© Provided by TechRadar best over-ear headphones
The best over-ear headphones are still hands-down the best style of headphones for comfort, audio quality and soundstage. You might like the style and convenience of the best earbuds on the market, but despite huge advances in audio tech, there are still clear benefits to a chunky pair of headphones that cover your whole ears.
Over-ear headphones could also be a better option for your ear health than in-ear headphones models, putting a bit more distance between those loud tracks and your eardrums. If safeguarding your hearing is important to you, that’s another reason to look for a pair of over-ears.
When it comes to audio performance, it’s hard to beat the best over-ear headphones. That’s because the best over-ear headphones you can buy right now have the largest drivers and come in both open-back and closed-back variations – the former offers an almost concert hall-like feel to your favorite music that’s as close as you’ll get to watching it live.
A good pair of over-ear headphones doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice on style. Sure they tend to be much bigger than other models, but there are wireless options to choose from, like the Philips PH805, the Sony WH-1000XM3, the Bowers & Wilkins PX7, and the Sennheiser PXC 550-II. But old-school cool is still very much in too. Take a look at the brilliant Audeze LCD-1 and Cleer Next for proof that wired headphones are still among the best you can buy for both sound quality and looks.
It’s an exciting time for audio tech. If rumors are to be believed, 2020 could be the year we’ll see the first-ever pair of over-ear Apple headphones – and they could launch on June 22 at WWDC 2020. If this is true, Apple could really shake up the competition, just as the Apple AirPods have taken over the world of true wireless earbuds.
We’ve selected a number of over-ear headphones for our guide below, including wired models because of the more consistent sound quality they bring. But if you’re looking for other cool features, make sure you check out our dedicated guides to the best noise-cancelling headphones and the best wireless headphones, too.
Our top picks
© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Beyerdynamic)
1. Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
Professional headphones that know how to have fun
Acoustic design: Open | Weight: 370 g | Cable length: 9.8 ft or 3.9 ft | Frequency response: 5-40,000Hz | Drivers: N/A | Driver type: N/A | Sensitivity: 102dB | Impedance: 250 ohms | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A | NFC: N/A
Sturdy and comfortable
Breathtaking resolution
Slightly recessed mids
Highs can be fatiguing
While Beyerdynamic may not be as well known as its German brother, Sennheiser, the audio company has a history of creating some of the best-sounding audio gear on the market – the company’s DT770, DT880 and DT990 were renowned for their excellent build and sound quality.
Above them all, however, stands the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, an open-back version of the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, a headphone which won our Editor’s Choice for its imaging, design and value for the money. Both headphones are priced the same ($599, £589, AU$1,159), so you won’t find a deal picking up one over the other. The difference here comes down to sound.
As they’re open-back, the DT 1990 Pro are meant to be used at home or in the studio for serious analytical listening. Sound is able to get in and out but the good news is that the open-back design gives you the DT 1990 Pro a great sense of space. Soundstage is quite wide, too, allowing even the most lackadaisical listener to pinpoint the exact location of where each instrument is playing.
If you’ve been searching for a pair of the best over-ear headphones that are used by some of the world’s leading audio engineers, these are them. (Check out our review of the Beyerdynamuc DT 1770 Pro too for a closed-back version more friendly to company.)
Read the full review: Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Sony)
2. Sony WH-1000XM3
Over-ear cans that offer the whole package
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: 255g | Cable length: N/A | Frequency response: N/A | Drivers: N/A | Driver type: N/A | Sensitivity: N/A | Impedance: N/A | Battery life: 10 hours | Wireless range: 33 ft | NFC: Yes
Superb noise-cancelling
Great-sounding audio
30-hour battery life
Call quality issues
It’s almost unfair to stick them in the same category as the more critical listening-focused over-ear headphones, but the Sony WH-1000XM3 are one of the best all-around headphones we heard last year. Not only do they sound great and pack excellent noise cancellation, but they manage to do this all wirelessly.
Other headphones on our list offer superior sound quality, sure, but the WH-1000XM3 manage to offer the best balance of features and performance.
And while it’s the noise cancellation that really sell these headphones, they’ve also got a couple of interesting tricks up their sleeves like built-in Google Assistant and Alexa, plus support for NFC and aptX HD with some Android devices.
Offering all of this without a serious price-premium over the competition means the Sony WH-1000XM3 are a great all-around choice for on-the-go music listeners.
