Odi Productions
We’ve tested over 40+ pairs of wireless headphones, and these are our overall best noise cancelling over-ear headphones for 2025. As a professional audio engineer and expert headphone reviewer with over 10 years of experience, along with a YouTube channel dedicated to reviewing headphones with over 14,000+ subscribers, this is my definitive list of the best of the best.
This list includes brands like Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins, Focal, Cambridge Audio, Apple, Sonos, JBL, and more.
This article will cover the following categories:
- Best Comfort
- Best for Movies / TV / Gaming
- Best Headphones for Bass
- Best Noise Cancelling Performance
- Best Sound Quality
- Best Value
- Best Overall
These headphones are ALL wireless over-ear headphones which we’ve reviewed and thoroughly tested individually on the website for hundreds of hours in total. You can read our review for each headphone inside the individual product boxes below.
We buy EVERYTHING we test with our own money. No freebies from companies, to maintain the highest level of honesty and unbiased reviews.
This article was last updated November 24th, 2025 with latest deals.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: Prices may not be fully up to date and sometimes don’t reflect any discount, but EVERY product here is discounted at the time of latest update.
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Best Comfort: Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen
True to its name, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen is the most comfortable pair of over-ear, noise cancelling headphones we’ve tested to date.
That total number is up to over 40 pairs and counting.
The 2nd Gen actually shares a nearly identical design to the 1st Gen, so you can get the same level of elite comfort with both headphones.
It starts with the Bose’s light weight of 262 grams on our scale, which is one of the lighter measurements for this class, especially for the more premium models.
For reference, the AirPods Max weighs a whopping 387 grams on the same scale.
Now what really sets apart the QC Ultra 1 and 2 is the interior earcup space, which is one of the largest in the class.
My ears are totally free inside of the earcups, whereas they’re pressing against the inside of something like the popular Sony WH-1000XM6, also new for 2025.
Add in some of the most plush cushioning on both the earpads and headband, and the QC Ultra 1 and 2 are our comfort kings.
Best for Movies / TV / Gaming: Sony WH-1000XM6
When performing my testing, although I spend a large amount of time exclusively listening to music and dialing in custom EQ settings, I also use each headphone in practical daily use cases.
One thing I love to test is watching TV, Movies, Podcasts, YouTube, and Gaming.
If there’s ONE headphone that I just keep coming back to for non-music media, it’s the Sony WH-1000XM6 which came out in 2025.
The reason why is the XM6’s absolutely excellent “Cinema Mode”.
Now, there is a LOT of “Spatial Audio” features on many wireless headphones today.
However, most of them are kinda gimmicky IMO, aside from Dolby Atmos support for the most part.
The cool thing about the XM6 is that it doesn’t rely on Dolby Atmos-mixed media, and can apply Cinema Mode to ANY audio you run through it.
And the end result is one of the most believable “Cinema” experiences I’ve heard in a headphone.
It’s a mixture of very believable room reverb plus an excellent sub-bass response.
Cinema Mode simply elevates any non-music media, even just listening to YouTube or Podcasts.
That said, I wouldn’t listen to music with it turned on, as it’s just not flattering.
Best Headphones for Bass: Nothing Headphone 1
The Nothing Headphone 1 made a decent splash onto the scene in 2025 as Nothing’s first over-ear noise cancelling headphone.
I was quite impressed by the sound quality, especially for the price.
But if there’s ONE thing that I think makes these headphones stand out, is its massive bass response. Turn “Bass Enhancement” up to 5, dial in some EQ, and these are head-rattling bass cannons.
The ironic thing is, I was actually testing both the Nothing Headphone 1 alongside the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2, a headphone with actual proprietary “Sensory Bass” technology that physically vibrates to emulate subwoofers.
And the crazy thing is, the Nothing Headphone 1 was hanging right there for bass impact, slam, and quantity.
If you listen to the more modern genres, or are simply a bass-head, check out the Nothing Headphone 1.
Best Noise Cancelling Performance: Sony WH-1000XM6
When it comes to best active noise cancelling performance, this is quite competitive.
There are actually 4 headphones that I put in the tier of “elite” noise cancelling:
If I could only choose one, I think the SAFEST choice for noise cancelling is the Sony XM6.
My reason being is that it is simply the most consistent noise cancelling, with the least amount of “side effects”.
Some of these headphones, like the Bose for example, can have some slight hiss, white noise, or bumping sound whilst moving.
The XM6 doesn’t seem to display any of that, and simply offers reduced outside noise with minimal interference.
