Best over-ear headphones 2024: wired and wireless over-ears for every budget (2024)

If you’re looking for headphones to deliver the most immersive performance possible, a pair of over-ears should be where you look first.

Not only do over-ear headphones sit around your ears, with the earpads enclosing them fully for a more isolated listening experience, but their larger size also allows engineers to fit bigger drivers inside with more room to move. That means you'll usually get a much more accomplished performance than you can from a more diminutive pair of on-ear headphones or earbuds, allowing you more readily to lose yourself in the music.

Whether you are after a pair of wired over-ear headphones for private home listening sessions or to help you focus while slogging away at your desk, or otherwise some wireless over-ears to take out and about without tangling you up with cables, the very best over-ear headphones will deliver great sound and design to immerse you in your music in comfort, regardless of style.

Our best-of list below features budget and premium options in both wired and wireless flavours, complete with their best prices on the internet. After all, if there's one thing we know about, it is headphones!

The quick list

Best cheap wired headphones

Looking for a bargain? These quality closed-back wired headphones are among the best out there for the money. The solid build means these are going to last – AKG bent the cable 80,000 times during production just to test longevity. The padding is comfy, while the three-metre cable offers more than enough play for listening comfortably at home. This is a classic studio headphone design. While you could just about get away with wearing these out on the street, they are not really designed for it, as evidenced by that long cable.

Read the full AKG K72 review

Best cheap wireless headphones

The Sony WH-CH520 on-ear headphones are without doubt one of the less glamorous products in Sony’s seemingly endlesscatalogue of headphones, but that doesn’t automatically mean they are not worthy of your attention. If you want value for money at a modest price point, they make perfect sense.

They are certainly put together well, with a sturdy construction that feels built to last – the headband adjustment mechanism, for example, is robust and moves with reassuring solidity.There is mild padding on the inside of the headband and the earpads, and while it's not exactly lavish, it helps no end with comfort. An all-in weight of just 147g doesn’t do any harm in this respect either, and even though they are pleather-covered, the earpads resist returning your body heat for quite a while.

Sonically, the CH520 aren't the most expressive headphones you have ever heard where low frequencies are concerned, but the low end they generate is solid, deep and properly controlled at the leading edges. Better still, they hit reasonably hard, and keep bass firmly in its lane where it can’t interfere with the midrange activity above. Despite a few very reasonable sonic inhibitions, Sony's lowest-end cans are a bit of a mini-marvel at a price level severely lacking excellent competition.

If active noise cancellation (ANC) is a must-have feature, your best bets are the next-model-up Sony WH-CH720 (featured below).

Read the full Sony WH-CH520 review

Best cheap ANC headphones

The WH-CH720N aim to fill a gap in the market by offering ANC and a more premium build quality at what is still a very reasonable price. In essence, they are designed as a pair of cans for those who aren’t keen on forking out a few hundred quid for a more premium pair of over-ears but who equally don’t want to skimp on ANC or suffer a drop in audio fidelity by opting for theentry-level WH-CH520 (above)instead.

No, the CH720N don’t fold up and away, nor do they come with a designated carry case, but they feel good in the hand and on the head, with a construction that, like so many of Sony’s products, never feels as though it’s about to disintegrate, snap or be torn asunder by the wear and tear of everyday use.

Sound-wise, we can’t think of a pair of over-ear headphones at this price that could keep up with such a spirited and energetic (if slightly bass-heavy) delivery. Rock and hip-hop fare especially well, benefiting greatly from the meat and texture that these over-ears afford. Listen to the absolute percussive force you receive when you listen to something such as Nirvana’sYou Know You’re Rightand you will hear exactly what we mean.

The WH-CH720N deliver exactly what Sony intended. For a very reasonable price, they are a dependably made, enthusiastic-sounding pair of headphones that, while occasionally straying into the realm of excessive bass, deliver good ANC and a strong feature set to the mid-to-low price bracket of the wireless headphone market. And that's why they are current What Hi-Fi? Award winners.

