How to choose among the best noise cancelling headphones in India? We all feel disturbed when we readily encounter undesired chaos around us. This chaos may come from traffic, machines or even chattering of your colleagues nearby.
The idea of noise cancelling headphones can give you relief from above-mentioned nuisances. We understand your concern that you want it, but the problem lies on actually how to choose the best noise cancelling headphones.
If so, We’re ready with the fresh list of top 9 headphones with decent noise cancellation.
What are Noise Cancelling Headphones?
Noise cancellation in headphones means they have the ability to cancel out or block the noise around you. However, keep in mind that no headphone can entirely cancel out the whole noise but most of them are now able to minify the background noise significantly.
There are two types of noise cancelling headphones available in India-
What is Active Noise Cancellation?
Active noise cancellation is the technology that cancels out only the steady noise- which is regular. The steady noises like the sound of an air conditioner, Airplane, a car can be easily blocked by active noise cancellation technology.
However, the chattering of your friend nearby is not regular in general so that noise can’t be suppressed.
Active noise cancellation technology first listens & analyzes the noise signals using a set of microphones inside it. After that, it emits its own wave with the same amplitude but in the opposite direction. Both these signals combine & cancel each other out, resulting in a clean audio quality.
Active Noise Cancellation vs Passive Noise Cancellation-
Passive Noise cancellation uses layers & padding to block out the unnecessary sound. Headphones with passive noise cancellation are having their earcups designed such that it covers up the whole ear, resulting in no unwanted chaos inside our ears.
Since it blocks out every kind of unwanted noise, passive noise cancellation has its own merits.
While active noise cancellation emits some reverse signal to block out certain kind of noise signals actively, passive noise cancellation is able to block out every other kind of chaos.
Headphones with active noise cancellation are costly as they use advanced components. Also, the entire system becomes bulky. On the other hand, the headphones with passive noise cancellation are available at lower prices.
About Noise Isolation-
People assume that noise cancellation & noise isolation is the same thing, but the reality is something else. Noise cancellation uses microphones & battery power to generate some inverse signals to block the offending sound around you.
On the other hand, the noise isolation isolates you from the surrounding noise, it does not use any electrical infrastructure. Best noise isolation headphones depend upon how well the earcups are designed to cover your ears. It can be said that in ear noise cancelling bluetooth headphones are having noise isolation much better than that of over-ear headphones.
Now that you have the basic differences between the two, time to jump into the real content of the day!
9 Best Noise Cancelling Headphones in India-
| Noise Cancelling Headphones- | Links (Amazon) |
|---|---|
| Sony WH-1000XM3 | CHECK PRICE |
| OnePlus Buds Z2 | CHECK PRICE |
| Sony WH-XB900N | CHECK PRICE |
| Sony WF-1000XM4 Earbuds | CHECK PRICE |
| OnePlus Nord Buds | CHECK PRICE |
| Skullcandy Indy Active | CHECK PRICE |
| Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II | CHECK PRICE |
| Jabra Elite 85h | CHECK PRICE |
| Bose 700 ANC | CHECK PRICE |
| Bose QuietComfort 25 | CHECK PRICE |
1. Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphone
Sony WH-1000XM3 comes with industry-leading active noise cancellation (ANC) which gives you a personalized & virtually soundproof experience in any situation.
With a stylish look, Sony XM3 is rich in all modern features, apart from excellent noise cancelling capability.
Equipped with the advanced HD noise cancelling processor QN1, it supports adaptive noise cancellation technology. Having it, the headphone adapts to your current situation if you are walking, waiting, on a vehicle or saying something, it blocks out all unnecessary signals smartly.
The dedicated NC processor ensures you never compromise with the music quality due to processor performance.
A headphone even with awesome sound capability will ruin your listening experience if it has a third-class battery backup. That’s why Sony XM3 is packed with a huge battery, capable to provide 30 hours of long listening time.
Not only this, but you can expect to avail 5 hours of music time upon just a 5-minute charge, thanks to Quick charging. The voice assistant feature is just a one-touch away by which you can have instant access to music, information & more (Alexa inbuilt).
Smart touch controls on the earcups allow you to make & attend calls/change tracks by tapping or swiping the panel with your fingertip.
What I found unique into this is that it has Quick attention mode, you can cover the earcup with your palm to turn down your music & have easy & instant conversation with a peer.
The super-soft, pressure-relieving earpads uniformly distribute the pain and increase the ear-contact for a smooth fit.
