I may have waxed on ad nauseam about my love of over-ear headphones to anyone who will hear it (in fact, there’s absolute proof of my musical musings and meanderings right here).
But while the headphones roundup I’m referring to will lead you like magic to a world of wired over-ear options, hereon on I’ll be taking a broader overview and including the best cans coming wired or wireless.
Why over-ears? Well, for a start there’s the comfort factor – those pads are designed to hug your lugs like an overly amorous audio bear, while the headband holds them firmly and securely in place no matter how prone you are to violently wobbling your noggin around. Also, the fact that you’re not pushing an earbud down your aural canal is an important comfort consideration too.
Then there’s sound quality. With space for larger drivers, you generally get much better performance across the audio spectrum. Plus those cups give added isolation from the idle chatter of the world around you, so you can enjoy your top tunes or audio books free from interruption.
What should you look for in a pair of over-ear headphones?
Naturally, the performance of over-ears is – as with most stuff in life – usually price-related, but there are other factors to mull over too, including whether they come armed with Active Noise Cancellation.
Consider too whether they’re the right size for your own ears, as everyone’s shell-likes are different and over-ears come in a ‘one-size-probably-won’t-fit-all’ design, so you might want to try before you buy if yours are unusually small or abnormally large.
You’ll also want to think about usage too. If you’re just going to sit and listen, then most models will happily sit on your head and help you do just that, but if you’re going to be mixing things up on the wheels of steel and showing off your scratching skills down the local club, then you’ll want to set your sights on those with swivel cups so that you can leave an ear out.
Finally, if you’re thinking of going wireless, then pay attention to battery life and what flavour of Bluetooth it is toting, otherwise you could end up audio-free halfway through a gruelling tube journey or, possibly worse still, suffering a connection so unstable that trying to listen becomes barely worth the bother.
So go peruse the following virtual page and prepare to set forth on a proper aural adventure. Listen up!
Best over-ear headphones at a glance:
- Best for Comfort and control: Sennheiser Momentum 4 - £259, Amazon
- Best for on-ear comfort: Sony WH-CH520 - £38.40, Amazon
- Best for bringing the bass: Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 - £199.99, Skullcandy
- Best for audio and ANC excellence: Marshall II ANC Diamond Jubilee - £269.99, Marshall
- Best for bagging an absolute bargain: Soundcore Space One - £90, Amazon
- Best for exceptional ANC: JBL Tour One M2 - £199, Currys
- Best for ear-pleasing ear-protection: Edifier WH950NB - £149.99, Amazon
- Best for eco-excellent audio: House of Marley Positive Vibration Frequency 2 - £34.99, Amazon
- Best for ultimate ANC: Bose QuietComfort 45 - £207.95, Amazon
- Best for pure audio in privacy: OneAudio 80 - £100, Amazon
- Best for high-end performance, low-end price: Final UX3000 - £119.99, Amazon
- Best for hi-res audio at a sub-£100 price: 1MORE SonoFlow - £89, Amazon
- Best for making light work of wireless: Lindy BNX-60XT - £75.98, Amazon
- Best for self-charging sounds all day: Urbanista Los Angeles - £160, Amazon
- Best for Shure sonic performance perfection: Shure AONIC 50 Gen 2 - £339, Amazon
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Sennheiser Momentum 4
Best for: Comfort and control
A colossus of the audio arena, Sennheiser is, quite simply, one of the most popular headphone companies in the history of headphone companies; and you don’t get to be that without lavishing absolute innovation on your products at every turn.
The latest in the over-ear line, the Momentum 4, features an audiophile-inspired 42mm transducer system with an accompanying app including built-in EQ, presets, sound modes, and the option to personalise your sound still further, this is Sennheiser’s Signature Sound and it’s ear-delightingly dynamic, bright, brilliant and clad in clarity.
