Top Five Best Over-Ear Headphones For 2021

Oliver Trebilcock

In this article

Over-ear headphones are the largest style of headphones, completely encasing your ears for the ultimate in comfort and sound. Many pairs also feature active noise cancelling – perfect for peace and quiet when commuting by bus or train, or for frequent flyers to cut out plane noise. They can often be more costly than other headphone types, so it's important to choose well. We round up the very best pairs available.

Below we've listed the best over-ear headphones on the market this year, so you can get great sound and stay comfortable whether you're on the go or at home.

See the top headphones to buy by checking out our guide to the best headphones.

Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Best over-ear headphones

91%

£219.00

Reviewed Oct 2018

These over-ear headphones are a landmark launch, becoming the highest-ever scoring wireless headphones at our expert lab. The industry-leading active noise cancelling is the best we’ve yet seen, they’re superbly comfortable, and the 27-plus hour battery life goes the distance. They’re foldable and there’s even a detachable cord if you forget to charge them, plus a whole host of optional settings in the accompanying smartphone app.

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77%

£79.99

Reviewed Aug 2019

These are fantastic-sounding Great Value over-ear noise cancelling headphones – they’re so good they’ve even beaten many pairs double their price in our tests. It’s a real challenge to find a pair with effective noise cancelling in this price range, and these really do deliver.

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75%

£163.80

Reviewed Jun 2019

These headphones are a genuine hit. They have a beautifully warm sound with lots of fine detail and they're comfortable to wear. They have an exceptionally long 36-hour battery life with effective noise cancelling. They're a well-deserved Best Buy.

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74%

£222.48

Reviewed Dec 2019

Headphones with effective active noise cancelling can be extremely expensive. But these headphones are a slightly cheaper option that are also excellent, with superb noise cancelling. In fact, they’re ideally-suited to travelling, with a compact design and travel case, lightweight feel and good build quality. A great alternative to bulkier pairs, and cheaper than many rivals too.

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73%

£329.99

Reviewed Oct 2019

If you’re looking for exceptional build quality headphones, few beat the robust, premium feel of these headphones. They’re packed with features, including Siri and Google Assistant voice control support, an extensive equaliser to adjust the sound to your tastes and a handy detachable cable. Noise cancelling and sound quality are excellent, and there’s even an ambient sound mode for more awareness of your surroundings when crossing the road.

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Pricing and recommendations correct as of January 2021.

Not found the product for you? Browse all of our headphone reviews.

Over-ear headphones to avoid

Over-ear headphones are expensive, so it's important you make the right choice first time rather than wasting money on a dud. The worst models we've seen are uncomfortable around your ears and sound terrible – one even adds a background hiss to everything you listen to. You'll definitely want to avoid the models we've listed in the table below.

31%

£49.72

Reviewed Mar 2015

You'll want to steer well clear of these headphones. They're actually meant for use in the home, so you can listen to your hi-fi or TV late at night without disturbing others. Unfortunately though, you're the one that will end up being disturbed if you buy these headphones. The sound is rotten - a distracting hiss swamps everything you listen to.

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37%

£60.00

Reviewed May 2018

Beware being lulled into a false sense of security by big brand names. These big-brand headphones are one of our worst-ever scoring pairs of headphones in our expert lab tests. Sound is thin and sibilants in speech are so harsh they're painful. Our listening panel found they were hot and tight, clamping round your head, and heavy as well.

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39%

£14.99

Reviewed Mar 2018

These budget over-ear wireless Bluetooth headphones are a shining example of ‘too good to be true’. At a rock-bottom price, they’re barely more expensive that some of the cheapest in-ear wired headphones. They seem to have all the useful features, including a mic and controls to answer and control calls, as well as volume and music controls, and the earcups swivel flat for easy storage. However, sound quality is appalling. Bass is boomy, but also thick and dull; sound is muffled and lifeless, lacking articulation and excitement, and highs are tinny and harsh.

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Advantages of over-ear headphones

They may take up more space in your bag, but the biggest advantage of over-ear headphones is comfort. It can be hard to find a pair of in-ear headphones that will fit your ears properly, and for longer listening periods in-ear headphones can become irritating. On-ear headphones put pressure on your ears and can start to hurt over long periods, and aren't quite as good at blocking out external noise as over-ear pairs. A solid pair of over-ear headphones provides a physical barrier between your ears and the outside world, which is why active noise cancelling is a feature most often found in over-ear headphones.

Sound quality is slightly less clear cut. Technically it is possible for in-ear headphones to sound just as good as over-ear ones, but in practice this is completely dependent on how they fit inside your ear, making sound quality of in-ear headphones more temperamental. Small movements inside your ear will have a big effect on the levels of bass and treble that you experience, so it's far easier for a manufacturer to produce a consistent-sounding over-ear model, and easier for you to be confident you'll get a fit that'll deliver the best sound the headphones offer so you don't lose out.

Using Bluetooth wireless over-ear headphones

Many prefer wireless headphones to free themselves from tangled wires and to not have to worry about accidentally yanking the cable out if you step away from your computer for a second. In addition, many smartphones now lack a dedicated headphones socket, so you either need an adaptor or to buy Bluetooth wireless headphones.

Over-ear Bluetooth models benefit from a generally longer battery life compared with in-ear and on-ear wireless models. This is simply because they're big enough to fit bigger batteries in, giving you more listening time even when they add in extra features such as active noise cancelling. A good pair will give you over 20 hours of listening time – more than enough to get through even the most intensive day of use.