Tested: The Best Travel Headphones For Your Next Trip

Whether you’re on a quick commute across the city, or on an intercontinental flight across the sea, the need for a reliable pair of audio peripherals might spell the difference between a mind-numbing travel experience, or an enjoyable start to your day. Sure, there are a ton of versatile offerings out there that can pass as travel-oriented listeners, giving you exceptional audio quality, and playing your favorite music, podcasts, or True Crime playlists with ease — but if you’re looking to take your audio game to the next level, you’re going to have to invest. Luckily, we’ve tested out the best travel headphones to make the decision a little bit easier.

How We Tested

Spending hours on the road or in the air isn’t always easy, but a solid pair of headphones can help you with your troubles. If you don’t want to get stuck with the lousy cheap monitors that they might loan you on your next flight, then you might want to invest in a pair that will give you what you need. For this guide, we went to our favorite brands, along with some newcomers, when it came to travel headphones. We looked specifically at over-ear monitors because of their longer battery life, increased comfort, and improved noise cancellation compared to earbuds. We paid attention to brand reputation, aesthetic, price, ANC tech and other sound modes, and any other features.

For testing, we used each and every headphone model for a significant amount of time including several trips between Los Angeles and New York, listening to an array of songs across all genres, as well as podcasts. If there was an accompanying app, we looked at how the apps affected the audio quality. Other things we focused on were ANC and transparency effectiveness, comfort, usability, and how versatile the audio was, among othe rthings. Our results are detailed below.

What to Look For

Noise Cancellation: This is by far the most important feature to consider when shopping for a pair of travel headphones. Again, every pick we’ve included has active noise cancellation (ANC – the industry standard), which uses built-in mics to cancel out ambient noise.

Battery: The second most important feature to consider is battery life, and you’re aiming for a pair that can last at least 20 hours on a single charge. Fast-charging capabilities are also very convenient, providing you with several hours of listening time on a ~10-minute charge.

Comfort: Plush ear cushions, adjustable headbands, and lightweight designs are ideal for travel headphones. It can be hard to cram all these features in a pair of headphones that has it all (great battery life, sound quality, etc.), so don’t brush off a potential pick that has most of them, as some may need to sacrifice something like weight for better battery life.

Sound: Luckily, headphones that have the best noise-canceling tech to offer usually have great sound quality, too. But if you want to take it to the next level, go for a pair that has a solid selection of EQ settings and/or app connectivity so you can fine-tune things to your liking.

Portability: Headphones you can fold up quickly are always nice to have when traveling, and many options come with carrying cases even if they don’t (or at least offer them separately).

Soundcore Space One Pro

Best Value Pick: If you’re not familiar with Soundcore, this audio brand is a subset of ubiquitous portable charger mainstay Anker and specializes in the best bang-for-your-buck listening devices in the game. For just $200, the Space One Pro offers a four-stage ANC system, up to 60 hours of playback, and a cool combination of soft ear cups and a pressure-relieving headband to offer all-day comfort, making these perfect for long flights or road trips. They also fold up to be about 50% of their actual size to make packing easier. All this just makes the triple-composite diaphragm and hi-res drivers sound even sweeter.

The Sound

As much as I love Soundcore’s products, the one Achilles heel is their sound quality, with each product having its own quirks. For the Space One Pro, the audio is a bit too bassy, be it with rap, rock, or even podcasts. The higher ends get swallowed by the lows. However, Soundcore gives you tons of control with its balancing capabilities. Plus, there’s a very cool HearID Sound option that creates a personalized audio profile, which puts you through a thorough hearing test and a series of sound preference tests to figure out how you like your music EQed.

I’ve said it before but the Soundcore app is one of the best around. It’s easy to navigate and can maximize your enjoyment of the earbuds. You can toggle between listening modes (ANC, normal, or transparency), turn on the Dolby Audio for better immersion, and operate the very intricate EQ controls –– also some of the best I’ve seen. You can customize your own EQ settings but I found myself sticking to the defaults most of the time. And nevertheless, even when I got the balance right, the clarity could’ve still been better. Also, I didn’t notice much improvement from the Dolby Atmos feature but that just may have been the music I was listening to.

