But if $300 is too much to spend, the $45 Sony MDR-NC13 sound pretty good, are from an established brand, and theyre inexpensive.
Who am I to say so? I review headphones and write about audio for CNET, Forbes and Sound & Vision magazine. Ive been reviewing audio gear for 13 years, including a 7-year stint as the Technical Editor of Home Theater magazine.
The Bose QC20s offer the best noise-cancelling effects weve tested. Theyre better, even, than the much-bigger over-ear QuietComfort 15s, which are our pick for best noise-cancelling headphones.
In-ear vs over-ear
The QC20s are the latest from Bose, the first noise-cancelling in-ear headphones from them. If you prefer over-ear headphones, the QC15s are our favorite noise cancellers that dont go in your ears.
However, we prefer the QC20s for travelling, which is the primary use case for a lot of people who use noise-cancelling headphones. Thats because the in-ear QC20s are 10 decibels (dB) quieter as the QC15s at active noise cancelling, which targets the noise range of airplane engines.) This 10 dB drop is subjectively twice as quiet in those frequencies. The QC20s are also 5.25 ounces lighter and significantly smaller than the QC15s (small earbuds vs full-size over-ear headphones), so we think theyre more ideal for travelling if you dont have a preference.
Arent all in-ear headphones noise cancelling?
There is a big difference between earbuds that feature noise isolating and noise cancelling.
If you can get a good fit (always crucial with in-ear headphones) and the headphones are designed well, noise-isolating headphones can do an effective job lowering ambient noise. Noise-cancelling goes one step further, dropping the ambient noise lower than what is possible with basic in-ear headphones. In some cases, this is only a slight difference. In the case of the Bose, its a lot.
Managing expectations
One thing we noticed in our research was that noise-cancelling (NC) headphones have low Amazon rating averages across the board as a category. Reading the comments reveals a trend: many people are expecting magic from their headphones, that suddenly the world will be silent upon switching them on. The QC20s come as close to this as any headphone Ive tested, but even they arent going to completely eliminate mid-to-high frequencies like voices or babies crying.
NC headphones are best with low-frequency droning sounds, like airplane engines.
Our pick, or How we know the Bose set is that good
Subjective and objective testing shows the Bose to be a cut above the competition.
Headphone measurement guru and Wirecutter contributor Brent Butterworth measured the QC20s using sophisticated objective measurement gear. In his writeup, he said the noise cancelling function works so much better than any other manufacturers that the QC-20 almost belongs in its own product class. He explained further: In the lower frequencies, where the noise from jet engines resides, the result is the best I can remember measuring, as good as -45 dB at 160 Hz.
Brents full measurements are worth checking out, but the main takeaway is that at certain frequencies, the QC20s drop the ambient sound by 45 decibels. This is an incredible amount. To put this amount in perspective, the interiors of an airplane and a library are roughly 45 dB apart. Im not saying the Bose makes an airplane sound as quiet as a library (other frequencies arent dropped by as much), but this is the magnitude of that maximum difference. The QC15s, which previously had the best noise-cancelling Brent had measured, only dropped the ambient sound by a maximum of 33 dB.
While objective measurements can tell you a lot, they cant tell you everything. I wrote a full review of the QuietComfort 20s for Forbes that included using them on a round-trip cross-country fight, along with extensive listening tests. Ive reviewed a lot of noise-cancelling headphones, and these impressed even me. From my previous review: For example, if you have a noisy air conditioner in your room, it will practically disappear. If youre in a car, the engine and road noise will drop to next to nothing.
I explained further, I recently used the QC20s on a quick flight from LAX-JFK (and back). I found the QC20s comfortable to wear the whole flight, and they dropped the roar of the engines (Boeing 757-200 out, 737-800 back), to about the level of the average open office. Not silent of course, theyre not magic, but much quieter than with other headphones. In my office, where Ive got an air conditioner practically next to my head, it drops the AC down to the point where its barely noticeable. I can still just make out the highest frequencies in the fan, but the compressor noise is basically gone.
Since I wrote that review, I have flown an additional 19,000 miles with the Bose. The battery lasted a long-haul LAX-Heathrow-Stockholm series of flights. Bose claims 16 hours per charge, which seems about right. Because of their flat-ish design, its far more comfortable to sleep with the QC20s in than most other headphones. (Its not comfortable, as no headphone is comfortable to sleep on, but these are as close to it as Ive found.) The cord is difficult to tangle, so you can just stuff them back in their carrying case without worry. They dont take up much space (something the over-ear QC15s certainly cant say).
Its far more comfortable to sleep with the QC20s in than most other headphones.
