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Oct 16, 2024

Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds for 2024 - CNET

Article updated on October 13, 2024 at 7:46 AM PDT Our CNET experts tested out many wireless noise-cancelling earbuds to find which ones have the best quality for the money. CNET’s expert staff

Article updated on October 13, 2024 at 7:46 AM PDT

Our CNET experts tested out many wireless noise-cancelling earbuds to find which ones have the best quality for the money.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Budget

It's important to know how much you want to spend, and what features you want, before going too far into research.

Fit

A secure fit in your ears not only impacts how comfortable the earbuds are but the quality of sound can also be impacted.

Return policy

Where you buy from matters, especially if you end up not liking the headphones once you put them on.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

What to consider

Budget

It's important to know how much you want to spend, and what features you want, before going too far into research.

Fit

A secure fit in your ears not only impacts how comfortable the earbuds are but the quality of sound can also be impacted.

Return policy

Where you buy from matters, especially if you end up not liking the headphones once you put them on.

It used to be that there weren't very many choices for active noise-canceling earbuds, but now there are so many options it can be overwhelming. Most earbuds available have noise-canceling (or as Bose and Google spell it, noise-cancelling with two L's) now that technology has advanced. The best part is, there are affordable options.

I’ve tested hundreds of wired and wireless earbuds over the years, and it’s tough to name one as the best noise-canceling option, especially since earbuds don’t fit everyone’s ears equally well. But a few models do perform better than others, such as the Apple AirPods Pro 2, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and the Sony WF-1000XM5 buds. The AirPods Pro 2 were updated with USB-C charging and other small enhancements, while the Bose and Sony versions launched in 2023. Plus, I've recently added to my picks the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Apple AirPods 4, which are the first earbuds with an open design to have effective active noise canceling.

Not only do these earbuds all feature excellent sound and noise-muffling capabilities, they also have a comfortable fit and mostly strong voice-calling performance. Those are the key factors I consider when picking the products for this list, in addition to pricing and value. I've tested all the earbuds on the list and fully reviewed the most popular models.

The best noise canceling can mask a wider range of frequencies and do so on the fly ("adaptive" noise canceling) with sophisticated software algorithms and powerful but still energy-efficient processors embedded in the buds. Apple, Sony and Bose remain among the leaders in this category, but they have plenty of competition.

Keep in mind that this list focuses on the best noise-canceling earbuds, not over-ear headphones. For a mix of both, check out our roundup of the best noise-canceling headphones with active noise cancelation.

Read more: Best wireless earbuds

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The QC Ultra Earbuds aren't a major upgrade over Bose's excellent QC Earbuds 2 that were released in 2022, they're a little better. They should fit most ears very well, and they feature superb noise canceling, arguably the best out there. A natural-sounding transparency mode with a new ActiveSense feature kicks in some ANC should the sound get too loud around you (it's sort of similar to the AirPods Pro's Adaptive Audio feature). They also sound slightly better overall, with a touch more clarity, and their new Immersive Audio feature opens up the sound a bit.

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When Sony's WF-1000XM4 earbuds came out in 2021, we awarded them a CNET Editors' Choice. They're excellent, we had some quibbles -- they're on the large side and aren't a good match for certain ears. Sony took those gripes to heart when it set out to design its next-generation WF-1000XM5 flagship noise-canceling earbuds. Not only are the XM5s smaller, but they also offer improved performance pretty much across the board, with better noise canceling, sound quality and voice calling. Are the XM5s perfect? Not quite. At $300 -- $20 more than their predecessor -- they're costly too. Overall they're really impressive -- easily among the top earbuds on the market.

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Apple not only swapped in USB-C for Lightning connectivity in its new iPhone 15 models, but it made the switch with the AirPods Pro (2nd generation). The new AirPods Pro 2 with MagSafe (USB-C) are nearly identical to their Lightning predecessor, delivering the same excellent sound, noise canceling and voice-calling performance. They offer some other small upgrades, including additional dust resistance and a new acoustic architecture that allows for Lossless Audio with the Vision Pro.

Nevertheless, the AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) are easy to recommend to Apple users despite their high price. Pro tip: Don't pay more than $190 for these, which is the online sale price at which they're now frequently available.

Earfun is one of our go-to brands for value earbuds. Its Air Pro 4 buds aren't a major upgrade over the earlier Air Pro 3s, but they do have a few enhancements that make them slightly better earbuds. (Note: Input code EAP4CNET at checkout on Amazon to get an extra 10% off).

Earfun has moved from Qualcomm's QCC3071 to the newer QCC3091 that supports aptX Lossless Audio for a select few Android devices. The buds also support Sony's LDAC audio codec, which is available with more Android smartphones, and the AAC and SBC codecs.