When it comes to battery, a full charge will give you a whopping 60 hours of play, with ‘Smart Pause’ helping conserve that charge by automatically stopping and starting when you take them off or put them back on, so you’re never likely to be stuck for top tunes or calls clearer than a crystal bell, the adaptive ANC assisting invaluably in those areas.
And when it comes to controls the innovation continues to abound, with an intuitive and invisible tap and swipe ‘Smart Control’ system built into the ear cup cap making it impossibly easy to access all functions with none of the fumbling often associated with fiddly buttons.
But what of comfort? Here we find a lightweight build designed to take the strain off the muscles, complete with deep, softly cushioned earpads, a very pleasantly padded headband, and a lovingly low-friction hinge mechanism that provides perfect, pressure-free fit, so when it comes to comfort, the M4 envelopes the head like a tailor-made noise-glove.
A fresh audio tech triumph from Sennheiser at a more than reasonable price for listening gear at this level, the ANC performance may not be quite up there with the ‘twice the price’ options I’ve already looked at here, but then… practically half the price!
Buy now £259.00, Amazon
Sony WH-CH520
Best for: on-ear comfort
These wireless on-ear headphones from Sony don’t have noise-cancellation or hi-res audio support, but still sound great. On-ear headphones like these may not be to everyone’s taste, as they fit directly on your ears and depending on the shape of your lugholes will either feel great or deeply annoying, but thanks to some upgraded padding around the earpads they’re largely comfortable to wear.
They use the standard Sony app, which is a great place to start for sound balance and equalisation, and there's multipoint pairing too if you’ve got multiple devices. One thing you don’t get is the ability to use a 3.5mm cable, meaning they’re completely dependent on their internal battery, which will give you around 50 hours of use from a charge.
Buy now £43.00, Amazon
Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2
Best for: bringing the bass
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 332g
Skullcandy has been around for about two decades now, but oddly always feels like a new brand to me every time I get my hands on one of its products. But then, I suspect this is because the audio experts it employs in its over-ear mines back in Utah, USA, are always innovating and, therefore, every new model I come into contact with is fresh and exciting.
And that’s exactly how I feel about Skullcandy’s Crusher ANC 2. Deliciously minimalist in looks, finished in ‘True Black’ with a smattering of essential operation buttons on each cup, these wireless (or wired with the bundled back-up AUX cable), come capable of 50 hours of battery life.
The cans allow for multi-point pairing, feature adjustable 4-mic Active Noise Cancelling, and boast big 40mm divers that deliver full, rich audio regardless of what manner of thing you’re listening to. They are also backed by immersive sensory bass that you can instantly adjust via the cup dial to fine-tune to your own tastes.
Speaking of which, coming complete with its own smartphone app, not only can you run a hearing test to get even more personal with sound tailored to your own ears, but you can also employ Skullcandy’s deviously clever Skull-iQ Smart Feature tech to control all Crusher ANC 2 functions using nothing but your voice.
Connecting to your devices over Bluetooth 5.2 for a strong, stable, low-energy hook-up, you needn’t worry about your wireless quality cutting out on you, so sound from the Skullcandy gadget is always clear, clean, powerful and beautifully balanced. Then there’s that bass I’ve banged on about – in a word: incredible. In several words: deeper than Barry White and perfectly precise at all volumes.
The built-in mic also works well for calls, while the ANC does a reasonable job of cutting out external hullabaloo and gibber-jabber of other mouth-users, meaning that, yes, these are fully good for both business and pleasure.
While a great option for all manner of music, the Crusher ANC 2 truly excels with the likes of rock/metal, dubstep and drum and bass, for reasons I hope are now obvious, and although the 332g weight does make them a tad hefty on the head, the only thing getting crushed by the Crusher is the job of serving up awesome audio.
Buy now £199.99, Skullcandy
Marshall II ANC Diamond Jubilee
Best for: Audio and ANC excellence
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 320g
I’m a Marshall man, I play guitar with all the dexterity of the Venus de Milo and do so through a Marshall amp in the hope that it’ll sound better (the ‘sound’ is better, though the playing sadly not). I also hold the Marshall II ANC Diamond Edition in high regard.
