ANC headphones

In today’s M2 MacBook Pro setup, the user stores one of the best-reviewed sets of wireless, over-ear headphones of all time on a stand over to the side. The cans are almost easy to miss in the photograph, but well worth noticing. AirPods Max competitor Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, in a Mac setup, make for a relatively rare sight. But they’re often at or near the top of “best of” lists — not just for great sound and a comfortable fit, but especially for their vaunted noise cancellation.

The new flagship EarFun Air Pro 4+ noise-canceling earbuds feature AI-powered language translation. EarFun also will roll out other new products this week at CES, the big consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. The lineup includes clip-on earbuds and hook-on open-ear earbuds for workouts, affordable noise-canceling over-ear headphones and an Auracast USB-C dongle that can enable lossless audio for devices.

The excellent Beats Studio Pro noise-canceling headphones from Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre normally cost $349. But they’re often on sale. In fact, right now you can grab a nice Beats Studio Pro deal on Amazon or Best Buy — for a hair under $200.

Listening to music through EarFun’s first over-ear headphones — EarFun Wave Pro, released Monday — I almost couldn’t believe the high quality sound and wonderful comfort they offer. That’s why I give the set 5 stars in this EarFun Wave Pro headphones review.

It’s flat-out astonishing that someone can offer this level of audio quality, noise cancellation, comfort and battery life for $80.

With AirPods Max rarely marked down much from their lofty $549 price, you have to wonder why people spend that much, or even $300, for a great set of cans.

xMEMS Labs is bringing what it calls breakthrough technology to the wireless earbuds market late next year after a CES 2024 debut — the Cypress ultrasonic speaker. It turns ultrasonic waves we normally can’t even hear into full-frequency, hi-res audio with remarkable detail, the California-based semiconductor company said Tuesday.

The solid-state microspeaker, which will find its way into various companies’ earbuds and headphones — hello, AirPods? — generates low-frequency sound pressure for a full bass response, according to xMEMS Labs.

That makes the ultrasonic speaker a true replacement for legacy speaker technology that has only been refined, not replaced, since your great-grandparents rocked the Victrola.

Apple will release the new Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones July 19, according to the same anonymous source who correctly predicted the recent release of Beats Studio Buds+.

The new cans are expected to have high-end features a la AirPods Max, like Beats’ latest active noise cancellation (ANC), and to come in four colors.

Edifier rolled out a new wireless over-ear set of headphones Tuesday — the WH950NB headset — providing another affordable alternative to high-end cans like Apple’s AirPods Max and products from the likes of Sony and Sennheiser.

Featuring active noise cancellation (ANC) and hi-res audio, Edifier’s premium headphones go for $180, a pretty low price for the feature set.

The Chinese company Edifier has been putting out affordable high-quality audio equipment for more than 25 years. I often find it hits the “high-value” button with many of its products, offering great sound and solid features at relatively low prices. The company seems to stake out that same territory with its W820NB ANC Bluetooth Stereo Headphones.

Edifier sent me a pair of the cans to try out. While they’re not likely to blow anybody away, they get the job done well, with quality sound, strong active noise cancellation and long battery life.

If you want good sound at a good price, they could be for you. But if you’re an exacting audiophile or on the hunt for luxury appointments, look elsewhere.

With Apple’s top-shelf AirPods Max over-ear active noise cancelling (ANC) wireless headphones due for a refresh, competitors keep coming with hot new products.

High-end audio maker KEF jumped into the market for the first time this week with its KEF Mu7 headphones, not long after venerable brand Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) rolled out its newest flagship, the PX8.

With Thursday’s release of the new Soundcore Space Q45 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones and sibling Space A40 earbuds, Soundcore began replacing its Life series of sound products. The company sent me both products to test. This review covers the Q45 cans (my A40 review will appear tomorrow).

I’ve spent a couple weeks with the Q45 over-ear, closed-back headphones. Soundcore pushes two main selling points: strong noise cancellation and long battery life. And with the Q45 headphones, the company has hit it out of the park on both counts.

And they sound good for the price, too.

Venerable audio brand Sennheiser rolled out its new Momentum 4 wireless over-ear headphones Tuesday. The successor to the much-liked Momentum 3 aims for the same high-end sound and comfort along with a more modern look.

The cans, which will compete with the likes of Sony’s top headphones and AirPods Max, also claim an impressive battery life of up to 60 hours.

Bowers & Wilkins is often cited for the great sound quality of its Px7 noise-canceling over-ear headphones, released in 2019, and a worthy rival to AirPods Max. Now the British audio specialists have overhauled the model with release of the Px7 S2 — but without a price increase.

And what’s more, the company said a new flagship model, the “luxurious” Px8, is coming soon.