The best noise-cancelling headphones for flying

The British-made Bower & Wilkins continue to break ground with their audio tech. The Bower & Wilkins PI7 headphones are expensive but the smart tech makes them worth the cost for frequent flyers.

The charging case acts as a retransmission system, which can be plugged directly into the in-flight system. The case then retransmits the sound directly to your earbuds. That means you can watch the in-flight entertainment without using the flimsy buds provided by the airline.

If you prefer streaming Netflix from your phone or laptop, they also support the aptX Adaptive codec, which has an always-adjusting bitrate — that means a picture and sound combo that's lag-free and always stay in sync. 

The sound is fantastic, with Dual Hybrid Drive units and Diamond Series speakers. There’s adaptive noise cancelling, too, though better noise cancelling is available. That's worth bearing in mind if you're the kind of flyer who gets irritated by the plane's constant droning noise.

The Sennheiser HD 450BT provide powerful, excellent sound quality. After all, this is a brand that's serious about audio tech. It's not just what you hear but also what you don't. NoiseGard active noise cancelling tech blocks virtually all unwanted ambient sound, whether you’re in the air or in a noisy office.

Near Field Communication allows instant pairing, accessing your smart devices without any fuss. And the ear cup-mounted controls are very intuitive. You can switch up your music, take calls, or lower your headphones’ volume.

The Sennheiser’s design is simple, elegant, and minimalistic. They're created for comfort, with super soft leatherette covered ear pads that make listening to music and watching movies and TV a genuine pleasure.

They can also be folded up for easy transportation and packing — and you can listen for entire long-haul flights with their 30 hour battery life.  

Check out our full review of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones.

Who it's for:

If you want good ANC, but especially value clear and well-rounded sound, these are your headphones. Whether you really like to blast your music, or just want to hear the lows, highs, and mids of a song, the WH-1000XM5s are the headphones on our list most likely to deliver.

During July's Prime Day, these headphones dropped $100 in price. For Prime Big Deal Days, we're expecting to see at least the same discount.

Why we picked this:

Sony's flagship noise-cancelling headphones produce a balanced sound that let your music shine, while giving you enough ANC to block ambient noise.

Here's what Mashable Deputy Reviews Editor Miller Kern had to say about listening to Brandi Carlile’s “Right on Time” on the XM5 headphones: "The vocals and instruments all got to shine, and the headphones made it feel like I was there in the studio. These are probably the best-sounding headphones I’ve ever tried." That audio quality, combined with their comfort and effective noise cancelling are what earned them a Mashable Choice Award. And if you're intimidated by messing around with an equalizer, the app presets along with the "Find Your Equalizer" feature make it easy to find the sound settings that hit just right.

Their portability factor could be a little better — the ear cups don't fold in — but chances are, you'll want to be listening to them most of the time, anyway. When you are on the go, the microphone is another standout feature. Kern relayed that even on a walk home in New York City, she could hear who she was calling perfectly, and be heard herself without any background noise getting in the way. As an added bonus, they have a battery life that beats the Bose QC Ultras by a good six hours, offering some of the best battery we've seen from premium over-ear headphones.

If you want headphones with reliable sound, ANC, and connectivity — and you don’t need the latest tech — check out the JBL Tune 660NC. These mid-level favourites are made from premium, hard-wearing plastic, with a sound that's robust and bass-heavy. Large, over-ear cups block out external sound, which combines with highly efficient ANC tech to keep out any unwanted ambient noise. The noise cancellation is as good as it gets at this low price.

They have multi-point pairing, which means they can hook up to two devices at once. It's a very handy addition to the overall package. They’re very portable too, with ear cups that fold and turn inwards. Just throw them in your bag and off you go. They're certainly tough enough to handle being bashed about.

JBL has upgraded to Bluetooth 5.0, meaning that connection problems reported on older models are no longer a problem. The controls — placed on the right ear cup — are tricky at first but you soon get used to them. You’ll get up to 50 hours of battery life, depending on which features are switched on.

It’s another entry from Sony, which is unsurprising — it’s one of the go-to brands for audio technology wherever you fly around the globe. The Sony WI-XB400 are far from the most advanced earbuds in the Sony range but they do have some nice touches that make them ideal for flying.

For starters, you can easily throw them in a bag or even in your pocket. They also have punchy bass, which helps overpower the ambient noise of flying.

But best of all, the buds are actually magnetic, so when you’re not actually listening to them you can keep them connected around you like a necklace. If you’re the kind of person who gets easily disorganised on flights — never sure whether you’ve stashed your belongs in the seat pocket, overhead, or left them in your luggage — these are absolutely ideal.