Noise-canceling headphones changed the way I travel. Whether I’m commuting on the packed subways of New York City, taking train rides through Europe, or trying to pass the time on long-haul flights, noise-canceling headphones give me peace and quiet no matter how hectic my surroundings.
This type of wearable tech uses tiny built-in microphones to pick up ambient noise and sound waves, and then cancels them out with its own sound waves. This process is called active noise cancellation (ANC), and it helps drown out noise, especially consistent, low-frequency sounds like a plane engine or people murmuring around you in busy airports. Most noise-canceling headphones also have a transparency or pass-through mode for when you want to be more aware of your surroundings, like if you’re walking alone on the street or waiting to hear a boarding call.
At Travel + Leisure, we’ve tested 53 pairs of noise-canceling headphones, and I personally own headphones from Bowers & Wilkins, Sony, Apple, Bose, JBL, and Soundcore, so I can directly compare the sound quality, features, reliability, comfort, and battery life between various brands. These are my favorite noise-canceling headphones to travel with.
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These are my go-to headphones to travel with. I also own the previous S2e model, and the S3 model has an upgraded design with a slimmer silhouette, a more comfortable fit, and memory foam ear cups. I’ve worn these on international flights from New York City to London and Reykjavík, and they were comfortable to wear for hours without ever feeling like they were squeezing my head or adding weight. The newer model also has more microphones and improved chassis, voice coil, suspension, and magnet for even better sound quality, clarity, and ANC abilities.
When I used to watch movies on flights, I would miss half of the dialogue, but now I can fully lock in, and I love that the headphones come with an audio jack cable to plug right into the in-flight TV so I don’t miss a thing. I also use them for podcasts and music, and they make everything sound rich and detailed while effectively blocking out city streets, loud conversations, and other distractions. I can really tell the difference when switching through ANC and pass-through modes because the noise cancellation drastically dulls outside noise, which even helps me sleep better on planes. The new model has an improved app that you can use to link music streaming services, adjust the bass or treble, toggle through different modes, and update software as needed. At the time of launch, they do not have a spatial audio listening feature, but Bowers & Wilkins plans to release an over-the-air update later this year.
The Details: ANC and pass-through modes | Up to 30-hour battery life | Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Lossless technology | 8 microphones total | Includes 1.2m USB-C to 3.5mm stereo jack audio cable, 1.2m USB-C to USB-C cable, and carry case
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The Apple AirPods 4 are our favorite noise-canceling earbuds, and they actually have a relatively accessible price point compared to some of the other headphones on this list. We’ve used these earbuds on a daily basis for about three months, including on subway rides, while working out, and for FaceTime calls. Unlike older AirPods models, instead of tapping the earbuds to change or pause your music, now you have to squeeze the stem instead. We prefer the older way, but we eventually got used to it. You also have to squeeze the stem to activate the ANC.
Overall, we found the sound quality to be better than the previous AirPods model, and the ANC worked great whether we were listening to music, podcasts, audio books, phone calls, or video calls. You’ll get the full effect of the features if you’re an Apple user, including a hands-free way to interact with Siri, the ability to share songs between two sets of AirPods, and a charging case with a built-in speaker to use the Find My feature if you misplace the earbuds. Your purchase includes a free engraving and the charging case, though it does not come with the charging cables or power adapter.
The Details: ANC, adaptive audio, and transparency modes | Up to 5-hour battery life; up to 30-hour battery life with charging case | Bluetooth | Personalized spatial audio with head tracking | Includes wireless charging case (USB-C)
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Why We Love It
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They’re more comfortable than previous models, come with multiple ear tips, and work well with Google features.
We found the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 seamless to use with a Pixel phone, with ANC that works well and adaptive audio that blends the ANC and transparency modes for the perfect in-between when you want to have a conversation without all the background noise. You can use the earbuds to interact with Google features on your phone while remaining screenfree, like talk to Gemini Live, schedule an event in your calendar, and reply to text messages using your voice.
We liked that the earbuds have touch and gesture options that mirror the controls for the Pixel Buds 1 with an instant response time. We also felt the auto-pause feature worked better than the Pixel Buds 1, solving the delay issue that we experienced with the older model when we removed an earbud from our ears. The audio and microphone quality was noticeably better as well—more clear than not using the earbuds at all. The new design has a slimmer profile that felt more comfortable and secure in our ears (with multiple ear tip sizes to choose from), feeling so lightweight that we could even sleep in them. The charging case also has an impressive battery life, but you’ll need to purchase charging cables separately.
The Details: ANC and adaptive audio | Up to 12-hour battery life; up to 48-hour battery life with charging case | Bluetooth 5.4 | Spatial audio with head tracking | 6 microphones total | Includes wireless charging case (USB-C) and additional eartips with 4 size options
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These stylish headphones are as fun to use as they are to customize. We used the app to adjust our sound settings to fit specific needs, from workout sessions to everyday listening. We liked that we could view our real-time decibel (dB) readings, which is the unit measuring the loudness of surrounding sounds to alert us if we are in overly noisy environments or if we’re listening to music too loudly. “I love that it creates a report so you can refer back to how loud certain things, days, and situations were. This helps you know if you are listening to music at a harmful volume for your ears and track how long you’ve listened to music as well,” says T+L associate editorial director Morgan Ashley Parker.
