The Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds for True Freedom in 2024

For the best noise-cancelling experience in a compact form, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are unbeatable. These earbuds excel at blocking out external sounds and are lighter and more portable than their predecessors. Whether you're commuting, flying, hitting the gym, or working in a coffee shop, they deliver blissful silence.

The standout feature is their "CustomTune" tech. It uses built-in microphones and an audio chime to customise the sound based on the shape of your ear canal. You won’t find that in the older ones.

The customisation via the app is excellent, too. You can create a profile for your surroundings, and then choose the noise cancelling level you need from one (low) to 10 (high). We maxed it out for our London train journeys but used a separate profile to keep it lower when working from home.

While touch controls may not appeal to everyone and a lack of wireless charging in the case is a shame, those are some of the only downsides. Want top-notch noise-cancelling in a compact package? The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are the buds to pick.

For the time being, we’re leaving the QuietComfort Earbuds II in this roundup, despite Bose having launched a newer and ever-so-slightly shinier pair of “Ultra” earbuds. Why? Well, the two pairs are almost identical, so until last year’s ones are actually discontinued we’re going to continue to recommend them just as highly. These buds are the same when it comes to ridiculously good noise-cancelling and comfort while offering the exact same battery life and durability rating (as well as the still baffling lack of wireless charging).

However, we can’t understate just how fantastic these are at cancelling noise. No challengers can defeat them. Our usual test for ANC sees us wear earphones for multiple commutes in the London Underground’s Central Line, but to challenge these further we wore them for a journey along a large stretch of the Northern Line (which has received the most noise complaints from Londoners).

Before we popped them in we were struggling to hear ourselves think in the screeching din, but with these at work, you’re left in complete silence. We wore them around the supermarket, in the office, at coffee shops and more – in real-world testing, they beat all rivals including the Sony, Apple and Jabra pairs with ease, and both these and the QuietComfort Earbuds II are unmatched for ANC.

In terms of what’s different between them, the Ultras now have better high-res codec support and an “immersive” audio mode, both of which make an unnoticeable difference in use. Both models are top-tier contenders, and remain our first recommendation for anyone on the hunt for noise-cancelling earbuds.

Yes, we know what you’re thinking, isn’t JLAB known for budget buds? Sure, until this release the brand hadn’t unveiled anything in this premium price tier. But that means that, for £199, you’re getting levels of performance and versatility to match and even outclass the big players in the expensive earphone realm. We like to imagine that the beleaguered and seasoned audio engineers at JLAB rejoiced at finally being allowed to unleash all the ideas and compromises they’d inevitably been making with their sub-£50 offerings. With its Epic Lab Edition, the brand is finally delivering a serious flagship killer.

The highlights? They come in a pocketable and sturdy metal case, offer a great fit and active noise-cancellation, foam and silicone ear tips, wireless charging, high-resolution audio, wear detection, an IP55 water and dust resistance rating, and over nine hours of playtime. It’s a lot, we know.

The Lab Edition buds use a dual driver configuration with Knowles' balanced armature (BA) drivers. This helps them deliver improved fidelity over traditional drivers, and they’re easily among the best pairs we’ve ever heard. That’s especially true once you get into the JLab app and enable the “Knowles Preferred Listening Response Curve”, an equaliser setting based on over 200 samples from the last 20 years of the Billboard Hot 100 to determine the best sound for streaming music.

Whatever science has gone into this, it works. These sound tremendous and offer a crisper treble and more well-rounded sub-bass than many pairs we’ve tried. There’s nothing we’ve thrown at these that didn’t sound excellent, and we love that they’ve got a massive battery life as a result of using the more efficient driver setup. We’re also fans of the understated look, the low-latency USB-C dongle for gamers and Bluetooth LE Audio.

The noise-cancelling is capable and more than good enough when we use it on a flight, but it is worth knowing that it doesn’t beat higher-end rivals and that the non-slip surface on the bottom of the case is a bit of a dust magnet. Overall, though, these are outstanding all-rounders.

Technics is well-known for its hi-fi legacy, and its new premium wireless buds are pitched as a serious contender to Sony, Bose and Apple. Thanks to unrivalled three-device multipoint connectivity that lets you pair them to your personal phone, work phone and laptop all at once, these are an ideal pair of premium buds for hybrid working.

We enjoy the clean and well-balanced quality. They sound excellent with all genres we play, from the smooth tones of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘The Car’ to the chugging guitars of the Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘Paper Machete’. They’re comfortable to wear for several hours, too.

We appreciate that the pocketable case can be popped on a wireless charger for refuelling, that the buds have water resistance and you’ll get up to 24 hours of listening from a charge (with the ANC on).

