10 best noise-cancelling headphones in 2026 (574+ compared)

Topping the AKG noise-cancelling selection is AKG N9 Hybrid, earning an overall score of 8.47 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 100 hours, and costing around £170.

The AKG N9 Hybrid are premium over-ear wireless headphones featuring 40mm dynamic drivers with LCP diaphragms, delivering detailed, high-resolution sound with Adaptive Noise Cancelling (ANC) and spatial audio. A major advantage is the included USB-C 2.4GHz dongle, which provides near-zero latency and high-res audio, alongside Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC, all stored securely in the earcup.

Runner-up: AKG N700ncm2, with an overall score of 8.21 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 23 hours, and a price of around £270.

Check out our in-depth best AKG headphones guide to view detailed specifications and ratings.

Ranking first among Bang & Olufsen noise-cancelling models is Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100, with an overall score of 8.49 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 32 hours, and available for around £1320.

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 is a flagship over-ear wireless headphone featuring custom 40mm titanium drivers and a sophisticated 10-microphone system for adaptive active noise cancellation and spatial audio with Dolby Atmos head-tracking. Built with premium materials like lambskin leather, aluminum, and scratch-resistant tempered glass, it offers a sustainable modular design with user-replaceable ear pads, headbands, and batteries, while delivering a warm-neutral sound signature with a frequency response of up to 40kHz via wired USB-C.

Best value alternative: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal, with an overall score of 7.96 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 24 hours, and a price of around £190.

See our complete best Bang & Olufsen headphones guide for in-depth comparisons and alternatives.

Leading the Beyerdynamic noise-cancelling lineup is Beyerdynamic Aventho 300, delivering an overall score of 8.73 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 50 hours, and retailing for around £250.

The Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 is a premium wireless, closed-back over-ear headphone featuring high-performance German-made STELLAR.45 drivers, a wide frequency response of 5 Hz – 22,000 Hz, and advanced Bluetooth 5.4 with support for high-resolution codecs like aptX Lossless and LE Audio. Main characteristics include immersive Dolby Atmos with head tracking, adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC), and a robust aluminum-reinforced build.

Best value alternative: Beyerdynamic Aventho, with an overall score of 8.65 points, an on-ear design, a battery life of up to 30 hours, and a price of around £180.

Explore our dedicated best Beyerdynamic headphones guide for full model rankings.

The best Focal noise-cancelling headphones are Focal Bathys MG, with an overall score of 8.22 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 30 hours, and a price of around £1060.

The Focal Bathys MG is a premium closed-back wireless headphone featuring 40mm Magnesium 'M'-shaped dome drivers, a significant upgrade that offers a frequency response of 10Hz to 22kHz and a low harmonic distortion rate of <0.2% @1kHz. These headphones provide versatile connectivity through Bluetooth 5.2 (supporting aptX Adaptive, AAC, and SBC), a 3.5mm jack, and a high-resolution USB-DAC mode capable of up to 24-bit/192kHz playback.

Best value alternative: Focal Bathys, with an overall score of 7.97 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 30 hours, and a price of around £700.

Check out our in-depth best Focal headphones guide to view detailed specifications and ratings.

Our top-rated JBL noise-cancelling headphones are JBL Tour One M3, achieving an overall score of 9.02 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 70 hours, and priced around £310.

The JBL Tour One M3 is a premium over-ear headphone featuring 40mm mica dome dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC, AAC, and LC3 codec support, and True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0 utilizing an 8-microphone system. Its standout characteristics include an included Smart Tx wireless transmitter with a touchscreen for universal connectivity and Auracast support, alongside Spatial 360 audio with head tracking and Personi-Fi 3.0 for personalized sound.

Best value alternative: JBL Live 770NC, with an overall score of 8.75 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 65 hours, and a price of around £95.

For more top-rated models from this brand, check our best JBL headphones guide.

Ranking first among JVC noise-cancelling models is JVC HA S95n, with an overall score of 7.8 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 50 hours, and available for around £90.

The JVC HA-S95N is a lightweight (195g) wireless over-ear headphone featuring 36mm neodymium drivers and advanced hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) with a dedicated Wind Cut mode. It offers impressive battery life, providing up to 35 hours of playback with ANC enabled and extending to 50 hours when disabled, supported by a quick 3-hour recharge via USB-C.

Runner-up: JVC HA S90BN, with an overall score of 7.32 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 27 hours, and a price of around £130.

For more top-rated models from this brand, check our best JVC headphones guide.

The best Philips noise-cancelling headphones are Philips Fidelio L4, with an overall score of 8.58 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 50 hours, and a price of around £200.

The Philips Fidelio L4 is a premium over-ear wireless headphone featuring bespoke 40mm graphene-coated dynamic drivers designed to deliver a warm, detailed natural sound with a broad 7 – 40,000 Hz frequency response. It offers robust connectivity via Bluetooth 5.3 with support for high-resolution LDAC and LC3 codecs, alongside Hybrid Noise Cancelling Pro+ technology for adaptive environment control.

