness and detail to vocals and higher guitar parts. However, the headphones don't balance this out with much bass, resulting in a top-heavy sound that some people absolutely love, and that others find a bit too harsh.
Just outside the top performers, both the Bose Soundlink Wireless II and the Jabra Elite 85h still provide great sound quality for slightly more reasonable prices. The former maintains the exception clarity of Bose's more expensive models, but drops a bit of the bass power. The latter provides plenty of well-defined bass power, but loses a bit of clarity in the higher registers.
A slew of models fell into an above-average but not exceptional range in our sound quality testing, the most notable being the Soundcore Life Q20. This model leans into a bass-forward sound that still flatters the upper registers enough to create a good soundscape, all for a much smaller price tag than the premium models.
Noise Isolation
Many people look to over-ear headphones to provide an acoustic barrier between themselves and the outside world, both to reduce audible distraction and to provide a better listening environment for their music. Some of the models we tested employ active noise cancellation, a technology that pipes in sound waves opposite to the ambient noise around you to cancel that noise out, while others rely solely on the earcups themselves to block noise. To test this we began by sitting next to a fan whirring at 70 decibels while wearing each pair, carefully noting how much of the fan noise made it to our ears. We then conducted more holistic real-world testing, wearing each pair while working in our open office, in crowded cafes, while travelling on busses and airplanes, and in busy train stations.
Unsurprisingly, the models that employ active noise cancellation fared better in our noise isolation tests. The best of the bunch was the Bose Noise Cancelling 700. These cans are able to effectively cancel well over 90% of ambient noise in most situations. Case in point, even without music playing, we were barely able to notice coworkers talking just 5 feet away at the adjacent desk. The hum of airplane engines and the clack of railroad tracks essentially disappear. Notbaly, all of this silence is accomplished with barely a trace of the odd feeling of pressure many active noise cancellers produce.
The Sony WH1000XM3's noise cancellation performs very similarly to that of the Bose Noise Canceling 700, but lets in a bit more of the higher pitched noises. It also creates more of that inner-ear pressure feeling, generally not to an uncomfortable degree, but to a more noticeable one than the Bose.
While the top performers in this category clearly stood out, even the relatively pedestrian noise isolation of the lower priced JBL Live 650BTNC and the budget Soundcore Life Q20 were able to block out enough ambient noise in most situations to significantly elevate the listening experience.
Comfort
You're likely to wear over-ear headphones for long periods of time, say while working in the office or on a long flight, therefore they need to be comfortable. To find the most comfortable pair we had multiple people with different head and ear shapes and sizes wear each model for a full work day, and then assess any discomfort they may have experienced. While there are some differences between the padding used in each pair, we generally found the biggest differentiating factor to be size, as some headbands and earcups can comfortably accommodate larger heads and ears, and others simply cannot. Thus the higher scoring models in this metric are generally the ones that are friendly to both large and small ears alike.
In general, the higher-priced models we tested provide both large earcups and more supple headbands that can easily accommodate large heads and ears without creating uncomfortable hot spots, but can also slim down to fit snugly on smaller heads as well. This includes all of the Bose models, the Sony WH1000XM3, and the Jabra Elite 85h.
Luckily there are more reasonably priced models that are friendly to those with big noggins as well. For instance the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 features big earcups with a lot of cushioning, akin to the design of the premium Bose models, which are cozy no matter your ear size. In fact, this is one of the few models we've found whose headband is a bit too large for those with smaller heads, but average to larger headed folk will likely find these headphones super comfortable. The bargain Mpow Bluetooth Over Ear also features cushy padding and large earcups that don't create any hot spots, no matter how big your ears are.
If you're shopping for a wired pair of headphones, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro provides the most ear room of any of the models we've tested, making it a great choice if your ears are on the larger side. However, some of our testers found the stiff headband to be uncomfortable after a few hours. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x's headband is a bit more forgiving, but the earcups are slightly smaller. Still, even our testers that identified as having large ears found these headphones to be quite comfortable.
If your ears and head are average sized or smaller, you generally can't go too wrong with the fit of over-ear headphones, at least in our experience. However, every person is different, so we'd strongly suggest buying headphones from a retailer with a generous return policy, because even the best sounding headphones are a waste of money if you find them uncomfortable.
User Friendliness
While we've never found a pair of headphones that are particularly difficult to use, there are certainly some that make things a bit easier than others. To score user friendliness we had multiple testers run through an interface obstacle course with each model, pairing them with their phones, adjusting volume, skipping tracks, and summoning virtual assistants with the on-headphone controls, and using any associated mobile apps that unlock advanced features and customization.
The Bose Noise Cancelling 700 is the most notable product in this category, as it uses an intuitive and responsive touch sensitive control pad to complete common functions. This both makes the headphones look more streamlined and simplifies things like volume control, as simply dragging a finger up and down to adjust volume feels more natural than pressing a button multiple times. The Sony WH1000XM3 and the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC also utilize touch sensitive controls, but we found them to be far less responsive than those on the Bose Noise Cancelling 700.
We also really like the auto-pause feature of the Jabra Elite 85h where music is automatically paused when you take the headphones off, and then starts up again the minute you put them back on. If you're using the headphones to make a call the microphone will mute when you take them off, and unmute when you put them back on. These headphones also have programmable "moments" that can automatically adjust noise cancellation settings based on the ambient noise around you. This feature can sometimes be finicky, but is useful when it works.
If you're a fan of simplicity, the wired models we tested provide great sound without the fuss or complexity of a wireless connection. This includes the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro, and the Sony MDR-7506. However, The required wires can get in the way when you're on the move. We do like that the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x includes 3 detachable cables in the box, so you can choose between a short cable, a long cable, or a braided cable.
Portability
Over ear headphones tend to be at their best when on the go, whether that be while travelling, at the office, or on city commutes. Therefore we assessed how easy it was to tote each pair of (often very expensive) headphones along with us during our daily lives. We accomplished this by weighing each model, measuring how small they fold up, grading the protective qualities of any included cases, and taking them along while travelling and commuting.
Most of these headphones are of a similar weight, and the vast majority of them fold up to some extent. Therefore, the most differentiating factor tends to be the included carrying case. Stiffer cases that securely hold the headphones in places provide more peace of mind when shoving the headphones into an already over-stuffed carry-on. In general, if you're spending an amount well into the triple digits, you're going to get a semi-rigid carrying case included with your headphones. All of the Bose models, the Sony WH1000XM3, the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC, and the Beyerdynamic Lagoon ANC fall into this category.
When you get lower down in price range, one of the first sacrifices tends to be the quality of the included case. Less expensive models tend to use soft cloth cases that really only guard against scratches, not against any sort of impact. These sorts of cases are fine for tossing the headphones in the top of your everyday bag, but aren't' quite cut out for long trips with overstuffed bags.
Conclusion
A good pair of over ear headphones can quickly become a treasured, everyday accessory. Whether you're looking for a pair to block out the din of the world or to generally make your music listening more enjoyable, we hope our testing results have helped you find the right pair.
— Max Mutter and Michelle Powell