8 Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones to Buy on Prime Day
From earbuds to over-ear models, we have picks at every price point that you can shop for this October Prime Day.
Whether you work from home, find yourself on an airplane often, or want to turn down the volume of the outside world, noise-cancelling headphones are the tool you need.
Even the best value headphones will feel lacking if they don’t have decent noise cancellation. Besides, there are too many headphones on the market for you to pay hundreds only to get subpar ANC.
To help you pick the right model, our editors and reviewers tested dozens of headphones and earbuds and picked out the best noise-cancelling headphones of 2024. With Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days right around the corner, we’ve added buying tips for the sale on each of our picks below.
Do Noise-Cancelling Headphones Actually Work?
There's a big difference between outside noise being blocked and music simply being loud enough to drown it out. If you're looking for maximum noise cancellation, go for headphones that have active noise cancellation.
Active noise-cancelling headphones electronically cover up the sounds coming from your surroundings. They use internal microphones that listen to what’s happening around you, then invert the noise and send it to the speakers. The idea is that both the output and the input will cancel out, leaving you with near-silence. Over-ear headphones create a tight seal around your ears that adds another layer of sound blocking.
If you’ve tried noise-cancelling headphones before and haven’t been impressed, don’t be discouraged. It’s about finding the headphones that match your preferences, as not all ANC performs equally. Cheaper ANC headphones may have a more noticeable hissing sound when noise cancellation is on, which can be distracting for some.
Other headphones may block low tones but let high-pitched tones in. Typically, more premium headphones yield better results, but we have budget picks below that still do a solid job.
In the past, few earbuds featured active noise cancellation that matched over-ear headphones. However, newer options like the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds hold their own in the ANC space. Even these earbuds can't quite get the same seal that headphones can, so if you want maximum silence, you might be happier with over-ear headphones. However, if you want to cut down on the bulk, earbuds make great alternatives.
What Are the Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones to Buy?
Bose and Sony are top names in audio, especially for noise cancellation. Both brands feature industry-leading ANC and superb sound quality. There are also other brands and models worth checking out. If you want to tune out ambient sound, we’ve laid everything out for you below, from premium options to budget picks.
Whether you work from home, find yourself on an airplane often, or want to turn down the volume of the outside world, noise-cancelling headphones are the tool you need.
Even the best value headphones will feel lacking if they don’t have decent noise cancellation. Besides, there are too many headphones on the market for you to pay hundreds only to get subpar ANC.
To help you pick the right model, our editors and reviewers tested dozens of headphones and earbuds and picked out the best noise-cancelling headphones of 2024. With Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days right around the corner, we’ve added buying tips for the sale on each of our picks below.
Do Noise-Cancelling Headphones Actually Work?
There's a big difference between outside noise being blocked and music simply being loud enough to drown it out. If you're looking for maximum noise cancellation, go for headphones that have active noise cancellation.
Active noise-cancelling headphones electronically cover up the sounds coming from your surroundings. They use internal microphones that listen to what’s happening around you, then invert the noise and send it to the speakers. The idea is that both the output and the input will cancel out, leaving you with near-silence. Over-ear headphones create a tight seal around your ears that adds another layer of sound blocking.
If you’ve tried noise-cancelling headphones before and haven’t been impressed, don’t be discouraged. It’s about finding the headphones that match your preferences, as not all ANC performs equally. Cheaper ANC headphones may have a more noticeable hissing sound when noise cancellation is on, which can be distracting for some.
Other headphones may block low tones but let high-pitched tones in. Typically, more premium headphones yield better results, but we have budget picks below that still do a solid job.
In the past, few earbuds featured active noise cancellation that matched over-ear headphones. However, newer options like the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds hold their own in the ANC space. Even these earbuds can't quite get the same seal that headphones can, so if you want maximum silence, you might be happier with over-ear headphones. However, if you want to cut down on the bulk, earbuds make great alternatives.
What Are the Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones to Buy?
Bose and Sony are top names in audio, especially for noise cancellation. Both brands feature industry-leading ANC and superb sound quality. There are also other brands and models worth checking out. If you want to tune out ambient sound, we’ve laid everything out for you below, from premium options to budget picks.