10 Best Noise Cancelling Headphones of August 2025

Best Noise Cancelling Headphones Reviews & Buying Guide Of 2021 In India

Noise cancellation is a technology that is gradually becoming popular. As in the name, noise cancellation is reducing the external ambient sounds. The technology is very active with noise cancellation headphones.

Active noise cancellation in headphones negates noise by listening to the sounds through the microphones on the headset and producing a sound wave of its own. The sound wave produced effectively cancels all existing sounds and thus helps in reducing the unwanted noise. What the consumer finally hears is a pure listening experience.

First introduced in 1950 based on the patents by Lawrence Fogel, who is also the inventor of the technology, it guided the aviation industry. Today noise cancellation headphones are very much in demand and come in all shapes and sizes. Even the pricing has come down for the devices, and markets have affordable noise cancellation headphones, which initially was very high.

Types of noise cancellation headphones:

Broadly speaking, there are three types of noise cancellation for headphones. They include-

Active Noise Cancellation Headphones

In this process, the technology detects the immediate noise around the device and converts it into sound waves of similar magnitude but the opposite shape and feeds it back into the headphone for canceling ambient sound

Adaptive noise cancellation Headphones

The technology is like active noise cancellation. The difference lies because adaptive noise cancellation technology produces near-perfect noise cancellation to best match the immediate environment.

Passive Noise Cancellation Headphones

This process is also known as noise isolation. Here the method is very simple. The headsets are designed to bars external noise from entering your ears like the in-ear noise-canceling headphones. There are a lot of headphones manufacturers that use this method to create the best budget noise-canceling headphones.

Factors to know before buying noise canceling headphones

It is important to know the features to factor in while purchasing a noise-canceling headphone. The market is filled with so many different products that buyers guide like this can help you with your decision making process.

Wireless or Wired

The popular noise-canceling headphones are also Bluetooth noise-canceling headphones. While purchasing a headphone, one must decide what to go for. The wireless noise-canceling headphones or wired headphones. The wireless variants are expensive in comparison to wired headphones. However, sound-wise, there is not much of a difference. The design and ease of use are what make wireless headphones a better choice. If one is using a noise cancellation headphone for studying, then wireless headphones are the best.

Life of the battery

If one is using a noise-canceling headphone, it is important to know the gadget's battery life. Nowadays, most of the top noise-canceling headphones come with a battery that allows up to twenty-four hours of noise cancellation on a full charge. Many models in the market allow switching off the noise cancellation mode when the battery charge is low.

Fit

Many models offer over-ear headphones for noise cancellation. The overhead variant is popular across all age groups. The design of the headphones offers minimal scope for external sounds to enter. The noise-canceling headphones are also available in earbud-style models. One should select the variant that best suits the purpose of purchase.

Adjustable/Adaptive noise cancellation

This is probably one of the most tap worthy features of noise-canceling headphones. The feature enables the user to adjust the amount of noise to be canceled based on the user's environment. Sony noise-canceling headphones have taken this feature to an advanced level.

Immediate access to the outside world

Like canceling the noise of the surroundings, the user would also want quick access to the outer world by bringing in the noise as and when necessary. This is an important factor to remember while going for the purchase. Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones offer the best access to the outside world through their series of noise-canceling headphones.

Voice control/assistant

With the development of technology, voice control has become an important feature in all noise controlling headsets. Today users look for headphones that have a voice control feature and are compatible with virtual assistants.

Warranty and after-sales service

Typically the warranty for any noise cancellation headphone varies between six months to twelve months. However, in some expensive headphones, the warranty can stretch to 24 months, like in BOSE. Warranty is also given on accessories purchased. The maximum period is 3 months. Apart from the warranty, it is also essential to take stock of the product's after-sales service.

Pricing

The most important part of any buying guide is the price. In the case of noise-canceling headphones, the product comes as an in-ear variant and over-ear variant. There is a price difference with both the variants; however, for all the types, the price starts somewhere around INR 500 and can reach as high as INR 100000. The price of high-end noise cancellation headphones hovers between INR 75000 to INR 85000.

The price also varies with products. Some of the best headphones come from reputed brands like Sony Sennheiser, Skullcandy, and JBL. The products come with a lot of features and comfortable pricing that does not burn the pocket.

Conclusion:

The noise cancellation technology is advanced, but its popularity has increased only recently. Knowing how the noise cancellation feature works on the headphones and the key factors to look out for a while purchasing a noise-canceling headset can significantly help make the purchase decision. Check out the top 10 list given above to get the best product.