ON/OVER-EARS
Sony WH-1000XM4
£285 / stuff.tv/WHXM4
With their balance of wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess and audio performance, there hasn’t been a better package than the Sony XM3s… until now. The XM4s look and sound almost identical, but a range of new features – including Speak-to-Chat, which stops the music when you start talking – aims to lure you away from your current ’phones. If those are the XM3s (still available at a super-low price, by the way), it’s tough to justify the upgrade; but who’s going to knock Sony off its perch now?
Stuff says ★★★★★
Not surprisingly given their heritage, these are the best all-round noise-cancelling headphones you can buy
2
Bowers & Wilkins PX7
£249 / stuff.tv/PX7 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.
Stuff says ★★★★★
B&W takes on the best with top-class cans
3
Bose NCH 700
£300 / stuff.tv/BoseNCH700 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.
Stuff says ★★★★★
As all-rounders, these are hard to beat
4
Bang & Olufsen H95
★★★★★ £700 / stuff.tv/H95 Prepare to be bankrupted by the most luxurious ANC cans of all.
5
Marshall Major IV
★★★★★
£130 / stuff.tv/MajorIV Decent on-ears elevated to bargain status by their preposterous 80-hour battery life.