It’s just a shame that the noise cancellation can’t compete with top buds in this price range. It's decent, but not enough to stop the loudest train sounds, However, it’s effective for coffee shop chatter and they also perform well in the office and at the gym.

The companion app enables precise tweaking of all the settings, including adjusting the intensity of the ANC and ambient modes. The built-in “find headphones” mode is also a nice touch, playing a chime from the buds for 60 seconds or letting you search their location.

These are a great buy if you are sick of constantly pairing your buds to other devices. That three-device multipoint alone earns them a spot.

Do you wish AirPods Pro didn’t only come in white? Or are you after an alternative that plays well with Android phones? The Creative Aurvana Ace 2 is the model we’d recommend to most listeners.

The buds have an AirPods-lookalike style in a simple dark translucent design, and they offer some of the best sound quality you’ll find at any price. The xMems tech for the drivers is impressive, delivering a clean, detailed and engaging reproduction of your playlists.

Don’t worry about the jargon involved with the drivers. All you need to know is that the xMems solid-state speakers can produce a wider range of sounds in a driver that’s much smaller than a traditional dynamic driver and are more cost-effective to produce. They resist distortion, are more durable, and can blast out frequencies faster than other drivers. That’s why the Aurvana Ace 2 sounds better than most rivals, yet costs well under £200.

We notice loads of nuances in vocals, low-end notes we hadn’t picked out before and additional high-end detail. The instrumental separation is among the best of any earbuds we’ve tried and they’re worth it if you’re pairing them up with high-resolution audio from Qobuz or Tidal. We listened to tracks from Billie Eilish, Portishead and Bowie, noting the layers and depths that these buds reveal. Is audiophile-grade sound one of your priorities? These should be at the top of your list.

They’re not without some flaws. The case interior is a gaudy gold, the overall construction feels plasticky, the adaptive noise-cancelling is merely fine, and the touch controls are fiddly in a way that we found never quite worked for us. On the plus side, at least the fit is comfortable to wear for a long time and they offer a pretty competitive battery compared to similar rivals, with specs matching the AirPods Pro.

Sure, there’s loads of competition in the world of earbuds, but the futuristic xMems tech is so impressive that we can’t in good conscience leave them off the list.

We’re sure you’ve heard about these unique buds and we’re here to answer your first question. Is the unique screen on the charging case of the Tour Pro 2 just a gimmick? The answer, from our perspective, is that it’s not.

Of course, it’ll depend on how you use your earbuds. However, JBL has found a way to put every function you would’ve had to go into the app to tweak onto a minuscule 1.45-inch touch LCD on the front of this case. We found ourselves adjusting the noise-cancelling, volume, playback and any other mode we might’ve needed our phone or on-bud controls for directly from the Tour 2 Pro case, and it’s highly convenient. That’s especially true because we’re not a fan of JBL’s on-bud controls, which require you to use certain control schemes and aren’t that customisable.

When it comes to sound, these are excellent options. It’s a competitive category and we wouldn’t go as far as saying that they beat the best, but they deserve to be in this conversation. They’re detailed and rich enough to get all our favourite test tracks sounding great, and they’re tuned to a slightly bass-heavy variation of the ​​Harman Target curve, which science says should appeal to most listeners. There are loads of equaliser presets and options to customise the sound via the companion app too.

They’re also comfortable and offer a good battery life, and while the noise-cancelling isn’t class-leading, it’s enough to get us through the commute in the morning without struggling to hear our podcasts. Of course, the selling point of the charging case is the reason to buy these and we must say that it’s highly convenient. You’re never left wondering what ambient sound mode you’re on, how much battery you’ve got left or what your equaliser is set to.

There are even some basic smartwatch-like alerts for message notifications from your phone. We turned these off, but it is another area where JBL is proving that an earbud charging case can be much more helpful than you’d expect.

If you have a lot of calls for your job and there are headsets in the office that you use, we’d bet they’re made by Jabra. The company is known for its reliable kit for work, but it’s also one of the longest-standing names in the wireless earbud game. And we’re starting to feel like it’s not getting the credit it’s due. The flagship pair from Jabra feels like one seriously refined product, ticking all the key boxes when it comes to features we expect on earphones and adding supreme comfort that beats every rival too.

We tend to wear these all day long, so trust us when we say that even the best get a bit tiring after a while. That is until the Jabra Elite 10 came along. These are becoming our everyday pick by default because we know we can wear them for hours on end without having to worry about any earache or discomfort. They’re made with a super soft silicone exterior and comfy oval-shaped ear tips that perch within your ears without digging down deep into them. Jabra may call this a “semi-open” fit but we got no sense that they’d fall out – they’re secure, yet comfy for ages.