This is because they are a result of 60 years of Marshall expertise inside, with custom-tuned 40mm dynamic drivers for big, stunningly accurate audio across the sound-enjoying spectrum. They also feature excellent ANC to cut off outside interference, have Bluetooth 5.0 and cable connectivity options, a crystal clear mic for calls and voice control, and 30 hours of playback with that ANC on or 45 minutes without.
Incredibly comfortable too and light at 320g, you can happily wander the earth, utterly oblivious to all around you, for hours on end (they can be wired as well, remember), without any fatigue of ears or neck.
Compatible with iOS and Android, a Marshall app lets you adjust the sound to your own discerning preference, while Google Assistant on both gives you complete command. But beyond app control, three buttons on the cups themselves let you toggle ANC on and off or switch to Monitoring Mode, move between three preset EQs, and play, pause, shuffle and adjust volume with the utmost ease.
As these are the extra-special Diamond Jubilee edition, the finish is blacker than Black Sabbath, including the famous Marshall logo, but a standard edition is also available in a more familiar livery for the more traditional Marshall fan. Either way, the sound quality is nothing short of phenomenal, whether it’s classical, classic rock or even calypso that floats your ear-entertainment boat.
Truly great headphones from a truly legendary company, try them, buy them and rock your world.
Buy now £269.99, Marshall
Soundcore Space One
Best for: bagging an absolute bargain
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 258g
The Space One headphones are rather remarkable.
Starting with the not-so-shallow aesthetics, there’s a very satisfying minimalism to the design, with a matte black finish all over that makes them unassumingly eye-catching, which is a neat trick. There are also well-sized ear cups that comfortably envelope even the largest of lobes, an 8° floating axis design for a snug but soft sitting, and four buttons for power on/off, volume control, play and pause, and to activate the adaptive ANC, which I’ll get back to in a moment.
Working wired or wirelessly over Bluetooth, the Space One’s built-in mic makes calls cuttingly clear, meaning that, combined with that adaptive ANC, means that they’re good for noisy one-plan office work too. And that’s because that very adaptive ANC detects the ambient sound of tiresome office traffic (and sound leakage) and auto-calibrates to optimise noise cancellation. Now, in a model that costs under a ton, you might expect that this may be a little lacklustre, especially if you’ve experienced poor ANC in cans twice this price, but you’d be horribly wrong because the Space One does all it promises, cocooning you away from external cacophony with aplomb, while any particularly persistent humming or booming noises that may sneak past its adaptive guard can be easily counteracted by just turning the volume up a bit.
When it comes to sound quality, 40mm drivers with LDAC support for Hi-Res Audio, deliver a reasonably deep bass with just the right amount of rumble for most, smooth, well-defined mids and precise treble, culminating in an audio experience that’s going to delight all but those who are just all about that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble.
With a Soundcore app available alongside to allow users to customise the EQ to their own tastes, personalise through a quick sound test, set safe volumes, and switch between noise cancellation modes, Space One is fully featured to give a truly tailored performance.
Finally, four hours of play comes from a complete charge, with fast charging filling up in just five minutes, while a sensor inside the left cup recognises when they’re being worn to save on power loss when they’re taken off.
At just £90, Soundcore has achieved the impossible and created ANC cans that punch incredibly above the asking price and, indeed, beyond that of many other options out there costing up to three times more. Normally when something sounds too good to be true, it is; but the Soundcore Space One sound great on paper and even better over the ears.
Buy now £89.99, Amazon
JBL Tour One M2
Best for: exceptional ANC
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 268g
JBL has been around, in one form or another, and churning out top-quality audio kit for 77 years now, but it really only became the renowned brand our ears all know and love today in the 70s after being sold to the company which later became the indomitable-in-audio Harman Kardon.