The Look and Feel

Audio quality aside, the Soundcore Space One Pro is one of the best in terms of saving space. They fold up impossibly small, and can be contorted in various ways so that you don’t have to be too fastidious when it comes to packing them away. Unlike other headphones that come hard-shell carrying cases, the Soundcores come in a drawstring bag, which makes saving space even easier. As an aside, I do love the “L” and “R” indicators on the inside of the ear caps, rather largely so you can’t miss them and don’t have to go searching for a small marker on the outside.

I really love the visual appeal of the Space One Pro. We got hands-on with the white colorway with metallic trim, making these feel much pricier than they actually are. However, I did notice they sat rather widely on my head. Perhaps a slimmer profile would be more welcomed here, especially when you’re trying to be more discreet. I should also mention that the size adjustments aren’t that wide-ranging. I had my headband all the way open and it still felt constricting at times. This might not be as good for bigger heads.

Verdict: Perhaps not as favorable as some of the more premium models, the Soundcore Space One Pro is a solid choice for traveling because of how compact it is and how sleek it looks. We felt the profile could’ve been a bit slimmer and the fit was a bit tight for larger heads, however, the perceived value here is pretty high. Not the best-sounding headphones in the world, you can optimize the headphones with the Soundcore app, featuring some of the most user-friendly yet wide-ranging EQ controls in the game.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Best Upgrade Pick: Sony’s Noise Cancelling WH1000XM5 was built to bring professional travelers the next evolution in silence, offering an unparalleled listening experience that’s truly best-in-class. Thanks to an innovative design that cuts through more outside sound than ever, the WH1000XM5 brings adaptive sound control, voice assistance, and Quick Attention modes to the realm of over-ear headphones, affording users the opportunity to personalize them to fit their own unique style. Inside, the company’s proprietary active noise cancellation works to drown out unwarranted sounds, providing the device’s dedicated V1 processor the ability to reproduce your in-ear sounds at an uncompromising level. The battery gets you 30 hours on one charge, and an impressive 3 hours on a 3-minute quick charge. These earn the best overall spot because of the build and sound quality, sure; but the auto noise-cancelling optimizer that adapts to your surroundings makes them perfect for planes, trains, and automobiles (and the four beamforming mics mean your calls will sound crisp, too.)

The Sound

Leave it to Sony to have favorable-sounding headphones, especially at this middle-tier price point. The default settings here are solid if you can’t get to your phone app right away, and sound good regardless of the music genre. I did, however, find it to be not bright enough, leading me to adjust it in the app. On the other hand, podcasts were a bit too bassy (this also sounds better after EQing). In the manual controls, I also found it interesting that there’s a bass clarity scale, which I used more than I had expected to.

There’s an optional feature that will automatically play and pause your music if the headphones detect they’ve been removed or put back on your head, even if you just remove one side. I appreciated this, especially when I was in the gym and someone was talking to me (apparently the headphones weren’t enough of a hint). The voice assistant capability was pretty cool, although you’d probably get some weird looks if you did this on, say, an airplane. There’s also a cool ear analysis feature but you needed a 3rd-party subscription to set this up, which is a bummer. On the other hand, there’s a free equalization test that’s pretty fun to play around with.

The Look and Feel

Perhaps taking notes from Apple here, the Sony headphones are super minimalist in terms of styling and branding, which makes these feel even more premium somehow (ever notice how budget brands have larger branding on the outside?). Very comfortable, even after a long period of use, the monitors had easy-to-find buttons on the cups but it could’ve used a volume control. I also noticed that the ear caps smudged very easily, which made noticeable markings on the outside.

The headphones also come with a really attractive hard zipper case with a flexible edge that can give slightly if pressure is put against it. There’s also a magnetically closed compartment inside for storing small cables and such, along with a hanging loop on the outside.

