The best noise-reducing headphones and earpods for travel

Noise-cancelling headphones have quietly become one of the best upgrades for modern travel. A good pair can take the edge off a rattling train carriage and dull the drone of an aircraft cabin – all without flattening your music, podcasts or calls. And with today's best over-ear headphones and wireless earbuds, you no longer have to choose between strong active noise cancellation and genuinely good sound. The trick is knowing what actually matters. Noise-blocking power is only part of the story; battery life, comfort and everyday usability make just as much difference once you're wearing them for hours at a time. As a rule, the best over-ears should deliver around 30 hours of playback, while wireless earbuds ought to manage seven hours per charge before the case comes into play. And don't forget a light, secure fit – you want them to stay in place as you move about and not become a source of stress.

Sony WH-1000XM6, £399 The pair that aces every roadtest and product review feature. Superior lightweight, wireless noise-reducing headphones that fold away into their own carry case for easy transport. Up to 40hr battery life, or 30hr with noise cancelling on. A 3-minute charge provides 3 hours of playtime, and you can use them while charging. Also come in grey, sandstone, pink and black. Expensive – but the best.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, £299.95 The best noise-cancelling earbuds. Earbuds offer excellent portability, but the downside when compared with headphones is the battery life: these play for six hours, with the charging case holding three full charges. They have an Immersive Audio function that eats into battery life but offers tiptop sound quality. They also come with stability bands to help secure a comfortable, secure fit.

Apple AirPods Max 2, £499 Truly comfortable headphones with a great acoustic seal. Available in four other colours. They offer a cinema surround-sound effect, and have inward‑facing microphones to measure what you’re hearing, then adjust the noise cancellation accordingly. Up to 20 hours of listening on one charge – five minutes of charge time provides around 1.5 hours of listening time.

Anker Soundcore Space 2, £129.99 The best budget option. The active noise cancellation is excellent for this price point, effectively blocking out low-frequency hums like an aeroplane cabin. The battery life is brilliant too: up to 50 hours of playback with ANC turned on, and up to 70 hours with ANC off. A quick 5-minute charge gives you about 4 hours of listening time.

Sennheiser HDB 630, £399 'They move the goalposts for wireless sound quality at this level – a highly attractive all-round package,' said What Hi-Fi?'s five-star review. A favourite among music lovers, they offer a mighty 60 hours of battery life. A 10-minute charge gives 7 hours of playback, and it's approximately 2 hours for a full charge via USB-C.

Sony WH-CH720N, £67.99 Unbelievable quality for the price. The noise cancellation is excellent and they are the lightest of Sony's offerings. Battery life is 25 hours, and you get 60 minutes of playback from just a 3-minute charge. Also available in black, pink and blue. The downside? They don't fold and don't have a carry case so transporting them is slightly more bothersome.

Opening image: Devon Divine at Unsplash

Focal Bathys MG in Graphen Grey, £999 The premium option. But, oh, the quality. If you're a serious music fan, of any genre, these merit consideration – What Hi-Fi? said they 'set a new benchmark for quality'. Comfortable and lightweight, the battery life is over 30 hours and you get 5 hours of additional listening in just 15 minutes of charging.

Technics EAH-AZ100, £229 An excellent, more affordable alternative to Bose's – and a worthy competitor. Adaptive noise cancelling adjusts in real time to block out distractions, and they deliver an authentic hi-fi sound. Up to 10 hours' battery life (with ANC on); 28 hours (with charging case). Four other colours available, including a very blingy gold.

JBL Live Pro 2 TWS, £129 The best midmarket buy. The sound quality is great, they are waterproof, they are easy to set up and control via the JBL app, and give Multipoint Bluetooth so you can connect two sources simultaneously. The battery life is 30 hours (eight hours in the buds and 22 hours via the case) and there's a speedboost option which gives 4 hours of playtime in 15 minutes of charging.

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