Beyond the sound customization, you can personalize the headphones down to the color of the ear caps and ear cushions, and you can purchase additional colors and finishes if you want to mix and match with over 2,000 color combinations. We enjoyed using the joystick-type nozzle to move between tracks and volume, which we found simpler and more responsive than the finger gestures on earcups that some other headphones have. The ANC worked well, and the sound quality was great for bass-heavy music as well as podcasts and more vocal-forward songs. The compressible case is convenient for travel as we were able to fully flatten it when wearing our headphones to fit better in personal items or an airplane pocket. The headphones themselves are a little heavy and bulky, and you can only pair them to one device at a time, making it difficult to transfer between a laptop and a phone.
The Details: ANC and transparency mode | Up to 55-hour battery life | Bluetooth 5.3 | 8 noise-canceling microphones, 1 telephony microphone | Includes USB-C cable and carry case
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The JBL Tour One M3 has many features and settings to play around with, including gesture control for both ambient sound control and playback control, voice prompts, personal sound amplification, spatial audio with head tracking, volume limiters to protect your hearing, custom ANC levels that you can adjust based on the surrounding noise level, and more. You can explore all of these settings in the app, or you can use the included audio transmitter, which acts as a remote with a touchscreen. You can also use the transmitter to join two pairs of headphones so you and a friend can listen to the same sound, connect to an output source that is not Bluetooth-enabled (like an airplane TV), or connect it to your phone to skip or replay sounds without your phone.
While the ANC is decent, I found that it wasn’t quite as strong as our Best Overall Bowers & Wilkins pick, which also has a richer sound quality. However, the JBL pair feels more lightweight and has more unique features. When I couldn’t sleep on a 14-hour flight from New York City to Tokyo, I used the relaxation mode to try out the ambient nature noises, which helped me get more rest than my own music did. It took me a while to figure out how to adjust all of the settings to avoid things like my music constantly pausing when I speak or touch the ear cups, but I think people will enjoy all that it has to offer.
The Details: ANC, ambient aware, and pass-through modes | Up to 18-hour battery life | Bluetooth 5.3 | 10 microphones total | Spatial audio with head tracking | Includes audio transmitter, USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C to analog 3.5mm cable, USB-C to USB-A adapter, and carry case
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Why We Love It
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These sleek headphones are reliable, available in many metallic colors, and offer seamless integration with Apple devices.
These sleek headphones are instantly recognizable, with large, oval earcups and a variety of metallic color options to choose from. Luckily the function meets the fashion: We found the sound quality to be sharp and clear for both music and calls, and the ANC effectively blocked background sounds, even in busy environments. They’re a little heavy, but they were still comfortable and snug on our head, staying in place during movement.
Some of their more unique features will benefit Apple users most, like the ability for Siri to read notifications as they arrive from your text messages, phone calls, calendar, reminders, and more. They feature a personalized spatial audio that tracks the motion of your head to anchor sounds between devices. We also enjoyed the audio sharing feature that allows you to share audio streams between two sets of AirPods when listening on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. They come with a charging case that covers the ear cups, but it’s not very protective like some of the larger hardside cases that other brands offer.
The Details: ANC and transparency modes | Up to 20-hours battery life | Bluetooth | Personalized spatial audio with head tracking | Includes USB-C cable and charging cover
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Soundcore’s newer Space One Pro improves upon the regular Space One design with a more travel-friendly, folding design; faster charging; a longer battery life; and an extra microphone for superior noise-canceling abilities. The sound is clear, though the bass and reverb didn’t feel quite as deep and immersive as some of the pricer brands we’ve tried. However, the ANC works well, and the headphones boast many of the same functions of competitors. There are no touch control features, but every function has its own dedicated button that is easy to use. We experienced some lag with the pause/play button.
The headphones were lightweight and comfortable to wear, with plush foam and an expandable headband for adjustability. Both ear cups fold into the headband, making these headphones compact and easy to stuff into their carrying pouch, though we prefer a hardside case to the soft drawstring pouch it comes with. We think Soundcore is a great value brand if you’re not able to spend over $200.
The Details: ANC and transparency modes | Up to 60-hour battery life | Bluetooth | 4 microphones total | Includes charger and pouch
Other Headphones We Liked
There are so many decent noise-canceling headphones on the market that there are a few more worthy alternatives to recommend, although we didn’t like them as much as the more travel-friendly picks above.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: The sound quality and noise cancellation on these are impressive, and they stay put in my ears more than other earbuds I’ve tried, but they’re not very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.
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Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100: These premium headphones feel luxe, with a sleek look and a leather pouch. They’re worth it if you want to splurge, but they feel heavy, and you can find other excellent pairs for one-fourth the price.