Beyond that, they sound terrific and have excellent head-tracking spatial audio. We did notice it’s possible to confuse the head tracking if you move around a lot but that shouldn’t happen for most of us. The sound is lively and detailed, and while it lacks high-res codecs we don’t really notice that. The active noise-cancelling is the real deal (yes, it powered through our London Underground tests) and we love the app and simple (yet customisable) button controls. These are a winner in every department.

We know what you’re thinking – these look like nothing else out there. Yes, they may be unconventional, and the charging case is undeniably enormous compared to the competition. But let's get one thing straight: Japanese audio brand Final isn't only thinking about convenience here. These earbuds are for serious music aficionados craving unparalleled sound quality and exceptional fidelity.

After being impressed by the original ZE8000 earlier this year, we’re delighted to see the MK2 delivers some noticeable upgrades. It improves the in-ear seal and delivers a far more capable noise-cancelling performance. There’s also now multipoint for dual connections. But it’s the sound that’s the selling point, and that’s the area where these excel above all rivals. We’re yet to hear any true wireless bud with a soundstage this layered, or that’s this transparent and detailed.

We couldn’t quite get our heads around the touch control system, so ended up turning it off to keep the focus on the music. For everything – from The Chemical Brothers to Missy Elliot, and The Hold Steady to Billie Eilish – these sound outstanding. They’re the best buds for unveiling hidden instrumental nuances and subtle details in familiar songs. The level of depth and control is exceptional and pushes the limits of what we’d assumed Bluetooth could convey.

Final's app further enhances the experience, featuring a comprehensive equaliser, refined volume controls, and a further improved "8K sound" mode. Don’t worry about the jargon, all you need to know is that it makes these earphones sound even better and it helps them sound clearer at lower volumes.

Now, recommending the ZE8000 to the average listener becomes trickier. The far-from-pocketable case is an obvious drawback, and the buds themselves are quite unwieldy, protruding noticeably from the ears.

However, if sound quality is your ultimate priority, these buds deserve to be at the top of the list. The ZE8000 MK2 cater to audiophiles with a subtle and balanced signature. Yes, they’re not for everyone, but audio enthusiasts should prepare to fall in love with them.

Sennheiser’s update to the Momentum True Wireless 3 packs in loads of promises for the future while also being an iterative refresh and refinement of the older buds.

There’s a lot to like – especially for fans of the wide soundstage, richness and detail that is characteristic of the Sennheiser sound – and these sleek buds offer a lot for audio fans fixated on the next-generation of Bluetooth, whether that’s through Auracast, LE Audio, low-latency for gaming and faster app connectivity. But most of the exciting features aren’t available yet and some of the issues we had with the prior generation persist. We still reckon that the charging case is too big for pockets and the fabric scuffs easily, that while these sound great they’re no longer the last word in quality, and that they just don’t cancel as much noise as most rivals manage to.

We do love the sleek metal design of these earbuds, though, and wouldn’t want to downplay just how much Sennheiser has upgraded the internals. These last longer, offer better sound at all volumes, have multipoint for seamless connectivity, a great personalised hearing test for customised sound and fully programmable touch controls so you can set them up just the way you like. While the ANC doesn’t rival the Boses, Sonys or AirPods Pro of the world, it can still cut out most background annoyances like the rumble of our morning commute on the London Underground.

Ultimately, we’re excited by the idea of upgrades like Auracast – which allows beaming audio over to multiple Bluetooth headphones at once, with applications that potentially include tuning into gate announcements at the airport, hearing the audio on public TVs (in any language) and creating smaller circles to share audio with mates – and the efficiency of LE Audio. But these are, at the moment, visions for tomorrow rather than something buyers can experience right now.

So, we’d recommend these earbuds if you like the sound of those future-ready features and love Sennheiser’s sound. The competition is fierce, but these are still up there with the best.

We know we're not meant to have favourites, but if you asked us which earbuds on this list get the most use in our lives, we'd point to the Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9. We're fans of the AirPod-like stem, but this is a much more refined, less plasticky and subdued approach. That two-tone black and dark copper shade is also striking without being attention-grabbing.

They're non-slip to grab, capable of self-cleaning with UV light in the charging case and deliver the best of both worlds with both touch and button controls on each bud. In the box, you get an extensive selection of different ear tips (12, of varying lengths and sizes). In practice, it's simple to find the most comfortable fit, and once you get into the app these are about the most customisable earphones we've ever used.