This is the Tour One M2 – pretty slick, right? Seen here in Champagne, it appears also in Black, but why would you go bland when you can have some fizz? The design has been kept clean and uncluttered with a few function buttons doing the lifting, while a very light weight of just 268g means your own lifting will be kept to an absolute minimum.
Options on the audio front are aplenty, with JBL’s app on-hand to let you customise sound to suit, something called Personi-fi 2.0 which creates a personal listing profile based on your preferences, while true adaptive noise cancelling with tailor-tweaked ANC and ambient sound keep the uproar of the outside world as dampened, or not, as you demand.
Then there’s the sound itself, pumped out via 40mm dynamic drivers, themselves tuned by the Hi-Res-certified JBL PRO sound to perform to perfection, the Tour One M2 has the balance of a prima donna ballerina. And when you throw JBL’s immersive Spatial Sound tech into the mix, lows, mids and highs dance together around your head with poise and precision in a manner unprecedented.
At the business end, a multiple microphone array featuring VoiceAware so you can control exactly how much of your own speech you can hear back through the headphones during a phone call, and with that aforementioned adaptive ANC working its wonders, you’ll hear not even an iota of interruption in the office, even if you’re surrounded by annoying David Brent-likes. Plus, as an added bonus, this also means vocal commands uttered to the M2 are always well-received even in noisy environments, like London.
Connecting to your phone over Bluetooth 5.3 for a super-stable hook-up, fast charge gives five hours of playback from a mere 10-minute charge, while a full tanked-up set will deliver 50 hours as standard or 30 hours with ANC in action. Naturally, they can also be hardwired via the bundled aux cable, too.
Audio excellence with a touch of Champagne opulence, for work and play you simply can’t go wrong.
Buy now £199.00, Currys
Edifier WH950NB
Best for: ear-pleasing ear-protection
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 291g
Another excellent option at a not unreasonable price, the WH950NB may have an alpha-numeric name that sounds distinctly like Sony’s own overriding headphone designation (WH = ‘Wireless’ and ‘Headband’ in all Sony ear-thing names), but this brand here is Edifier, and it’s come to take names and kick audio ass.
Here we have a classic, premium black and gold design with comfortable cups and headband, that weighs in at just under 300g to help stop your neck muscles aching.
What else we have is Hi-Res audio, a powerful Bluetooth 5.3 connection to your smartphone, 40mm composite titanium film dynamic drivers and intelligent, active noise cancellation with a two-mode selection for different circumstances. There are also ambient sound or wind reduction options, and four built-in microphones for clear voice calls complete with an audio signal processor to direct your voice and eliminate any bewailing in the background.
Audio resolution is, thanks to those fancy drivers, nicely natural and as well-balanced as a fine wine, with Music Mode, Game Mode and Theatre Modes to choose from, plus an app with EQ to further fine-tune your tunes. What’s more, if you’re worried about damaging your hearing, the Edifiers have a Safe Volume which, once activated, keeps the maximum volume to 85dB, in line with medical advice.
Featuring a fast charge where 10 minutes results in seven hours of playback, you get 55 hours from a full charge with ANC off and 34 hours on.
Buy now £149.99, Amazon
House of Marley Positive Vibration Frequency 2
Best for: eco-excellent audio
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: No
- Mic: No
- Weight: 212g
I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing HoM’s Redemption ANC 2 earbuds towards the end of last year and was immediately impressed by not only the audio quality but also Marley’s green credentials and the price. So, how can a pair of over-ears costing a third of the price of those earbuds possibly measure up? Time to set sibling against sibling.
So, yes, costing just 50 quid, the fair thing here would be to not expect much… but you’d be so very wrong. Akin to all HoM products, the Positive Vibration Frequency 2 (or F2) comes built from FSC-certified wood, Rewind Fabric (weaved from recycled material) and recyclable aluminium to make these more eco-friendly. The 40mm dynamic drivers handle the audio side with real skill, producing precision sound that is clean and clear at all volumes, while the built-in microphone offers decent clarity on calls, and while the Bluetooth 4.1 used to connect your smart things may not be the most stable flavour available these days, as long as you stay within a reasonable range, you’ll have no problems.
