48 GREAT ESCAPE

Has lockdown left your nearest and dearest constantly near but not always dear? Retreat into your own world with a pair of quality noise-cancelling headphones

Find your own inner peace with a pair of noise-cancelling cans

There is nothing like two months locked in a building with your family to make you appreciate the value of noise-cancelling headphones. While it might not be quite enough to offset the racket made by all households, this technology is designed to silence the noise of a jet engine and we are sure there will be many newly inspired to invest in the best example their money can buy. And that’s what we’re aiming to help you with over the next few pages.

Within the following quartet of wireless noisecancellers, you’ll find some delightfully entertaining sonic performances, some competitive battery life, voice assistant integration and, of course, some class-leading ambient noise silencing. Your main task is deciding which combination is best for you.

What’s more, we’ve got four of the biggest names in the game and – though all four pairs were originally tested around the same price – some now have price tags that only increase their value.

The round-up begins with the second generation of Bose’s hugely popular Quietcomfort 35 headphones, which add Google Assistant to their already impressive arsenal. Then there's our current What Hi-fi? Award winner in this category, donning a crown worn by each of its preceding generations: the Sony WH-1000XM3. They're followed by the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless cans that serve only to enhance the brand’s heady reputation. Finally, we get to the Bowers & Wilkins PX7, complete with three-tiered noise-cancellation.

So whether you’re looking for something to ease your return to international travel and public transport, or you’re tearing your hair out in a boisterous home, these are the pairs of wireless noise-cancellers to which you should be aspiring.