A Productive Rant Concerning Over The Ear Headphones Wireless

Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones let you listen to music and podcasts without the need to connect wires to your audio device. These headphones are great to use on public transport, at the office or at home.

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

Soundcore Q30

These earphones are an important upgrade from the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They appear better and feel more durable and have a more polished look. They're still largely plastic but the hinges are tighter and the soft leather cups are larger. You can swap the 3.5mm cord with a high quality USB-C cable and use them with mobile Hi-Res and stationary Hi-Fi players. They also have dual built-in mics that worked well in our tests using FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app has a wide selection of EQ presets that can be saved and altered to play podcasts and music in the style you prefer. This is what sets these headphones apart from most other ANC headphones and the Soundcore app is very easy to use.

When ANC is turned on the Q30's 40mm drivers effectively block out most of the ambient noise, and provide excellent listening. They have a natural sound profile that is a bit on the treble end, which some might find lacking in bass response (we got better results with the Bass Booster equalizer). However, you can easily rectify this with the Soundcore app, as there's an equalizer with 8 bands to allow you to tweak.

The headphones feature a power button and pairing button on the left ear cup along with an USB-C port to charge. The right earcup features buttons for play/pause, volume control and volume up/down. Double-clicking on these controls allows you to skip tracks or repeat previous ones. You can also use voice commands to ask them to switch modes or set alarms. You can also cover the right ear cup by using your hands to activate ambient modes, so that you can hear the world around you without removing the headphones.

The battery life of these headphones is excellent as well. In our tests with ANC enabled the Q30 ran for almost an hour longer than its rivals. This gives you plenty of time for an extended flight or an office day. They can be easily recharged using the USB-C cable included, and you'll see warnings when they're about to run empty.

Focal Bathys wireless blutooth headphones

Focal's Bathys Wireless is a pair of powerful over-ear Bluetooth headphones that offer active noise cancellation, as well as Bluetooth playback. They are designed to be high-end, premium headphones that can be used at home or on the go. They're a little more expensive than similar headphones, but their exceptional audio quality is the primary selling point.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a small, slim and attractive, white, fabric-finished 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 decent 600mAh battery that can take you through a full day of listening, and have an audio input for wired use. Wirelessly, they are paired via Bluetooth. You can control their functions using an app (now called Focal and Naim in keeping with English Naim's network-aware products) or the button on the left earcup that scrolls through ANC profiles such as'silent,'soft transparent,' and full.

The app allows you to alter various settings, including the brightness of the LEDs and the EQ presets (including a'music' profile that sounds more neutral and brighter than the other profiles) and the battery life. It also lets you to choose the ANC mode and its level, and also set an 'acoustic environment' which adjusts the sensitivity of your audio to simulate how it would sound like when used in a space with different audio acoustics.

The Focal Bathys have a bass-rich profile that adds additional warmth and punch to your favourite tracks. This means that instruments and vocals sound muted, while certain elements like cymbals could be less prominent than on other headphones. They're also not as effective at active noise cancellation when contrasted to other headphones with more advanced technology such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony has earned a reputable reputation for its headphones, and the WH-1000XM5 is not an exception. It is the best of the'mainstream' over ear headphone market and is in the 'luxury' lifestyle area where brands such as Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are located. This means that the XM5s are expensive in cost, but when you can afford it, there are better wireless over-ear headphones on the market.

The XM5s have features that make life easier for listeners and, in some instances, automate tasks they'd otherwise have to do manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme Engine (which upscales music that has been compressed to near high-res) and Bluetooth's LDAC Technology are included. This lets high-quality audio be streamed at bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone to allow making calls hands-free.

Like the previous generation of WH headphones, the XM5s excel in noise cancellation. They're among the best-performing cans for removing the constant drones heard in train and underground carriages. The XM5s are also great at separating listeners from the hum of busy airports and streets.

The sound quality is also top-quality. The XM5s lack as many details in the low-frequency range as the XM4, however they do have an increased sense of clarity and openness. For instance, the bass work on Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the head phone wireless flexes the Sonys' muscles with real power and definition without flattening the other elements. Similarly, Massive Attack's brooding Angel shows off the XM5s ability to produce tight and precise bass notes.

The battery life is fantastic with up to 30 hours of listening time when ANC is active and 40 hours if it's off. That's more than enough to last for a weekend getaway or a few days of heavy use.

The only issue is that the XM5s do not have any dust or headphones wireless headphones water resistance protection. Sony recommends not sweating on them or taking them out in the rain. This may not be a problem for a lot of people, but it could prove a stumbling block for anyone who spend a lot of time in the gym or lives in a rainy city.

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones that fit over the ear that come with Bluetooth technology and noise cancellation. Apple created dynamic drivers measuring 40mm, with a neutral sound profile that focuses on highs and mids, but not going too loud. This makes them ideal for both music and movies. They also offer superior fidelity compared to most competing pairs of headphones.

The headphones are lightweight and feel comfortable on the head. The ear cups are made of memory foam and covered with weaved fabric. They are comfortable to wear without placing pressure on the sides of the face. The ear cups also tilt and rotate to accommodate different head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges provide a firm, but not too strong clamping force to ensure that the ear cups remain in position during listening sessions.

Toggle noise cancelling mode by pressing a small button on the top of the right earcup. There's also a button that can be pushed, Jog-dial-like button, akin to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can turn to adjust the volume and press the button once twice or three times to playback control. Siri can be activated by pressing and holding the button. These buttons are placed well and simple to use, however I was disappointed that there wasn't the power button that could turn the headphones off when they are not in use. The headphones automatically switch to standby mode when removed from your ears or put in their case, and they only wake up when you place them on your head again.

Another great feature is spatial audio, which makes use of the accelerometers and gyroscopes of the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to figure out the direction you're moving in, and then repositions sound to appear as if they're coming from these locations. This creates a cinema-like experience for movies and videos that were recorded in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. The only downside is that spatial audio requires an iOS device to be used and it won't allow you to experience it on other devices.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd be somewhat smug walking into an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones wireless headphones if I knew that they'd be outdone next year by the second-generation model. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and a better battery life, making it difficult to justify the additional cost for most people.