Headphones with ANC: What really matters for Over-Ear and In-Ear

Active noise cancellation (ANC) has become standard rather than a luxury feature. Yet headphones vary greatly in how well they block noise, how they sound, and how comfortable they are after two hours of wearing.

Over-Ear or In-Ear

Over-Ear headphones surround the ear, already dampen a lot of noise passively, and offer the strongest quiet with ANC. They last 30 to 60 hours and usually sound fuller. Disadvantage: size, heat in summer, and they slip during sports.

In-Ear headphones (True Wireless) disappear into your pocket, work well for sports and commuting. Their battery life is 5 to 10 hours, with charging case 25 to 40 hours. The ANC effect depends heavily on how well the silicone tips fit. Try all included sizes.

ANC: What the technology can and cannot do

Noise cancellation works best against steady, deep noise like airplane engines, trains, or air conditioning. Voices and keyboard clicks are only dampened, not eliminated. Pay attention to:

• Adaptive ANC, which automatically adjusts strength to the environment.
• Transparency mode, which lets ambient sound through naturally. Good models sound as if you have nothing in your ear.
• Wind dampening, otherwise it will be noisy while cycling.

Sound and codecs

The codec determines how much music data arrives via Bluetooth. SBC works on every device, AAC on almost every device, and for iPhones AAC is the best choice. aptX and LDAC deliver more bandwidth, but only work with Android devices that support them too. For streaming services in standard quality, the difference is minimal. More important than the codec is the tuning, which can usually be adjusted in the app via equalizer.

Comfort features that change everyday use

• Multipoint connects notebook and smartphone at the same time. When a call comes in, the headphone switches automatically. The most important feature for working from home.
• Wear detection pauses music when you take them off.
• Quick charge: Ten minutes of charging for several hours of music.
• Bluetooth version: From 5.2 there is LE Audio and Auracast, but only with matching sources. In practice, range and stability matter more than the version number.

Phone calls

Many headphones sound good to the wearer, but the other person hears street noise. If you make many calls, check tests with microphone recordings outdoors. Over-Ears with boom microphone are unbeatable for video conferences.

What to watch for in deals

• Previous models are usually better deals: Sound quality changes little, prices drop significantly once the successor arrives.
• Color variants are discounted differently. The price can vary greatly between black and white.
• For In-Ears, check whether the case charges wirelessly and whether the tips come in multiple sizes.