Read the full review: Sony WH-1000XM3
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar Sennheiser HD 800
3. Sennheiser HD 800
The Sennheiser HD800 is the headphones fit for kings
Acoustic design: Open | Weight: 330g | Cable length: 3m | Frequency response: 14 – 44,100 Hz | Drivers: N/A | Driver type: N/A | Sensitivity: N/A | Impedance: 300 ohm | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A | NFC: N/A
Sounds simply superb in every way
Beautifully balanced
Incredibly detailed
Undeniably expensive
The fourth entry on our list easily could’ve been the first if it didn’t cost well over $1,000/£1,000. The Sennheiser HD 800 are, hands down, one of the best-sounding pairs of over-ear headphones on the planet, affectionately praised by inner circles of audiophiles the world over. When paired with the proper hardware, they sound absolutely excellent – balanced in every way.
Unfortunately, they’re supremely expensive and require more audio equipment than the average consumer is ready to buy. Should you find yourself in need – or, let’s be honest, in want – of amazing over-ear headphones, these are them.
Read the full review: Sennheiser HD 800
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Audeze)
4. Audeze LCD-1
Affordable audiophile headphones
Acoustic design: Open | Weight: 250g | Cable length: 2.1m | Frequency response: 10 – 50,000 Hz | Drivers: 90mm | Driver type: Planar | Sensitivity: 99dB | Impedance: 16 ohms | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A | NFC: N/A
Direct, detailed sound
Super comfortable
Well-made build
Sound leakage
With the LCD-1 open-back headphones, Audeze has brought its uncompromising technology down to a real-world(ish) price. As long as you are prepared to do your listening in splendid isolation – that design will generate some sound leakage – there’s just no reason to overlook these over-ear headphones.
The LCD-1s’ overall presentation, no matter the material you’re listening to nor the volume at which you’re listening, is composed, engaging and entirely believable. Listen to music you’ve never heard before and you’ll never doubt you’re being given the full picture.
Listen to music you’ve heard a thousand times before and there’s every chance the LCD-1’s will find some nuance in there you’ve never really heard before.
Read the full review: Audeze LCD-1
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Bowers & Wilkins)
5. Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless Headphones
Strong all-rounders
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: 310g | Cable length: 1.2m | Frequency response: 10 – 30,000 Hz | Drivers: 43.6mm | Driver type: Full range | Sensitivity: N/A | Impedance: 20 kOhms | Battery life: 30 hours | Wireless range: N/A | NFC: N/A
Best-in-class sound quality
Competitive battery life
Robust Bluetooth connection
Earcups don’t collapse
If you’re looking for class-leading wireless, noise-cancelling headphones and you’re not put off by the $399 / £349 / AU$600 price tag, the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 are well worth considering.
With sophisticated noise-canceling, much-improved sound quality, a honed aesthetic, the PX7 could give any of the over-ear headphones on this list a run for their money.
Plus. they’re packing aptX Adaptive for improved stability and latency between the headphones and your device, as well as high-quality (24-bit) streaming aptX HD brought to the table.
Read more: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless Headphones review
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Philips)
6. Philips PH805
Premium wireless headphones without the premium price
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: N/A | Cable length: N/A | Frequency response: 7 – 40,000Hz | Drivers: 40mm | Driver type: Dynamic | Sensitivity: 90 dB | Impedance: 16 Ohms | Battery life: 30 hours | Wireless range: 33ft | NFC: N/A
Well made
Good battery life
Punchy, controlled, and detailed sound
Noise cancelation could be more effective
At $199 / £160 (around AU$290) the Philips PH805 offer exceptional value for money. These are wireless over-ear headphones, using Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity – so high-resolution audio playback should be achievable.
Using a single Lithium-Ion cell for up to 30 hours of playback time from a single charge, the Philips PH805 have active noise cancellation on board, administered by a couple of mics on each earcup.
Read more: Philips PH805 review
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Sennheiser)
7. Sennheiser Momentum Wireless (2019)
Over-ear headphones that don’t skimp on the smart features
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: N/A | Cable length: N/A | Frequency response: 6Hz to 22kHz | Drivers: 42mm | Driver type: N/A | Sensitivity: N/A | Impedance: N/A | Battery life: 17 hours | Wireless range: N/A | NFC: Yes
Brilliant audio quality
Cool design
Battery life isn’t great
More expensive than rivals
In terms of audio quality, these Sennheiser over-ear headphones sound fantastic, with high levels of detail, warm bass, and natural-sounding highs.
