How To Survive Your Boss On Over The Ear Headphones Wireless
Best Over the Ear Headphones
Wireless headphones let you listen to podcasts or music anywhere, without the need to run an audio cable from your device. These headphones are great for public transport, in the office or at home.
Wireless over-ear cans are offered in a variety of styles and noise cancellation capabilities. They are typically packaged in a sleek case.
Soundcore Q30
These earphones are a significant improvement over the Soundcore Life 2 of late-2018. They look better, feel more durable, and have a more polished look. The hinges are more secure, and the soft leather ear cups have been slightly larger. They’re still made of plastic, but they are more polished. You can switch the 3.5mm cord for a high quality USB-C cable to use them with portable Hi-Res devices and stationary players. They also have dual mics built-in that worked flawlessly in our tests using FaceTime, Skype and Microsoft Teams calls.
The Soundcore app comes with a wide variety of EQ presets that can be altered and saved to allow you to listen to podcasts and music in the way you prefer. The Soundcore app makes it easy to use and makes these headphones stand out.
When ANC is on, the Q30’s 40mm drivers effectively cut out almost all ambient noise, and provide excellent listening. They have a natural sound signature that leans slightly to the treble side, and some might be unable to reproduce bass (we had better results using the Bass Booster equalizer). It is possible to fix this using the Soundcore App, which has an eight-band Equalizer.
The headphones come with the power button and a pairing button on the left ear cup as well as an USB-C port to charge. The right earcup is equipped with buttons for volume up/down, play/pause and volume up/down. Double-clicking on these controls allows you to skip tracks or replay previous ones. They also come with a voice command, so you can request them to change the mode or set an alarm. You can also cover the right ear cup with your fingers to activate ambient modes, so that you can hear everything around you without removing the headphones.
These headphones have a fantastic battery life. In our tests with ANC switched on, the Q30 was able to last for nearly an hour longer than its rivals. This leaves plenty of time for long flights or a day at the office. The USB-C cable included allows you to quickly charge the batteries. You’ll also receive an alert when your battery is nearing empty.
Focal Bathys Wireless
Focal’s Bathys Wireless is a pair of high-quality over-ear Bluetooth headphones that feature active noise cancellation as well as bluetooth Headphonea playback. They’re designed as a pair of premium, high-end headphone that are ideal for listening to music and podcasts on the go but also sound amazing when used to listen to audiophile music at home as well. They’re more expensive than similar headphones but their superior sound quality is their main selling point.
The Focal Bathys come in a compact, attractive white box with a textured finish. It contains all the accessories that you’ll require. The package includes a fold-flat headphone wireless carrying case, USB-C-to-USB-C cable, 1.2mm SE cable and an audio adapter.
They’re powered by a respectable 600mAh battery that can take you through a whole day of listening to music and also have an audio input that can be wired for use. When they’re wirelessly connected, they’re connected via Bluetooth and you can manage their functions via an app (now known as Focal and Naim which is probably in the same vein as their English sister brand Naim’s products for audio that are network-aware) or via the dedicated button on the left earcup which scrolls between ANC profiles like’silent’,’soft’ transparent’, and ‘full’.
The app allows you to alter various settings such as the LED brightness, EQ presets including a’music profile’ that is more neutral and brighter than other presets and also their battery duration. It also allows you to select the ANC mode and the level, and also set an ‘acoustic environment’ that will adjust the sensitivity of your music to simulate what it will sound like when used in a room with different audio acoustics.
The Focal Bathys come with an incredibly bass-rich sound that adds more energy and warmth to your favorite tracks. As a result, instruments and vocals are pushed back into the mix, and can sound dull, while details like cymbals and vocals are not as prominent as you might expect on some other headphones. They’re also not as effective at active noise cancellation when contrasted to other headphones with higher-end technology like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony headphones are well-known for their quality, and the WH1000XM5 is not an exception. It is the best of the’mainstream’ over ear headphone market and is in the luxury lifestyle segment where brands such as Apple, Montblanc, Bang & Olufsen and Montblanc are situated. This means that the XM5s are expensive in price tag, but when you can afford it, there are more superior wireless over-ear headphones available.
The XM5s have features that simplify the lives of listeners and, in certain cases, automate tasks they’d otherwise have to do manually. Sony’s DSEE Extreme engine (which upscales compressed music to near hi-res) is available and also support for Bluetooth’s LDAC technology. This lets high-quality music to be streamed at bitrates that are higher than Bluetooth. There’s even a built-in microphone for making calls hands-free.
Like the previous generation of WH headphones the XM5s excel at noise cancellation. They’re among the most efficient headphones for removing the continuous drones that can be heard in underground and train carriages. The XM5s are also excellent at separating listeners from the hum of busy streets and airports.
The sound quality is also top-quality. The XM5s do not have as many details in the low-frequency range like the XM4, however they do possess a greater sense clarity and a greater sense of openness. For example the bass work on Rage Against the Machine’s Bullet in the Head flexes the Sonys’ muscles with real force and definition without flattening everything else. Similar to Massive Attack’s brooding Angel showcases the XM5’s’ ability to deliver accurate and precise bass notes.
The battery life is fantastic with up to 30 hours of listening time when ANC is on and 40 hours if it’s off. That’s more than enough for a weekend getaway or a few days of heavy usage.
The XM5s aren’t waterproof or dust-proof. Sony recommends not sweating into them or wearing them in the rain. This may not be a problem for everyone else however, for those who spend a lot of time in the gym or live in a rainy region, it could be a big issue.
Apple AirPods Max
The Apple AirPods Max are a pair of wireless headphones that fit over the ear equipped with Bluetooth technology and noise cancelling. Apple created dynamic drivers measuring 40mm, with a neutral sound profile that focuses on mids and highs without going overboard. This makes them great for both music and movies. They also have better sound quality when compared with other headphones wireless headphones.
The headphones are light and feel comfortable on your head. The ear cups are made out of memory foam that is covered in woven fabric, and they sit comfortably on the ears without placing pressure on the sides of the face. Ear cups can be rotated and tilted to accommodate different head shapes. The hinges that are spring loaded have a solid but not overly robust clamping force that ensures that the earcups remain in place throughout listening sessions.
A small button located on the the right ear cup allows you to switch between noise cancelling modes. It also has an earphone-style jog dial with a push button similar to the digital Crown on the Apple Watch. You can turn it around to control volume and press it once three, twice, or even three times to playback the controls. Pressing and holding the button will activate Siri. The buttons are well-placed and simple to use, however I missed having an option to turn off the headphones when not in use. The headphones are put into standby when they are removed from your ears or when placed in their case. They will return to life when you place them on your head.
Spatial audio is another cool feature. It uses the gyroscopes, accelerometers, and iPhones or iPads to determine where you’re moving. Then, it repositions the sounds to make them seem to be coming from the location you are in. This creates a theater-like experience with movies and Bluetooth headphonea videos made in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 or 7.1. The only downside is that spatial audio requires an iOS device for use and you won’t be able experience it on other devices.
The AirPods Max are a decent pair of headphones, but I’d be somewhat smug entering an Apple Store and spending $549 on the headphones if I knew that they’d be outdone next year by the second-generation model. The AirPods Pro have more advanced features and a better battery performance, so it’s difficult to justify the additional cost for most people.