How To Survive Your Boss On Over The Ear Headphones Wireless

Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless wifi headphones allow you to listen to music or podcasts anywhere, without the necessity of running a wire from your audio device. These headphones are ideal for public transport, in the office or at home.

Wireless headphones with over-ears can feature an elegant design and superior noise cancellation. They usually come with a sleek storage case.

Soundcore Life Q30

These over-ears are a major improvement over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They look better and are more durable and have a more polished look. The hinges are more secure, and the soft ear cups are a bit larger. They're still made of plastic, but they're more polished. You can also swap out the 3.5mm cable for a high-quality USB-C model to use them with portable Hi-Fi systems as well as stationary Hi-Res players. They also come with dual microphones that perform well in our tests for FaceTime, Skype, and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app comes with a broad variety of EQ presets that can be saved and adjusted to play podcasts and music in the way you prefer. This is the thing that sets these headphones apart from most other ANC headphones, and the Soundcore app is extremely simple to use.

The Q30's 40mm speakers effectively block out the majority of ambient noise when ANC is turned on. This results in an extremely enjoyable listening experience. They have a natural sound profile that leans a little on the treble end, which some may be unable to reproduce bass (we had better results using the Bass Booster equalizer). However, you can fix this by using the Soundcore app, as there's an equalizer with 8 bands to help you tinker.

The headphones feature a power button and pairing button on the left earcup and a USB-C port for charging. The right earcup features buttons for play/pause, volume up/down and volume up/down. Double-clicking on these controls allows you to skip tracks or wireless headphones repeat previous ones. You can also use voice commands to ask for a change in mode or set alarms. You can also cover the right ear cup with your fingers to enable ambient modes so that you can hear everything around you without taking off the headphones.

The Q30 headphones offer a long battery life. In our tests with ANC turned on the Q30 ran for almost an hour longer than the other headphones. This leaves plenty of time for long flights or working for a long time. They can be easily recharged by using the USB-C cable that comes with them, and you'll see a warning when they're approaching empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless are a set of powerful over-ear headphones that feature active noise cancellation as well as Bluetooth playback. These headphones are designed to be high-end, premium headphones that can be used at home or on the move. The headphones are a bit more expensive than similar headphones, but their outstanding sound quality is the reason they stand out.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a small, slim and attractive white fabric-finished retail box with all the accessories you need inside. There's a fold-flat headphone carry case, USB-C-to-USB-C cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.

They're powered by a good 600mAh battery that can get you through a whole day of listening, and have an audio input that can be wired for use. When used wirelessly they're paired via Bluetooth and you can control their functions through an app (now named Focal & Naim likely in the same vein as their English Naim brand's network-aware audio products) or by pressing the dedicated button on the left ear cup which scrolls between ANC profiles like'silent','soft' 'transparent' and 'full'.

The app allows you to alter different settings, like the brightness of the LEDs, the EQ presets (including the music profile, that sounds more neutral wifi and bluetooth headphones brighter than other profiles) and the battery life. You can also choose the ANC level and mode as well as setting an 'acoustic settings setting to alter the sensitivity to simulate the sound of the headphones in a different acoustic room.

The Focal Bathys feature an incredibly bass-rich profile that gives additional warmth, punch and impact to your most loved tracks. As a result, vocals and instruments are nudged back into the mix and can sound veiled while other details such as cymbals sound slightly less prominent than you'd expect from other headphones. They're also not as effective in active noise cancellation contrasted with other headphones that have higher-end technology like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony headphones are renowned for their quality and the WH1000XM5 is not an exception. It is the best of the over-ear headphone market, which is a mainstream market and borders the 'luxury' lifestyle market in which brands like Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are located. The XM5s are costly however, if you can afford it find them, there's not a better pair of wireless over-ear headphones.

The XM5s have features to make life easier for listeners and, in a few instances, automate tasks that they'd otherwise have to handle manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near hi-res) is also included, as is support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows streaming of high-quality audio with bitrates that are higher than standard Bluetooth. It also has a built-in microphone for making hands-free phone calls.

The XM5 headphones are no different from the previous generation of WH headphones in regards to noise cancellation. They're among the most efficient headphones to block out the constant drones found in underground and train carriages. The XM5s do an excellent job of shielding listeners from the traffic noises of busy airports and streets, too.

The sound quality is also top-quality. The XM5s aren't quite as clear in the low frequencies as the XM4, but there's a more pronounced sense of clarity and realism also. For example the bass on Rage Against The Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys muscles with real power and definition, while not sagging everything else. The XM5s are also able to deliver precise and tight bass notes on Massive Attack's Angel.

Battery life is excellent, with up to 30 hours listening time when ANC is on and 40 hours if it's off. This is more than enough to cover a weekend getaway or several days of heavy usage.

The only real drawback here is that the XM5s don't have any water resistance or dust resistance protection. Sony recommends not sweating on them or wireless headphones wearing them in the rain. This might not be a problem for a lot of people, but it could be a problem for anyone who spends much of their time at the gym or lives in a city with rain.

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max is a pair of wireless headphones that come with Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. They feature 40mm dynamic drivers designed by Apple with neutral audio profiles that concentrates on the highs and mids while not going too loud at either end of the spectrum. This makes them great for both movies and music. They also offer superior fidelity when compared to other headphones.

The headphones are light and feel comfortable on the head. The earcups, which are constructed of memory foam and covered with woven fabric, are comfortable to wear over the ears and do not place pressure on the sides or forehead. The ear cups can tilt and rotate to accommodate various head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges offer an incredibly firm, yet not too strong clamping force to ensure that the earcups remain in place during listening sessions.

Toggle noise cancelling mode by pressing a small button located at the top of the right earcup. You can also utilize an earphone-style jog dial with a push button similar to the digital Crown on the Apple Watch. You can turn it around to control volume and press it one three, twice, or times to playback the controls. Siri is invoked by pressing and pressing the button. These buttons are placed well and easy to use, but I missed having a power button to turn off the headphones when they are not in use. The headphones automatically switch to standby mode when they are removed from your ear or placed in their case, and they only come back on when you put them on your head again.

Spatial audio is another great feature. It makes use of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and iPhones or iPads to determine where you're moving. Then, it alters the position of the sound to make it seem to be coming from the location you are in. This creates an immersive theater-like experience for videos and movies recorded in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. The only catch is that spatial audio requires an iOS device to be used and you won't be able enjoy it on other devices.

The AirPods Max is a decent pair, but I would feel a bit ripped off for spending $549 at an Apple Store knowing that the second-generation model would be better after a year. AirPods Pro are more expensive and have more battery life and are equipped with the latest features.