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Sonos Ace Headphones: These headphones deliver vibrant sound quality, but they fell a little short when it came to entirely blocking out external noise. They don’t fold in any way, and the carrying case felt larger than necessary, so these wouldn’t be ideal for those that like to travel light.
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Our Testing Process
We’ve tested 53 pairs of noise-canceling headphones, including models from popular brands like Apple, Bowers & Wilkins, and Bang & Olufsen. We all listened to similar video and audio clips using our laptops to assess the sound quality, testing different volumes and settings, including regular, transparency, and ANC modes to see the difference between them. We also each made a phone call to see what the sound quality was like on both ends.
After our initial test, we wore the headphones home from our New York City office to try them out on the noisy city streets and subways. We evaluated each pair for how easy it was to set up and use, how comfortable it was to wear and move around in, its noise-canceling ability, sound quality in different modes, and overall value. We also paid attention to the comfort of the headphones, any adjustable features, and how portable the cases felt.
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We will continue testing each pair of headphones over the course of six months to assess how well they work in travel situations, like flights and train rides, and whether the performance remains consistent. As brands release new models, we aim to try those as well to update this article with our favorites.
Tips for Buying
Think about your primary usage
There are many uses for noise-canceling headphones, so it’s important to consider what features will suit you best. Do you want them to have a long battery life because you won’t be able to charge them for days, do you want a comfortable pair that you can wear for hours on a plane, do you need them to make crisp phone calls, or do you need them to stay put while you wear them to the gym?
Some headphones have touch sensors on the ear cups, which can be helpful if you’re on a flight or at work and need to quickly pause your music when a flight attendant or coworker starts talking to you. Other headphones have spatial audio, which can make it seem like the sound is coming from all around you to create a more immersive experience—this can be ideal for watching movies or playing games. If you plan on using your headphones or earbuds at the gym, you may want to look for a secure fit and water-resistance. Also pay attention to battery life, as some last longer than others. If you’re concerned about volume or hearing loss, some headphones have volume limiters or reports to help protect your hearing.
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Decide if you prefer on-ear or earbuds
Noise-canceling headphones come in both on-ear and wireless earbud styles. I personally find that the on-ear headphones do a better job of blocking out noise since they completely cover your ears, but I reach for my earbuds as well when I’m working out or want something more compact. On-ear headphones typically have a longer battery life, but they’re larger than earbuds, which are more portable. Earbuds usually come with a charging case to charge them on the go.
On-ear headphones usually have adjustable bands for a more comfortable fit. For earbuds, only some brands include multiple ear tip sizes—for example, the Apple AirPods 4 do not, while the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 do. It’s ultimately a matter of comfort and preference.
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Check compatibility with your tech devices
Before purchasing headphones, make sure they’ll work with your devices. Think about what type of phone you have and also what type of tablet or computer you plan to use them with. Some models perform best with certain operating systems or require a specific app for full functionality. If you prefer a particular brand of smartphone or laptop, it may be best to get that brand of headphones to take full advantage of its benefits.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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How do noise-canceling headphones work?
Active noise-canceling headphones do more than just muffle sound: They use built-in microphones in the cups of the ears or the earbuds to pick up noise frequencies and create opposing sound waves to neutralize background noise. Some models also feature adaptive noise cancellation to adjust ANC levels and ambient modes to allow specific sounds through, which helps noise control across different environments. Most noise-canceling headphones will also have transparency or pass-through modes, which lets more outside sounds in so that you’re not completely tuning out the world if you want to keep an ear out for sirens, announcements, or just be aware of your surroundings.
Passive noise cancellation is something different than what’s covered in this article, as it does not require batteries or technologies to work and relies more on the physical design of the headphones, such as tight ear seals or thicker ear cups, to help block sound.
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Do noise-canceling headphones protect your hearing?
Although noise-canceling headphones block out background noise, they are not designed for hearing protection, and they are not a substitute for earplugs. They can indirectly help protect your hearing with features like volume limiters and by reducing your need to blast your music since they create a quiet listening environment. It’s the listeners’ responsibility to keep your volume at a level that’s healthy for your ears.
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Do noise-canceling headphones work without music?
Yes, you can use noise-canceling headphones with or without music. If you want to use the noise-canceling abilities without any audio, simply turn the headphones and the ANC feature on. The headphones will use the microphones to block out sound and will still use battery life to do so. You can also use headphones for other types of audio other than music, such as podcasts, audio books, movies, or other types of entertainment.
Why Trust Travel + Leisure
T+L senior testing editor Jackie Cucco always travels with noise-canceling headphones and especially loves them for listening to music on commutes and getting some shut-eye on long flights. She owns both over-ear headphones and earbuds from Bowers & Wilkins, including the Best Overall in this article, as well as ANC models from Sony, Apple, Bose, JBL, and Soundcore. She also read through feedback from T+L’s various headphones tests.
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