Honorary mention
Now, most new headphones and earbuds offer at least one noise-cancelling microphone, which would be impossible (and not productivity), listing everything we like above. If you haven’t found the right person yet, here are some favorites to consider.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 300, priced at $400: These shots from Beyerdynamic (7/10, wired recommendation) has the brand’s classic studio sound with tight crispy skin and strong lows. The downside is that they don’t cancel noise like Sony, Bose and the others above. Still, they sound great and worth considering, especially if you can snap them up.
SoundCore Life Q30 priced at $60-85: Anker’s Soundcore series is nothing if not value awareness, and the Life Q30 offers an embarrassing extra list of their often bargaining pricing. You get clear and warm sound, excellent features, plenty of battery life, and noise challenges that can get the job done even on long flights, although it won’t keep up with the flagship pair. It’s hard to complain when they spend hundreds of people, especially when sales are priced sometimes to over $50.
SoundCore Space A40 costs $60: Another highest value buy from Anker’s Soundcore brand, Space A40 (8/10, recommended online) is our favorite cheap earbuds, especially as prices continue to drop. You will find elegant design, many features, high-quality sound and their class to eliminate noise.
Apple Beats Fit Pro for $199: The Beats Fit Pro is an aging, but still eliminates a pair of wireless buds, with excellent sound, easy-to-access physical buttons and rugged noise for boots. Add to that six hours of battery life and spatial audio compatibility with Apple Music and other services, you have one of the best earbuds ever.
Sony WF-1000XM4 priced at $290: Sony’s WF-1000XM4 (7/10, wired recommendation) Still have some of the best noise cancellation we hear from a pair of earbuds and offer the super maintenance sound we love in Sony Sony headphones. These are getting harder to find, and they are too big for small ears, but the extra size can make battery life great.
Epos/Sennheiser adapts to 660 for $152: Want a great sound, comfortable fit and high-quality noise cancellation technology instead of paying less for Sony or Bose headphones? Check out this collaboration between EPOS and Sennheiser. EPOS/SENNHEISER adaptation 660 (8/10, recommended online) Sounds great, some of the lightest noise headphones I’ve ever worn. They also have excellent microphones that are very silent on calls and zoom.
