If you need a way to drown out the world surrounding you, the best noise-cancelling earbuds are what you’re looking for. With everyone stuck at home, even your house can be loud at inopportune times. Whether you’re trying to have an urgent call or just some vital relaxation time, life often gets in the way.

Fortunately, there are easy but non-intrusive ways to keep that unwanted commotion out of your ears. You don’t need to soundproof your office. You only need to soundproof your headphones. And the best noise-cancelling earbuds do the hard work for you.

The Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds for Constant Quiet

Sometimes you need some peace and quiet, which is where the best noise-cancelling earbuds come in.

If you can’t typically hear your media or you need some help trying to focus, the best noise-cancelling earbuds will take care of you. Like they say on the box, these unique earbuds will block out even the most intrusive sounds.

You’ll find that the actual best noise-cancelling earbuds will make you feel like you’re at home no matter where you end up!

How do noise-cancelling earbuds work?

Noise-cancelling technology is a lot more than just big headphones that muffle the outside world. While some work like this, others have advanced features that actively prevent intrusive sounds from reaching your ears.

If you’re looking for the best noise-cancelling earbuds, chances are they’re going to work like this. Active noise-cancellation is electronic and uses batteries to work, so your earbuds won’t work if they’re not charged or on.

The way that active noise-cancellation works almost sounds like science fiction because they create a sound force-field to protect your ears.

First, a microphone in the earbuds picks up any outside noise. The best noise-cancelling earbuds can pick up anything from voices and loud noises to quiet sounds such as an air conditioning system.

Then, the earbuds make a field of waves to block the noise. They send these waves at a 180-degree angle, preventing the unwanted sound from reaching your ear.

Of course, particular noise-cancelling headphones do directly muffle the sounds from outside. The technical term for this is passive noise-reduction. This method is often the result of an acoustic design that enhances noise-cancelling abilities. For in-ear headphones, this takes the form of an acoustic seal.

Why use noise-cancelling earbuds?

Man Looking at his Sketchbook
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There are plenty of reasons to look for the best noise-cancelling earbuds. One is that you have trouble hearing your music, audiobooks, or podcast where you usually listen to them.

If you’ve ever taken the subway to work, you’ll know that this is the best time to get caught up on the day’s news. But the hustle and bustle can drown out what you want to listen to.

Noise-cancelling earbuds make all the difference. Whether you have trouble hearing over the din around you, or you want to drown it out to get some quiet, the best noise-cancelling earbuds will keep everything peaceful.

The best part of noise-cancelling earbuds is that they are small and not intrusive when you’re at work or in public.

What makes one set of earbuds the best?

So why would one set be the best noise-cancelling earbuds when another falls flat? It makes sense that if you’re going to invest in a set of earbuds such as these, you’ll actually want them to work! But how can you be sure?

The New York Times’ Wirecutter recommends looking for four things when you’re trying to find the best noise-cancelling earbuds. They are:

  • Sound quality
  • Noise-cancelling ability
  • Battery life, for wireless earbuds

That’s a pretty straightforward list, and it’s easy to see how each one can be important when picking out your noise-cancelling earbuds.

Breaking down each aspect

With any earbuds, sound quality will be a significant factor. You wouldn’t want to have earbuds that entirely cancel noise-only to have subpar audio! It would defeat the purpose.

In the same sense, you’re looking for the best noise-cancelling earbuds, so they had better be pretty good at what they say they are. There’s no point in beautiful audio that you can’t hear anyway, especially not if you paid extra to listen to it more clearly.

For battery life, this is important if you have active noise-cancelling or wireless earbuds. Some wireless earbuds only last a few hours on each charge, and they don’t even have noise-cancelling. If you want to use your earbuds for a full day at work, a long flight, or any other prolonged period, you should look at how long you get for each charge.

Once you’ve found your sweet spot in each of these metrics, then you can actually find the best pair of noise-cancelling earbuds for you.

Our Best Noise-.Cancelling Earbuds

We’ve listed our choices for the best noise-cancelling earbuds here. They are in alphabetical order for your convenience.

Amorno Wireless Earbuds

wireless earbuds from AMORNO inside their charging case

Most of the earbuds on this list have a dark color scheme, usually some combination of black and chrome. If you want your earbuds to match that champagne-colored iPhone, you may want to check out Amorno’s Wireless Earbuds. These earbuds add a pop of color compared to their competitors.