Best value alternative: Philips TAH8506, with an overall score of 8.42 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 45 hours, and a price of around £95.

Discover additional top picks in our full best Philips headphones guide.

Our top-rated Skullcandy noise-cancelling headphones are Skullcandy Aviator 2.0, achieving an overall score of 8.68 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 60 hours, and priced around £120.

The Skullcandy Aviator 2.0 (Aviator 900 ANC) is a premium wireless over-ear headphone featuring 40mm dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, an impedance of 36 ohms, and a frequency response of 20Hz–20KHz. Its standout characteristics include a retro aviation-inspired design, a premium 6-mic adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) system, and THX Spatial Audio with head tracking for an immersive 360-degree soundscape.

Runner-up: Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC, with an overall score of 8.54 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 60 hours, and a price of around £260.

See our complete best Skullcandy headphones guide for in-depth comparisons and alternatives.

Our top-rated Beats noise-cancelling headphones are Beats Solo Pro, achieving an overall score of 8.06 points, an on-ear design, a battery life of up to 22 hours, and priced around £260.

The Beats Solo Pro is a premium wireless on-ear headphone featuring Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) and a 'Transparency' mode powered by the Apple H1 chip for seamless iOS integration and 'Hey Siri' support. It delivers a balanced, mature sound profile via 40mm drivers and offers impressive battery life of up to 22 hours with ANC on, extending to 40 hours with it off, alongside 'Fast Fuel' charging that provides 3 hours of playback from a 10-minute charge.

Best value alternative: Beats Studio3 Wireless, with an overall score of 7.89 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 40 hours, and a price of around £160.

Explore our dedicated best Beats headphones guide for full model rankings.

Topping the Bose noise-cancelling selection is Bose QuietComfort Headphones, earning an overall score of 8.57 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 24 hours, and costing around £190.

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones feature industry-leading active noise cancellation, 40mm dynamic drivers for high-fidelity audio, and Bluetooth 5.1 with multipoint pairing. These 240g lightweight over-ears offer up to 24 hours of battery life with a quick 15-minute charge providing 4 additional hours, alongside customizable Quiet and Aware modes.

Runner-up: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, with an overall score of 8.45 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 24 hours, and a price of around £280.

Browse our dedicated best Bose headphones guide to compare all evaluated models.

The best Jabra noise-cancelling headphones are Jabra Elite 85H, with an overall score of 8.08 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 41 hours, and a price of around £230.

The Jabra Elite 85h is a premium set of over-ear wireless headphones featuring custom 40mm dynamic drivers and a sophisticated 8-microphone system designed for superior call clarity and adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC). Key characteristics include SmartSound technology, which uses AI to automatically adjust audio settings based on your environment, and a durable, rain-resistant design with a nano-coating on internal components.

Runner-up: Jabra Evolve2 75, with an overall score of 7.92 points, an on-ear design, a battery life of up to 36 hours, and a price of around £180.

Browse our dedicated best Jabra headphones guide to compare all evaluated models.

Leading the JLab noise-cancelling lineup is JLab Go Lux ANC, delivering an overall score of 8.5 points, an on-ear design, a battery life of up to 70 hours, and retailing for around £55.

The JLab Go Lux ANC is a versatile pair of on-ear wireless headphones featuring 40mm dynamic drivers that deliver 'Lab Quality' sound with deep bass and spatial audio support. These headphones utilize Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to reduce ambient noise by up to 30dB and offer a 'Be Aware' transparency mode for situational awareness.

Runner-up: JLab Jbuds Lux ANC, with an overall score of 8.4 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 70 hours, and a price of around £90.

Discover additional top picks in our full best JLab headphones guide.

Topping the Marshall noise-cancelling selection is Marshall Monitor III, earning an overall score of 8.28 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 100 hours, and costing around £310.

The Marshall Monitor III A.N.C. are lightweight (250g) over-ear headphones featuring 32mm dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio/Auracast support, and a frequency response of 20Hz–20kHz. Its standout characteristics include an industry-leading battery life of up to 70 hours with active noise cancellation (ANC) and 100 hours without, along with a rugged, foldable design and a customizable 'M-button'.

Runner-up: Marshall Monitor II, with an overall score of 7.94 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 45 hours, and a price of around £160.

For more top-rated models from this brand, check our best Marshall headphones guide.

The best Sennheiser noise-cancelling headphones are Sennheiser Momentum, with an overall score of 8.85 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 60 hours, and a price of around £180.

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless is a premium over-ear headphone featuring 42mm dynamic transducers that deliver a signature high-fidelity sound with a warm, detailed signature and a frequency response of 6 Hz to 22 kHz. Its standout characteristic is an industry-leading 60-hour battery life with ANC enabled, supported by fast charging that provides 4 to 6 hours of playback in just 5 to 10 minutes.

Runner-up: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, with an overall score of 8.55 points, an over-ear design, a battery life of up to 60 hours, and a price of around £220.

Explore our dedicated best Sennheiser headphones guide for full model rankings.