Stuff - UK (2021-08)

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Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

£250 / stuff.tv/QCE

They’re bulkier than the ave rage in-ears and come with

a ridiculously large case, but otherwise the QC Earbuds are

difficult to knock. The noise-cancelling doesn’t do a disservice

to the esteemed QC name, it’s hugely customisable, and the

buds themselves sound great: bassier than you might expect,

but in a nicely rounded way that retains lots of detail. They’re at

the upper end where price is concerned – but if silence is what

you seek, you currently won’t find better.

Sony WH-1000XM4

£299 / stuff.tv/WHXM4

With their balance of wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess

and audio performance, there hasn’t been a better package than

the Sony XM3s... until now. The XM4s look and sound almost

identical, but a range of new features – including Speak-to-Chat,

which stops the music when you start talking – aims to lure

you away from your current ’phones. If those are the XM3s (still

available at a super-low price, by the way), it’s tough to justify

the upgrade; but who’s going to knock Sony off its perch now?

Stuff says ★★★★★

A fun listen with excellent noise-cancelling skills, these

are the best buds to stick in your ears

Stuff says ★★★★★

Not surprisingly given their heritage, these are the best

all-round noise-cancelling headphones you can buy

Technics EAH-AZ70W

★★★★★ £200 / stuff.tv/AZ70W

The AZ70s score highly fo r noise-cancelling

and even higher fo r sound quality.

Bang & Olufsen H95

★★★★★ £700 / stuff.tv/H95

Prepare to be bankrupted by the most

luxurious ANC cans of all.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

★★★★★ £279 / stuff.tv/MTW2

A pleasure to listen to, no matter what sort

of music you want to hear.

Marshall Major IV

★★★★★ £130 / stuff.tv/MajorIV

Decent on-ears elevated to bargain status by

their preposterous 80-hour battery life.

Stuff says ★★★★★

B&W takes on the best with top-class cans

Stuff says ★★★★★

Almost impossible to fault at this price

Stuff says ★★★★★

As all-rounders, these are hard to beat

Bowers & Wilkins PX7

£279 / stuff.tv/PX7

B&W’s second ANC headphones place

greater emphasis on comfort and are all

the better for it, while the noise-killing is

as effective as you’ll find anywhere. Oh, and

they sound flipping good too.

Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+

£120 / stuff.tv/Melomania1Plus

These buds come with a range of silicone

and memory-foam tips – and once you find

the right fit you won’t want to take them out.

There’s a lovely balance to the sound, with

real depth and a wide soundstage.

Bose NCH 700

£305 / stuff.tv/BoseNCH700

There are superior-sounding headphones,

but if call quality and noise-cancelling are

just as important to you then Bose’s flagship

cans are the gold standard. The voice-pickup

system is the best out there.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Mighty expensive but mighty impressive

Bowers & Wilkins PI7

£349 / stuff.tv/pi7

B&W’s debut true wireless buds are brilliant

in a number of ways – most notably, how

thrillingly good they sound. For the price

we’d have liked better ANC and battery life,

but the soothing sounds make up for that.

Y4 Headphones.indd 84 25/06/2021 10:18