Best over-ear headphones of 2025

Shure Ionic 50 2nd generation: Many of us loved Shure’s original Aonic 50 headphones, but they had mediocre noise cancellation. Well, the second-gen version addresses that issue – the noise cancellation is much improved – and Shure has doubled the battery life to around 45 hours (it now has a fast charging feature) and has also shrunk the headphone carrying case a bit, though it’s still not as compact . These upgrades make the Aonic 50 Gen 2 a high-quality noise canceling headphone. The Aonic 50 Gen 2s are quite heavy at 334g, are sturdily built and are also comfortable to wear, with well-padded earcups. It has excellent sound quality with very good clarity and well-defined bass. Shure calls it a “studio headphone,” so the sound profile is fairly neutral, but you can add a little more bass in the EQ settings in the companion Shure app for iOS and Android (using the Spatializer setting in the app expands the soundstage a bit But he doesn’t do that.) Doesn’t make much difference.)

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX: Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay HX headphones are the successor to the company’s H9 series headphones (X is the Roman numeral for 10), and like previous H9 models, the HX headphones carry a list price of $599 (some colors are discounted at Amazon). . This price makes it a direct competitor to Apple’s AirPods Max, which are heavier at 385 grams versus 285 grams for the HX. I don’t know if the HX headphones are any more comfortable than the AirPods Max, but I found the two models to be pretty much equal in the comfort department during longer listening sessions, and these headphones feature the usual plush earpads made of memory foam covered in B&O lambskin. Their sound matches well with that of the AirPods Max — overall, it’s well-balanced, with deep, well-defined bass, natural mids (where voices live) and engaging detail in the treble.

V-Moda M-200: V-Moda’s M-200 are one of the few wired headphones on this list. Released in late 2019, these over-ear headphones with clear, detailed sound have excellent bass response, and the ergonomic earcups mean they’re also comfortable to wear. Features 50mm drivers with neodymium magnets, CCAW voice coils, and fine tuning Roland The engineers — yes, V-Moda is now owned by Roland — the M‑200 is Hi-Res Audio certified by the Audio Society of Japan. Other V-Moda headphones tend to turn up the bass a bit, but this set has the more neutral look you’d expect from studio monitor headphones. It comes with two cords, one of which has a built-in microphone for making calls. It would be nice if V-Moda offered Lightning or USB-C cables for phones that don’t have headphone jacks. Note that V-Moda released last year M-200 ANC ($350), a wireless version of these headphones includes active noise cancellation. They also sound great, but the noise cancellation, call quality, and overall feature set don’t match those of the AirPods Max.

Mark Levinson No. 5909 (Currently on backorder): These are Mark Levinson’s first premium-sounding headphones, and yes, they’re really expensive at $999. They’re also really good. They have a sturdy design without feeling heavy on your head (read: they’re big but not too heavy) and are comfortable to wear for long periods, thanks to the well-padded, replaceable, leather-covered earcups and headband. Read our Mark Levinson hands-on #5909.

OneAudio A10: The OneOdio A10s offer more than you’d expect for their relatively modest price, which is why they’re on many of our best lists. They are better designed than you would think they would be at almost $90 and are very comfortable to wear. It has a dual-hinge design and feels sturdy, weighing in at 395 grams Perfect headphones for working out. It sounds surprisingly decent and has reasonably good noise cancellation through Transparency mode (which has a slight audible hiss). The headphones also have very good battery life. No, they’re not as comfortable as the Bose and Sony models (they feel a little heavy) and their sound lacks the extra bit of clarity, bass definition and depth that premium headphones tend to offer. It exceeded my expectations and came with a decent carrying case, even if the OneOdio logo spread across it was a bit garish.

Technologies EAH-A800: There’s a bit of an old-school vibe to the Technics EAH-A800 — and it’s not just the Technics brand, which Panasonic has revived in the past few years. Their design is a bit of a throwback, but these headphones are comfortable and can be folded or folded flat. They have a big, lively sound with strong bass and good detail, although they take a day or two to break through.