Headphones, smartwatches, fitness tech
In-ears, on-ears, wearables, wear yourself out
Sony WH-1000XM4 £349 / stuff.tv/xm4
With their perfect balance of wearability, active noise-cancelling prowess and audio performance, there just 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, it’s tough to justify the upgrade; but it’s going to take something extraordinary to knock Sony off its perch now.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Not surprisingly given their heritage, these are the best all-round noise-cancelling headphones you can buy
Sony WH-1000XM3 £237 / stuff.tv/xm3
Only just outshone by the new XM4S, Sony’s previous flagship over-ears still offer reliable Bluetooth, great active noise-cancellation and fantastic sound quality – and they’re now available at a bargain price.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Sony’s last-gen ANC cans remain a class act
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.
Stuff says ★★★★★ B&W takes on the best with top-class cans
Bose NCH 700
★★★★★ £350 / stuff.tv/bosench700 Great ANC, and you won’t find a better voice pickup system than Bose’s.
Microsoft Surface Headphones 2
★★★★★ £240 / stuff.tv/surface2cans Sonic tweaks and a price cut make Microsoft’s second ANC ’phones much more tempting.