Okay, there is no noise cancellation at all, but that’s why these cost so very little for such excellent sound and planet-protecting province. Something had to be sacrificed, but its absence is the only possible downside of the F2s for those with noisy commutes and/or workplaces.
There’s no fast charge either, but then when it takes just 3.5 hours to fill to the top of the battery tank and get 12 hours of playback, to quote one of the greatest musicians of all time “Don’t worry about a thing…”
Buy now £34.99, Amazon
Bose QuietComfort 45
Best for: Ultimate ANC
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 240g
The latest iteration of a set that I foolishly left in a plane’s chair many years ago, QuietComfort 45 is the culmination of everything that made the previous models great, plus everything Bose has learnt in the time since. What this is exactly, is a good-looking set of cans (admittedly, not significantly different to it predecessor) that’s rammed to the rafters with Bose brilliance, including possibly the best noise cancellation tech available, high fidelity audio, Bluetooth 5.1, app adjustable EQ, and a noise rejecting mic system that, combined with that cancellation, makes audible interference from the outside world a thing of the past for you and whoever you’re conversing with. Oh, and they’re supremely comfortable and light on the old bonce at just 240g. So, quiet and comfortable; they should work that into the name.
Powerful 40mm drivers combine with Bose’s clever in-cup acoustic volume-enlarging TriPort tech and the volume-optimised Active EQ to produce the kind of audio that could make angels weep tears of celestial joy.
Naturally, the ANC can be toggled between full-on isolation and Aware Mode for those times when you need to remain aware of your environment and the countless car/e-bike operating idiots careless careening around you when out and about.
Quite simply, Bose QuietComfort 45 may err on the expensive side for casual over-ears (as opposed to deadly serious audiophile headphones, which are another kettle of obsessive fish altogether), but for heritage, ANC excellence, absolute comfort and performance perfection, they’re worth every last penny.
Buy now £207.95, AO
OneAudio 80
Best for: Pure audio in privacy
- Connectivity: Wired
- Drivers: 50mm
- Noise Cancelling: Passive
- Mic: No
- Weight: 230g
Having checked out OneAudio’s Monitor 60 go-pro cans back in February of this year, the opportunity to test the upgrade 80 model was too good to pass up; so, as a man with no resistance when it comes to glittering baubles of tech greatness, I didn’t. And I’m glad too, for where the Monitor 60 impressed, the Monitor 80 take things to the next level.
Designed for professionals within the music industry, such as studio techs, track mixers, audio experts and any other audio monitoring work, here we find a whopping set of 50mm with an equally whopping frequency range of 10Hz-40000Hz, set within open back cavity cans complete with circumaural earcups, working together to create a spectacularly wide soundscape that’s aurally exciting in its complete transparency and clarity. With bass and midrange entwining like long-lost lovers united in literal harmony.
Wired only, these are over-ears created solely for music, so there’s no mic for calls or any of that enjoyment interrupting nonsense, while noise cancellation is passive only, through the snug-fitting, adjustable earcups. And that exceptional fit, combined with the open back design means less ear fatigue, subsequently meaning longer use without discomfort.
Best used, as was always the intent, for home or studio use, the OneAudio Monitor 80 may well be a step-up on the Monitor, but the final remarkable thing about them is that retail at only a tenner more than their stablemate at an unbelievable penny under £100.
Buy now £99.99, Amazon
Final UX3000
Best for: High-end performance, low-end price
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 260g
A brand that, I have to admit, I’d never heard of until I delved deeper into what was available on the over-ear market, Final is a Japanese audio specialist with a brand concept that see it seeks “the comprehensive pursuit of things that are fundamentally right”.
First off, a set of over-ears that – oddly perhaps – are great to the touch. This is down to the fact that they come with a SHIBO coating, something normally found on high-end cameras, making them gloriously tactile and also dirt- and fingerprint-resistant, which is ideal for the grubby-handed who like to eat while they listen (like myself).
