TUNE OUT THE NOISE
Sound On, Noise Off: The Best Travel Headphones to Take on Your Next Trip
With impressive noise-cancellation technology and expansive sound, these headphones might make you wish for a longer flight time
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Traveling and daily commutes can be stressful, to say the least. Often, the culprit is noise – be it a plane engine, crying babies, or loud road-trip companions. But with a pair of the best travel headphones, flights, road trips, and train rides can quickly become a peaceful time with your favorite music, podcasts, and movies.
Because so many people are now finding tranquility with a pair of noise-reducing headphones, dozens of brands are making solid options with travelers in mind. But only a handful of these headphones can offer the crispness, full bass, and effective noise-reduction that audiophiles and frequent flyers are looking for.
The Best Travel Headphones to Buy Right Now
Below are the creme-de-la-creme of travel-ready headphones that might make you wish for a longer flight time.
Best Overall: Sony WH1000MX5
Best Budget: Soundcore by Anker Space Q45
Best Battery: Bang & Olufsen H95
Most Durable: Bose 700
Best Sound: Bowers & Wilkins Px8
Most Compatible: Shure AONIC 40
1. Sony WH1000MX5
Sony’s WH1000MX5s aren’t just the best headphones for travel – they’re also our number one pick for some of the best noise-cancelling headphones in general. Their predecessor, the WH-1000XM4s, were great, but the WH1000MX5s introduce some slight improvements to make them the best in the business.
Plush earcups and a good headpiece make the WH1000MX5s as comfortable as headphones get, meaning you can keep them on throughout a long-haul flight without any discomfort. And, thanks to fantastic sound quality, you’ll want to keep them on as long as possible. These Sony headphones will deliver full, crisp audio – no matter what you’re listening to.
Noise-cancellation was central in the WH1000MX5s development, as the headphones boast industry-leading noise cancellation, now with the Auto NC Optimizer. Eight microphones pick up ambient noise, run it through a Noise-Cancelling Processor and deliver the same minimal outside sound whether you’re in a busy airport or on a road trip.
These stellar headphones also offer multipoint pairing, which lets you connect to multiple devices at once. This means you can seamlessly switch between, say, Netflix on your laptop and a call on your phone. This is just one of the WH1000MX5s several convenient features, which also includes auto-pausing when you speak. Plus, the headphones feature incredible 30-hour battery life, plus three hours of battery with a quick three minute charge.
2. Bowers & Wilkins PX8
LONGEST BATTERY LIFE
When celebrated audio companies try their hand at high-end noise-cancelling headphones, it doesn’t always work. With Bowers & Wilkins, it did, and their latest PX8 headphones are the proof.
Soft earcups and a large, cushy headpiece make the PX8s comfortable enough for long-period usage, but the headphones’ real strength is audio quality. Beefy 40mm drivers and tuning by the B&W experts provide seriously good sound – no matter what type of music or movie you’re watching.
The PX8s are also very impressive technology-wise with a six-microphone setup for capturing and adapting to outside noise. They have what B&W calls “Ambient Pass-Through,” which is meant to relay the important stuff like conversational noises (so the plane engine will be silenced but you might catch the flight attendant’s drink offer). Plus, the headphones feature multipoint pairing for connecting to multiple devices at once.
Battery life is industry-leading with the PX8, boasting 30 hours of listening time with a full charge, and seven hours with a 15-minute charge. This is more than enough for a full day of international travel, and when we tested these headphones we found the battery life definitely lived up to its mark.
For their sound quality alone, we recommend these headphones, but the added ANC and lengthy battery life makes these a great choice for travel.
Buy Bowers & Wilkins Px8 $699.00
3. Bang & Olufsen H95
If you’re looking for a pair of luxury headphones fit for first class, check out these Bang and Olufsen H95s. The real upgrade with the H95s is in design quality, with the headphones sporting memory foam earcups, a leather headpiece, and anodized aluminum discs on the earcup exterior. These upgrades translate to more comfort (from the memory foam), an extremely elegant look, and lasting quality.
But the H95s aren’t all looks. Bang & Olufsen has equipped the headphones with Advanced Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) which discerns and effectively blocks outside noises of different frequencies using eight microphones. And when you feel like hearing the world around you again, swipe the left earcup to activate transparency mode. The earcups also feature intuitive touch controls for pause/play, switching tracks, and so on. Further sound customization is available via the Bang & Olufsen app.
Battery life is great with the H95s, clocking in at 38 hours of playtime with Bluetooth and ANC, according to the brand.