Of course, these true wireless earbuds have active noise-cancelling technology, using CVC microphones to pick up unwanted noise. As we mentioned, this microphone will pick up outside noise-and deploy sound waves to cancel them.

Using this, the headphones will run for three hours on a charge but can recharge up to four times with the battery case.

Since these hang in your ear, you may be worried about the weight. However, they are made of lightweight aerometal and silicone for maximum comfort. They are also sweatproof, so your sweat won’t damage the electronics within.

Anbes D42 Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Headphones

black Anbes Wireless Earbuds floating above their carrying case

The Anbes D42 Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Headphones have a lot to offer in the realm of noise-cancelling headphones.

These low-profile earbuds are truly wireless, so they stay out of the way for as long as you are listening. With Bluetooth connectivity, you can easily connect to any Bluetooth capable device. Plus, you won’t have any loss of sound quality, thanks to the superior connection.

You won’t have to worry about these earbuds dying on you during the day. They have three and a half hours of battery time, which isn’t too much. But the case doubles as a battery pack and gives you a total of 14 hours of listening time. The earbuds are even waterproof, but you shouldn’t submerge them or the case.

Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise-Cancelling Headphones

black Bose noise-cancelling earbuds on a white background

Bose has a reputation for making superior audio products, and the Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise-Cancelling Headphones are no different. These active noise-cancelling headphones have multiple modes so you can determine how much you hear. Also, they have two different models that accommodate both Android and Apple phones.

Active noise-cancelling keeps the outside world out of your music. But Bose knows that you don’t always want to drown out every sound. When you need to hear but want to keep your music going, you can turn on Aware mode to reduce the noise-cancellation effect.

Another point that may attract you is that these earbuds have ergonomic silicone buds. Bose calls these caps the StayHear+ tips. Because they are shaped to fit into the curl of your ear, they will stay snug and not fall out.

The active noise-cancelling on these earbuds is battery powered and needs two hours to charge. But, you get 16 hours of use on every charge so that you can use them in peace all day long.

BYGZB Earphones Wired Noise-Cancelling in-Ear Headphones

yellow and black BYGZB noise-cancelling earbuds on a white background

The BYGZB Earphones are high-powered and use a magnetic drive for bright, distinct sound. You can hear everything from the highs to the lows for your music.

These headphones won’t work with every phone. They have a 3.5mm jack that is incompatible with the Lightning port on newer iPhones. But for those that do, you’ll notice a wide array of features that make them worth checking out.

Since these are passive noise-cancelling headphones, they use rubber caps to block out outside noise. So, they come with multiple sizes to make sure they fit your ear and keep unwanted sounds out.

They also have foam ear hooks which you can remove. So they will cling to your ear while exercising.

GRDE X10 TWS Wireless Earbuds

chrome colored GRDE wireless earbuds in their charging case

The GRDE X10 TWS Wireless Earbuds are a well-rounded set of true wireless Bluetooth earbuds, complete with charging carrying case and of course, active noise-cancellation technology.

These earbuds have plenty of little features that make them comfortable and easy to wear.

These earbuds have a user-friendly auto-pairing feature with their Bluetooth settings. That means that as soon as you pull the earbuds out of their case, they pair to each other. After that, connecting with your preferred device is a simple process.

GRDE’s X10 TWS Wireless Earbuds also sit comfortably in your ear. Thanks to their three-point support, they stay snug and won’t cause your ears to be so sore.

These earbuds use the same noise-cancellation technology we mentioned earlier. A microphone helps block out the most intrusive noises while the speakers create high-fidelity sound.

GUSGU Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Earbuds

chrome GUSGU wireless earbuds in their charging case

If battery life is the beginning and the end of wireless earbuds for you, look no further than this true wireless offering from GUSGU. These earbuds have incredibly long battery life, in addition to having some of the most cutting-edge audio and noise-cancellation tech.

While the four-to-five hour lifespan may not seem like much on its face, it shines through its charging case. The charging case can recharge the headphones an incredible 20 times, for a total of 145 hours of listening time.

Plus, a digital display shows you the battery percentage of the case, so you are never caught off guard when your battery is low.

A nanocoating prevents water from damaging these earbuds, so you can take advantage of that long battery life in the rain or while you’re working out. Ergonomic silicone caps make sure they stay comfortable for as long as you need to use them.

