Best Noise Cancelling Earbuds 2023: Top picks to block out noise reviewed

We’ve got a new top pick for those looking for a set of noise-cancelling earbuds, and it might seem a familiar choice for anyone aware of what topped this list before. Yes, taking the top spot from the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds is the sequel – Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II.

Even though this list features a load of excellent buds that’ll do a great job at cancelling out pesky sound, none do it quite to the level of the QuietComfort Earbuds II. As our reviewer said, there aren’t many that can hold a candle to what Bose has done here.

We often found the noise cancellation was so good when we were using the buds around London we were shocked at loud the surroundings were when we took them off. The Aware modes are ace too, giving the feeling that you’re not actually wearing earbuds and letting the surrounding noises in clearly. Our real issue with the ANC was that blustery conditions could cause some wind distortion – but that’s fairly common and not a big deal.

Sound quality isn’t the very best on the market, with the Sony WF-1000XM4s still sounding better to our ears, but they do still sound very good. Battery life sits at around six hours – which is good, if not class-leading.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

The Sony WF-1000XM4 are Sony’s best premium wireless earbuds so far, which we feel offer one of the best all round experiences money can buy today. The sound here is excellent with a rich midrange and bass along with good high-frequency performance. They prove to be a versatile sounding pair of earphone with whatever music genre we play through them, their description of instruments is naturalistic in tone and their feel for vocals brings out more emotion than you’d find from the QuietComfort Earbuds.

They’re compact than the WF-1000XM3, and their smaller size presents a tighter fit and along with their custom ear-tips, forms an excellent foundation for the noise cancellation. The active noise cancelling betters the previous models we’ve tested clearing out plenty of noise although we would not put them above the QuietComfort Earbuds for the best overall noise cancellation. The transparency mode is one of the best: open, detailed and clear in a way that makes it feel as if you’re not wearing any earbuds at all.

Battery life here is a marked improvement over the older model in 12 hours with ANC off and eight hours with ANC on. Plenty of smarts have been carried over from the over-ear WH-1000XM4 such as the convenient Speak-to-Chat that pauses music when a conversation is taking place. The IPX4 rating, the first time Sony’s premium earbuds have received such as certification, means they could be used in wet weather or for exercise without suffering damage.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WF-1000XM4

Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 are the best choice for those deep in the Apple ecosystem. They keep a rock-solid connection with iPhones and iPads, connect to all your Apple devices instantly and get frequent software updates. They also sound great – much better than the first-gen pair – and have some excellent ANC that tones down the outside world.

While not as strong or as natural as the QuietComfort Earbuds II, Apple has done a great job with the ANC here. While there’s little manual control, the noise cancellation does get stronger (or weaker) depending on your surroundings.

There’s also one of the best Transparency modes around and, of course, excellent connectivity to Apple devices. They work great on Android too, but a number of the features – including Spatial Audio – aren’t supported.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: Apple AirPods Pro 2

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are an excellent pair of wireless earbuds we found to be a great choice for those who want rich, engaging audio.

They sound more dynamic than their TW2 predecessor, with vocals brought further forward within the soundstage and closer to the ear. There’s good bass depth that doesn’t feel over-egged while at the other end of the frequency range, we found the earphones sounded sweet and bright.

The Sennheiser’s ANC performance is very good, not far off best in class. The earbuds slot in the ear easily, the smaller, lighter design makes the very comfortable to wear during use. The seal they create aids the noise cancelling performance, which is very good at blocking out persistent noises and voices. With their anti-wind ANC mode, they’re also excellent at taming the wind on blustery days. The Transparency Mode here is fantastic with great clarity and detail, a performance that’s up there with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and Sony WF-1000XM4.

The aptX Adaptive Bluetooth connection is reliably solid, with no noticeable dropouts or latency when we walked through busy signal areas. Sennheiser’s Smart Control app has been redesigned with a layout that’s more logical and easier to navigate with the option to customise the headphones EQ and touch controls available. If you’re a Sennheiser fan, you’ll enjoy what the German brand has done with its latest noise cancelling earphones, and at a cheaper starting price than much of its competition.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3

The JBL Live Pro 2 earbuds offer fantastic ANC for their price point. While they are not as refined as the Sony WF-1000XM4 in that department, our reviewer thought that they offered some of the best ANC for the price, outshining previous favourites like the Beats Studio Buds. Using them in busy environments like a tube station reduced ambient noise to little more than a rustle, and they were able to suppress conversational noise in crowds. 

In terms of sound quality, they boast a weighty bass, a midrange that is reproduced with clarity and a clear and distinctive treble that made for an enjoyable experience. We thought that this made them easy to listen to across a range of genres, although we did note that you need to up the volume to properly broaden the soundstage, and give the bass richness. 

These buds are very comfortable to wear over long periods of time, with our reviewer noting that there was never any discomfort or cramps during use. They come with three different ear-tips so you can find your perfect fit, and the IPX5 water make them more robust than most noise-cancelling earbuds, so they can be used during a workout or when it’s raining. 

The main downfall of the Live Pro 2 buds is their connection to smart devices. We experienced a choppy connection in busy areas like Victoria train station, but it also occurred in areas where fewer people were around. They are also not great for phone calls, especially in busier areas, as the person on the other end of the phone would be able to hear too much background noise. 