Add in the strong clamping force of the XM6, and the physical seal tends to stay pretty tight, at the expenditure of some comfort.
That said, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the top 4 headphones I mentioned above.
Best Sound Quality: Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 + Sennheiser HDB 630 (Tie)
If you’ve been following our website / YouTube channel for the past year, you would know how picky we are when it comes to sound quality.
We do try to infuse a bit of an audiophile theme to our reviews, as sound quality is our #1 weighted score category by far.
Simply put, there were 2 headphones that released in 2025 that changed the game: The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 and Sennheiser HDB 630. These two headphones have officially brought WIRED headphone sound quality into a much more convenient WIRELESS NOISE CANCELLING package. This is no easy feat, so we tip our hats to these brands.
Now, these 2 headphones have drastically different sound profiles, with the Px8 S2 leaning much more musical and warm, and the HDB 630 being quite neutral.
To put it simply, I find the Px8 S2 a lot more FUN to listen to from the factory, while the HDB 630 is certainly the more clinical and sterile.
But at the technical sound quality level, I find them to be equal, and offering sound quality that is similar to other previously-excellent wireless headphones like the Focal Bathys in wired USB-DAC mode, or the original Px8 in wired mode.
That alone is simply incredible, and new territory for this class of headphones.
Runner-Up: Focal Bathys
The Focal Bathys was our sound quality king under $1,000 for a long time, only having been recently usurped by the two mentioned above.
That said, I still absolutely LOVE listening to music with the Bathys.
In terms of stock tuning, the Bathys has one of the most pleasant and musical sound profiles I’ve heard in a wireless headphone.
It’s got all you’d want as an audiophile: soundstage, spacing, musicality, and more.
That said, as time went on, I did notice the Bathys wasn’t perfect and had its limits.
Also, I was able to EQ a bit better sound profile than stock over time.
I’m very much looking forward to testing the Bathys MG in the near future, but for now, try to grab the Bathys while it’s on sale!
Best Value: Cambridge Audio P100 SE + Sennheiser Momentum 4 (Tie)
There are 2 headphones that I believe stand out as the best bang-for-the-buck, value for dollar available in the market today: The Cambridge Audio P100 SE and Sennheiser Momentum 4.
Starting with the Cambridge Audio P100 SE, this is a headphone that competes on sound quality with headphones costing 2-3 times as much.
It’s up there with the Focal Bathys, Bang & Olufsen H95, Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, and more.
Now another value standout is our beloved Sennheiser Momentum 4.
(The current Black Friday sale has them available for under $200! This is an absolute must-buy in my opinion.)
Although the Momentum 4 is not on the same technical sound quality level as the P100 SE mentioned above, it still punches way above its price “weight”.
Throw on our custom EQ settings from our Sennheiser Momentum 4 Review, add in a Bluetooth dongle like the Sennheiser BTD 700 to unlock aptX Adaptive codec, and you now have one of the best wireless listening experiences for the money.
Best Overall: Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen
There can only be one.
The 1st generation of Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra was already a fairly complete all-arounder in terms of comfort, noise cancelling performance, and sound quality (after applying my EQ settings).
But in 2025, the 2nd Gen improved upon the 1st Gen in pretty much every way:
- Better sound quality and stock tuning (much less EQ needed)
- 30 hours of battery life versus 24 hours
- Improved noise cancelling (less hiss / side effects)
- Cinema Mode
- Lossless audio via USB-C
This is the closest thing to a “perfect” headphone for this class, with no real weaknesses.
At this point, having tested over 40+ pairs of wireless noise cancelling headphones, if I could only have one… it would be the Bose QC Ultra 2nd gen.
See our Full Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen Review on YouTube below
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Updates
- November 24nd, 2025: Updated pricing to reflect Black Friday sales.
Conclusion
After having reviewed over 40+ pairs of wireless headphones and earbuds, I’m quite excited for the future of this category of product.
There was real innovation in 2025, with the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 and Sennheiser HDB 630 bringing wired headphone quality in a wireless noise cancelling package.
The mainstream all-arounders like the Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen and Sony XM6 simply improved upon their predecessors in meaningful ways.
And the value for dollar is actually increasing as favorites like the Sennheiser Momentum 4 dipped to below $200 USD, which is simply incredible.
I’m very much excited for what the future holds in 2026.
(Hopefully the Momentum 5…)
If you want to see even MORE headphone deals than this list, including wireless earbuds as well, visit our Deals page which is updated regularly year-round!