Are they earbuds for audiophiles? Absolutely. We played everything from Kendrick Lamar to Mozart and heard some of the best stereo imaging, detail, dynamism and overall sound quality out there. The TWX9 match the performance of many of our favourites. And, when it comes to ambience control, they're right up there, although not quite beating the Boses, Apples and Sonys of the world.

What they do have an advantage in is added control. Rather than depending on adaptive noise-cancelling to do all the work, we've mapped ANC “optimisation” to a double button press. That way, we're tweaking it to each new environment before dialling in the volume with the precise control (also available on the buds). One real benefit of this approach is that the ANC is better than several rivals and the sound is still detailed at low volumes, so you won't end up blasting out your eardrums.

While the TWX9 have their quirks, we accept them all and love the sleek and subtle design with brilliant levels of customisation. For us, this amount of attention to detail is exactly what we're after.

Apple's successor to the OG AirPods Pro may look identical to their predecessors but they are better in every conceivable way.

The new Pros outperform others at noise cancellation, feature a smarter transparency mode, extended battery life, and refined bud controls, including a satisfying swipe gesture for adjusting volume. The charging case comes with a built-in speaker and several clever "Find My" functions to ensure you never misplace an earbud again.

For iOS and iPhone users, the AirPods Pro gives us that “they just work” convenience we’ve come to expect from Apple, while also delivering noticeable improvements in sound quality. The soundstage is wider, bass nuances are enhanced, and they offer more punch and clarity.

We enjoyed using these earbuds to listen to tracks optimised for Apple Music's 360-degree "Spatial Audio," as well as movies and shows with cinematic surround sound on platforms like Disney+ and Apple TV+, like Andor and Severance. During testing, we were particularly impressed by the enhanced bass detail in songs from The xx and Massive Attack.

Disappointed with your older AirPods' battery life? The AirPods Pro lasts for six hours with active noise cancellation—an impressive improvement. They also support various chargers, including the option to conveniently refuel them using an Apple Watch charger.

Need a serious all-rounder that’ll deliver when it comes to travel? We think your priorities have to be excellent noise-cancellation, long-lasting battery life, a sleek design and a compact charging case. These upgraded Sony buds tick all the boxes, and they’re 25% smaller and 20% lighter than their predecessors (which we’d still recommend while they’re available).

Our music sounds energetic when coming from these little buds and they manage to draw out loads of detail in the tracks we played. They have more extensive codec support and they have the edge when it comes to battery life over the Bose earbuds, although we find the fit of the Bose more customisable. The Sony buds have a hybrid foam material, which some may find hit-or-miss – it feels a lot like having earplugs in, and this should make them work well on flights.

You control many of the functions – including the awareness and ANC – by tapping on the exterior, although these controls are both trickier to remember and less customisable than the options from rivals. We find them a bit of a letdown, but the rest of the app does offer you loads of settings to get them working for you, and you can adjust the equaliser to find your dream settings.

As with the LinkBuds S, one of our favourite features is Sony’s fantastic auto-switching between noise-cancelling and awareness depending on your activity. It’s great for keeping you alert to your surroundings before transitioning to ANC when you sit down on the train to work.

Among audiophiles, Devialet is a brand that stands out with a reputation for sonic excellence and sophisticated design. It’s no surprise, then, that its second-generation true wireless earbuds are made with meticulous attention to detail and can blast out some of the best audio reproduction around.

Devialet's Gemini II wireless earbuds add several upgrades that weren’t present on the first-gen model, slimming down the charging case and trimming down the size of the buds themselves too. These now also support Bluetooth 5.2, a wind-noise reduction mode and multi-device pairing, but where they excel is with the bass experience these can produce from the custom 10mm titanium-coated drivers. The Gemini II punches out exceptional bass reproduction and depth in addition to detailed highs, and they come close to offering an experience that feels like you’re at a live concert.

They’re solid performers beyond sound too, offering both a secure fit with passive noise isolation and a capable active noise-cancelling experience. That all pairs well with the richness and clarity of the sound, with the secure and snug fit enhancing the low end and keeping them comfortable for a long time.

While touch controls can be finicky, and the five-hour battery life falls far short of some competitors, these are relatively minor trade-offs for the sound quality. For audiophiles after the best possible bass and depth in a compact true wireless design, we’d recommend these earbuds ahead of most rivals.

They’re on the same level as equally luxe Bowers & Wilkins and Bang & Olufsen pairs that go for the same price. And, if you’re hunting down something nobody else has, we reckon it’s worth looking at Devialet’s Opéra de Paris edition for £549. These have the already gorgeous look of the Gemini II buds, just upgraded with a 24-carat gold plating.