Like their predecessor, the Air 4 Pro are lightweight and comfortable to wear -- I got a good seal with the largest ear tip size -- and they feature slightly improved noise canceling and sound quality along with better battery life (up to 11 hours with noise canceling off and 7.5 hours with it on, according to Earfun). The default sound leans slightly warm with a touch of bass push, you can tweak the sound in Earfun's companion app for iOS and Android, and I did think the sound measures up well to earbuds that cost twice as much.

As I said, these aren't a big upgrade over the Earfun Air 3 Pro, but once again Earfun has delivered a set of earbuds that deliver strong performance for their modest price. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and multipoint Bluetooth pairing (they're equipped with Bluetooth 4 and LE Audio). I do think the voice-calling performance is slightly improved, but the background noise reduction during calls isn't as good as what you get with higher-end earbuds like Apple's AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, as well as Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. I also thought their touch controls could work a little better than they do.

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If you're able to get a tight seal with one of the three sizes of included ear tips, there's little to complain about with Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (read our full review). Yes, the noise cancellation might be a touch better, but the earbuds' excellent sound quality is clearly a step up from that of the Buds 2 Pro. Plus, they have a robust feature set, and their voice-calling performance is truly top-notch.

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The Beats Fit Pro technically aren't AirPods, they're built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats' earlier and less expensive Studio Buds and new-for-2023 Studio Buds Plus, the Beats Fit Pro includes Apple's H1 chip and has most of the AirPods Pro's features, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I'd venture to call them the sports AirPods you've always wanted.

Simply put, the Pi8s are fantastic-sounding earbuds that also benefit from having a clearly improved design from the Pi7 S2 and Pi5 S2. It's debatable whether the Pi8s sound $150 better than the step-down Pi6s (they're also new for 2024), but there's no doubt these are some of the best-sounding earbuds on the market, if not the best (everybody's sound tastes vary so it's hard to declare one set of buds the best-sounding overall).

Like with the Pi7 S2, sound quality is the highlight here, along with the charging case's ability to transform into a Bluetooth transceiver. Noise cancellation seems improved, and noise reduction during calls seems better, but the voice-calling performance wasn't as good as what I got with Apple's AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 and Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

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If you're looking for basic AirPods, the standard AirPods 4 ($129) certainly have their appeal and should cost closer to $100 during flash sales. They may not be quite as cheap or as small as the AirPods 2, but they sound a lot better and have a lot more features.

Ultimately, however, the AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation are simply more special. They're the first open buds I've tried to have active noise canceling that actually works. That makes them the first noise-canceling earbuds for people who don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears. That's pretty cool and worth the extra $50 if you can afford it.

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Whenever a new pair of Momentum True Wireless earbuds drops, I always find myself saying, "Wow, these sound good." Sound quality has always been the MTW's biggest strength, and that remains the case with the fourth-gen version.

There have been some modest improvements in other areas, particularly with the noise-canceling performance and the reliable, hiccup-free Bluetooth connection I had with my phone. At the same time, the voice-calling performance could be better, and I'm a little disappointed that these aren't even more of an upgrade over their predecessor. Still, the Momentum True Wireless 4 are excellent earbuds that I have no problem recommending.

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Alas, for those of you who bought the original Beats Studio Buds, which remain on the market for now, I'm sorry to report that these new Plus Buds are significantly improved, with better sound, noise canceling and battery life. Additionally, they now deliver top-notch voice-calling performance.

The transparent version is getting a lot of attention (who doesn't like transparent electronics?), but the big changes are on the inside. Beats says 95% of the components are new and improved, and the buds' "acoustic architecture" has been revised. The speaker drivers remain the same, but the Studio Buds Plus are powered by a new, more powerful custom chipset and have three new microphones in each bud, which are three times larger and more sensitive than the ones found in the Beats Studio Buds.

New for 2023, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds carry a lower list price than last year's Liberty 4 buds and are arguably better. They have improved noise canceling and better sound quality, along with support for the LDAC audio codec for devices that support it. (Many Android smartphones do, and in theory, it offers slightly improved sound quality when paired with a music streaming service that offers high-res tracks.) They're lightweight buds that should fit most ears comfortably with four sizes of ear tips to choose from.

The Liberty 4 NC buds have single custom drivers compared to the Liberty 4's dynamic dual drivers -- and a completely different case design -- but I thought they delivered a more pleasant sound than the Liberty 4s. Their treble is a little smoother and they feature strong bass performance. They came across as fairly open, with a reasonably wide soundstage. You can tweak the sound profile in the companion app for iOS and Android.