Overall however, the JBL Live Pro 2 earbuds are perfect if you’re after ANC on a budget, coming in as the best active noise-cancelling buds under £150. 

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: JBL Live Pro 2

If you’re in need of a pair of fitness earbuds with a great feature set, then the JBL Reflect Flow Pro are an affordable option. These wireless earphones have a compact design we found comfortable to wear, producing a strong seal and secure fit during workouts to ensure they didn’t fall out. 

Their audio performance offers a good level of detail and dynamism, with a big soundstage that presents plenty of space for instruments to play in. The high frequency sounds particularly crisp with vocals sound nice and clear. The JBL don’t have the most extravagant audio performance, but they are a solid sounding pair of wireless earphones

The noise cancellation here is fine, with most of work being done by the design’s passive noise isolating qualities, making the ANC the sprinkling on top. As long as the seal is maintained the Reflect Flow Pro produce a reliable performance. The Reflect Pro also have a good feature set with 8 hours of battery life with ANC, which is better than the likes of the Beats Fit Pro, along with voice support and transparency mode (which is serviceable but can change the tone of audio) .

And as a pair of gym-focused noise cancelling earphones, they’re IP68 rated to guard against dust, sweat and dirt, and they can be submerged in 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes, which shows these ANC earbuds can tough it out no matter what condition they’re used in (just don’t swim wearing them).

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: JBL Reflect Flow Pro

If the premium area of the ANC market is not for you, the a more affordable choice for earbuds with ANC are the Lypertek PurePlay Z5 ANC are one of the best in the $120 / £120 point.

They are a balanced pair of earphones, with a clear mid-range and punchy bass, though they sound better with the Loudness EQ setting with more depth, energy and definition to the music we heard through the default setting. Compared to the similarly priced Beats Studio Buds, they produced a wider and broader soundstage, though the Beats offer more clarity and sharpness. 

Adopting the AirPods Pro school of design, they slot comfortably into the ear forming a good seal and help the PurePlay Z5 ANC suppress a range of noises. The sound of cars are reduced to hums; they work great on transport and deal well with blustery conditions. The only issue being sudden sounds can cause some noticeable distortion with ANC on. The performance isn’t Bose QuietComfort levels of noise cancellation, but better than the similarly priced Sennheiser CX Plus.

We found the touch controls worked simply and well for playback and media, while the transparency mode is clear passing sound through naturally. The Auto-Ambient mode is useful for instantly bringing awareness to what’s around you when you pause playback.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Lypertek PurePlay Z5 ANC

If you’re after a pair of earbuds that won’t break the bank then the Ugreen HiTune T3 may be the buds for you. These earbuds were comfortable to wear and come with four ear-tip sizes so you can find a fit and seal that works best for you. The IPX5 resistance rating also makes them strong enough to resist rain water or sweat from a workout. 

The HiTune T3 earbuds thrive when it comes to bass, producing an emphatic presence with its frequency range and a wide soundstage even at lower volumes. We found that ear fatigue can set in over time if you listen to too many bassy tracks, however, they can still provide a warm and inviting presentation with clear highs and likeable levels of detail alongside clear vocals. While we would not recommend these buds for any true audiophiles, those who prefers a bassy presence will definitely be happy with the Ugreen HiTune T3. 

When it comes to active noise cancellation, we found that they could tackle the bassy sound of the train and general ambient noise. While they can’t provide the same level of ANC as earbuds like the Sennheiser Momentum TW3 or Bose QuietComfort, for the price they offer a very efficient performance. 

The battery life here is a tad misleading, as we found that these buds could last up to 5 hours with a mix of ANC turned on and off, rather than the 7 hours quoted by Ugreen. They do offer fast charging, with 10 minutes providing an hour of playback. 

While the JBL Live Pro 2 are another great pick for ANC audio on a budget, these are even cheaper at just £35.99/$39.99. If you’re just stepping into the world of ANC and want to see what it has to offer, the Ugreen HiTune T3 are the perfect pick. 

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Ugreen HiTune T3

The Beats Fit Pro are a very good premium set of earbuds if you’re wanting a useful all rounder that you can use casually as well as for workouts. 

The design differs from Apple’s AirPods range, with a wingtip that aids in the creation of a strong seal and ensures the earphones don’t fall out. With IPX4 water resistance they’ll be able to withstand sweaty gym sessions with no real qualm. 

The Beats Fit Pro’s audio take on a similar signature to the more affordable Studio Buds, with the bass performance presented with good weight and authority. The mids and highs are reproduced clearly and with solid detail, with no sibilance or harshness.

The adaptive noise cancelling varies its performance depending on how much noise it detects, and it deals well with blocking out most ambient noises, although we found that some louder noises from cars and larger vehicles did managed to penetrate through the ANC bubble.

There are some exclusive iOS features with the Fit Pro supporting the same dynamic head tracking as the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro. For Android users the feature set is less complete with no spatial audio support, but there is an Android app to manage noise cancellation and updates. The battery life is a solid six hours per earbud, and another 21 in the case with ANC on, which is actually better than the original AirPods Pro managed. 

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Beats Fit Pro