After true wireless earbuds that feel more personal? Or you're a tinkering audiophile who wants to get the most out of your music? We’d recommend you go for the Denon PerL Pro, which is a remodelled and revived version of a previous favourite around these parts, the NuraTrue Pro. Now Denon has acquired Nura, it has released earbuds boasting the Australian startup’s personalised sound tech, and the results are pretty special.

We love how these greet you each time with a “welcome back” and the connected app does a great job of creating your own sound profile. It does this by playing a series of frequencies and tones to measure otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) in your inner ear. From there, you can enhance the “immersion” level and enjoy spatial audio effects, which are some of the most natural-sounding we’ve heard from any pair. You can also set a safe volume limit in the app and store multiple different custom preferences.

The top-spec ANC is powerful too, and we’ve had no trouble using these on the commute. There are a couple of downsides we’d note, including a range of ear tips that we couldn’t quite get to feel fully comfortable, and an unusual (albeit distinctive) circular bud design.

We’ve had no trouble with battery life or charging though, and we do absolutely love the richness, detail and spaciousness of the sound quality on offer with the PerL Pro.

Nothing's Ear (2) can be summed up in one word: "uncompromising". This London-based startup has managed to strike a balance between size, features and portability, without making the earbuds bigger or clunkier. And, as with the Ear (1), the semi-transparent design is unique and aesthetically pleasing.

The battery life remains sufficient, the case is slightly smaller and still supports wireless charging, and the earphones offer additional features like multipoint connectivity, personalisation, and an ear tip fit test. Despite not reaching the level of Apple or Bose models, the Ear (2) provides satisfactory active noise cancellation and transparency for commuting and office use.

What sets these earbuds apart is their affordability and exceptional sound quality. Nothing has prioritised audio performance, resulting in a balanced, clean, and enjoyable listening experience that rivals the more expensive 2nd-gen AirPods Pro. They remain detailed even at low volume, surpassing the performance of many other tested earbuds.

We highly recommend the Ear (2) for their style, sound, and versatility. Nothing has successfully delivered on its promise to "make tech fun again" with these buds, and considering the price, we couldn't ask for more.

If you’re after something to assist in your training programme, the Beats Fit Pro is an excellent exercise companion. Utilising similar features to Apple’s all-powerful AirPods Pro, these buds offer a more fitness-focused design, with a silicone wingtip to fit snugly in the inside curve of your ear to keep them secure.

We doubt any of you are spending six hours at the squat rack, but these will keep up with your routine if you’re wearing them to and from the gym without popping them back in the charging case.

As with every pair on our list, these feature ANC too, and it’s every bit as good as its main rivals. The audio reproduction from these is also comparable to some of the best devices on this list and while they might be on the expensive side of the spectrum, they’re our top pick if your buds need to work for your gym sessions, your commute and everything in between.

If you’re prioritising style above all else, we’re not going to judge. Look, you’re wearing these every day on your commute, in the office, around your home and when you pop out to the shops – they’re as much a part of your outfit as any accessory and they should look the part.

The good news is that you can pick up buds with some genuine refinement, attention to detail and personality without sacrificing sound quality and noise-cancelling capabilities, they just come at a bit of a price.

We love the sleek charging case, the glass touch panels, the aluminium detailing and the considered look of the waterproof buds themselves from Danish designer Thomas Bentzen. Whether you pick them in black, gold or black and blue shades, these are gorgeous.

There’s substance here too, we could hear all the precision within Hans Zimmer’s epic and otherworldly score for Dune, and we were impressed by the powerful ANC during our commute. Are they that much better than their cheaper rivals? Probably not. But they look far better than almost everything else out there while delivering proper acoustic resonance.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 earbuds are the latest flagship offering from the British audio experts, bringing some subtle yet appreciated updates to their predecessor. Sporting new colour finishes, improved Bluetooth connection, better battery life, and compatibility with the B&W Music app, these advanced earbuds come at a premium price.

Comparable to the more "affordable" Pi5 S2 buds in battery life, design, and water resistance, the Pi7 S2 boasts noticeable improvements. The look and feel, soundstage, and bass performance all shine on these buds.

The boosted low end and terrific sound signature make them a bass lover's dream. With controlled detail and power, they excel with tracks like Portishead's "Machine Gun" and Muse's "Hysteria".

While there are minor downsides, including the high price and a design that may not suit everyone, the Pi7 S2 shines for sound quality. The clever charging case doubles as a wireless adapter, allowing for music transmission when connected to an audio output. This innovative feature is perfect for plane rides or low-latency gaming on the Nintendo Switch, making the Pi7 S2 stand out from the crowd.