Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
Flagship Sennheiser noise canceling headphones
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2
The next generation of Bowers & Wilkins noise canceling headphones
Bose QuietComfort 45
The latest Bose noise canceling headphones
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Better noise canceling wireless earphones from Apple
Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones
Best noise cancellation with first class sound
Soundcore by Anker Space Q45
Premium noise canceling headphones at a lower price
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While they come with a pretty high price tag, Apple’s AirPods Max are still a popular pair of over-ear headphones. I I rate the AirPods Max highly in my review With its premium design, great sound quality, excellent noise cancellation, and powerful voice calling performance.
As you’d expect, it’s designed to work seamlessly with iPhones and iPads, and offers exclusive features like spatial audio and hands-free Siri that you can only take advantage of if you’re an Apple user. But they are also very expensive, weigh a lot, and may not fit everyone’s head well. They carry a price list $549although usually sold at retailers such as Amazon for about $480 Sometimes less.
The bottom line is that these expensive Apple headphones aren’t for everyone. But there are plenty of excellent AirPods Max alternatives that you can get for a lot less. Here are my current top picks, all of which I either reviewed in full or had hands-on experience over the course of several weeks.
And for those who want AirPods Max alternatives the price is damned, check out List of the best Bluetooth headphones and earphones.
Estimated battery life up to 32 hours Noise Cancellation Yes (ANC) Multipoint Yes Headphone Type Wireless Over-Ear Headphones Water Resistant No IP Rating
When you have a product that a lot of people love, it can be risky to change. Such is the case for Sony’s WH-1000XM5, the fifth generation of the 1000X series of headphones, which was first released in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and has become increasingly popular as it gets better with each generation.
Over the years Sony has made some design tweaks, but none as exciting as what’s been done with the WH-1000XM5. Other than the $400 higher price tag, most of these changes are good, and Sony has made some huge improvements with voice calling performance, as well as better noise cancellation and more accurate audio.
Because of all of that, the The WH-1000XM5 earned a CNET Editors’ Choice award.
Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 review.
Sennheiser’s previous generation Momentum Wireless headphones always had a very distinctive look that was part retro/part modern and stood out for the exposed metal on the headband. For better or for worse, that’s all over now, and the new Momentum 4 Wireless, Sennheiser’s flagship noise-canceling headphones, sound a little quieter and just as well as some of the competition.
The Momentum 4 Wireless delivers superior performance over the Momentum 3 Wireless in every respect, though the biggest gains are noise cancellation and voice calling performance as well as battery life, which is great. Up to 60 hours at moderate volume levels. There’s also a transparency mode that lets in ambient sound and the ability to create a custom sound profile in the Smart Control app for iOS and Android using the built-in EQ. Other features include sound modes and a new sound personalization feature that “evaluates the user’s listening preferences and adjusts the listening experience according to his taste.”
Equipped with 42mm drivers, Sennheiser says the Momentum 4 Wireless delivers best-in-class sound, which is debatable. I’d say the Momentum 4’s sound quality is right up there with other models in this price range – it sounds excellent, with the requisite well-defined and compact bass, relatively wide soundstage (it sounds very open) and smooth treble that brings out some of the finer details in recorded tracks. well. They are happy to listen to them.
Read our first look at the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 headphones are available in three colors (gray, blue and black), and offer some significant improvements over the first generation version. Not only are these headphones more comfortable — they tip the scales at 307 grams — but they sound better and have better performance on noise cancellation and voice calls with improved noise reduction. I don’t necessarily think it’s a better choice than the lighter and more comfortable Sony WH-1000XM5. But the PX7 S2 sure looks and feels luxurious, with its rugged design, and delivers very good sound with even better voice calling performance thanks to its improved microphone setup.
Bowers & Wilkins also released a step-up model, the PX8, which has better sound but costs significantly more.
Read Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 first.
Sony’s Enhanced Noise Canceling Headphones, the CH-720Ns, have a bit of budget plastic, but they’re very lightweight and comfortable. Part of me was expecting them to sound so mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised. No, it doesn’t sound as good as the WH-1000XM5s. But it feels more premium than it looks (and feels), and its overall performance is a nice step up from its predecessor, the CH-710Ns.
Estimated battery life up to 25 hours Multipoint Yes Headphone Type Wireless Over-Ear Water Resistant No IP Rating
The QuietComfort 45 features the same design as its predecessor, namely QuietComfort QC35 II, which many people consider to be one of the most comfortable headphones out there – if not the most comfortable. According to Bose, it has the same drivers, and the buttons are in the same place. However, there are small but noticeable changes. First, these thankfully have USB-C instead of Micro-USB.
Secondly, the microphone configuration is different. Not only have the microphones on the headphones been shifted, but there is now an additional external microphone for voice pickup, meaning the QC45 has six microphones, four of which are beamforming and used for audio. By contrast, the QC35 II has four, two of which are used for audio. (The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 also have six microphones in total.)
These headphones are excellent for making calls. They’re similar to the Bose Headphones 700 in this regard. They also include top-notch noise cancellation and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can connect them to your computer and your phone simultaneously. Read our Bose QuietComfort 45 review.
Estimated battery life up to 6 hours Noise Cancellation Yes (ANC) Multipoint No Earbud Type Wireless Earbuds Water Resistant Yes (IPX4 – Splash Resistant)
The AirPods Pro (2nd generation) run on Apple’s H2 chip, which delivers more processing power while being more energy efficient, according to Apple. The H2 chip, along with new low-distortion drivers, allows for improved sound that delivers better clarity and depth.
Noise cancellation has also been improved. Apple says the AirPods Pro 2 have “twice as much” noise cancellation as the original AirPods Pro. The new AirPods add an extra hour of battery life, from five to six hours with noise cancellation turned on. Plus a speaker in the case that beeps helps locate your Buds via Find My if they decide to hide from you.
Read our Apple AirPods Pro 2 review.
Estimated battery life up to 6 hours Noise Cancellation Yes (ANC) Multipoint No Wireless Headphone Type Earbuds Water Resistant Yes (IPX4 – Splash Resistant)
Not only are Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort 2 Earbuds around 30% smaller than their predecessors, but their case is about 40% smaller and they really fit in a pocket. They feature best-in-class noise cancellation and sound optimization, thanks to Bose’s new CustomTune audio calibration system that customizes sound for your ears. Voice calling performance is also much better than that of the original QuietComfort earphones.
The other big change is the ear tips. Bose ditched the one-piece StayEar wingtips for a two-piece Fit Kit system that features separate eartips and “stability straps” in three size options, giving you more flexibility for a snug, secure fit.
These changes helped The QuietComfort 2 Earbuds earn a CNET Editors’ Choice award.
Read our Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 review.
If you can’t afford the Sony WH-1000XM5 or the Bose QC45, the Soundcore by Anker Space Q45 (yes, there’s a bit of copying going on here) is a good $150 alternative, and we should see occasional discounts on it. While they may not fit some small heads, they are comfortable to wear, with well-cushioned ear cups and a double-hinged foldable design. Sound quality is very good and the headphones offer better noise cancellation than the step-down Q35, as well as multipoint Bluetooth pairing (they both come with Bluetooth 5.3) and LDAC audio codec support for streaming high-res music tracks over Bluetooth, if you have an LDAC-enabled device. Many Android phones do, although Samsung Galaxy phones do not.
Battery life is very good at up to 50 hours with noise cancellation at moderate volume levels and the headphones come with a hard carrying case for travel.
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