This lightweight designed headphone is very much concerned about your fit as no headphone can deliver a smooth listening experience without having a comfortable fit. Further, the earcups can be folded easily to consume less space.
As it comes to call, just leave your phone as it is, and start talking with just a tap. Thanks to several microphones, it delivers a clearer voice to the other person over the phone.
Sony XM3 is compatible with all Android & iPhone models. Moreover, it has its own Sony headphone connect app to use the smart listening experience to control your ambient sound settings.
Verdict: I don’t feel the need to say more about this cutting edge headphone after explaining all the features already. Still, I would like to say that though they are charging a little high, Sony is able to deliver the promised quality.
As this headphone is rich with advanced processors for active noise cancellation, you will just lose in yourself without the effect of any chaos around you. Not only this, the quick charging battery, smart controls, sound quality, fitting, voice assistant steal the show. No doubt, it is the best noise cancelling wireless headphone.
check price at amazon Alternative: Sony WH-1000XM2
2. Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II Wireless Headphone
Bose QC 35 II is the latest one they have to offer. It comes with the phenomenal world-class active noise cancellation technology. Having this, it makes a quiet environment around you so that you can focus on what you wish.
The proprietary technology actually keeps measuring the noise level around you & analyze it. In order to cancel out the noise, it emits reverse signals.
Not only this, but you can optimize the extent of noise cancellation as per your need, for this there is three levels of noise cancelling is given to better fit your environment.
If we discuss the quality of calls, the two inbuilt noise-rejecting microphones provide clearer calls, regardless of the noisy environments. Volume optimized equalizer gives you balanced & stable audio performance all the time.
It comes with modern drivers featuring volume-optimized EQ for best possible performance than before. No matter what the extent of loudness is, you will always have crystal clear sound quality at any volume.
So, it guarantees the same quality of audio if you are alone inside a room, or stuck in Bangalore’s traffic.
Having the support of Alexa & Google Assistant, getting info about news, cricket, songs & control over your smart home is easy, hands-free. QC35 II is enabled with bose-AR-augmented reality platform, where applications will deliver real contextual audio experiences. Just unlock bose AR via bose connect app.
Coming to the battery part, QC35 II provides 20 hours of long listening, enough to spend all day. When discharged, just charge it for 15 minutes & make it ready to run for the next 2.5 hours.
In the case, if you really caught without battery power, use the included cable to plug in & resume your music addiction, without noise!
Verdict: This one is the only headphone with noise cancellation as the brand is promising, Believe me, you would only hear the music tracks, nothing else. The three-level optimization of noise cancellation, noise-rejecting microphones are just superb enough o provide clear audio.
The tri-connectivity feature is impressive. Battery backup will make sure your playlist may run out but the battery won’t be. Rest all features are as explained. After all, you can go with user reviews, it says 4.5/5, indicating it is one of the best wireless noise cancelling earphone. Enough reason to buy it now.
3. Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Over-Ear Headphone
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x is a noise-isolating headphone. Its circumaural design is capable enough to counter the noise around you, even in loud surroundings, giving excellent noise isolation. The circumaural design is able to give superb noise isolation under noisy environments.
We can see the advanced build quality and engineering in it as it consists of 40mm neodymium drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminium wire coils, which improves sound quality & call clarity.
This one is optimized for low-frequency performance- designed for tracking & mixing. It comes with soft earpad cushions, which provides comfortable listening experience even for longer hours.
Verdict: If you are looking for an entry-level noise isolation headphone at a cheap price, this is a good choice I can say. Apart from the decent noise isolation, it has great sound quality both over music & calls. Though it is not that portable so you won’t be able to carry it during travelling.
Also, it is a pure wired headphone so it does not need any powering. The wire is connected to only one side of the earcup. Earcups are really very cosy & comfortable.
4. Sony WH-XB900N Wireless Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphone
If you are not comfortable with the price of Sony WH-1000XM3, then there is a cheaper option for you, that too from Sony itself! Sony WH-XB900N has almost the same specification to XM3 along with active noise cancelling feature.
Sony XB900N has phenomenal noise cancelling with noise-cancelling optimizer. Because Sony XB900N is among noise cancelling wireless headphones with microphone, It supports active noise cancellation as it emits reverse signals to counter the steady noise around you, with the help of inbuilt microphones.
What’s new in it is the extra bass you will notice. I must say, bass lovers, will fall in love once they have it as it’s coming from the giant-Sony. This headphone enhances all low-end frequencies for exceptional bass.
