T3 - UK (2021-12)

86 T3 DECEMBER 2021

Best of the best

Nailed it. Light, with

broad, soft ear cups

and a remarkably

comfortable

headband, these

offer best-in-class

noise cancellation

with great sound,

rich bass and a lively

approach to music.

£349, sony.co.uk

SONY WH-1000XM3

The XM4s may be

at the top, but the

XM3 cans are still

absolutely brilliant.

They’re comfy, have

excellent noise

cancelling, are pretty

superb in the sound

department, and the

price is good too.

£199, sony.co.uk

JBL TUNE 660NC

If you’re looking to

immerse yourself

in music without

spending hundreds,

these deliver punchy

sound, have excellent

noise-cancelling

capabilities, and are

genuinely surprising

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£80, jbl.com

BOSE QUIETCOMFORT 45

Comfortable, and

great sounding, these

feature some of the

best noise cancelling

we’ve (not) heard.

Elsewhere, there’s

no manual EQ, and

you can’t turn noise

cancelling off, but this

is rarely a problem.

£319, bose.co.uk

MEZE AUDIO RAI SOLO

With a single-driver

design capable of

excellent dynamic

range, these can pull

from a deep well

of bass as well as

shimmering treble.

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and great-sounding

pair of headphones.

£179, mezeaudio.com

KLIPSCH T5M WIRED

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but nonetheless

immediately felt

comfortable and

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boosted, primped

and pop-friendly,

with plenty of bass

and a very lively and

engaging sound.

£65, klipsch.com

SOUNDMAGIC E11C

Can we really be

recommending a pair

of headphones for

under £50? Yes we

can! The grown-up

sound quality and

exemplary comfort

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bargain of the year.

£49, soundmagicheadphones.com

FLARE AUDIO

FLARES JET 3

Maintaining the

quality of the Flares

Pro (see Bluetooth

headphones),

removing the DAC

element and thereby

slashing the price,

these audiophile in-

ear headphones are a

tremendous option.

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FOCAL CLEAR MG

Simply sumptuous,

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on the earpads and

a headband that you

can sink into; then

comes the rich, warm

sound to totally

lose yourself inside.

They’re just fantastic

in that regard.

£1,399, focal.com

SENNHEISER HD 660 S

One look at the

HD 660 S tells you

everything you

need to know about

them: clear and

open earcups for

air movement; big

plush pads that wrap

around your ears for

comfortable listening.

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AKG K52

These have absolutely

no right to sound

half as good as they

do. For at-home

listening they offer a

massive soundstage,

impressive balance

and a frankly

ludicrous amount of

detail for the dosh.

£25, akg.com

GRADO SR325E

When you factor

just how good these

sound, they’re a

bargain. In a quiet

room, they sound as

good as headphones

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more. They’re among

the leakiest we’ve

tried, however.

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NOISE-CANCELLING

HEADPHONES

WIRED IN-EAR

HEADPHONES

WIRED OVER-EAR

HEADPHONES

Find the lowest prices at:
t3.com/bestnoisecancelling

Find the lowest prices at:

t3.com/bestinear

Find the lowest prices at:

t3.com/bestoverear

SONY WH-1000XM4