Verdict: From one of the most diverse tech brands on the planet, Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones have a handsome, minimalist styling and are rather comfortable for long-term wearing. Expectedly impressive from an audio perspective, the monitors also have in-depth EQing in the app, but sound good without it too. While the caps could’ve used a volume control, we loved how our music automatically paused when you took the headphones off.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Best Overall Headphones: When asking around the office, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra seemed to be the winner of the “Best Travel Headphones” competition before writing for this guide even started. However, we’ve still gone through the full testing process for the sake of thoroughness (and word count!). Leveling up the noise cancelation from its non-Ultra (but still very impressive) version of the headphones, the QuietComfort Ultra also adds an immersive spatial audio feature and head-tracking. For longer trips, you get 24 hours of playback and the brand’s sleek design ethos that will turn heads.

The Sound

My first-ever experience with noise cancelation back in college was with a pair of Bose headphones. The brand has stood as the de facto king of the tech and today, they’re still going strong with new advancements, both with ANC and hi-fi audio in general. Admittedly, I’m also a fan of Bose’s sound signature, which is slightly brighter than the competition. The default setting handles rock genres well but if you’re a fan of bass-heavy music, you can customize the EQ options in the app to make it easier to listen to. The EQ controls are a bit simple but do give you enough to make a difference, and Bose’s audio quality is inherently good anyway.

While the Ultra might be $80 more than the non-Ultra version of the QuietComfort, the headphones feature slightly more advanced noise cancellation that has a wider range of pitches (using more mics in each ear cup), plus the addition of spatial audio, which is surprisingly responsive when I walk into different environments (e.g., inside to outside). It deserves to be said that the QC Ultra has some of the best ANC I tested. If you don’t want ANC, the headphone’s “Aware” mode is perfectly fine. Also, you can set different “modes” in the app to adjust the levels of noise cancellation.

The Ultra has the same battery life as the non-Ultra, although it takes about 30 minutes longer to charge. If all of these details I just mentioned don’t matter to you, then you might want to consider the cheaper pair instead.

The Look and Feel

Blending minimalist simplicity with styling cues, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra looks expectedly good on your head. The profile is low enough (albeit slightly bulkier than on the non-Ultra version) that these can stay discreet. They can also fold up and fit into the durable case they come in. Sleek and stylish, the vegan leather headband and ear pads are also super comfortable against the ears and around the head with all of the padding.

I did find it interesting that Bose has removed some of the buttons on the ear caps, such as the volume control, although the mode toggling button is still there. This doubles as a voice assistant activator and a battery status indicator when held down. You can also customize this button to operate Spotify instead, although I wish there were more options for what it could be customized for.

Verdict: As good as you’d expect from Bose, the QuietComfort Ultra is stylish, comfortable, and sounds superb, especially once you employ the EQ controls from the app. The 24-hour battery life is very good, however it takes a bit more to charge than the cheaper, non-Ultra counterpart. You can adjust the ANC levels in the app, although we did notice a lack of volume controls from the ear cups. You could reasonably save $80 and go with the cheaper option, although you’d lose some of the bonus features like spatial audio and head-tracking.

Dyson OnTrac Headphones

Most Comfortable Headphones: No longer known most for its (understandably) innovative vacuums and hand dryers, Dyson realized it could employ its forward-thinking methods in other industries as well, including hi-fi audio. We love these OnTrac headphones, which utilize “best-in-class” noise cancelation, an “enhanced sound range,” and 55 hours of playback. But lest we forget, the comfort level of the monitors is next-level, with a meticulously designed headband that pays close attention to ergonomics, especially over a long trip, while the ear pads and outer caps can be customized for a more personal look. These are simply some of the most advanced headphones on the market.

The Sound

Despite a very long 55-hour battery life, the biggest downside of the Dyson OnTrac might be its audio capabilities. At home more with rock genres than, say, hip-hop, the headphones don’t have a lot of EQing options in the phone app; there are just 3 settings to choose from with no custom controls. Even at its crispest setting (the default), the audio feels a bit swallowed by the bass. On the other hand, podcast voices sounded pretty good. The app in general doesn’t give you a whole lot of control. However, I did appreciate the sound exposure feature which shows you a real-time grid for how loud you’re being exposed to both in-ear and externally.