There is a dedicated bass duct on the headphone which increases the air tightness between the eardrums & driver units. It creates precise, punchy & deep bass. Still, the headphone maintains a wonderful voice clarity for the smooth listening experience.
If anyone comes to you while you are busy with your music, you can talk to him/her without taking your headphone off via Quick attention mode. Just cover the right earcup, music will be down for a while.
Bass Lover? Check out 5 best wireless earphones with extra bass
To make your life easier & stylish, touch controls are here to stay. Now controlling the volume, changing the tracks & answer/rejecting calls at your fingertips. Tapping or swiping the panel will do all these jobs easily & efficiently.
Thanks to smart listening feature, WH-XB900N adjusts itself according to your activity, providing the best noise cancellation. The longer battery life of 30 hours is assured upon a single charge. Not only this but with the help of Quick charging, you can enjoy music for 60 minutes on charging it for just 10 minutes.
Voice assistant is just a touch away and you can have access to music, information, news & much more. It supports Alexa & Google Assistant.
Sony has developed its own app through which you can use smart listening technology to control your ambient sound settings. Connectivity is not an issue as you can stream your music via both NFC & Bluetooth technology.
The soft & yet comfortable ear cushions offer long-lasting, cosy listening experience. Once you finished listening, simply fold them up for easy carrying, ensuring portability.
Verdict: Noise cancellation is great at this price point, but not that great as of Sony WH-1000XM3. However, it’s competent to block normal noisy environments with active noise cancellation optimizer in it. Bass quality is an edge over WH-1000XM3.
Rest all feature are same as WH-1000XM3, be it calling, voice assistants, battery life or build quality. So my point is that if you want to have noise cancelling wireless headphones sony with a lot of other features at an affordable budget, this one is the answer.
5. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphone 700
Bose 700 is another offering from Bose in their series of world-class noise-cancelling headphones. Bose 700 headphone uses active noise cancellation methodology to cancel out the noise around.
For the same, it comes with an adaptive 4-microphones system which analyzes the surrounding noise nearby and cancels the noise. So you can hear as well as be heard clearly even in intense noisy surroundings.
Not just that, but it has a unique feature which is called controllable noise cancellation. You can actually personalize your environment 11 levels of noise cancellation.
It’s your choice whether you want to open up to the world fully, somewhere in the middle, or need the full-fledged noise cancellation. All such settings can be accessed by the Bose Music app via left earcup.
Bose 700 is well optimized for voice assistants like Alexa/Google Assistant/Siri etc. They are just a push away & news, weather, music are just a matter of seconds.
Battery life is just the same as other models of bose, it provides 20 hours of backup and takes approx 2.5 hours to get fully charged. Equipped with USB type C, fast charging takes 15 minutes of time to give 3.5 hours of playtime.
With the help of intuitive touch controls, you have the full control over phone calls, play/pause/forward the tracks, all from the right earcup.
Like other Bose headphones, this model also supports Bose AR (Augmented Reality), that produces astonishing audio quality & let you connect to digital as well as the physical world at the same time.
About the comfortability factor, it ensures the luxurious fit so that you can listen for hours with the sophisticated design which features streamlined, lightweight stainless-steel headband with an ultra-soft and angled earcups for a perfect fit.
Verdict: People who have used Bose 700 are saying that it’s top-class noise cancelling headphone because it has 11 levels of noise cancelling facility. Not only this but the world-class audio quality, four microphone system to cancel out the noise & massive battery life is just impressive.
However, if you’re a bass lover, buying this one is highly discouraged as it lacks heavy bass, just a soft version of it can be found. But if you live or interact with noisy environment daily, this one is a highly recommended product from Bose. Just go for it and thanks us later.
6. Jabra Elite 85h Over-Ear ANC Headphone
Jabra Elite 85h has a peculiar property, they call it “SmartSound”, by which audio adapts to your surroundings With the help of smart active noise cancellation, it cancels out the background noise, giving a superior music experience to you.
Smart sound automatically adapts the audio based on your personalized settings, and automatically turns on ANC. For example, if you are inside a train, then it will enable ANC on & will turn it off when you return home. Through the Jabra Sound+ app you customize the settings as per your situation.
It uses 8-mic technology, all these mic continuously analyzes the noise level around you. 4 of 8 microphones a powerful digital hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC), blocking the undesirable sound signals efficiently.
The elite 85h allows you to customize your music settings so that you can enjoy exceptional music clarity. Jabra Plus app allows you to choose how much noise you want to block out & much more.
