Sony WH series noise cancelling over-ear headphones

What it is good at

• Cutting steady drone from aircraft and air conditioning
• Running a full working day on one charge with cancelling on
• Taking calls without reaching for a separate microphone

Check before you buy

• Whether the earpads are sold as spares, since they flatten first
• Multipoint pairing if the headphones must stay on a laptop and a phone
• Comfort under glasses: high clamping force shows up after an hour

Who it is not for

Anyone who needs protection against sudden loud noise, which needs passive attenuation rather than electronics.

Active cancelling works with a microphone near the ear that samples the noise, and a driver that plays the same wave inverted so the two largely cancel. Phase and delay decide how well it works, which is why the effect is strong on a steady hum and weak on a voice that changes from moment to moment.

The headband and earpads are the parts that age. Replaceable pads are worth checking before buying, because a flattened pad both leaks bass and lets more noise past, and swapping them is far cheaper than a new pair of headphones.