Need to know
- Our experts tested more than 50 pairs from popular brands including Sennheiser, Sony, Apple, Bose and more
- We assess key factors such as sound quality, noise-cancelling listening, comfort, durability, battery life and more
- Become a CHOICE member to access our full reviews
From blocking out your neighbour's barking dog during a video call, to shushing the background hum of other commuters on the train, a good set of noise-cancelling headphones can be a lifesaver.
But if you pick a poor pair, you can say goodbye to the sound of silence – and they can even affect the quality of the audio you're listening to. This is why it's worth doing your research, especially given how expensive some brands can be.
"A good pair of noise-cancelling headphones can provide a great listening experience while you're on the go, as they're designed to filter out environmental noise," says CHOICE's expert audiophile Peter Zaluzny.
"But just because some headphones have this feature doesn't necessarily mean they sound good. In fact, poorly implemented noise-cancelling technology can actually make your music sound worse, which is why we test audio quality with it turned on and off."
CHOICE has tested the gamut of noise-cancelling headphones on the market, reviewing more than 50 products from popular brands Sennheiser, Sony, Apple, Audio Technica, Huawei, JBL and more. Our experts assess key factors such as sound quality, listening (with noise cancelling on and off), comfort and durability.
Poorly implemented noise-cancelling technology can actually make your music sound worse
CHOICE expert Peter Zaluzny
If you're looking to pick up a new pair of headphones in the sales or as a gift, ensure you don't end up with a dud by checking CHOICE reviews and avoiding these disappointing products below.
Here are the noise-cancelling headphones that rated lowest in our latest sound lab tests. Consider becoming a CHOICE member to access our full reviews and test results.
Klipsch T5 II True Wireless ANC
Klipsch T5 II True Wireless ANC.
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 37%
- Sound quality: 34%
- Noise-cancelling listening score: 0%
- Price: $279
Up until recently, the RRP for the Klipsch T5 II earbuds was $429, which was amongst the priciest products in our review. But even with the current price drop to around $295 these still aren't worth the asking price.
Why? Because the noise-cancelling feature on these earbuds just flat-out doesn't work.
They ranked dead last in our test group with a woeful CHOICE Expert Rating of 37% and, once we turned the noise-cancelling switch on, they scored a shocking 0% in our test.
Our testers did say they had excellent passive noise reduction (with the noise-cancelling feature turned off, which begs the question why you would bother having it at all), but that's about all the positive things they had to say.
See our full Klipsch T5 II True Wireless ANC review.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live.
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 41%
- Sound quality: 53%
- Noise-cancelling listening score: 13%
- Price: $249
Buy these and you might have steam coming out of your ears rather than music. Despite their shiny luxury look and hefty $249 price tag, these wireless buds ranked second-last in our test group with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 41%.
They scored an ordinary 53% for overall sound quality but got even worse with noise cancelling switched on, rating a shocking 13% in our test. With it turned off, they sounded better but still only managed a mediocre mark of 50%. They also received middling scores for comfort and durability. If you crave amazing audio, these buds are not your friend.
See our full Samsung Galaxy Buds Live review.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3.
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 42%
- Sound quality: 61%
- Noise-cancelling listening score: 0%
- Price: $399
Here's a riddle for you: if a pair of noise-cancelling headphones don't actually cancel noise, can they still be called noise-cancelling headphones?
These Sennheiser headphones offer excellent passive noise reduction, but when we turned the noise-cancelling feature on, its noise-cancelling ability was so poor that our experts rated it 0%.
They're only 'OK' for sound quality, too, so they're not great at producing noise nor cancelling it.
If you've got $400 to spend on noise-cancelling headphones, take your money elsewhere. You can pick up a pair of noise-cancelling headphones that our experts recommend for the same price or less.
Read the full Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 review.
Jabra Elite 7 Pro
Jabra Elite 7 Pro.
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 43%
- Sound quality: 43%
- Noise-cancelling listening score: 13%
- Price: $299
Look, these earbuds actually deliver great passive noise reduction: our experts rated them as 'excellent' for this metric. But turn the noise-cancelling feature on and 'excellent' turns to something more like 'excrement'. They scored just 13% for their active noise-cancelling abilities.
They're also decidedly average when it comes to sound quality, comfort and durability. It's hard to tell why they have 'Pro' in their name when they have so many cons.
See our full Jabra Elite 7 Pro review.
Jabra Elite 85T
Jabra Elite 85T.
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 45%
- Sound quality score: 47%
- Noise-cancelling listening score: 13%
- Price: $299
Music to your ears these in-ear earphones ain't. Despite their 'Elite' title, our testers found them passable at best with an overall CHOICE Expert Rating of 45%.
Like the Samsung shockers above, this pair received just 13% in our noise-cancelling listening test. Luckily, they rate much better at 95% with noise cancelling turned off, but that's not really what you're buying them for, right?
Likewise, they only rated OK for comfort and durability, which is also a worry.
See our full Jabra Elite 85T review.
Sony MDR-ZX110NC
Sony MDR-ZX110NC.
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 46%
- Sound quality score: 56%
- Noise-cancelling listening score: 13%
- Price: $59
Proving it's not just earphones that perform poorly, these on-ear headphones also delivered a pretty lousy listening experience. Bizarrely, these offer excellent passive noise reduction, but they're undone by very poor active noise cancelling, also rating an unlucky 13% in the test.
On the upside, they are cheaper than other pairs here and boast the longest battery life of the test with a whopping 80 hours, so you can make a song and dance for days without recharging.
See our full Sony MDRZX110NC review.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