Once you charge it fully, get ready to enjoy your favourite tracks seamlessly for the next 36 hours (with ANC switched on). Fast charging gives you 5h of backup in just 15 minutes if charging.
Also, it has a new feature by which it has the ability to detect your ears. Jabra 85h will recognise when you take them off of ears and pause the music. Auto-playing will start when you put on next time.
Siri, Alexa etc are just one-touch away. This headphone has 2 years of rain & dust resistant warranty, so you are covered if anything goes wrong.
Verdict: I must say, Jabra Elite 85h is offering peculiar features at comparatively low prices when it comes to best noise-cancelling headphones.
The trio of SmartSound, 8-mic & ANC is able to suppress any kind of noise around you. Further, call clarity is really appreciable. Touch controls, multi-device connectivity & personalization via Jabra+ app will let you get lost into the music world as soon as it gets delivered to your doorsteps!
7. Bose QuietComfort 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphone
Bose is known to offer the best quality noise-cancelling headphones. Bose QuietComfort 25 comes with advanced noise cancellation technology which quashes aeroplane noise, traffic noise or even a busy office so that you can focus on only what matters most- the music.
Talking about the design quality, the headband softness can be compared to a pillow. In addition, ear-cushions follow the same and ear cups rotate for a fine-tuned fit. Long listening hours will no longer result in pain of ear/head.
The true-to-life sound is able to provide clear vocals, clean bass & crisp percussion. You will keep appraising the sound quality every time you tune to the music.
Storage becomes painless with the help of compact case. Just fold the earcups, and put them inside the rugged & lightweight storage compact case. It will keep the headphone safe during travelling/when not in use.
It is built to work with most of iPhones, iPads and iPods. Enjoy hands-free calling with the mic, and have full control over the music/calls via inline control functions.
Verdict: Bose QC25 has really awesome noise-cancelling capability, as it can suppress the noise of an airplane engine. If your priority is to achieve truly noise blocked music, you’re good to go with QC25.
After all, it is also rich in modern features like supreme sound quality, comfortability, hands-free calls with mic & control functions.
8. Realme Buds Wireless Pro Neckband
If your priority is to get active noise cancelling wireless earphones, along with other must-have features, Realme has newly launched its wireless pro neckband. Let’s look into how it can be valuable to you apart from master in noise cancelling.
Weighing just 33 grams, this flexible neckband is an example for others. It is made with premium materials which makes it comfortable to wear all day without trouble. A great neckband earphone under 3000 rupees.
The IPX4 design makes it eligible to be your gym companion as it’s resistant to water & sweat splashes. The ergonomically designed earbuds serve two purposes- the first being comfortable & magnetic switching.
The magnetic earbuds give you a tangle-free life. Just stick both the earbuds together & your music would stop, release them to resume it. That’s what you get with the magnetic switching feature. We also have a one-button remote for quick answers to calls or play/pause the music.
Now coming to the sound quality, realme pro neckband is a clear winner here. The supreme active noise cancellation up to 35 dB is just awesome. You can compress literally any level of noise around you to listen to what you intend for.
With Sony L-DAC high-resolution audio, you enjoy a richer listening experience with a 3x more transmission rate. If you want to get attention to your surroundings, the transparency mode allows you to do that while listening to your music.
With the 13.6 mm bass boost driver in Realme buds pro, we enjoy deeper & booming bass with advanced dynamic bass boost technology (DBB). Just ready to rock with such deep bass anytime anywhere.
The gaming mode reduces the latency up to 50% (to 119 ms). With perfect sync in audio and video, enjoy the most complete gaming experience possible. It also supports major voice assistants. You can customize all features with the Realme Link app.
Realme buds wireless pro delivers non-stop 22 hours of playback time after a full charge. If you keep the ANC on, still it lasts for 16 hours. It takes 1.5 hours for a full charge. Fast charging makes your life easy with 100 minutes of playtime on a 5-minute charge.
Verdict: Realme pro wireless is great for people who need a decent ANC headset with excellent sound quality. Moreover, having an IPX4 design makes it gym-friendly too. I have already explained about different modes (gaming/transparency/ANC) you get with this. Overall worth buying.
9. Muzili T22 Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds
We all face the irritation because of wires involves in our headphones. Even in little wiring in case of Bluetooth earphones, this problem is sounding. Don’t you want to live a pure wireless lifestyle when it comes to music? DO you wish to have noise cancellation on these wireless earbuds too?