The buds come in several color options and are IPX4 splashproof, so they're suitable for running and gym use. They feature excellent battery life -- up to 10 hours on a single charge at moderate volume levels -- and there's also a transparency mode that lets ambient sound in and sounds pretty natural with only a very faint audible hiss. While the noise canceling is an improvement over the Liberty 4's and is effective, it falls a bit short of what you get from Bose's and Sony's premium ANC earbuds.

Like the Liberty 4, the earbuds have six integrated mics for noise canceling and making calls, and callers said they thought the buds did a pretty good job of reducing background noise, with my voice coming through relatively clearly. They're an all-around good-performing set of buds for the money, and they offer a strong feature set, including ear-detection sensors and wireless charging.

Status Audio's earbuds aren't exactly the sleekest or most attractive earbuds you can buy, but if you don't mind their utilitarian look and giant stems, you are getting an excellent-sounding set of earbuds. The Between 3ANC, the company's first noise-canceling earbuds, also do a good job muffling ambient sound, although they aren't up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort 2 earbuds for noise-canceling prowess. They did perform very well in my voice-calling test, reducing much of the background noise around me in the streets of New York while picking up my voice clearly, or so callers told me.

They have multipoint Bluetooth pairing -- you can pair them to two devices simultaneously -- they are missing a few features, including ear-detection sensors, and they only support the AAC audio codec (they're equipped with Bluetooth 5.2), not LDAC or aptX. Some people with Android devices that support those codecs may not be thrilled with that, but, as I said, they sound quite good using AAC, offering clean sound with punchy bass and good clarity. That's in part due to their driver design, and why the buds are on the larger side -- they feature two balanced armature drivers, plus one 10mm dynamic driver in each earbud.

Despite being heavier than earbuds like Apple's AirPods Pro 2, they fit my ears comfortably and securely. Their case charges wirelessly and battery life is very good at up to 8.5 hours with ANC on. There's also a transparency mode that sounds only OK, not great (a physical button on the earbuds activates it) and they have an IPX5 water-resistance rating, which means they can withstand a sustained spray of water. The companion app for iOS is fairly basic, but you can upgrade the firmware and tweak the sound profile with a customizable EQ option.

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Nothing has changed with Nothing's latest $149 Ear noise-cancelling earbuds. At least, not at first glance. In fact, you'd be forgiven if you thought the buds had taken a step back; while they're the successor to Nothing's Ear (2) earbuds they don't have a 3 anywhere in their name. Nor do they employ Apple's generational naming scheme. They're just the Nothing Ear, and they look the same as the Ear (2). Some changes on the inside deliver legitimate improvements, particularly to sound quality, noise canceling and battery life.

If you can't quite afford this model, Nothing also has the new $99 Ear (a), which comes in a new yellow color as well as white and black. It has different drivers and includes a smaller charging case (it has a lower IPX2 water-resistance rating and leaves off wireless charging), but otherwise has very similar features and may be a slightly better value. The flagship Ear does sound slightly better.

Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new earbuds. Value-priced earbuds continue to improve, so you can find good "cheap" buds for not too much money (less than $60). If you're looking for premium buds from Sony, Apple and Bose, be prepared to spend a lot more.

It's key that the earbuds you buy fit your ears well. They should offer a comfortable, secure fit. If you don't get a tight seal with noise-isolating earbuds, sound quality and noise cancellation can be dramatically affected for the worse. Open earbuds don't have that issue, but they should be comfortable to wear and sit securely in your ears.

Because the fit of your earbuds is so important, it's critical to buy your buds at a retailer that has a good return policy. That means you can return the buds if they aren't a good match for your ears.

We test noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds based on six key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria include design, sound quality, noise-canceling performance, voice-calling performance, features and value.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2: In 2023, Bowers & Wilkins upgraded its fantastic-sounding PI7 noise-canceling earbuds. The new S2 model has better battery life and Bluetooth range, now up to 25 meters (double the previous range). Additionally, the buds now integrate into the new Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS and Android and have a much-improved setup experience.

JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That's finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand's new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds -- the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 have a pill-shaped design -- offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise canceling, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance, plus a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging.

Master & Dynamic MW09 (currently out of stock): Master & Dynamic headphones and earbuds have always featured unique, eye-catching designs that include premium materials like aluminum, sapphire glass and Kevlar. Its latest MW09 flagship earbuds ($349) look pretty similar to its earlier MW08 buds but have some upgrades on the inside that deliver better performance, particularly when it comes to noise canceling. The earbuds sound great but are mysteriously out of stock everywhere, so we dropped them from the best list. If they come back in stock, we'll add them back to this list.