David Carnoy at CNET said in his review that [d]espite some downsides, including a high price, the Bose QuietComfort 20 offers the best noise-canceling in an in-ear headphone and should tempt frequent travelers looking for a more compact alternative to a full-size NC headphone, such as the Bose QuietComfort 15.
Lastly, most-noise cancelling headphones on Amazon have pretty poor reviews, but the Bose fares pretty well. Over 224 reviews, the average rating for these headphones is an incredibly high 4.5/5, with 68% of reviewers granting them five stars and 16% giving them four.
Not perfect
The QC20s are a fantastic product, well designed and built. They arent, of course, perfect. The sound quality is merely average. Every time I got off the noisy plane, I switched to my B&W C5s (which understandably lost to the RBH EP2s; I just prefer the C5s). The QC20s sound is a little light on the bass. They dont sound bad, but theyre just average. From Davids CNET review: they dont sound as good as many competing in-ear headphones in this price range. You can get better-sounding headphones for less if you dont need noise cancelling. Also, the QC20s certainly arent cheap at $300.
The battery/electronics pack, well, exists. Yes, the QC20s arent magic and they need a donglethingee to do their thing. Some feel its excessively large; I find the flat design fits nicely next to my phone or iPod. I think the issue some people have is that it exists at all. If thats your concern, noise-cancelling headphones arent for you.
Lastly is the fit. I find them fantastically comfortable: very little pressure, but a great soft seal. Not everyone will agree. Such is the nature of in-ear headphones. Its worth noting that while I call these in-ear headphones, theyre more on-the-inner-ear. Its a unique design that presses against the opening to your inner ear but doesnt actually stick inside like traditional in-ear headphones. When you look at them, they dont look like theyd work, yet for most people they do.
Despite all of that, if youre looking for the best noise-cancelling headphone, its excellent design and impressive noise cancelling abilities make the Bose QuietComfort 20 it.
Long-term test notes
Since our last update, Ive put over 35,000 air miles on the Bose QC20s. In addition to many long flights, the Bose have also been on buses, trains and backpacking through half a dozen countries. Most of the time on the ground, the QC20s were in their carrying case. On flights, I slept with them on. This is probably a fairly accurate mix of how these will be used by most people (i.e. not abused, used primarily in transit). The QC20s have suffered no visible wear or tear, and still perform flawlessly. If there was one thing that could break, its the soft silicone earpads. They havent worn at all so far, but theyre definitely the part that feels like the weakest link. These are proprietary to Bose and seem like they could tear if theyre handled poorly. Theyre $10 to replace (pack of 2, make sure you get the right size).
Wallet-friendly runners-up
Also Great
The noise cancelling isnt as impressive as some others here, but for an all-around package its a great pick at this price.
Its also possible to get a pretty decent set of noise-cancelling headphones for way under $150. While the performance of these inexpensive alternatives isnt as good as the Bose, theyre a lot cheaper. I identified and tested eight such options (more on those later), but two stood out to me as the best budget options.
The Sony MDR-NC13 is a good all-around noise-cancelling headphone. It doesnt drop nearly as much noise as the Bose, but at $45 theyre inexpensive and the sound is decent. The noise cancelling isnt even as impressive as some others here, but for an all-around package its a great pick. Heres what Lauren said: What I love about these is that they sound the same with the NC on and off. Thats really rare. The overall sound is pleasant, especially for the price.
And Brent, More bass than the others, mids are a little obscured, good treble detail not my choice of tonal balance but this is what most people seem to like. Almost same in NC and passive modes. NC is better than average but thats mainly because the fit is so good (for me, at least).
If you dont want to spend $300, the Sony MDR-NC13 offers 35% of the performance for 15% of the price and are better all-around than almost all the other headphones here.
Also Great
Really good sound for the money, with noise-cancelling capabilities on par with the Sonys'. They're unfortunately getting hard to find.
Lauren felt the same way, saying, The HeadTrip is really nice to listen to, especially for the money. I like the monitor button (which lets you hear the world around you better). Wish I didnt have to hold it down. That said, for the price, you could afford to use them for this single application and then have your regular headphones for day to day.
Brent put it like this: Buy the Bose, or for 3/4 of the performance at 1/12th the price, buy HeadTrip.
Im not sure Id say the HeadTrip Hush has a full ¾ the performance of the Bose, especially after using them on a plane. Maybe they provide 40% of the performance, but even that is impressive given the low price. They have a pleasant sound, a rarity in inexpensive headphones, and the active NC takes the edge off ambient noise. They dont have a passive mode (ok, they sort of do, but you cant really hear it) and the look is a little odd (the copper highlights look like 1970s wood veneer wall panelling), but these are a fantastic pair of headphones. Other headphones we tested cut out more noise, but these are easily better than the other headphones here (except for the Bose)for $25!