Read the full Sony WH-CH720N review

Best overall wired headphones

There are quite a few things that make the RødeNTH-100 something of a wonder. Firstly, they are the first proper headphones the Australian company (better known as a maker of microphones) has ever made. Second, they are a pair of wired cans trying to make it in a world dominated by the all-consuming Bluetooth behemoth. Thirdly, and most importantly, they sound absolutely stunning for the price.

Headphones are for one of two things: they are for either casual entertainment, or critical, businesslike purposes such as monitoring or mixing. It’s unusual to find a pair of headphones that can fulfil both roles adequately – and it’s even rarer at the sort of money Røde is asking for the NTH-100.

The mission is achieved with startling confidence, though. Detailed, dynamic and yet relentlessly well-balanced, you really can imagine using the NTH-100 as both a pair of casual listening cans or as a studio-grade model for monitoring or mixing. They are that versatile; they are that good.

No, you don't get many features with a pair of wired cans and yes, paying for an extra cable seems a little mean-minded, but these shouldn't be enough to dissuade you, especially if sound-per-pound value is your primary concern. Measured by that metric, the Røde NTH-100 are pretty much unbeatable, hence their current What Hi-Fi? Award crown.

You might consider another Award winner in the excellent and slightly more affordable Austrian Audio Hi-X15, but the NTH-100 are compellingly good value too.

Read the full RødeNTH-100 review

Best overall wireless headphones

When we saw the official pictures of the XM5, we were more than a bit surprised. We wondered whether it was a wise move to give one of Sony’s biggest success stories in recent memory, theWH-1000XM4, a major redesign.But it has paid off!

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones might feel a little less premium than their predecessors (which are still available at a now-cheaper price), but the jump in sound quality from the previous generation is a big one, and rivals once again have their work cut out. Better call quality and improved noise-cancelling plus a better design – even if they do feel slightly less 'premium' than the XM4 – all make them a compelling buy for anyone with the funds.

If you are looking for a new pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones, your auditioning should start here. The older XM4 were already the best around – and still are if you can't stretch your budget to the latest pair – but the XM5 are undoubtedly better for those whocanafford to pay the premium.They have a better combination of sound and features than their closest rivals, including theSennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless and Bose QuietComfort, and just about pip the beautiful to the post too due to their friendlier price.

That's why they are the best Bluetooth headphones at this price point and worthy What Hi-Fi? Award winners.

Read the fullSony WH-1000XM5 review

Best headphones for home

Grado's Prestige range has produced some of the Brooklyn-based company's finest headphones over the past 30 years. The series has evolved over time, but the latest ‘x’ generation models offer the same balance of quality and value that we have come to expect from such a likeable audio brand.

The range-topping SR325x headphones look much like their predecessors, theWhat Hi-Fi?Award-winningSR325e, albeit with flatter foam earpads, an updated cable and lighter-coloured stitching on the firmly padded headband.

The difference is in the listening: the SR325x sound notably cleaner and clearer than their predecessors, offering a superbly detailed and articulate performance that comes across more precisely and insightfully than ever.

If you are looking for the best wired headphones in the game around this price, and don't mind an open-back design (which inherently leaks a little sound in and out), the SR325x should be top of your list. They are unbeatable value, hence their What Hi-Fi? Award 2023 win.

For a more traditional closed-back (i.e. non-leaky) alternative, the excellentBeyerdynamic DT 900 Pro Xshould be your go-to at this level, although stocks do seem to be running a little low thes days.

Read the fullGrado SR325x review

Best premium wireless headphones

The Mark Levinson No. 5909 aren’t necessarily replacements for a wired set-up you’re happy with. A laptop feeding aChord Mojo 2 DACconnected toGrado SR325xwired headphones, for example, offers greater all-round sonic sophistication and finesse. But for anyone who is after the convenience of wireless without sacrificingtoomuch sound quality to get it, and lucky enough to afford such a best-of-both-worlds solution, the Mark Levinsons are highly recommendable.

They sound exceptionally clean and crisp for wireless over-ears – much more so than the class-leading crop of cheaper competition – and noise cancellation is very decent too. Aesthetics may divide people, and we ourselves aren't fans of the plasticky on-cup buttons, but build quality can't be questioned – these should last years, as you'd quite rightly expect them to.