If the answer is yes, then Muzili T22 is presenting its wireless noise cancelling earbuds. It works with CVC 8.0 noise cancellation technology which reduces the ambient noise. It results in improvement of call quality & music sound quality, providing a better experience at all.
It is backed with the latest Bluetooth v5.0, which ensures stable & smooth connectivity, and excellent power optimization. High performance is guaranteed.
These noise cancelling bluetooth earbuds come with 6mm driver unit, which can ensure the full stereo effect, less than 1% distortion in signals and Hi-Fi sound quality.
The duo of ergonomic design and ultra-lightweight design takes the responsibility of secure & comfortable wearing. You needn’t worry about falling off while exercising.
Worrying about the battery backup in your current wireless earbuds? Not anymore as Muzili T22 comes with a huge 3000 mAh charging case. It provides 150 hours of long standby time but takes a mere 3 hours to charge.
I’m ready to expand, show me 14 best BT headsets under 5000 rs
In addition, the charging case can also be used to charge your smartphone, just in case of an emergency.
You can easily operate via smart touch controls to Play/Pause/Skip the music, Adjust the volume, answer or reject a phone call. Muzili earbuds work with the digital display technology to show the battery level of charging case. They are smart enough to connect to the last paired device automatically.
If you do not wish to use both the earbuds at a time, you can keep one of them in the charging case 7 keep using the other one.
Verdict: If you want truly noise cancelling wireless earbuds with CVC 6.0 technology, Muzili T22 is the answer. Noise cancellation extent is just superb to bring you quiet time in a noisy environment, along with other necessary qualities.
Massive charging case of 3000 mAh is able to deliver music non-stop throughout & beyond the day. Sound quality is also commendable. Autoconnect feature is really impressive on these lightweight earbuds. Just have a try.
10. Sennheiser HD 4.50 SE BT NC Bluetooth Noise Cancellation Headphone
Sennheiser is also known for its commendable sound quality. Same can be seen in this headphone as the signature Sennheiser Sound with Proprietary drivers delivers a powerful, detailed and well-balanced sound with intensifying bass.
The HD 4.50 special edition is equipped with Bluetooth v4.0 featuring aptX codex compatibility, which provides the wireless freedom of movement in addition to exceptional sound quality.
Now coming to the most important part, the noisegard active noise cancellation technology unwanted sound smoothly.
Whether in a plane, train or traffic, noisegard provides you with a comfortable listening lifestyle while focussing on your music, not the chaos around you.
The connectivity has also a story. One can enjoy hassle-free connectivity via NFC (Near field communication) with eligible devices.
The Intuitive earcup controls are here to make your lifestyle simpler. Having them, you can control the volume, change the tracks & attend phone calls (via integrated microphone) instantly.
Talking about the battery, getting 19 hours of battery life is not a surprise with the noisegard mode on. But in case you turn off the noisegard active noise cancellation off, then get ready to enjoy the music for 25 long hours.
Not only this but if you are running out of battery, then the passive, battery-free listening mode is also here via detachable cable. So, it supports both wired & wireless technology.
Ok but what about the comfort? Great wearing comfort is assured by the soft leatherette covered ear pads for long music sessions. Ideal for keeping your ears painless.
Coming with the robust foldable headband design, the HD 4,50 special edition can be stored inside the supplied protective case, ensuring the perfect portability.
Verdict: Frankly speaking, this headphone’s noise cancellation is just OK. I would like to say, go for other headphones if you are keen to noise cancellation. But, if you look at other features being offered, then it can be said that Sennheiser has done justice to the price tag.
Like they support both type of connectivity with a huge battery backup, this headphone is ideal for long trips, plus wearing comfort is also appreciable. And the earcups controls are here to stay to give you a hassle-free life.
Conclusion:
We have just reviewed the 9 best noise cancelling headphones in India with their top features, shortcomings & merits and ratings. All of them some unique features, but noise cancellation is common among all. Choosing any one out of 9 will help you achieve your goal to enjoy music without having any disturbance around.
If you would like to know about my opinion (unbiased), I would say go with Sony WH-1000XM3 or Bose QC 35 II. In the case of budget constraint, you can choose Jabra Elite 85h. All of these three has user reviews very high, making them very favourable. You will surely be amazed by the level of noise cancellation they provide. Have a try.
Happy Listening!
I want to see Top 13 wireless Earphones under 2000
6 Best Sports Wireless Earphones in India
Show me 11 best wireless earphones below 1k
I’m ready to expand, show me 14 best BT headsets under 5000 rs
Best wireless earphones under 1500/500 Rupees