My one praise for the audio of the Dyson is the transparency mode, which I felt was perhaps the best, most effective of any of the headphones I tried. Even with music on, I could hear things around me pretty well. Also, the simplified buttons are strategically placed so you don’t have to search for them, even when you first start using the headphones. There’s one button on the left to control pairing and power, and there’s one on the right that serves as a clickable joystick for toggling your music and pausing playback. Apparently, there’s also a double-tap option for turning ANC on and off but this didn’t work for me, no matter how hard I tried.

The Look and Feel

Looks-wise, the Dyson OnTrac are some of my favorites, from the triple-pad headband to the almost-futuristic ear cups. Delightfully low in profile, the ear cups sport a glossy metal finish on the outside, while the top of the headband has a matte brushed finish. The contrast adds dimensionality to the unit and is difficult to miss. Admittedly, the unit sits a bit heavy on the head due to the materials, but the brand tries to remedy this with its padding levels, and nearly succeeds actually. Also, unlike most headphones which adjust above the ears, the On-Trac adjusts from the headband, with a click system that makes it easier to tailor when you’re wearing it. My least favorite part about most headphones is the inability to do just this. The Dyson accommodates a wide-range of head sizes.

Perhaps my least favorite part of the OnTrac was the insane “carrying” case it comes in. First of all, the inner sleeve merely comes inside a non-latching or -zipping clamshell exterior, which can open rather easily. Secondly, the inside part doesn’t even act as a case but merely a holder for the headphones that’s more useful when it’s empty in that it can pinch all the way shut for easy stowing.

Verdict: Struggling a bit with its signature sound, Dyson’s OnTrac doesn’t get much better with only 3 EQ presets in the app. However, the headphones did have some upsides, including one of the best transparency modes we’ve seen and solid audio quality for podcasts. Despite the heavier weight, the unit is surprisingly comfortable and has a wide range of headband adjustments, which is great for larger head sizes. Blending comfort with a unique visual appeal, these headphones are still one of the coolest around, and with a long 55-hour battery life to boot.

Master & Dynamic MW75

Most Stylish Headphones: It’s not a prerequisite for headphones to look good but shouldn’t something you wear on your head be as stylish as, say, a hat or pair of sunglasses? That’s Master & Dynamic’s approach. For over a decade, the New York-based hi-fi brand has built a reputation for blending style and substance, combining clean, modern designs with top-shelf materials and audiophile-grade hardware. Now a couple of years on the market, the MW75 headphones still feel fresh as ever with the pair of custom 40mm Beryllium drivers, acoustically tuned mic chambers featuring 8 microphones, and three listening modes, including adaptive ANC to match your surroundings. Toss in 32 hours of battery life (up to 28 hours in just ANC alone), a lambskin-leather headband, and memory foam ear pads, and you have yourself a superb pair of travel headphones that look great in the process.

The Sound

I’ve had experience with Master & Dynamic’s devices before and was excited to test out the MW75. And I’m pleased to say that these are the best-sounding wireless headphones I’ve ever tested. The signature is eclectic, with fantastic quality no matter what genre I was listening to. While there are only 4 EQ presets in the app, I found no reason to pursue a custom EQ option. There’s a present called “Audiophile” that I found to produce the finest audio I’ve heard in headphones in a while.

In terms of ANC, Ambient, and Normal modes, I found not a whole lot of difference when listening to music since the Ambient (i.e., transparency) mode wasn’t all that great. However, you can, from the app, adjust the settings on both ANC and Ambient, even though I remained frustrated that you couldn’t turn both of them off altogether from the headphones themselves. I prefer normal mode. There’s also that feature where your music plays and pauses when you take the headphones on and off. Also, it’s important to note that the Volume buttons were not very responsive, with it being heavily delayed and often not even registering that they’ve been pressed at all.

The Look and Feel

With its lambskin leather headband and brushed aluminum ear caps with signature porous perimeter, the design ethos of the MW75 is quite superb, making you proud to sport them whenever you can. When looking for a pair of stylish headphones that can also deliver on an audial level, the Master & Dynamic unit is the way to go. Likewise, these are highly comfortable with great weight distribution and memory foam ear pads that rest very nicely on your ears and don’t get uncomfortable no matter how long I wore these.