Can't quite stretch the budget? If you're an Apple addict, the AirPods Max are certainly worth considering, whereas the beautifully made and Focal Bathys are also slightly more affordable alternatives with five-star sound. For the very best-sounding wireless performance out there, the even pricier T+A Solitaire T are highly desirable too.

Read our full Mark Levinson No. 5909 review

Best premium wired headphones

The 10-year-old, original T1 models are something of a touchstone for us as far as premium headphones go. The main change between this third-generation model and its predecessor is that the new pair is easier to drive for laptops and mobile devices. The old model had a 600ohm impedance, while this new one takes that down to 32ohms.

The results are a sound that is very similar to the originals but cleaner and clearer if anything, slightly less bright and a little more rounded in the treble too, making them a bit more forgiving of aggressive electronics and recordings. There's that same delivery of music with a palpable sense of power and authority, and vocals come through with nuance and clarity, too.

They are comfortable enough for long listening sessions thanks to a nicely shaped, partially Alcantara-covered headband and generous velour-trimmed earpads. These aren’t the kind of open-back headphones that impress on a short listen. However, given a few days or even weeks, it’s hard not to fall under their spell. We certainly have.

Want closed-back versions? See the Beyerdynamic T5 (3rd Generation) review. For anyone with more cash to spend, Sennheiser's HD820 and the Focal Stellia should be on your shortlist.

Read the full Beyerdynamic T1 (3rd Generation) review

How to choose the best over-ear headphones for you

These days, the best over-ear headphones come in many styles. You have wired models with open-back (which leak sound) or, more typically, closed-back (which don't) designs, predominantly for listening at home when portability isn't a priority (though wearing wires out and about is fine too, of course!) You can read all about the closed-back vs open-back headphones differences here.

Then there are wireless pairs, which are the most convenient for portable, on-the-go listening, many of which nowadays throw in active noise cancellation (ANC) for more privacy with your music – a Godsend for listening in particularly noisy environments.

Our pick of the best over-ear headphones below spans all of these types mentioned above, as well as a range of budgets from below £100/$100/AU$150 to ten times that.

If you know which style you want already, you can visit our dedicated best wired headphones, best wireless headphones and best noise-cancelling headphones Best Buy guides instead. Want a pair of high-end headphones to plug into your desktop or component hi-fi system? As well as the pairs featured above, we also have a definitive list of the best audiophile headphones to satisfy healthier budgets.

But if you are still on the fence as to what sort of pair to punt for, this list will give you a comprehensive overview of what's on offer. Every pair on this list has been through the rigorous What Hi-Fi? testing process and, badged with a full five-star rating, wears our stamp of approval as among the best over-ear headphones out there. Also look out for the What Hi-Fi? Award winners, which represent the absolute best-value pairs on the market.

Over-ear headphones FAQs

How we test the best over-ear headphones

Here atWhat Hi-Fi?we review hundreds of products every year, including bucketfuls of over-ear headphones. After all, the likes of Sony, Bose, Apple and Sennheiser often update their pairs fairly regularly, and that isn't even taking into account all the other renowned headphones brands. So how do we come to our review verdicts? And why can you trust them?

We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading in the UK, where our team of expert reviewers, who have a combined 100 years plus of experience, carries out our testing. We have price-appropriate DACs to help us test wired headphones, and put wireless noise-cancelling pairs through the wringer in working offices, out and about on city streets, and on public transport too.

We spend weeks with every pair to ensure every aspect is reviewed thoroughly, from their comfort and build to features and performance. And while one single reviewer at What Hi-Fi? writes the review, all verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole, helping to ensure consistency and avoid individual subjectivity.

As over-ear headphones come in multiple forms – wired or wireless, noise-cancelling or not, open-back or closed-back – and naturally span a wide price spectrum, we keep hold of class leaders of every type and budget to compare with each pair we review to determine its star rating and position in this eminent list.

Indeed, from all of our reviews, we choose the products to feature in our Best Buys, such as this one. That's why if you take the plunge and buy one of the products recommended above, or on any other Best Buy pages, you can rest assured you are getting aWhat Hi-Fi?-approved product.

You can read more abouthow we test and review products onWhat Hi-Fi?here.

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