Best Noise Cancelling Headphones in India

For the individual who travels by air regularly, the active noise cancellation technology in headphones is a bonanza. This aids to diminish the strain on your ears by blocking the loud hum of the aircraft engine, and it also makes it laxer to listen intently to audio with your headphones. However, the technology acts best in an airplane cabin, there is a plethora of usage of noise-canceling headphones, on a commuter bus or train, in an office environment, or even at home to suppress hum sound from your air conditioner or ceiling fan.

The best noise-canceling headphones in India are generally a bit costlier. However, we have seen some latest products that offer upright active noise cancellation at a more reasonable price. This feature is also no longer limited to over-the-ear headphones. Here we are going to represent some impressive in-ear and over-ear true wireless headphones with active noise cancellation criteria.

What is a Headphone?

Headphones are small speakers that are worn around or in your ears. Conventional headphones have two ear cups attached to a band above your head.

Like speakers, headphones have transducers that transmute an audio signal into sound waves. Headphones that make connections to the analog audio port (such as a 3.5 mm audio jack) commence processing analog audio. Headphones that connect to a digital port, such as Lightning or USB port are known to process digital audio.

How is it different from Headsets, Earbuds and Earphones?

Fundamentally headsets are headphones with microphones. Earbuds are tiny devices that fit directly into a human being’s ear canal.

Earphone sets into your concha and elongates it to your ear canal. Two silicone tips are attached to the earphones so as to not hurt your concha.

Why should you choose Headphones over Headsets, Earbuds and Earphones?

Earphones, headset,s and earbuds can affect your hearing. Noises greater than 85 decibels are totally unsafe. The longer you hear and the harsher the sound is, your hearing is likely to be damaged more. Headphones are out of the ear, so it is less harmful with controlled sound. The earbuds fit inside your ear and eventually increase the volume by about 9 decibels.

As earphones don’t completely block the surrounding sound, you are more presumably about to turn up the volume. Hence, when it comes to choosing these sets, headphones are always safer. Nevertheless, hearing health entirely depends on the volume and listening hours.

Type of Headphones and Their Uses

Mainly two types of headphones are available:

• On-ear headphones
• Over-ear headphones

The ear cushions fit directly over your ears with on-ear headphones. The ear cups are made much smaller, which eventually help lessen the device’s weight and make it more pertinent for outdoor use. They siphon the sound directly into your ear canal, which can be baneful.

On the other hand, over-ear headphones include large earcups with sizable ear cushions, as they usually sit only on the outer ear. In turn, this makes them more suitable to wear for longer.

Since they win in both sound and comfort, over-ear headphones are often considered superior to on-ear headphones.

What is noise cancellation?

Simply active noise cancellation is a technique that repeals inexorable elements of ambient sound. The pivotal term here is active –this technology not only ignores the noise but blocks it. Instead of that, it listens to sound utilizing a microphone on the headset, and presents its own sound wave that effectively replaces the existing sound. With this, noise is emphatically and actively reduced.

Why Noise-cancellation is an important feature to have in your Headphone?

The most obvious and greatest advantage is silence – cancelling active noise reduces sound and makes it easier to sleep and concentrate after a long tiresome day. Regardless, when used watching videos on the screen or while listening to music, it can also significantly improve the sound quality, and allow the sound or dialogue to be heard more clearly even in relatively low volumes.

The biggest benefits can be heard in certain environments. The airplane’s noisy, droning hum is always filtered perfectly by a decent pair of noise-canceling headphones, making it easy to sleep in the otherwise bright, noisy, and unpleasant atmosphere of the aircraft cabin. You can fully utilize it on travel, in the office or even in any noisy place.

Things to consider before buying

Check whether the headphone offers adaptive, passive, or active noise cancellation. Pick the active one. Of course, price is a great factor while purchasing. Inevitably check out the complimentary accessories with your preferred settings. Consider the battery life feature and make sure you are selecting such a headphone that offers a minimum of 15 to 20 hours of playback time. Try the one you want to buy to check the sound leakage. Last but not the least, always goes for the most comfortable headphone. Moreover, you can use noise cancellation applications, especially for a great remote work experience.  

Comparison Table

Top 10 noise-cancelling Headphones

1.    Bose NC 700

Though the Bose NC 700 comes a bit shorter when it comes to the performance of ANC and sound quality compared to the Sony WH-1000XM4, it is still a solid pair of headphones with microphones. Featuring mostly eight microphones, six of them have Bose’s significant noise cancellation.

The NC 700 permits granular control over noise cancellation levels by allowing users to toggle between 11 flexible ANC levels. Despite the ANC, having a significant change in sound quality at low, it still doesn’t seem unpleasant. In addition, the Bose NC 700 also comes with a sleek and sophisticated design, making other over-the-ears look rather backdated.

