Google Pixel Buds Pro: The Pixel Buds Pro are the first Google earbuds to feature active noise cancellation. Although it’s nice that they finally have a feature that many true-wireless earbuds have had for a while, what finally sets the Pixel Buds Pro apart and makes them worth considering — especially for Android users — is their distinctive design and victory. suitable That helps improve their performance on both the sound quality and noise cancellation fronts. Although not very elite for voice calling, they also perform well as a headset for calling. Read our Google Pixel Buds Pro review.

Soundcore by Anker Space One: Available in three color options, the Soundcore Space One is Anker’s latest noise-cancelling headphones and a great value at around $100, offering a solid feature set along with great sound quality and performance. They don’t quite compete with the great sound of many premium noise-cancelling models, but you don’t feel like you’re giving up on that on the sound front to save more money. They lack a bit of the natural, refined quality you’re looking for in a good set of cans, but the Space Ones sound decent, with decent clarity and bass definition and scale well. more expensive Soundcore Space 45. Noise-cancelling and sound -The call performance is also good for headphones in this price range, although the transparency mode is OK. Anker has created a version of Sony’s Speak-to-Chat feature — Anker calls it Easy Chat — that automatically pauses your music and enters transparency mode when you approach someone and start a conversation. . The headphones are equipped with wearable sensors, a feature not usually found at this price, and have a carrying pouch. LDAC audio codec support is available for Android users.

After Aonic 50: Many of us liked Shure’s original Aonic 50 headphones, but they had pretty middling noise cancellation. Well, the 2nd-gen version addresses that issue – the noise cancellation is much improved – and Shure has more than doubled the battery life to almost 45 hours (now they have a quick charge part) and also reduces carrying the headphone. The case is small, although it is still not compact. The upgrades make the Aonic 50 Gen 2 a top noise canceling headphone. While the Aonic 50 Gen 2s are quite heavy at 334 grams, they are solidly built and comfortable to wear too, with well-padded ear cups. They exhibit excellent sound quality with excellent clarity and well-defined bass. Shure calls them a “studio headphone,” so the sound profile is pretty neutral, but you can add more bass with the EQ settings in Shure’s companion app for iOS and Android (the join in the app’s Spatializer setting expands the soundstage a bit but doesn’t make a big difference).

Mark Levinson No. 5909: The No. 5909 are premium audio brand Mark Levinson’s first headphones and, yes, they are quite expensive at $999. But they are also good. They have a sturdy design that doesn’t feel heavy on your head (read: it’s big but not too heavy) and they’re comfortable to wear for long periods of time thanks to their well padded (and replaceable) leather-covered earcups and headband. . Read our Mark Levinson No. 5909 hands-on.

Focal Bathys: French audio company Focal known for its high-end speaker systems and headphones. You can call it Bowers & Wilkins in France. And now it has finally done what many high-end audio companies should do in this age of on-the-go wireless music listening: create active noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones. These $699 cans look great and sound good overall but their noise cancellation is pretty light, so don’t buy them for their ANC.

Master and Dynamic MW09: Master & Dynamic headphones and earbuds always feature unique, eye-catching designs that incorporate premium materials such as aluminum, sapphire glass and Kevlar. The latest MW09 flagship earbuds look similar to its predecessor MW08 buds, but have some internal upgrades that provide better performance, especially when it comes to battery life and noise canceling (it’s very close to offered by Bose and Sony, although not quite at their level for ANC).

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offers better noise cancellation with excellent sound and voice-calling performance, plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you’re a Galaxy device owner with correct setup. That said, their biggest upgrade may be their new design and smaller size, making them more suitable for more ears. Apart from their relatively high price tag, their only drawback is that some of their key features are only available on Samsung Galaxy devices.

Beats Studio Buds Plus: Alas, for those of you who bought the original Beats Studio Buds, which remain on the market for now, I regret to report that these new Plus buds are significantly improved, with better sound, noise cancellation and battery life. In addition, they now deliver the best voice calling performance.

Beats Fit Pro: While the Beats Fit Pro are technically not AirPods, they are built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats’ used to be and less expensive Studio Buds and 2023 Studio Buds Plusthe Beats Fit Pro includes Apple’s H1 chip and has most of the AirPods Pro features, including active noise cancellation, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I dare to call them the sports AirPods that you always wanted.

Technics EAH-A800: There’s a bit of an old-school vibe to the Technics EAH-A800 — and not just the Technics brand, which Panasonic has revived over the past few years. Their design is something of a throwback but the headphones are comfortable and both fold and fold flat. They feature a big, powerful sound with powerful bass and great detail (although, they take a day or two to break in).

Technics EAH-AZ80: Panasonic has done a great job of creating an all-around top-performing set of buds that offer better fit with good sound, good noise cancellation and a solid feature set. .