LETSCOM Bluetooth Headphones U8I

red and black LETSCOM earbuds, they are connected by a neck cable

You may be surprised at all the features the LETSCOM Bluetooth Headphones U8I offer.

These headphones feature Bluetooth connectivity but have a cord connecting each earpiece. They are waterproof to a point, which protects them from sweat, rain, and up to around three feet of water.

And they have a long battery life, offering up to eight hours of talk time on one charge. They also have full volume and play controls on the earpiece itself.

Perhaps the most impressive feature for the price point is that these headphones have active noise-cancellation. A built-in CVC noise-cancelling microphone blocks out static and other unwanted noise, leaving you free to listen to your music as you desire.

As a bonus, you can see the battery life of your earbuds right on your phone.

Linner NC25 Noise-Cancelling Earbuds

black LINNER noise-cancelling headphones on a white background

These 3.5mm headphones from Linner have both active and passive noise-cancelling technology, and they have a battery life that will see you through as much as a week of moderate use. Since they use a headphone jack, you can even use them when the battery is dead.

With only a two-hour charge, it’s easy to get these headphones ready for the day, or the week! If you always have the active noise-cancelling feature turned on, they will still work for around 20 hours.

That’s plenty if you only use them on your commute. Plus, they actively monitor for subway and airline announcements, so you always hear what you need to.

These headphones also have multiple sizes of silicone tips. It lets them fit snugly in your ear and passively cancel out noise.

MINDBEAST Noise-Cancelling Headphone in-Ear Wired Sport Earbuds

grey MINDBEAST noise-cancelling earbuds on a white background

These headphones from MINDBEAST focus on making their passive noise-cancelling technology as strong as possible. They offer excellent sound as well as security in the form of a carrying case.

These headphones use passive noise-cancelling technology, much like many others that we recommend on this list. Like them, they use silicone tips to seal your ear canal against outside noise.

Additionally, the speakers of the headphones are angled at 45 degrees for maximum noise-cancellation.

They include multiple tips, including one set with hooks to secure them during exercise. The carrying case is waterproof and dustproof. It will keep your headphones and the cord safe while you’re not using them.

PANFREY True Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth5.0 Stereo Hi-Fi Sound w/ Touch Control

PANFREY wireless earbuds, one is in the carrying case and the other is floating

These PANFREY True Wireless headphones are truly wireless, with nothing more than two earbuds that connect to your phone through Bluetooth. Since they are Bluetooth enabled, they can connect to any phone or other devices.

Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones often have fairly short battery lifespans. That’s not the case with PANFREY’s True Wireless Earbuds. On a single charge, these earbuds offer between 8 and 12 hours of playtime.

With the charging case, this lifespan is tripled, and you can use your earbuds for up to 36 hours on one charge.

These headphones are waterproof and have multiple silicone caps for maximum comfort.

TaoTronics Active Noise-Cancelling Neckband Bluetooth Headphones

black TaoTronics earbuds, connected with neck wire

These Active Noise-Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones from TaoTronics are connected by a cord but don’t require a jack. They connect by Bluetooth! These headphones have a neckband for your comfort and can link to any Bluetooth-enabled device.

If you’re looking for active noise-cancelling, TaoTronics has the right earbuds for you. These include a CVC microphone that picks up unwanted noise-and filters it out, so you don’t have to worry about it. That way, your phone conversations and your music come through clearer than ever.

These are quick-charging headphones, as they only take two hours to get to full charge. With active noise-cancellation on, they have eight hours of battery life. But, if you turn off the noise-cancellation you can use them for 16 hours.

TaoTronics’ noise-cancelling headphones are also splashproof. That makes them ideal for when you are working out, and don’t want sweat to damage the delicate electronics.

Silicone loops secure these headphones in your ear, and magnetic clasps hold them together when you’re not using them.

Which Noise-Cancelling Headphones Will Help You Focus?

It doesn’t matter whether you want headphones with a jack, those connected by a cable, or true wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the best noise-cancelling earbuds have an option for you.

There are choices among the best noise-cancelling earbuds for you no matter what your primary consideration is. If you want a set with a long battery life, or one with no battery at all, the choice is all yours.

Where will you use your noise-cancelling earbuds? What do you listen to when you use them? Give us a comment and let us know!

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