Customizable noise cancelation is a great touch, but it doesn’t quite reach the class-leading standards set by Sony and Bose. Battery life also doesn’t compete with the Sony WH-1000XM3s, and they’re more expensive to boot.
So, why buy the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless (2019)? Well, if built-in Tile tracking appeals to you, and you like the industrial design and premium materials of the Momentum Wireless, that could be reason enough – and if you do opt for them over the Sony model, you won’t be missing out on any audio quality. In that respect, they’re truly matched.
Read the full review: Sennheiser Momentum Wireless (2019) review
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Sennheiser)
8. Sennheiser PXC 550-II
A subtler alternative to the Momentum Wireless
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: 227g | Cable length: N/A | Frequency response: 17-23,000Hz | Drivers: 32mm | Driver type: Dynamic | Sensitivity: 110 dB | Impedance: 46 ohm | Battery life: 20 hours | Wireless range: N/A | NFC: No
Judicious sound
Good battery life
Subtly premium looks
Struggles on trebly recordings
The build, battery life, and sound quality of the Sennheiser PXC 550-II are all very impressive, upgrading the previous PXC 550 model with the latest Bluetooth standard and enhanced audio and smart capabilities.
The PXC 550-II over-ear headphones are a bit cheaper than the Momentum Wireless, a bit more sober in appearance and definitely not as big, with a sophisticated sound.
Read more: Sennheiser PXC 550-II review
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Beyerdynamic)
9. Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless
Incredible audio fidelity backed by a serious price
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: N/A | Cable length: 4.6 feet | Frequency response: 16-22,000Hz | Drivers: N/A | Driver type: Dynamic | Sensitivity: N/A | Impedance: 28 ohms | Battery life: 25+ hours | Wireless range: 30+ feet | NFC: Yes
Excellent build quality and comfort
Detailed and spacious sound
Sounds just as good wired
Not ideal for travel
The Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless are the best-sounding wireless headphones you can buy, period. Sound is spacious, detailed, and makes you want to rediscover your music library. Their bulky design and average noise isolation make them terrible for travel but if you’re looking for the best sound from a pair of over-ear headphones, this is it.
Read the full review: Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Bose)
10. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
Class-leading noise cancelation, but not the best battery life
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: 25g | Cable length: N/A | Frequency response: N/A | Drivers: N/A | Driver type: N/A | Sensitivity: N/A | Impedance: N/A | Battery life: 20 hours | Wireless range: 33 ft | NFC: Yes
Outstanding noise cancelation
Fun, lively sound
Elegant design
Battery life could be better
They may not beat the Sony WH-1000XM3’s battery life and price, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are still a fantastic pair of over-ear headphones.
By applying noise cancelation on both music and phone calls, they offer class-leading technology, and well as a vibrant, lively sound and wide, well-balanced soundstage.
If you’re trying to decide between buying the Sony WH-1000XM3s and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, we’d recommend going for the former because of that lower price and better battery life.
That being said, you wouldn’t be making a mistake if you opted for the Bose cans instead (and we wouldn’t blame you if you did) – they sound great, look stunning, and the noise-cancelation is out of this world.
Read the full review: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: TechRadar)
11. JBL Tune 750BTNC
Quality noise-cancelling headphones for a great price
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: 220g | Cable length: N/A | Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz | Drivers: 40mm | Driver type: N/A | Sensitivity: 95dB | Impedance: 32 ohms | Battery life: 15 – 22 hours | Wireless range: 30ft (10m) | NFC: No
Good sound quality
Strong active noise cancelation
No waterproofing
Average battery life
JBL is a popular name in the world of headphones and Bluetooth speakers, and rightly so. Solidly dependable, consumers know what to expect from the brand – decent sound quality for a decent price.
That’s what we found with the JBL Live 650BTNC last year – and now, ready to take their place are the JBL Tune 750BTNC, a superior successor to the 650BTNC’s as a high-spec and well-priced set of over-ear headphones.
The JBL Tune 750BTNC sound great, look great, and they fit well. Reliable and easy to use, you might miss waterproofing and a few minor features – but at this price, it feels foolish to complain too readily.