My hesitation with the HeadTrip is not with the headphones, but with the company. First up, emails from us were ignored. The website is Geocities-era, and the Amazon page has Old Model in the title even though its the only model available on Headtrips website. When these sell out (and I know they will), will they be replaced? These headphones are such bizarre combination of excellent performance and company weirdness that Im skeptical theyre real. Its like ordering a $6 steak at Dennys and getting perfectly seared filet mignon. Yet I bought them from Amazon for $25 and they effectively came in second place to the Bose QC20s, which are 12x the price. Get a pair while you can. [Update 1/15/14: As we expected, these are sold out and were having trouble getting information about whether the company plans to make more.]
Both the Sony and HeadTrip use a single AAA battery, and neither have a built-in microphone.
How we tested
The aforementioned Brent Butterworth, from Stereos.About.com and a regular Wirecutter contributor, is one of the few audio reviewers capable of objectively testing headphone noise cancelling with specialized meausurement gear. I dumped the lot in his lap. There were some interesting results. Not from his lap.
To measure the noise cancelling, Brent sets up speakers and a subwoofer to output pink noise at 75 dB. He then measures how much passive and active noise cancelling a pair of headphones provides using True RTA; a Blue Microphones Icicle; and a G.R.A.S 43AG ear/cheek simulator. For the full explanation, check out his article How to Measure Noise Cancelling in Headphones.
While extremely useful, the noise-cancelling charts only tell part of the story. They give us a guide, but our ears tell the rest of the story. A noise-cancelling headphone can perform well on the objective test but still not sound very good. So we had a round of subjective testing for find the best in each price category. The price of the headphones turned out to have absolutely no correlation to their overall performance.
There is no single number that can denote noise-cancelling ability. As you can see from the charts below, a headphones performance isnt the same across all frequencies. We wanted to give you an general idea what we were talking about, though. This uses the greatest drop in noise below 1 kHz (i.e., the Bose drops 45 dB at 160 Hz, so it gets 45 dB). There are subjective aspects that means this chart isnt absolute, but it should give you a general idea. On the right you see the expensive Bose also has the most noise cancelling. The second-place options offer roughly half the NC for significantly less money.
This chart breaks down the noise-cancelling abilities of the Bose vs our other picks and another competitor. Each line represents the amount of noise dropped from a 75 dB pink noise source. The Bose cancels 45 dB of noise at 160 Hz (a deep low noise). Below 50 Hz is less accurate due to physical vibrations in the test gear (this is common). We also have charts comparing the Bose to more expensive models in the footnotes.
Brent, Wirecutter headphone maven Lauren Dragan and myself listened to each headphone with and without background noise to test the overall sound quality and the noise-cancelling sound quality. From this we got the two runners-up to the Bose, the HeadTrip and Sony models discussed above. As a last test I took these finalists (along with the Bose and my trusty B&W C5s) with me on a flight from LA to Hawaii. Just for testing, of course.
Also tested
I compiled a list of every noise-cancelling in-ear headphone from brands Id heard of and brands I hadnt. As I mentioned, most noise-cancelling headphones have pretty poor reviews on Amazon. Those with multiple reviews and an average score well below 3.5 were discarded (more on those later). The rest I called in for testing. These were:
The aforementioned HeadTrip (NXG) Hush NX-HTNC and Sony MDR-NC13, which I found to be excellent budget options for those not interested in the $300 Bose.
The AKG K391 NC had great Amazon reviews (4.3/5 but only over 10 reviews). Also, their over-ear noise-cancelling headphones got great reviews.
Even though the Antec a.m.p. isos reviews werent great (3.2/5 over 22 reviews), I included them as a potential Bluetooth option.
Previous A-T headphones were well-reviewed, and the Audio Technica ATH-ANC33iS had a 4.7/5 rating on BestBuy.com (they werent on Amazon during the initial research phase, they are now).
For $20 I got the Digital Silence DS-321D on a lark. I mean, $20 noise-cancelling headphones? 27 reviews on Amazon give them a 3.7/5 average, though.
Both the Phiaton PS 20 NC and Bluetooth PS 210 BTNC had good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere.
The Polk UltraFocus 6000i had good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere.
As Ive said before, the primary judge of quality for noise-cancelling headphones should be their noise-cancelling capabilities. However, they also have to sound OK. Unfortunately, most of the headphones I tested were not able to pass this low threshold of acceptable sound quality. I suppose you could get a NC headphone just for the NC, but since there are options here that offer some degree of both (i.e. are a better overall package) it seems silly to buy headphones you cant (or dont want to) listen to.