Featuring 40mm dynamic drivers and connecting over Bluetooth 5.0, the UX3000 produces premium Hi-Res audio with clean, clear and accurate detail throughout and an expansive soundstage that even the most pernickety will struggle to pick holes in. Indeed, despite the questionably low price, Final’s UX3000 have found their way into the most discerning of Hi-Fi retailers and fancy pants department stores, such as Selfridges, which surely speaks volumes when it comes to the stunning quality of these cans.
With excellent ANC included and comfort guaranteed thanks to a multi-fit housing mechanism and low-resilience earpads, you can listen all day free from much fatigue, while crystal clear calls can also be made via the high-performance mic.
The performance of the UX3000 all-round really is extraordinarily good and at a price that belies its abilities. I look forward to exploring what else Final has to offer.
Buy now £119.00, Amazon
1MORE SonoFlow
Best for: Hi-Res Audio at a sub-£100 price
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 250g
Fancy some LDAC Hi-Res Audio for under £100? Then lend your ears to the SonoFlow from 1MORE, over-ears that come certified by Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless yet will only trouble your pocket for a piffling £85.
Imbued with 40mm dynamic drivers, the 1MORE MUSIC app allows users EQ access to adjust audio to their specific specifications using 12 studio-grade presets, while QuietMAX noise cancellation makes for an immersive experience that pushes the caterwauling of the waking world well away. Or, if you’re a glutton for public pandemonium, you can flip to Transparency mode.
As to the audio itself, simply sublime when streaming Hi-Res and stable too, thanks to the inclusion of Bluetooth 5.0, with bright, well-defined highs and tight bass bringing all manner of music to life, even, according to one of the EQ presets ‘Lounge’ which, if you don’t know, is the genre of music they serve up in supermarkets and lifts.
Light and comfortable when strapped on, calls are clear even in busy environments thanks to that aforementioned ANC, while the five-mic array ensures you can be heard just as clearly at the other end.
Completing this absolute steal of an over-ear option is a capacious battery offering a colossal 70 hours of playback, with five minutes of fast charging giving five hours just like that, and the ability to aux it up if, somehow, you manage to run out of juice.
1MORE has been building a solid reputation with audio fans around the world for years now, and, for me, the SonoFlow cements it.
Buy now £89.00, Amazon
Lindy BNX-60XT
Best for: Making light work of wireless
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 & wired
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 198g
Everyone is different. While some may have a neck as muscular and unrelenting as that of a hippo, others are be-necked in a manner more akin to an elegant swan or ungainly emu. And it’s to the latter likeness we look now, with headphones that offer the audio lot but at a neck-relaxing weight of just 198g: the BNX-60XT from Lindy.
The successor to Lindy’s award-winning BNX60, the new XT variant comes packing precise 40mm drivers to pump audio of absolute clarity and bass balance right into your earholes, enhancing your experience by throwing in Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX codec support too.
ANC eliminates 85 per cent of irritating outside ambient noise, while the pillow-comfy protein leather earpads cup your shell-likes to add passive cancelling support, leaving you free to enjoy the tunes in your head or, indeed, deal with business confidence on calls via the in-built microphone or optional detachable in-line audio cable.
Battery life comes in at 40 hours, with five minutes of fast charging giving you an hour to play, but aux is also available as a backup.
Finally, if you’re feeling lazy, voice assistant support is on hand at the touch of a button to see to all your over-ear-based needs. And what price for all this lightweight innovation? A mere £95! We see another award on the way.
Buy now £75.98, Amazon
Urbanista Los Angeles
Best for: Self-charging sounds all-day
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
- Drivers: 40mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 420g
Game-changer alert! I’ve reviewed Urbanist kit in the past and always found it to be full of absolute innovation, but now it’s gone one step further and given us a fresh new thing with an incredible USP: the Los Angeles, the world’s first self-charging solar headphones.