As expected from high-end Bang & Olufsen headphones, the H95s’ sound quality is top-notch. Electro-dynamic 40mm titanium drivers and integrated bass ports ensure a surplus of thumping bass plus sharp, clear upper levels.
Buy Bang & Olufsen H95 $899.00
4. Shure AONIC 40
Shure has been impressing audiophiles for almost a century. Just last year, they also impressed noise-cancelling headphone lovers with the release of these Aonic 40 headphones.
Sound quality is very impressive with the Aonic 40s, largely thanks to the headphone’s 40mm drivers (hence the name). What’s more, the Shure headphones sound good with almost any input music as they support a very wide range of codecs. No matter what you’re listening to, expect balanced, full sound at every frequency.
Thanks to memory foam earcups, the Anoic 40s are prepared to sit comfortably on your head for long flights, road trips, and work sessions. The headpiece is also nice and chunky to avoid discomfort up top. Plus, since the design is foldable it makes it easy to carry them on the go.
You get two settings – “active noise-cancellation” and “environment mode” – but the latter (which lets in some outside noise) features multiple levels ranging from minimal noise to essentially transparent. This can be controlled via the ShurePlus PLAY app, while onboard buttons offer basic controls.
5. Soundcore by Anker Space Q45
Traveling is pricey, but the best travel headphones don’t have to be. Case in point is these Soundcore Q45 headphones from Anker. At $150, the headphones are much more affordable than our other picks, but their sound quality and noise cancellation powers punch far above their price point.
In an effort to communicate better with your audio streaming device, the Q45s use LDAC technology to enhance Bluetooth files. Inside the cans are 40mm silk-diaphragm drivers, which lend enough bass for thumping hip-hop and full orchestral riffs. Noise cancellation, meantime, comes from two microphones on each earcup that pick up sound and adapt to block it out.
Other features we like about the Q45s are wearer detection (which turns off audio when you take off the headphones) and an exceptionally lightweight build. This lightness is both comfortable for long sessions and helpful when it comes to keeping luggage weight to a minimum. Overall, the headphones offer perhaps the best value of any travel headphones.
Buy Anker Soundcore Life Q45 Wireless $149.99
6. Bose 700
Bose has always been on the cutting edge of noise-cancelling headphones, and their latest model, the 700s, follows suit with Bose’s prowess. Unsurprisingly, the best feature is the headphones’ noise-cancellation powers, which are arguably the best around. The headphones use six microphones to pick up and actively block outside noise, and the voice-isolating microphone makes phone calls especially crisp for both parties. But the real kicker is 11 levels of adjustable noise-cancellation, allowing you to change the noise level via onboard controls or the Bose app.
As expected from premium headphones, sound quality with the Bose 700s is crisp and deep thanks to active EQ. You also get plenty of customizability with the sound through the Bose app. In terms of comfort, the 700s get top marks as well with a lightweight, half-pound build and enough padding for hours of use while catching a long flight or grinding in the office.
Two other key features of the 700s are water resistance and an elegant design. An IPX4 water-resistance rating means you’ll be able to wear these in the rain, which many other headphones (even high-end options) can’t claim. And with a pricey piece of tech, this is a major plus. Plus, despite their durability, the 700s are also quite good-looking. The only downside is less-than-stellar 20-hour battery life.
How to Shop for Travel Headphones
Even top-of-the-line headphones have some variation in features and quality. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind while choosing the best travel headphones for your needs.
Noise-Cancellation: Not all noise-reduction systems are made equal. The headphones in our roundup all boast the maximum level of noise-cancellation, but some have more adjustability. This will allow you to customize noise reduction to your setting and needs (for example, less noise-cancellation while walking on a busy street).
Comfort: The best travel headphones should be comfortable enough to wear for hours. But not all cans have the same level of comfort: some have softer ear cups and headpieces, while others are more lightweight. Keep your eyes peeled for brands that have taken extra steps to make their headphones as comfortable as possible.
Battery: We’ve chosen headphones with industry-leading battery life of around 20-30 hours (or, about enough for two long-haul flights). Still, there’s some variation, and if you’re constantly on the go, a large battery is a must-have.
Microphone: All the headphones below have a mic for making calls or talking to virtual assistants (i.e. Alexa, Siri, etc), but some have engineered their mics to block out ambient noise as well. This means your call recipient will actually hear your voice – and not the loud airport chatter around you.
Durability: Sadly, your new headphones are bound to be dropped, bumped, or caught in the rain while traveling. For this reason, we think the best travel headphones should have water resistance and a somewhat rugged build.