20 Things You Need To Be Educated About Over The Ear Headphones Wirele…

Best Over the Ear Headphones

Wireless headphones allow you to listen to podcasts or music anywhere without having to run an audio cable from your device. These headphones are ideal for public transport, in the office or at home.

Wireless over-ear cans are offered in a variety of designs and noise cancelling features. They are usually packaged in a stylish case.

Soundcore Life Q30

These earphones are a significant upgrade over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They look better, feel more durable, and have a more polished appearance. The hinges are more secure, and the soft ear cups have been slightly larger. They're still made of plastic, but they're more polished. You can swap the 3.5mm cord for a higher quality USB-C cable and use them with mobile Hi-Res and stationary Hi-Fi players. They also come with two mics built-in that worked flawlessly in our tests using FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.

The Soundcore app comes with a broad range 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 other ANC headphones, and the Soundcore app is extremely simple to use.

The Q30's 40mm speakers effectively block out nearly all ambient noise when ANC is enabled. This creates a very pleasant listening experience. They have a natural sound profile that leans a little on the treble side, which some might be unable to reproduce bass (we had better results using the Bass Booster EQ preset). This can be fixed easily using the Soundcore App, which includes an 8-band Equalizer.

These headphones have the power button and a pairing button on the left ear cup along with a USB-C port for charging. The right earcup has play/pause and the volume up and down buttons. Double-clicking these buttons lets you skip tracks or repeat the previous one. You can also make use of voice commands to ask them to change modes or set alarms. The right earcup can be covered by your hand to activate ambient mode so you can hear what is going on around you, without removing the headphones.

The battery life of these headphones is great as well. The Q30 lasts for an hour longer in our tests when ANC was on than the other models. This leaves plenty of time to prepare for an extended flight or audiophiles working for a long time. The USB-C cord included in the kit lets you quickly recharge the batteries. You'll also receive a warning when the battery is getting close to empty.

Focal Bathys Wireless

Focal's Bathys Wireless is a pair of high-quality over-ear Bluetooth headphones that offers both active noise cancellation and Bluetooth playback. They're made to be a pair of premium high-end headphones that are great for listening to music and podcasts on the go, but are a great choice for home use by audiophiles too. The headphones are a bit more expensive than similar headphones, but their exceptional sound quality is the reason they stand out.

The Focal Bathys are packaged in a small, slim and attractive fabric-finished white retail box that contains all the accessories you'll need in. The headphone carry case folds flat, and comes with a 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 take you through a full day of casual listening and have an audio input for wired use. When they're wirelessly connected, they're connected via Bluetooth and you can control their functions through an app (now called Focal & Naim, probably in line with their English sister brand Naim's products for audio that are network-aware) or via the button located on the left earcup that allows you to switch between ANC profiles like'silent','soft' transparent', and full.

Utilizing the app, you are able to alter different settings such as the LED brightness as well as EQ presets that include a "music profile' that sounds more neutral and brighter than the other ones and also their battery life. You can also select the ANC mode and level and select an 'acoustic environment setting to alter the sensitivity to simulate the sound of wiresless headphones in a different room.

The Focal Bathys have an incredibly bass-rich profile that gives more warmth, punch and impact to your favorite tracks. This means that vocals and instruments are nudged back into the mix, and can sound veiled while details like cymbals are slightly less prominent than you'd expect on other headphones. They're also not as effective in active noise cancelation when contrasted to other headphones with more advanced technology, like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony headphones are known for their high-end quality and the WH1000XM5 is not an exception. It is the best of the mainstream over ear headphone market and also falls within the 'luxury' lifestyle market where brands such as Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are situated. This means the XM5s come with a high price tag, but should you be able to afford it, there are few more superior wireless over-ear headphones on the market.

The XM5s have a lot of features that make life easier for the listener and automate tasks that they'd otherwise have to do manually. Sony's DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near hi-res) is included and also support for Bluetooth's LDAC technology. This allows for streaming of high-quality audio with bitrates higher than conventional Bluetooth. There's even a built-in microphone for making hands-free calls.

Similar to the previous generation of WH headphones the XM5s excel at noise cancellation. They're among the best at reducing the continuous drones that can be heard in subway and train carriages. The XM5s are great at their job of separating listeners from background noise of busy airports and streets, too.

The sound quality is very good. The XM5s do not have as high a resolution in the low frequency range as the XM4, but they do have more clarity and a greater sense of openness. For instance, the bass on Rage Against the Machine's Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys' muscles with real force and definition, while not sagging everything else. The XM5s also have the ability to provide precise and accurate bass notes on Massive Attack's Angel.

Battery life is also excellent, offering up to 30 hours of listening time with ANC active and 40 hours when it's off. This is plenty to last for a weekend getaway or a few days of heavy use.

The only issue is that the XM5s do not have any water resistance or dust resistance protection. Sony actually advises against sweating in them or taking them out in the rain. This might not be a problem for the majority of people however, for those who spend much time in the gym or live in a humid region, it could be a big issue.

Apple AirPods Max

The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of over-ear wireless headphones equipped with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. They feature 40mm dynamic drivers that are designed by Apple and have a an audio profile that is neutral and is focused on the mids and highs without going overboard on either end of the spectrum. They are great for music and movies. They also provide better sound quality than many competing pairs of headphones.

The headphones are light and feel comfortable on the head. The earcups, which are made of memory foam covered with woven fabric, are comfortable to wear over the ear they do not place pressure on the sides or forehead. The earcups can also tilt and rotate to accommodate various head shapes. The spring-loaded hinges offer a strong, but not too strong clamping force that ensures the earcups remain in position during listening sessions.

Toggle noise cancelling mode by pressing a small button on the top of the right earcup. It also has a pushable jog-dial-like button, similar to the digital crown on the Apple Watch, that you can turn to adjust the volume and press it once, twice or thrice to control playback. Siri is activated by pressing and holding the button. The buttons are simple to use and are well-placed, however, I would like to see the power button that could turn off the headphones when they are not in use. The headphones are put into standby mode when removed from your ears or when placed in their case. They will come back to life when you put them on your head.

Another cool feature is spatial audio, which makes use of the accelerometers and gyroscopes in the AirPods Max and your iPhone or iPad to determine the direction you're moving in, and then repositions the sound to create the illusion that they're coming from these locations. This creates a cinema-like experience for movies and videos made in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos. Only iOS devices can be used to listen to spatial audio.

The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I'd be slightly smug about entering an Apple Store and spending $549 on them if I knew they'd be outdone next year by the second-generation model. AirPods Pro are more expensive and have better battery life and advanced features.