• Technical specs

Launch date: 21st August, 2019

Battery Life: 20 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

      Type of connectivity: Wireless

 Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality– Sound quality is too good as it offers several levels of noise cancellation. You can set up a noise cancellation level between full, middle and low, from the left of the ear cup. This headset includes a 4-microphone system, adapts to your surroundings and cancels out any background noise.
• Battery life– Battery type is Li-ion and charging time is 2.5 hrs. Play time is about 20 hours.
• Notable features– Bluetooth version is 5.0 with Bluetooth range 10m. Microphone is available with the set. However, deep bass is not available.
• Price – 34,500 INR

2.    Sony WH-1000XM4

The Sony Mark 4S is the improved version of Sony WH-1000XM3 and mostly boosts sound quality, making them the most significant pair of noise-cancelling headphones on the market.

Although this new model has very similar 40mm drivers and the QN1 processor which are present in the WH-1000XM3, with some tweaking of the algorithm, the sonic sign has been changed to sound sign from the customer-friendly bass bias of the Mark 3 signature which is very close to neutral in the new Mark 4 headphone.

ANC performance of Sony WH-1000XM4 has also improved significantly compared to its pre-stellar predecessor, and is capable of enveloping you in a captivating auditory bubble.

• Technical specs

Launch date: August, 2020

Battery Life:30 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Bluetooth

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality– With the exclusive noise cancellation facility, sound is super clear.
• Battery life– Battery cell composition is Lithium Ion. Battery is included. Average battery life is 30 hours.
• Notable features–This set is Google Assistant, Alexa, &Siri enabled (In-built). It provides a seamless hands-free listening experience. With your fingertip make calls or turn up or down the volume. Here liquid crystal polymer produces full range of frequencies.

• Price -26,990 INR

3.    Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II

It was the Bose’s Quiet Comfort series that held the crown previously until some models of Sony grabbed the market. The Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II is one of the best active noise cancelling headphones you can buy in 2021.

Its active sound cancellation is as good as the one on the Sony WH-1000XM4. This noise-cancelling Bose’s headphone endorsed both Bluetooth pairing and NFC, and works seamlessly with your phone’s voice assistant. The Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II sounds astounding, especially if you’re into music with electronic sounds and quite heavy bass.

• Technical specs

Launch date:9th October, 2017

Battery Life:20 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Wireless, Wired

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality– With the loudest sound you will get clarity in music or any audio or video displays.
• Battery life– Battery is made with Lithium Ion. You will be capable to enjoy your listening up to 20 hours.
• Notable features– It includes noise rejecting dual microphone. This set is Alexa enabled.
• Price -21,999 INR

4.    Shure AONIC 50

The Shure AONIC 50 is capable of cancelling solid low-end sounds and is enough to compete with the top two in this category. This can also support many codes comprising AAC, SBC, aptX, LDAC, aptX HD and aptX Low Latency and compared to Sony it only supports the first three.

Although the sound quality on both headphones is quite excellent, the Shure AONIC 50 comprises a sound profile that is a little closer to neutral than the Sony WH-1000XM4. While this sound profile is most suitable for critical listening, it can be a little more controlled if you are a liberal music listener.

• Technical specs

Launch date: 26th December, 2020

Battery Life: 20 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Bluetooth

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality– It offers premium studio quality sound as the noise cancelling feature is too high.
• Battery life– It gives 20 hours of battery life.
• Notable features– Fingertip control is available. It uses Bluetooth 5 wireless technology. Deep bass is available.
• Price -23,999 INR

5.    Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless

Accenting striking metallic headphone arms, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless is such a headphones that you should not miss. In addition, they also feature a pair of headphones with ANC, HD codex support, adjustable EQ, 17-hour long battery life, Bluetooth V5.0, and more.

The sound profile is definitely bass-forward but most of the frequency is well represented. Speaking of the performance of the ANC, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless does well to drown out sound, such as AC humming and chatter. It also comes with an anti-pressure mode that reduces the pressure on some users when wearing the pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

• Technical specs

Launch date:11th November, 2019

Battery Life:17 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Bluetooth

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality -The advanced active noise cancellation property offers three different modes for distinctive environments. It offers transparent hearing functionality.
• Battery life– You can listen up to 17 hours.
• Notable features -Intuitive controls of this headphone have been made for several common situations. Voice assistant and Alexa enabled. 
• Price -34,990 INR

6.    Sony WF-1000XM3

Not much to criticize with the Sony WF-1000XM3 as you get solid sound quality, long battery life, exceptional ANC in the ear, and other prime attributes. In fact, these earphones have the best ANC performance in the category of wireless in-ear headphones.

The only features that we have sadly lost in this case are aptX support, IP rating, and wireless charging. Anyone can choose this headphone as it is quite comfortable for ears and can be worn for a long time without excessive fatigue.

• Technical specs

Launch date: 5th July, 2019

Battery Life:32 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Bluetooth, NFC

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality– It provides industry leading digital noise cancellation. Therefore, no matter what your environment is, you will be able to hear every tune, note and word of sound with super clarity.
• Battery life–Battery life is 32 hours without NC (24 hours Carrying Case & 8 hours Earbuds) and up-to 24 hours with NC (18 hours Carrying Case & 6 hours Earbuds)
• Notable features– It automatically switches to ambience sound mode based on your current activity. With your fingertips swipe or tap the panels to change the track.
• Price -14,990 INR

7. Bose SoundLinkAround Ear Wireless Headphones II

The BoseSoundLink Around-Ear Wireless II is Bluetooth enabled with NFC for fast connectivity, and can be connected to up to two devices at once. As mentioned earlier, you can also plug a 3.5mm stereo cable into the headphones for wire use. The device charges utilizing a standard micro USB cable and also has buttons for volume & playback control and a microphone within convenient reach on the upright earcup. The power switch doubles as the pairing switch.

