5 Noise-Canceling Headphones to Quiet the Chaos

When buying any type of high-quality consumer technology, there are a handful of things you should always look for. While noise-canceling headphones present their own challenges, much of your decision will involve the same main factors you'd consider in other techwear purchases: Is it comfortable, does it look nice, and does it work?

Comfort: You would be astounded at how many headphones we try that aren't comfortable past the 30-minute mark. You need something you can wear for hours without even noticing its weight or the feel of cold, hard plastic.

Functionality: When it comes to noise-canceling headphones, functionality means things like battery life, UI/UX, and compatibility. The headphones on this list were tested for days on a variety of devices to ensure they're truly the most long-lasting and reliable that money can buy.

ANC: Active noise cancellation (or active noise control) is what you should be looking for. Different brands have different proprietary types, so your audio experience will differ slightly between them. Simply seeing "ANC" marked on the box doesn't give you all the info you need to make a purchasing decision. Some models are better at blocking low-frequency sounds, while others miss those and instead focus on high frequencies. Some headphones allow you to adjust the ANC, while others simply have an on/off switch.