Featuring something called ‘Powerfoyle’, there is, essentially, solar cell material built into the top of the headband, so when it comes to energy consumption, these are easily the most eco-friendly headphones on the face of the planet.
Easy on the eye with a pleasing chunky-but-not-too-chunky design, they are incredibly comfortable to wear thanks to head-hugging cups complete with soft, well-upholstered pads that cradle your ears firmly but gently. In fact, the entire LA unit fits like a Savile Row suit, snug in all the right places but with enough ‘give’ where it matters to allow for movement.
Controls are kept simple with on/off and volume buttons grouped on the right, and ANC toggle on the left. Finished in either ‘Midnight Black’ or ‘Sand Gold’, I favour the former due to its discrete look, but each to its own.
When it comes to audio, with 40mm dynamic, moving coil drivers, the sound is richly detailed, with perfectly tight, driving bass balanced beautifully against the stunningly clear and clean treble and mids. Also, the accompanying app, while more basic than others I’ve tried, also allows access to EQ presets to find a sound suitable for you and, for most, the options available will be ample. Finally, that hybrid ANC does a decent job of keeping the unwanted rest of the world out of your audio, but can be switched to ambient on the app, should you wish to allow some of it in.
Wireless only, strong Bluetooth 5.2 keeps the connection to your smartphone stable, and an 80-hour power reserve, plus wear detection and, of course, that stunningly smart Powerfoyle system will keep you powered up pretty much permanently.
And there you have it: Urbanista Los Angeles, a work of ingenuity over your ears.
Buy now £160.33, Amazon
Shure AONIC 50 Gen 2
Best for: Shure sonic performance perfection
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
- Drivers: 50mm
- Noise Cancelling: Active
- Mic: Yes
- Weight: 332g
The priciest option here, Shure has been in the premium audio game since the 1920s so what you’re paying that price for is the kind of audio engineering that makes all the difference.
At 332g, the Gen 2 Aonic 50 is surprisingly light and nicely comfortable thanks to large cups and soft faux leather, plumply padded ear pads. Sitting snugly too, you won’t have to worry about them slipping should you be one of those weirdos who likes to run in headphones rather than just sit and enjoy.
All buttons are situated on the right cup – on/off, ANC toggle, volume up and down, and play/pause/skip/answer/end/mute - so once you get the hang of the different presses, control is a doddle.
Housing 50mm drivers, the listening experience is as exceptional as you might expect with true high-fidelity audio whirling effortlessly into your ears, like the irresistible sweet song of the sirens. Featuring Snapdragon Sound Technology and Spatialised Audio – available in ‘Music’, ‘Cinema’ or ‘Podcast modes – to enhance audio accordingly and give the effect of listening to loudspeakers rather than close-back cans, the sound is, just as Shure promised, “studio-quality”, with crystal-clear playback and precision being the watchwords across the audio spectrum.
Multiple preset EQ options are available on the accompanying ShurePlus PLAY app, or you can rustle up your very own and share it directly to the headphones so that it’s always available even when you use other devices. Call quality, too, is stunningly clear, the six microphones automatically adjusting sound, thus making sure nothing is lost in the background chatter.
And speaking of background bedlam, the Gen 2 steps up on the previous model’s ANC by employing hybrid active noise cancellation with four modes to choose from, ‘Light’, ‘Moderate’, ‘Max’ and ‘MaxAware’, depending on how separated from society you want to be.
Finally, featuring a 45-hour battery, with quick charge giving five hours of play in a mere 15 minutes, Bluetooth 5.0 keeps you connected over the air, but a 3.5mm aux is also included, as is a USB-C digital input for High-Resolution USB streaming at up to 32-bit/384 kHz.
Stunning stuff all around, Shure’s second-generation AONIC 50 headphones are an ear-opening revelation. Taking on all the many and varied genres I tried to torment them with, these are headphones exacting engineered to handle it all. Expensive? No, reassuringly expensive.
Buy now £339.00, Amazon
