Best over-ear headphones for 2024: tested and reviewed by experts - Which? (2024)

Over-ear headphones come packed with features and typically, powerful noise cancelling. The trade-off is they're bulkier and heavier than other kinds of headphones.

Our rigorous tests reveal the very best (and worst) over-ear headphones. We test everything from sound quality to overall comfort and battery life. Discover which models get our Best Buy recommendation and which you should avoid at all costs.

Alternatively, head straight to our over-ear headphone reviews to see all the models we've tested.

Best over-ear headphones for 2024

Here's our expert pick of the very best over-ear headphones. These are the models that smashed our in-depth lab tests, so you can be sure they'll be comfortable, provide sublime sound quality and come with the latest and best features.

Recently reviewed over-ear headphones

Headphone reviews by type

• In-ear headphones
• On-ear headphones
• Over-ear headphones
• Noise-cancelling headphones

Over-ear headphones by price

• Over-ear headphones under £50
• Over-ear headphones under £100
• Over-ear headphones under £300

Why you should trust our over-ear headphone reviews

We never accept free samples. Instead, we buy every set of headphones and put them our intensive and independent lab tests, allowing you to choose with confidence. We also test each set using our expert and impartial listening panel, who pass judgement on everything from audio quality and noise-cancelling performance through to ease of use and comfort. Read more on our how we test headphones.

Over-ear headphone features to look out for

When looking for a pair on over-ear headphones, keep an eye out for the following:

Comfort

Over-ear headphones are largely considered more comfortable than both in-ear and even on-ear headphones. They're bulkier, however, and due to the array of additional features typically included, they can also be heavier. At the extreme end of the scale, the Dyson Zone Absolute+ weighs a hefty 665.8g.

Their advantages is that they usually have better noise-cancelling and minimal noise leakage. This is due to the earcups covering your ears entirely, keeping background noise out and playback in.

Noise-cancelling

Over-ear headphones have some of the strongest noise-cancelling available.

When looking for a great set of noise-cancelling over-ear headphones, consider whether you're interesting in just full noise-cancelling or like to adjust it with certain modes. Some of these modes include:

• Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) Full noise-cancelling, designed to keep all background sound out.
• Aware modeThis allows you to hear some background noise so you can stay aware of your surroundings. Ideal for when crossing the road, for example.
• Conversation mode This mode is not as common. It lets in noise that's closer to you but continues to block out background noise further away.
• Custom noise-cancelling Models such as the Bose QuietComfort Headphones allow you to tune and customise noise-cancelling to your personal preference.

Built-in microphone

If you're planning on using your over-ear headphones to make phone calls, check whether they come with a built-in microphone. If not, you'll need to attach a separate microphone to your device or use the one built-in one, which might not be provide particularly crisp sound quality.

Wired vs wireless

Wireless headphones are great, but not if the battery runs out when you're away from the mains. While the best can last upwards of 50 hours on a single charge, you may want to look for over-ear headphones that come with both wireless and wired connectivity, allowing you to quickly switch between the two as needed.

Travel case

Many over-ear headphones come packed with some form of a travel case. For more premium models, this can be a very protective hard travel case that can survive significant bumps and knocks, and will be ideal to travel with. More commonly, most models come with a less protective soft travel case, and cheaper models might not come packed with one at all.

Water resistance

Unlike many in-ear headphones, both on-ear and over-ear headphones typically aren't water resistant. Keep them dry at all times to avoid any damage.

For more advice on all styles of headphone, along with our top picks, see our guide to thebest headphones for 2024.