JBL Live 670NC: The JBL Live 670NC are one of the few on-ear headphones to offer active noise cancellation. It’s a great value model – carrying case not included – but it does have memory foam earpads to keep the on-ear headphones comfortable. It features 32mm drivers for crystal-clear bass and improved battery life over its predecessor, with up to 70 hours of battery life (44 hours with ANC on) and extra power on a 5-minute charge 3 hours of battery life. This model includes the latest Bluetooth 5.3 (with LE audio) and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. It also features JBL’s Ambient Aware (transparent mode) and TalkThru features. It’s available in black, white, and blue, and comes with a power cord for wired listening.
Master and Power MW75: The MW75 are Master & Dynamic’s best full-size headphones to date. Needless to say, they cost a hefty $599; most people will be very happy with the $400 Sony WH-1000XM5, which are lighter, more comfortable, and offer top-notch voice calling and noise cancellation. The MW75’s build quality is hard to beat, and they offer top-notch sound for a wireless model (I think they sound better than Apple’s AirPods Max headphones), as well as strong voice calling and noise-canceling performance. With support for aptX Adaptive, they have additional appeal for Android users, who can get better sound quality with the right settings. I also had fun playing music with the iPhone 13 Pro using the AAC codec.
Master and Power MW09: Master & Dynamic headphones and earbuds always feature unique, eye-catching designs and include premium materials such as aluminum, sapphire glass and Kevlar. Its latest MW09 flagship headphones look very similar to the earlier MW08 headphones, but have some internal upgrades that offer better performance, especially in terms of battery life and noise cancellation (it’s now very close to what Bose and Sony are offering , although not quite at the level of ANC).
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise cancellation, very good sound and voice call performance, and support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you’re a Galaxy device owner with the right settings. Probably their biggest upgrade is the new design and smaller size, which makes them fit better in more ears. Their only drawback, besides their higher price, is that some key features are only available on Samsung Galaxy devices.
Beats Studio Buds Plus: Alas, for those of you who purchased the original Beats Studio Buds (which are still on the market), I’m sorry to report that these new Plus headphones are significantly improved, with better sound, noise cancellation and battery life. In addition, they now offer best-in-class voice calling performance.
Beats Fit Pro: While the Beats Fit Pro are technically not AirPods, they are built on the same technology platform as the AirPods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats’ earlier and less expensive Studio Buds and the new 2023 Studio Buds Plus, the Beats Fit Pro contain Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the features of the AirPods Pro, including active noise cancellation, spatial audio, and adaptive equalizer. I’d venture to call them the sporty AirPods you’ve always wanted.
Google Pixel Buds Pro: Pixel Buds Pro are Google’s first headphones with active noise cancellation. While it’s nice that they finally have the features that most true wireless earphones have had for a while, what ultimately makes the Pixel Buds Pro stand out and make them worth considering (especially for Android users) is their unique design and great Fit. This helps improve their performance in terms of sound quality and noise reduction. While not great for voice calls, they also perform well as phone headsets. Read our Google Pixel Buds Pro review.
