# Noise Cancelling Over Ear Wireless Headphones?



## copenhagen69 (Aug 6, 2022)

Looking for some new wireless "noise cancelling" headphones. I have the wired older Bose which were very good at it, but fatigue would set in after awhile. So I am looking for some that provide some noise cancellation, but maybe not industry leading as I dont fly every 2 weeks anymore so they dont need to be the best.

I have looked at the apple airpods, some skull candy ones, Bowers and Wilkins and Cleer Enduro

Is there anything else I should be looking at? My #1 is comfy for hours of wearing, #2 sound and #3 some noise cancelling. Not really looking into gaming headsets, I dont need a boom mic or anything like that.


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## R00kie (Aug 6, 2022)

Are you looking for in-ears or over-ears? Sony comes to mind with their WH and WF series.
And what's your budget?


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## cvaldes (Aug 6, 2022)

Here's my take on this topic.

Headphones make my ears hurt after an hour. I own 5-6 pair. I've tried different brands, models, weights, styles, whatever and I hate all of them.

The last pair of headphones I bought were the only ones I was willing to endure because they are noise cancelling Bose QC-25s (the wired version); the only time I used them was when I flew. I still took them off every three hours or so for a 10-15 minute break to give my head some relief.

And then I bought a pair of Apple AirPods Pro. Total game changer. I had used their wired EarPods occasionally so I knew the fit was probably going to be okay. I wear them out by the pool, on public transit, plenty of varied situations. Heck, I even wear them at home while vacuuming and when the gardening crew is blasting leaf blowers/lawn mowers/weed wackers nearby, even if I'm not listening to music because the noise cancellation feature is so awesome.

When my AirPods Pro die I will buy another pair. They are one of the top three pieces of tech I have purchased in the past twenty years.

I haven't tried any other noise cancelling earbuds and I don't plan to, mostly because A.) the AirPods Pro are well integrated with my iPhone and B.) because I have so few complaints about them.


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## oxrufiioxo (Aug 7, 2022)

I have the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the WF-1000XM4 both are excellent. The tough thing about headphones is what I like someone else may hate. I tried out the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and hated them others may prefer them over the Sony options so recommendations are always kinda tough.


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## copenhagen69 (Aug 7, 2022)

R00kie said:


> Are you looking for in-ears or over-ears? Sony comes to mind with their WH and WF series.
> And what's your budget?



over ear .. sorry. Will take a look into Sonys lineup.
budget .. prob around 500 if they are super comfy


cvaldes said:


> Here's my take on this topic.
> 
> Headphones make my ears hurt after an hour. I own 5-6 pair. I've tried different brands, models, weights, styles, whatever and I hate all of them.
> 
> ...


Interesting. I tried the wired ones and those hurt my ears after like 30 mins. Guess I got some small ear canals or something haha. That’s why ive always gone with over the ears


oxrufiioxo said:


> I have the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the WF-1000XM4 both are excellent. The tough thing about headphones is what I like someone else may hate. I tried out the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and hated them others may prefer them over the Sony options so recommendations are always kinda tough.


True true. Just trying to get real world experiences outside of bad reviews from randoms on Amazon lol

why both those? They seem pretty similar


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## oxrufiioxo (Aug 7, 2022)

copenhagen69 said:


> why both those? They seem pretty similar



When I'm at home I prefer the overears. At work on break or out and about I prefer the in ears.


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## cvaldes (Aug 7, 2022)

copenhagen69 said:


> I tried the wired ones and those hurt my ears after like 30 mins. Guess I got some small ear canals or something haha. That’s why ive always gone with over the ears


Your number 1 criterion is comfort yet you didn't mention that you found the regular wired EarPods uncomfortable in your original post.

The AirPods Pro aren't going to make your ears feel any different so just rule them out.

At this point, you need to step back and reflect on all of the various listening devices you've used over the years and narrow down which designs you found the most comfortable. People here can point at reviews, rattle off their personal faves, whatever but since your most important feature is comfort, you're going to need to figure that out yourself.

Headphones -- like mice and keyboards -- are human interface devices. No one else can tell you what you are going to find comfortable.

When I bought my Bose QC-25s, I already _knew_ I hated headphones. I bought them specifically for their noise cancelling abilities to use on airplanes. And that's what I used them for. At home, they stayed in their case in a cabinet. And now I don't use them anymore. Do I regret this purchase? Not in the slightest, they provided blissful noise cancellation for several years of airline travel before AirPods Pro showed up on the market.

Best of luck with your purchase decision.