Read more: JBL Tune 750BTNC review
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Focal)
12. Focal Stellia
Luxury headphones, luxury price
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: 0.96 lbs (435g) | Cable length: 1 x 4ft OFC 24 AWG cable, 1 x 10ft OFC 24 AWG cable | Frequency response: 5Hz – 40kHz | Drivers: 40mm | Sensitivity: 106dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz | Impedance: 35Ohms | Battery life: NA | Wireless range: NA | NFC: No
Stunning, precise sound
Open soundstage
Comfortable
Extremely expensive
The Focal Stellias sound absolutely fantastic. Their wide-open soundstage and detailed, accurate sound treatment means they make any genre of music sound brilliant.
If you listen to songs you think you know inside out, the Stellias’ precise separation of the frequencies means that you will probably hear details you’ve never noticed before.
So why didn’t they make the list? Well, we included them as a bonus option because they’re incredible. But they’re very, very expensive.
They’re $3,000. And as good as they are, therein lies the problem: the Focal Stellias are prohibitively expensive for most people, at 10 times the price of our current favorite headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM3s.
If you like the sound of these luxury headphones but can’t justify the price, check out our initial hands-on review of the new Focal Elegia. They may not sound quite as breathtaking as the Focal Stellia – at least that’s what we gathered from a short listening session – but the Focal Elegia headphones are still very impressive.
Read the full review: Focal Stellia review
© Provided by TechRadar© Provided by TechRadar (Image credit: Shure)
13. Shure AONIC 50
Shure has finally joined the wireless noise-cancelling party
Acoustic design: Closed | Weight: 334g | Frequency response: N/A | Drivers: 50mm | Driver type: Dynamic | Sensitivity: N/A | Impedance: N/A | Battery life: 20 hours | Wireless range: 30ft | NFC: N/A
Expansive, convincing sound
Sturdy construction
Good ANC
No touch controls
The Shure AONIC 50 sports a wireless, active noise-cancelling over-ear design, selling at a premium price to compete with the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Bose NC 700 Headphones.
Ultimately, while you won’t find every feature under the sun here, the Shure AONIC 50 are laser-focused on delivering the best sound-quality of almost any noise-cancelling headphone – making them the best noise-cancelling headphones for audiophiles.
Read more: Shure AONIC 50 review
What to look for
Over-ear headphones: what to look for
Other buying guides
– Best headphones
– Best on-ear headphones
– Best earbuds
– Best wireless headphones
– Best true wireless earbuds
– Best wireless earbuds
– Best noise-cancelling headphones
– Best swimming headphones
– Best running headphones
– Best Sony headphones
– Best Bose headphones
– Best Audio-Technica headphones
To make things easier for audiophiles, this guide focuses on sound quality above all else.
When buying over-ear headphones, sound quality is the most important feature to look out for – the more expensive, the better your cans tend to sound, although there are quite a few impressive exceptions to this rule.
How you define good sound quality depends on your personal taste. Do you like a warm, well-rounded sound, or do you prefer ultra high-fidelity that allows you to hear every single detail of your music? Are you a dedicated bass head or a classical music junkie?
If you’re all about that bass, you’ll want to look out for dynamic drivers that displace lots of air, leading to a bassy soundstage. If detail is everything, look for large frequency ranges – 20Hz to 20 kHz is the standard, so anything larger than this may allow for more detail in the highs and lows.
It’s also important to consider the soundstage as a whole; if you love a wide, open sound, try a pair of open-back headphones. Worried about sound-leakage when you’re in the company of others? Try a pair of closed-back cans with a secure fit to stop your tunes bothering the people around you.
As we mentioned, there are a few wireless and noise-canceling headphones in this list – that’s because the sound quality of these models is exceptional. Many over-ear headphones come with these quality-of-life features these days, although they’re often pricier than their wired counterparts – if you can’t live without these modern conveniences, make sure you’re buying headphones with the latest Bluetooth technology and active noise cancelation.
Design is also hugely important, as a good pair of over-ear headphones need to be comfortable for long listening sessions – look out for padded earcups and headbands in materials like memory foam for ultimate comfort.
Best over-ear headphones at a glance:
- Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
- Sony WH-1000XM3
- Sennheiser HD 800
- Audeze LCD-1
- Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless Headphones
- Philips PH805
- Sennheiser Momentum Wireless
- Sennheiser PX 550-II
- Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless
- Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
- JBL Tune 750BTNC
- Focal Stellia
- Shure AONIC 50