For operating the headphones, the buttons are rather easy to find, although take some getting used to. Curiously enough, the left and right denotations were nowhere to be found on the headphones, leaving me to guess which side was which based on the placement of the buttons. Weird.

Verdict: Despite some issues with the hardware and its buttons, the Master & Dynamic MW75 were among the best-sounding headphones we’ve ever listened to with an eclectic audioscape that needed almost zero EQing. Finicky volume controls and a lack of L/R notation felt like mere quibbles compared to the upside of these monitors. They say if you spend more on headphones you can’t tell the difference but we’re here to say that you can.

Apple AirPods Max

Best High-Tech Pick: It’s hard to leave out the AirPods Max whenever discussing the best noise-cancelling headphones, because they do a lot of things right, and you can easily change the ear pads whenever they get worn out. The seamless connectivity to other Apple devices is also a huge plus, and can improve workflow if you’re trying to get some work done on the road. Inside, we have Apple’s custom dynamic driver and active noise cancellation, with a transparency mode that allows you to hear more of your surroundings. The breathable knit mesh canopy and memory foam ear cushions provide comfort during extended use and come in five different color options. Updates for the second-gen model included personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, improved battery life, and improved “Pro-level” ANC. For transparency, we’ve been using an older model AirPods Max for the past year during work and travel, which just omits these latter features but is a very similar unit overall.

The Sound

While not fully immersed in the Apple ecosystem myself, compared to literally all of my coworkers, I’ve become rather smitten with the sound signature of the brand’s listening devices. In terms of versatility, the AirPods Max are very eclectic, with crisp, clear, and balanced sound whether you prefer rap, rock, reggae, or a combination of everything. Podcasts and voice calls sound very intimate as well, as though the people are right there with you.

Just like the Dyson OnTrac, the Apple AirPods Max have a next-level transparency mode, with actually-effective audibility of your surroundings while listening to music. Also, I had experienced some levels of interference with the AirPods earbuds, which I expected to experience with the headphones as well, but I’m happy to report this wasn’t the case. Inside the app, you’ll find a cool hearing test that gives you pretty useful readouts, whether you needed them or not. And while the app also gives you decent EQ options, I didn’t feel the need to touch them because the default settings were so good.

The Look and Feel

The unit features a simplified functionality. There’s a button for swapping between transparency and ANC (although no normal function can be toggled from here without going into the app first) and the volume dial is rather unique, using a knob instead of a button layout. When pressed, it could also play and pause the music. I really loved this feature and wished more (or any other) headphones had it. Speaking of buttons, not having an off button can still be an annoying and frustrating experience – low power mode and subsequent ultra low power mode in the case was never something that sold me. The whole idea of having to put these back into the charging case when not in use to prevent them from dying is not just a seamless experience.

In terms of look, the AirPods Max features minimal branding yet sports a sleek, simple design that still looks stylish. Best of all, these are some of the most comfortable headphones I tested, with a weight that feels lighter than others and a top headband that really gets the most out of its unique design, with a mesh canopy rather than actual padding. This distributes the unit’s weight in an interesting and highly effective way. For stowing away, the ear caps turn to fit into the carrying case with ease, although a more traditional carrying case might be a better choice for tucking into your carry-on or travel backpack.

Verdict: Surprisingly low in setbacks, the AirPods Max are arguably the best headphones out there for traveling with its lightweight design that’s great for long-term wearing and its excellent weight distribution. In terms of audio, these headphones were some of our favorites with their eclectic sound profile and intimate voice output for podcasts and calls. Sleek, stylish, and understandably ubiquitous, the Apple flagship headphones are truly worth the price.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95

Best Premium Pick: When it comes to the premium tier of wireless headphones, there’s only so high you can go before getting into wired headphones territory. For the best of this premium range, look no further than Bang & Olufsen, the Danish high-end consumer electronics company with unparalleled performance Before getting into five-figure studio-grade stuff, B&O’s new Beoplay H95 headphones unequivocally represent some of the finest ANC cans that money can buy, no questions about it. Featuring 40mm electro-dynamic titanium drivers inside its precision-cut aluminum frame, the headphones are incredibly lightweight at just over 11oz. You can also get a lot of usage out of these with their 38 hours of ANC playback and 50 hours of non-ANC. It’s also important to note that these are the only headphones in this guide with any sort of quoted water resistance (IP53 dust and splash resistant).

