The Best Over-Ear Headphones You Can Buy in 2025

Daniel Oropeza

October 3, 2025

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Daniel Oropeza

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The Best Headphones in 2025

Best ANC and audio

Sony WH-1000XM6

$398.00
at Amazon

$398.00
at Amazon
Apple users

AirPods Max

$479.00
at Amazon

$479.00
at Amazon
Budget headphones

Soundcore by Anker, Space One

$67.99
at Amazon

$67.99
at Amazon
Longest battery life

Urbanista Los Angeles

$79.87
at Amazon

$79.87
at Amazon
Best Active Noise Canceling

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

$298.00
at Amazon

$298.00
at Amazon
The best wired over-ear headphones

Sony MDR7506 Professional Headphones

$98.00
at Amazon

$98.00
at Amazon

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source.

I like to think of over-ear headphones as the Crocs of headphones. You’re going for comfort; everything else is secondary. If you’re here, it means you’re willing to give up portability and, potentially, sound leakage for more comfortable wear. Over-ear headphones are the opposite of earbuds, which are usually less comfortable, a lot more portable, and give you a lot less sound leakage.

Here are my favorite over-ear headphones your money can buy in 2025, whether you’re looking to stay within a budget, looking for the best ANC headphones, or the best-sounding pair overall.

My Top Picks

Best ANC and audio

Sony WH-1000XM6

If you’re an audiophile who values the best sound possible even while using ANC to experience your media, look no further than the Sony WH-1000XM6. I’ve been a loyal customer of the 1000X line for many years and always end up going back to this headphone for most of my listening sessions. They also have the best ANC feature of any other headphone and are very comfortable. If you can afford these, they’ll be worth your money. You can read about the headphones in more detail in my review.
- The Good
  - Premium ANC
  - Great audio
  - Impressive Spatial Audio
  - Clear calls with AI noise reduction
  - Can listen and charge at the same time
  - Foldable
  - App tells you which codec you’re using
  The Bad
  - Expensive
  - Hard to justify upgrade from XM5
  - App is not very user-friendly
Get It Now
Apple users

AirPods Max

The AirPods Max makes it into the list because Apple users will always value staying in the Apple ecosystem. But make no mistake: Apple’s AirPods Max are excellent ANC headphones, on par with Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra. These are the new 2024 version with new colors and the USB-C charging port. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem and want to stay there (and it’s worth the extra money to you), then the AirPods Max might be a better fit. Keep in mind they are much heavier than the QuietComfort Ultra (but just as comfortable). You can read about the headphones in more detail in PCMag’s review.
- The Good
  - Great sound quality for Apple users with Apple AAC Bluetooth Codec
  - Great ANC technology
  - Simple and minimalistic
  The Bad
  - Expensive
  - Heavy
  - Lacking many features generally found in this price range
Get It Now
Budget headphones

Soundcore by Anker, Space One

Over-ear headphones can get pretty pricey, but luckily, you don’t need to spend rent money on great headphones. The Anker Soundcore Space One gives you the best bang for your buck in this roundup with many high-end features, including an impressive ANC quality for its price, LDAC Hi-Res audio codec, offering better audio quality than most Bluetooth headphones, and a great companion app. You’ll get up to 55 hours of battery life, but if you’re a stickler for button placement and design, you might have some issues with the Space One. But for under $100, who’s complaining? You can read more about it on PCMag’s “excellent” review.
- The Good
  - Under $100
  - Solid ANC
  - Great battery life
  - Solid companion app
  - Supports LDAC codec
  The Bad
  - Button layout might be annoying to some
Get It Now
Longest battery life

Urbanista Los Angeles

There is an argument to be made that the headphones with the best battery life should be those that have a set number of measurable hours to count, but when that number could potentially be impossible to measure, there’s a clear winner. The Urbanista Los Angeles headphones have solar charging technology that can potentially give them an unmeasurable number of hours of playtime (as long as you keep charging them with the sun). They give you up to 80 hours when they’re fully charged, but as long as you keep them in the sun, you should not run out of battery. You can read about the headphones in more detail in PCMag’s review.
- The Good
  - Solar charging technology
  - Up to 80 hours when fully charged
  - Quality ANC
  - Great audio
  The Bad
  - Can’t customize EQ in the app
  - ANC feature impacts audio
Get It Now
Best Active Noise Canceling

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

If you’re looking to tune out the world with ANC, the QuietComfort Ultra currently offers the best noise-canceling technology in the market. If you can shell out the money for these headphones, you’ll be getting one of the most lightweight, comfortable, and best-sounding headphones on the market. But what really sets them apart is how useful these headphones can be in a loud environment. You can take a call with zero problems—the headphones can pick out your voice in a crowded place, so you can still be heard clearly. You can read about the headphones in more detail in PCMag’s review.
- The Good
  - Best ANC
  - Light
  - Comfortable
  - Great audio
  The Bad
  - Expensive
  - ANC creates slight pressure on ears
Get It Now
The best wired over-ear headphones

Sony MDR7506 Professional Headphones

Audiophiles who have been buying the best headphones for years will not be surprised by the Sony MDR7506 making the list of the best wired over-ear headphones. They were originally launched in 1991 and have been improved over the years, but they have been a staple in the music and audio industry for many years. If you’re looking for a reliable headphone that is wired and will give you a great listening experience, the Sony MDR7506 is for you.
- The Good
  - Balanced quality sound
  - Light
  - Comfortable
  The Bad
  - Lacking features
  - Only for wired devices
Get It Now

As you can probably tell by now, there is no “best” headphone once you get to a certain level of quality. All of the headphones here are great. What you should be paying attention to is which is the best headphones for you. That means you’ll need to figure out what things are important to you and what isn’t. Hopefully, this roundup helps you do that. If you get any of these headphones, you’ll be making a solid decision.

Best Over-Ear Headphones FAQs

What is the best brand of over-ear headphones?

There is no one specific brand that is best for over-ear headphones, but depending on what you’re looking for (audio quality, features, comfort, versatility), some brands of headphones make models that are better than the competition. Overall, Sony and Bose have consistently made the best over-ear headphones over the last decade.

What are the best over-ear headphones for working out?

I personally prefer earbuds or bone-conduction headphones for working out, as they’re less cumbersome and don’t cause my ears to get hot. But if I had to wear over-ear headphones for working out, I’d go with the Bose QuietComfort Headphones.

Are JBL over-ear headphones good?

JBL is one of the top headphone manufacturers. They produce excellent over-ear headphones, with the JBL Tour One M3 Smart Tx being their most recent flagship model that rivals the best headphones of 2025.

What do you think so far?

What are the most comfortable over-ear headphones for all-day use?

When it comes to comfort, the Bose QuietComfort Headphones are my favorite. They are soft, light, and comfortable to the point that I can wear them all day without getting fatigued.

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