This premium model has a claim that its wireless range lasts up to 9m from the source device, although it can also perform well at distances exceeding that 9m. The bundled accessories include (however the quality is not up to the mark) a USB charging cable, 3.5 mm stereo cable, and a beautiful carrying case that comfortably stores accessories and headphones. Ear cups can turn flat for easy-peasy storage.

• Technical specs

Launch date: NA

Battery Life:15 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Wireless

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality -This headset provides sound quality that is sturdy and crisp at any volume as it presents a combination of Active EQ and TriPort technology.
• Battery life– Battery cell composition is polymer. Average battery life is about 15 hours.
• Notable features– It includes an advanced microphone system which offers the benefits of having clear calls. It provides flawless switching for added convenience.
• Price -18,999 INR

7.    Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless2

The much acclaimed Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless comes with packing of ANC and many more attributes. Momentum True Wireless 2 works as a string to drown out the constant sounds and noises in the background like some voices and hum sound of AC.

It does a little better at masking low frequencies than high frequency external sounds. In addition, these earphones also come with improved battery life, on a total basis of 28 hours, with just 7 hours on the buds. The build and sound quality is also excellent, therefore if you won’t mind paying a bit much to have the premium experience, this headphone may be for you.

• Technical specs

Launch date: 13th June, 2020

Battery Life:28 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Bluetooth

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality – You can utilize these true wireless earbuds to get premium sound quality.
• Battery life– Battery cell composition is Lithium Ion. Average battery life is 28 hours.
• Notable features– For ergonomic design you can put earbuds in for a longer time. It is resistant to splashes as the earbuds include IPX4 rating.
• Price -24,543 INR

8.    Sony WH-XB900N Wireless

If you are not at all comfortable with the price of Sony WH-1000XM3, then there is a cheaper option for you, even from Sony itself. The Sony WH-XB900N has almost the same specifications as the XM3 with active noise cancellation feature.

The Sony XB900N’s noise-cancelling with noise-cancelling optimizer is exceptional. Because the Sony XB900N is among the sounds that permits wireless headphones with a microphone, it supports active sound cancellation as it emits reverse signals to combat the static noise around you with the aid of an inbuilt microphone.

The headphones have a dedicated bass hose that increases air tightness between the driver units and eardrums. It makes punchy, accurate, and cool bass. Still, the headphones retain the wonderful clarity of the voice for a rhythmic listening experience.

• Technical specs

Launch date: 24th July, 2019

Battery Life:30 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Wireless

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality– With this set, technology amplifies the low-end frequencies to provide impressive bass. 
• Battery life– Battery cell composition is lithium. Battery average life is 30 hours.
• Notable features– Bluetooth connectivity, Near Field Communication (NFC), built-in-mic facilities are accessible. You can make a connection with your smartphone’s voice assistant.
• Price -16,990 INR

10. SkullcandyHesh ANC

The SkullcandyHesh ANC is another pair of cost-effective noise cancelling headphones. The Skulkandi Hash ANC comes with powerful 40mm drivers that provide exceptional sound. Hesh ANC has anopulent audio profile, and the headphone shines for all types of music. You will also enjoy binge-watching movies with these headphones as it gives a premium sound experience.

Skullcandy noise-cancelling headphones use a four-mic setup for good active sound cancellation. You get 22 hours of battery life with the fast charge feature, which gives you 3 hours of listening time with just 10 minutes of charging. Speaking of connectivity, there is Bluetooth 5.0 with a headphone jack, hence you can get both wireless and wired experience. In the context of its attributes and price, you may not find such a premium range of headphones.

• Technical specs

Launch date: 19 Dec, 2020

Battery Life:Up to 22 hours

Sound Wattage: NA

Waterproof: Yes

Type of connectivity: Wireless

Shockproof: Yes

• Sound quality– Sound quality is premium with proper active noise cancellation.
• Battery life– Battery cell composition is Lithium with average battery life 22 hours.
• Notable features– Convenient and easy control is available with comfort. It features built-in Tile finding technology to find your headphone through Tile application. 
• Price -10,999 INR

Final Words

We have reviewed the 10 best noise cancelling headphones in India with their top-most features, flaws and quality and ratings. They all have some exclusive attributes, but noise cancellation is common to all. Choosing any of the 10 will surely help you attain the goal of enjoying music without any distractions around you.

Among these headphones Sony WH-1000XM3 or Bose QC 35 II might be the best option. However, we always suggest that you check by yourself thoroughly before purchasing. In case of budget constraint, you can always choose the one with lesser pricing. The user reviews of these headphones are very high, which makes them quite convenient. Give a try and undoubtedly you will be amazed with the level of noise cancellation they offer.