The best over-ear wireless headphones

Wireless headphones are becoming the standard, but if you prefer an over-ear design rather than an in-ear one, we’ve got the list for you.

We’ve put together some of the best options when it comes to wireless headphones with an over-ear design. This means they’ll be sitting comfortably over your ear, and not directly on it, and definitely not in it. This can provide a more robust sound profile while listening to your music (or podcasts), even if they are a bit bigger in size. But if you’re currently on the hunt for a new pair of headphones that are completely wireless, here are some great options for you.

The best over-ear wireless headphones

Sony WH-1000XM4

Sony didn’t change much in the WH-1000XM4’s when compared to the XM3 these replace, but that isn’t a bad thing. The design remains the same, so it’s still mostly plastic, but still incredibly comfortable. They still offer up some of the best noise-cancellation you can get in a pair of wireless over-ear headphones, and the sound quality is great, too.

The XM4’s feature elements like “speak to chat”, which allows the user to simply start speaking aloud and the headphones will automatically adjust the ambient noise so that it’s louder, so you can hear someone talking back to you. The music or other media you’re listening to will automatically stop playing, too.

Another top-tier feature is Adaptive Sound Control. With this, owners of the XM4 headphones will notice the ambient sound control adjusting automatically based on their environment. One of Sony’s examples is when a user might be on a train platform and the announcements start playing over the loud speakers. The headphones can adjust the media playback volume and the ambient sound so that the owner can hear what’s going on around them, automatically.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 are available now from Amazon in blue, black, and silver.

Buy Sony WH-1000XM4 for $278.00

Bose 700

Another brand with plenty of attention from headphone lovers, Bose offers the noise cancelling wireless Bluetooth headphones 700 for those looking for a great pair of over-ear headphones. Just like Sony’s option, the 700 from Bose features Amazon Alexa built-in for easy access to a digital assistant. There’s a built-in mic for phone calls as well, and it can be used to activate Alexa with the wake up word.

The headphones also support Google Assistant.

The stainless steel headband is attached to angled ear cups, making the 700 comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Which is good, because the battery can last for 20 hours on a single charge. And, of course the wireless 700 are truly wireless and offer up fantastic noise cancellation. Touch controls are present on the ear cup, so you can keep your phone in your pocket.

The Bose noise cancelling wireless Bluetooth headphones 700 are available now from Amazon in Arctic White, Triple Black, and Silver Luxe.

Buy Bose 700 for $299 – $339

Sennheiser Momentum 3

Sennheiser’s wireless over-ear headphones offer great sound, a unique design, and plenty of features. Sennheiser says the Momentum 3 headphones play music faster than any other headphones thanks to its resume feature, which is part of the Auto On/Off and Smart Pause features. There are three physical buttons for easy media playback controls as well.

With transparent hearing, you’ll be able to hear the world around you while listening to music. The active noise cancellation can help block it all out when you want to focus on your music or podcasts. The Sennheiser Momentum 3 is manufactured from genuine leather on the ear cups and the headband, making these headphones comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.

The Sennheiser Momentum 3 is available in black or silver. You can buy it now from Amazon.

Buy Sennheiser Momentum 3 for $316.35 – $349.95

 

JBL LIVE650BTNC

JBL is all about the sound, and these wireless headphones deliver in that regard. The JBL LIVE 650BTNC offer up JBL’s Signature Sound with a price tag that’s noticeably less than the primary competition. But, even with the smaller price tag you’ll still get 30 hours of battery life. And you can recharge these headphones in just two hours.

The headphones offer active noise cancellation technology, as well as Ambient Aware and TalkThru technologies.

There’s a charging cable in the box, as well as a 3.5mm cable for wired listening.

The JBL LIVE 650BTNC wireless headphones are available now from Amazon in black, blue, and white.

Buy JBL 650BTNC for $199.95

Apple AirPods Max

The AirPods brand has become one of Apple’s most popular ventures up to this point, so it isn’t all that surprising the company wanted to capitalize and make something new. These are the AirPods Max, brand new, high-end over-ear headphones Apple launched before the end of 2020. They are made from metal construction, feature replaceable ear cushions, incredible Active Noise Cancellation, and an impressive soundscape, too.

The Apple-designed dynamic driver in each ear cup allows for a more robust sound profile. Couple that with computational audio and Apple’s H1 chip inside, the AirPods Max will adapt to the music or media you’re listening to, aiming to provide the best experience no matter what you’re listening to.

There’s a physical button to manage both Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode. The latter will make it easy to hear the outside world when you’ve got these headphones over your ears, while the latter will block everything out when you want to focus.

The ear cushions are memory foam, making them incredibly comfortable even for marathon listening sessions. The headband feature a knit-mesh canopy so they’ll stay in place and disburse some of the weight from these metal headphones. The AirPods Max feature on-head detection, so they’ll automatically stop playing music when you take them off. The headphones also come with a “Smart Case” that will automatically put them in a low-power state to preserve battery life.

There is no power button, though.

Apple says you can get about 20 hours of battery life on a single charge while listening to music or other media. That’s with Active Noise Cancellation turned on, along with spatial audio as well. And don’t sleep on spatial audio, either. With this feature, you get a theater-like sound experience and head tracking when listening to supported content on an iPhone or iPad.

The AirPods Max are available from Amazon in Space Gray, Silver, Sky Blue, Green, and Pink.

Buy Apple AirPods Max for $549.00

There we go, some of the best options out there for a new pair of over-ear wireless headphones. But of course, if you have any other suggestions let us know in the comments!