The AKG K391 NC were the only headphones to give the Bose a real run for its money in terms of objective noise-cancelling capabilities. However, they didnt pass the sound OK test. Brent put it bluntly: Wretched sound. NASTY in passive, just bad in NC mode. They went overboard on the 3K peak. At least in NC mode theres some bass to counterbalance it, but still
Lauren had a similar reaction: OMG HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. The high end sizzle is horrific. Its like a snake is talking directly into your ear canal. Id rather make out with Voldemort.
I didnt mind the extra bass (I tend not to, generally), but the peak Brent spoke of is an instant dealbreaker for me. If youre willing to spend $200 on these, save up a bit more and get the Bose, which has even better noise cancelling and far less offensive sound.
The Antec a.m.p. iso is one of the few Bluetooth options (the Phiaton PS210 BTNC being the other in our test). Lauren was unimpressed. Bass is thuddy in the mix, with a dip in the mids, she wrote. Brent concurred: Mids very uneven, highs sound crude, voices muffled, just sounds like a cheap headphone no one bothered to voice. He also found that the NC seems to work on sound to the sides but has little to no effect on sound coming from front.
The Audio Technica ATH-ANC33iS were, as Brent put it, Just a nice, flat-sounding headphone. What a good inexpensive IEM should sound like. However, the noise cancelling has a pretty small effect.
Digital Silence DS-321D were another of the ultra-inexpensive finds on Amazon. Brent and I found the sound to be OK, but Lauren didnt like them. We all agreed that the NC mostly adds hiss, or as Brent put it, rather than reducing noise, it just changes the sound of it.
The Phiaton PS20 had poor noise cancelling. The Sonys offered more for less money.
The Phiaton PS210 BTNC were the other Bluetooth options, but Lauren wasnt a fan: tinny sounding, no sound depth. Beautiful build, but it seems all the money went to the looks, rather than the substance. The noise cancelling was also fairly mild.
The Polk UltraFocus 6000i offered less noise cancelling than the Sonys, which are cheaper. Lauren also felt that the lack of a passive mode was a dealbreaker, since the Sonys did have a passive mode for less money.
Considered but not tested
Aiptek Fidelity has really low reviews (2.5/5) on Amazon. Even though there were only 4 reviews, they were very negative.
Audio Technica ANC23BK are well reviewed, but the 33i is a newer model.
Denon AH-NC600 have low reviews and also dont seem to be on Denons website anymore.
JVC HA-NCX78 They have a 3.2/5 rating on Amazon. Most of the comments complained the NC didnt work.
Panasonic RP-HC55, 56, and 75 is an old model, has really low reviews, and not a US model (also, poor reviews) respectfully.
Philips SHN2500 and SHN7500 both had low Amazon reviews. CNET also gave the latter a negative review.
Pioneer SE-NC31C-K Pre-test by Brent revealed the NC and sound quality were barely average.
Rocketfish RF-JJX15 Solace Seems to be discontinued.
Sennheiser CXC700 Brent and I reviewed these for Sound&Vision. The sound quality was terrible.
Sony XBA-NC85D The only in-ear NC headphones I could find with an MSRP higher than the Bose, yet they have an average Amazon review lower than Sonys own NC13.
Why not earplugs?
A cheap option, sort of, would be to buy earplugs and use over-ear headphones to blast through the earplugs. There are a few problems with this. The first is that cheap earplugs dont reduce the sound evenly. Youll be cutting out some frequencies more than others, which defeats the purpose of decent headphones. This may or may not be a concern for you, if youre looking for the cheapest option. You can get custom-fitted earplugs that reduce all sound equally, but they cost as much or more than some of the NC headphones in this article. Another issue is wearing earplugs for 5-6 hours or more. Ill gladly wear earplugs for the length of a concert, but even after those few hours, Im ready to get them out.
And then theres the biggest issue. In order to get the sound past the earplugs, youre going to have to crank the volume on your headphones. In addition to draining your portables battery faster, youll be annoying the crap out of anyone next to you on the plane or train. As I said before, I fly a lot, and if my seatmate was playing music loud enough for me to hear, Id certainly cause a ruckus worthy of an air marshals attention.
If you dont mind the reduction in sound quality, the bulk of carrying over-ear headphones, the comfort of wearing earplugs on a long flight, and arent sitting next to me, this is a cheap option. For everyone else, I recommend either the Bose or one of the step down options.
Wrapping it up
The Bose QuietComfort 20s cancel far more noise than the competition. In addition, theyre well built and, for most people, an exceptionally comfortable headphone. Their sound is only average, but their superb NC ability more than makes up for it. As such, the QC20s are the best noise-cancelling in-ear headphone.
Note: The QuietComfort20i has controls for Apple devices; the 20 (no i) has controls for everything else (Android, etc). Both have in-line microphones.
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