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## copenhagen69 (Aug 7, 2022)

cvaldes said:


> Your number 1 criterion is comfort yet you didn't mention that you found the regular wired EarPods uncomfortable in your original post.
> 
> The AirPods Pro aren't going to make your ears feel any different so just rule them out.
> 
> ...


Completely agree that my criteria is the hardest one to answer. However headphones suck shopping for in person. You can normally find a couple headsets to test but that’s it out of the 100s out there. So just trying to get an idea of what people have used that you can’t test out before buying.


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## cvaldes (Aug 7, 2022)

Testing out headphones for a few minutes on a showroom floor won't give you much insight into long-term wearing comfort. As you yourself noted, you found the wired Bose models to be fatiguing "after a while" (_your_ words).

Over-ear headphones won't bother me after a four-minute song. However my head will be throbbing at the end of Act I of a Wagner opera.

You are better off finding a retailer with a reasonable no-questions-asked money-back return window policy. Buy something that looks appealing and give it a thorough test by wearing it extensively and repeatedly for long periods while you still have a chance to return it.


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## Count von Schwalbe (Aug 7, 2022)

cvaldes said:


> You are better off finding a retailer with a reasonable no-questions money-back return window policy. Buy something that looks appealing and give it a thorough test by wearing it extensively and repeatedly for long periods while you still have a chance to return it.


+1 to this. My $50 Soundcore Life Q20 set (Soundcore is an Anker brand) felt as good to me as the $350 Sony idunnowhatmodel set that a friend end of mine had. Sound quality is on par as far as I can tell, and the only real differences are that it is lighter and doesn't have the cool touch controls and voice pass-through. Buy a few with free returns and see which ones you like best.


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## oxrufiioxo (Aug 7, 2022)

I agree, try narrowing it down to 3 or 4 sets you think you'll like and give them all a try both Amazon and Bestbuy have a pretty decent return policy. I tried 4 different in ears before deciding on the Sony Wf-1000xm4 and 3 different over ears before going with the WH-1000XM5.


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## copenhagen69 (Aug 8, 2022)

Count von Schwalbe said:


> +1 to this. My $50 Soundcore Life Q20 set (Soundcore is an Anker brand) felt as good to me as the $350 Sony idunnowhatmodel set that a friend end of mine had. Sound quality is on par as far as I can tell, and the only real differences are that it is lighter and doesn't have the cool touch controls and voice pass-through. Buy a few with free returns and see which ones you like best.





oxrufiioxo said:


> I agree, try narrowing it down to 3 or 4 sets you think you'll like and give them all a try both Amazon and Bestbuy have a pretty decent return policy. I tried 4 different in ears before deciding on the Sony Wf-1000xm4 and 3 different over ears before going with the WH-1000XM5.



What is the reason for returning on Amazon? Never thought of doing that, but makes perfect sense ...


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## oxrufiioxo (Aug 8, 2022)

copenhagen69 said:


> What is the reason for returning on Amazon? Never thought of doing that, but makes perfect sense ...



It allows you to use a headset for a week to make sure you like them sound/comfort wise.

I rarely do this though I'll typically give away the sets I don't care for. Gave away some Airpod pros and sennheiser momentum in ears when I was deciding on a set to keep.


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## copenhagen69 (Aug 8, 2022)

oxrufiioxo said:


> It allows you to use a headset for a week to make sure you like them sound/comfort wise.


oooh was not aware of this one ... gotta love amazon haha


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## Count von Schwalbe (Aug 8, 2022)

Just be careful as some sellers do not have very good return policies.


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## oxrufiioxo (Aug 8, 2022)

Definitely only purchase Amazon direct sold and shipped by. I avoid third party sellers from any website.


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## copenhagen69 (Aug 8, 2022)

Count von Schwalbe said:


> Just be careful as some sellers do not have very good return policies.


yep for sure ... definitely have been screwed by 3rd parties and Amazon doesnt give a crap


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## cvaldes (Aug 8, 2022)

And that's why I wrote _"You are better off finding a retailer with a reasonable no-questions-asked money-back return window policy. Buy something that looks appealing and give it a thorough test by wearing it extensively and repeatedly for long periods while you still have a chance to return it."_

Amazon.com is both a marketplace and a retailer on that marketplace. When you shop on the Amazon.com website, you have to pay attention from whom you are purchasing.

There's a Latin phrase that aptly describes this: _caveat emptor._ It is up to the buyer to do the necessary research into the seller's return policy *before* making the purchase.


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