The absolute BEST noise-canceling headphones of 2019

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Bose, Sennheiser, Jabra, Sony and Bang & Olufsen battle to be crowned the best. Sorry, Beats. You didn't make it. We crown the overall best pair of noise-cancelling headphones out there. Full review!

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9

[CNET]

Is there another noise-cancelling headphone you think we missed?

[BillAngelos]

skip all the bla bla bla and go straight to 16:00 and get the results.

[MarcoVialeBakmaind]

I can’t believe Sennheiser didn’t win as the best sounding one!

[CarpenoxThriller]

I was super disappointed in the Sony’s. They feel cheap and they sound muddy. I preferred the Sennheiser, I love their massive soundstage.

[Aiii]

When the Sennheiser's didn't win sound quality you completely lost my trust in your judgement. There's a night and day difference in sound clarity and soundstage between those and my XM3s.

Owning both. The XM3s sound fine. The Sennheiser's sound amazing. If you're buying solely for ANC then Sony. If you want the absolute best sound with good ANC, then Sennheiser is the choice to make.

[mocasorla]

I'm definitely glad I opted for my Sony.

[BrawndoQC]

I've WH-1000XM3, the Bose QC35, and Bose NC700, my personal opinion as the owner of all 3 and using them on a regular basis:
- You make phone calls you want to sound good: It's a no contest win for the 700
- You need multiple-pairing (Let's say a phone and a laptop at the same), Forget the Sony, Bose simply has better pairing and can do 2.
- You need bass and rich sound: Sony
- You don't care about bass you like a more flat and natural curve: QC35 or 700
- You want the best noise cancelling, either the XM3 or 700
- You want the most comfortable: QC35, followed by the XM3 and 700 at last position (at least for my head)

[wilt]

Who else is watching *WITHOUT* any headphones

[PrOtaku]

Sony is the best without a doubt, I need to justify my purchase

[mikediezel]

Who else is watching this video with the Sony Wh1000xm3 on?

[dylanwhisnant]

Imagine not including the actual best ANC headphone which is the Bowers and Wilkins PX7

[HOMERUN]

I LOVE my WH-1000XM3 I got nervous they wouldn't win but im glad they came back.

[jamesfernandes]

He wrote 3 novels...
Headphone specialist.

[Andre_M_D]

I just got a pair of WH1000XM3 and WF1000XM3. And love them both. Amazon had a crazy deal so I got both. I am amazed by the sound quality and noise cancelation. Again...so glad I got them. Thanks for the review

[adonaijanaslarona]

I had the chance to listen to both the Sony and the B&O side by side for quite an extended time and it was immediately obvious after the first song I listened to that the B&O was better. And the more songs I played to compare them, the more the Sony sounded like a joke next to the B&O. Bass was deeper, more rumbling, more resonating, the mids were more forward and more isolated, the treble was more sparkly and more extended just enough to give that impression of detail but never fatiguing, the soundstage was also way wider with B&O and the instruments were more separated. It's doesn't take an audiophile to notice the difference immediately in favor of the B&O. It's like the Sony sounds okay when you listen to it by itself, but once you compare it to the B&O and you go back to the Sony, the Sony suddenly sounds muffled and compressed. The difference was night and day that I can't believe some people would claim the Sony to sound better based purely on subjective claims. The B&O simply sounded better on all frequency ranges including soundstage and instrument separation. I do agree though that Sony was more comfortable and the ANC was a tad better, but the B&O was not far behind in those two aspects either. If you can afford it, get the B&O. The sound quality alone was enough to justify the price gap in my opinion. Not to mention the build quality in which the B&O just wipes the floor with the Sony.

[Immolate]

I purchased the Sony's and used them for a week. They were wonderful in so many ways, but unfortunately they were fatally flawed in others. I need my headphones to work for phone calls, and the Sony's were bad. People complained about my voice quality. The other flaw was their inability to pair with more than one device at a time. That was a serious issue that I though I could live with, but this annoyed me more as time went by. Fix those two issues and I'd have never looked back.


So I returned them and bought the Bose, though they cost a lot more. They'd just come out with a new soapstone color that is awesome. They have a great microphone and work great with phone calls. They work with two devices (phone and primary computer in my case). Though the claimed battery life is supposed to be much better on the Sony's, I haven't found that to be the case. I think the Sony's have better noise cancelling, but only by a small margin.


What is it with headphone and BT speaker manufacturers and BT5? It has better range and allows multiple devices. That alone makes it must have. If other things are equal, I would never buy another audio product with BT4.

[Kansirz]

I think I still want bang & Olufsen to match my future Bentley Continental GT lol

[BauerMonty]

I have both the Sony and the Sennheiser, and there is no doubt about Sennheiser has the better sound quality. Even if using the EQ from the apps, the Sony lacks the deep bass. The Sony is muddy in comperison to the Sennheiser. With the Sennheiser you can tell the instuments apart with ease.
Noice canceling is won by the Sony, aswell as what goes for transportation. The Sennheiser's case is very big and soft. Sony's slim and hard.
Bluetooth is won by the Sennheiser, wich can be connected to two devices at once. The Sony will allways connect with the device wich it paired to first. I find it very annoying when my computer is in one room, and I'm in another room trying to use it with my phone, and it just won't connect. It does not help to turn the headphones on and off.
What goes for fit, I like both, but have to give it to the Sony for weighing slightly less.
The controls work good on both, but when going from a warm temperature ambient to a colder ambient, you will have to turn off the Sony and back on for it not to skip songs, turn up and down the volume and so on. The Sennheiser on the other hand has reliable buttons, but theese are placed a little akward.
The auto pause funktion that comes with the Sennheiser is really good. Its accurate at all times. I miss that about the Sony.
The Sony can get you sweaty in about 2 hours, the Sennheiser might do it in 8 hours.
The advertised battery life of the Sony is a big lie. The Sony can do about 18-23 hours. The Sennheiser is about 16-19 hours. This is playing at the same level, default settings and the same music in both of them. The time for a full recharge is 3 hours on both of them even through the Sony can quick charge.
The Sennheiser can play music through the USB C port, the mini-Jack or the bluetooth while charging. The Sony can't play when charging and is delivered with an unforgivable short charging cable.
Hope it helps you make your decission :)

[thatsmedilip]

I think Dave forgot mention that, this video is sponsored by Bose.🤔

[thenionx]

I agree with sony being the best "bang for the buck" but I feel my H9i sound better than my 1000XM3. I know that we all hear things differently and have our preferences to audio styles and settings, so my opinion is just that. Great video, I look forward to what's to come.