Sony LinkBuds S: Unlike the "open" LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S are traditional noise-isolating earbuds with tips that jam in your ears. They're more compact and lighter than Sony's former flagship WF-1000XM4 and also feature Sony's V1 processor (Sony has since released the more compact WF-1000XM5). While their sound and noise canceling don't quite measure up to either XM4s or XM5s, they're still quite good. They're the Sony buds for people who can't afford Sony's flagship earbuds but want 80% of those buds' features and performance for significantly less.

Sony WF-1000XM4: Released in 2021, Sony's WF-1000XM4 earned a CNET Editors' Choice Award. They're still excellent earbuds, but Sony has now released the next-gen WF-1000XM5. They may be a good option if you find them at a good discount.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3: The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 were among the best new true-wireless earbuds of 2022. They're still among the best truly wireless earbuds, but Sennheiser has released the upgraded Momentum True Wireless 4. Also, the newer AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5 buds are arguably superior, so only look to buy the Momentum True Wireless 3 when they're significantly discounted.

JBL Tour Pro 2: JBL's Tour Pro 2 earbuds have received a lot of attention for bringing something new to true-wireless earbuds: a full-color touchscreen display embedded in the case that allows you to access the earbuds' key features and control playback as well as adjust volume levels. It's a bit of a gimmick but also useful. While the buds could sound slightly better for their list price, overall the JBL Tour Pro 2s are very good earbuds that offer a good fit, a robust feature set, strong battery life, plus solid noise canceling and voice-calling performance.

Beyerdynamic Free Byrd: Beyerdynamic may be late to the game, but it's finally introduced its first truly wireless earbuds, which feature active noise canceling, up to 11 hours of battery life (with noise canceling off) and impressive sound quality. Read our Beyerdynamic Free Byrd review.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: Available in four colors, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 noise-canceling headphones don't feature as good sound or noise canceling as the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but they're compact (15% smaller and 20% lighter than the earlier Buds Plus, they barely stick out of your ears) and cost significantly less. Because they sit more flush with your ears -- and have that curved design -- they also pick up less wind noise. They're IPX2 sweat-resistant while the step-up Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are fully waterproof (IPX7).

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX: Bang & Olufsen's $399 Beoplay EX buds are the company's best true-wireless earbuds. They feature a comfortable, secure fit (except perhaps for those with really smaller ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, good noise canceling and improved voice-calling performance over B&O's EQ buds, with three microphones in each earbud they help with reducing background noise while picking up your voice. They're out of most people's price range, they're arguably the best earbuds out there with stems and offer slightly superior sound to the AirPods Pro 2 with better clarity, deeper more powerful bass and richer, more accurate sound.

Soundcore by Anker Liberty 4: Their sound isn't quite up to the level of higher-end buds like Apple's AirPods Pro 2 and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 that cost significantly more, but the Soundcore by Anker Liberty 4 earbuds have a strong set of features, including a spatial audio mode with head tracking, multipoint Bluetooth pairing, up to nine hours of battery life, wireless charging and support for Sony's LDAC audio codec that can offer sound improvements if you have the right setup.

Sennheiser CX Plus: The Momentum True Wireless 3 are Sennheiser's flagship true-wireless earbuds. If you can't afford them, the CX Plus (which features very good sound and decent noise canceling) is a good alternative for a lot less money. The step-down CX, which has no active noise canceling, costs even less.

When noise canceling is engaged, it does tend to have an impact on battery life. This is more of a factor with earbuds, which tend to offer anywhere from five to eight hours of battery life with noise canceling on and seven to 12 hours with it off. Full-size headphones can offer 25 to 30 hours of battery life with noise canceling on and up to 40 to 50 hours with it off.

Active noise canceling can have a small adverse effect on sound quality, especially if the noise canceling isn't all that good (noise canceling can create a faint background hiss). It can mess with the purity of the sound quality so it's tricky to create a noise-canceling headphone that sounds really good. As a result, often high-end noise-canceling headphones that tout fantastic sound quality don't have as powerful noise canceling (the noise canceling feels lighter).

Noise-canceling headphones and earbuds have traditionally been good at blocking out lower-frequency sounds such as the rumbling you hear while traveling on a plane. They haven't been so good at muffling higher frequencies (a baby screaming, for example) and even people talking around you. Companies like Bose, Sony and Apple have improved the technology in the last year or two so their noise canceling works across a wider range of frequencies. It still can't muffle all noise but top noise canceling is now doing a better job tamping down more noises that live in midrange and higher frequencies.

Short answer: both. Either spelling is correct, as "canceling" is more common in American English while "cancelling" is more common in British English. CNET uses "noise canceling" since the company is based in the US, but the noise is canceled just the same, regardless of spelling.

Some people are very sensitive to noise canceling and end up feeling some pressure in their ears. As a result, some people can't use noise-canceling headphones or earbuds. Earbuds and headphones manufacturers have done a better job venting earbuds in recent years, relieving that pressure sensation.