HOT BUY
UPDATE
1
Sony WH-1000XM4
£279 / stuff.tv/WHXM4
With their balance of wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess and audio performance, nothing could touch Sony’s XM3s… until the XM4s came along. They look and sound almost identical, but with a range of added features including the clever Speak-to-Chat. If you’re happy with your XM3s, it’s tough to justify the upgrade; but it’s hard to see these over-ears being knocked off their perch now… except, perhaps, by the new XM5s reviewed on p36. They’re £100 more, but they are fantastic.
Stuff says ★★★★★
Not counting the incoming XM5s, these are the best all-round noise-cancelling headphones you can buy
B&W’s second ANC headphones place greater emphasis on comfort and are all the better for it, while the noise-killing is as effective as you’ll find anywhere. Oh, and they sound flipping good too.
There are superior-sounding headphones, but if call quality and noise-cancelling are just as important to you then Bose’s flagship cans are the gold standard. The voice-pickup system is the best out there.
For those who value balance and tonal accuracy, the L3s are easy to recommend.
These premium-priced ANC headphones get almost everything right.