The Sound

If you’ve used B&O products before, you’ll notice a specific sound trait with their products, which blends bass and treble well, albeit with less clarity than with the two units above this one (Apple and M&D). EQing won’t be the most sophisticated when you open up the phone app, but it might be one of the most fun to play around with. There are four preset sound settings but you can create some of your own as well. I loved playing with the four-quadrant graph during playback so I could tailor the sound in different directions. Unlike the line graph used in other EQ controls, this one utilizes a more divergent layout that helps you visualize its balance. The app itself is really easy to use with its three-tab layout, and there’s a section where you can browse public radio stations too, which is pretty cool.

The ANC here is effective, with adaptive ANC able to be turned on and off in the app. While the transparency mode wasn’t the best of the options in this guide, it was definitely towards the top of the list in terms of effectiveness. In terms of on-board controls, the H95 employs a unique design. Rather than buttons, the headphones have a dial that doubles as the base of each ear cap. The left side toggles between normal, ANC, and transparency modes, while the right side turns up and down the volume. It’s also worth mentioning that this is one of the few headphones that actually includes “normal” as one of the default options on the monitors without having to go into the app to turn it on.

The Look and Feel

In terms of sleekness, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 looks as good as its price tag. The brand always knows how to deliver an aesthetic that looks fresh but not jarring, and this is no different with the titanium-colored ear caps with subtle dimensionality. On the head, the headphones are very comfortable as well, the leather headband bending well to accommodate larger heads, with the memory foam padding feeling good on the ears, although not as much so as the Master & Dynamic above. Also, for as lightweight as these headphones are, the case they come in is obnoxiously heavy.

Verdict:

Travel Headphones Comparison Chart

Earbuds vs. over-ear headphones (for travel)

Most will agree that over-ear headphones will be more comfortable for long commutes or trips, but some may still prefer the feeling and extra portability of earbuds. Nevertheless, the picks in our guide will be over-ear headphones for obvious reasons. Earbuds will often come with extra bud tips so you can get the right fit, and as the design of earbuds improves alongside the tech, they’re getting more comfortable every year. However, the battery life isn’t quite as good as over-ear options and neither is the comfort level of wearing them over a longer stretch of time. If you’re on a long flight, you can fall asleep with the over-ear headphones and not have to worry about them falling off and getting lost like you would with earbuds.

Honorable Mentions 

For $350, V-Moda makes its own premium pair of headphones as well. The M-200 ANC won’t set the world on fire but they offer reliable audio and a unique visual design that made us want to mention them anyway.

Sonos is known for its home Bluetooth speakers but also has a popular headphone model called the Ace. This pair is super advanced and tech-laden, loaded with spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, dynamic head tracking, wear detection, aware mode, and rapid charging. 

Focal Audio’s Bathys are another $500-to-$600 pair of over-ear monitors with hi-fi quality and cutting-edge ANC. On the other hand, we weren’t super impressed with the 30 hours of playback, albeit you can get another 5 hours with a 15-minute quick charge.

Noble Audio just dropped a ridiculously high-end pair of ANC cans called the FoKus Apollo, representing the brand’s inaugural entry into the headphone market. Based on their normal audio quality (and the fact they have hybrid ANC with a reduction depth of up to -35db), these could be a solid choice, although don’t have the rep of some of the others here at a similar price point.

Not only do these Bowers & Wilkins PX8 headphones offer what can only be described as legitimately world-class audio quality, but they also boast their own proprietary noise-canceling technology that’s said to work wonders. Like the M&D model above, they’re also just beautifully designed and brought to life using super premium materials and stuff. The angled carbon cone drive units are just the icing on the cake. For the price, however, we’ll take the Master & Dynamic headphones.

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