In a city where a commute can feel like a siege of announcements, engines and chatter, the question of how much of the world a pair of headphones can quietly remove has become a modern kind of comfort. The Independent's tech reviewer Thomas Deehan spent weeks testing a field of noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds on crowded trains, in loud parts of London and over the ordinary chores of home. His verdict places Bose's flagship at the top for silencing the din, while Sony's rival wins praise for the richness of its sound. Taken together, the roundup reflects a familiar human choice between
Bose Leads Ranked Test of 2025 Noise-Cancelling Headphones, With Sony and Anker Trailing on Sound and Price
When it comes to ANC, Bose is king.
Mark
Bose wins overall. Why does noise cancelling decide it?
Mimi
Deehan calls it the most important feature on his list. He tested it on a train and in busy parts of Central London, and Bose came out ahead.
Mark
But Sony is not far behind, is it?
Mimi
He says Bose is only a hair better at cancelling. Sony wins on sound, so it's a trade-off.
Luke
"A hair better" is his judgment from one reviewer's ears. The piece doesn't give measurements, so I'd treat the ranking as informed opinion.
Mark
What about people who don't want to spend £399 or £449?
Mimi
Anker's Space One Pro costs £149.99 and lasts 40 hours with ANC on. For earbuds, the Cambridge Audio A100 is £119.
Luke
Worth noting the Anker is described as falling short of the headphones it emulates. Cheaper, yes, but not equal.
Mark
Any surprises in the flaws?
Mimi
The Cambridge case scratched after one gym trip, and Anker's app equaliser made the bass worse.
Luke
The review is also an affiliate piece, with purchase links, which is disclosed. The source text I can see cuts off partway through the earbuds entry, so I can't speak to everything it concludes.
Der Puls
- Commuters and office workers are trapped in a roar of trains, stations and coffee machines, and the search for quiet has become urgent.
- Bose's QuietComfort Ultra sits at the top at £449 for noise cancelling that can flatten a busy station into a hum, but its design feels cautious and its battery falls short.
- Sony's WH-1000XM6 at £399 challenges for the audio crown, and it nearly matches Bose on silence, so buyers are pulled between sound quality and quieter rooms.
- Budget shoppers are being steered toward the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro at £149.99 and the Cambridge Audio A100 earbuds at £119, both offering strong value despite compromises in detail and durability.
- The decision is settling into a clear split: pay for Bose's stronger cancelling or Sony's richer sound, with price setting the final limit.
In a city where a commute can feel like a siege of announcements, engines and chatter, the question of how much of the world a pair of headphones can quietly remove has become a modern kind of comfort. The Independent's tech reviewer Thomas Deehan spent weeks testing a field of noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds on crowded trains, in loud parts of London and over the ordinary chores of home. His verdict places Bose's flagship at the top for silencing the din, while Sony's rival wins praise for the richness of its sound. Taken together, the roundup reflects a familiar human choice between escape from noise and the pleasure of the music itself.
On a train into Central London, in crowded streets and at the kitchen sink, Thomas Deehan put a field of noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds through weeks of daily life. The sound of the city is relentless, and his test was less about specifications than about whether these products could give a tired listener a little peace.
His top pick is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones at £449. He describes their silencing as class-leading, able to turn a roaring station or a loud café into a faint hum. They are comfortable and wake up quickly from standby, though he finds the design too safe, the price high and the battery a few hours short. Their music is excellent, if slightly less deep than some rivals.
Sony's WH-1000XM6 take the audio prize at £399. Deehan hears every layer of a song given its due, and while washing dishes he heard nothing but his own playlist. They miss the top spot only because Bose cancels a shade better. For tighter budgets, he points to the older WH-1000XM4 at £199.
For those counting pennies, the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro at £149.99 offers long battery life and comfort, with heavy bass that suits study. The Cambridge Audio A100 earbuds at £119 bring lively lows and mids, though the case scuffed after one gym visit. The choice, in the end, comes down to how much silence and how much sound a listener is willing to pay for.
Thomas Deehan tested the headphones on a train into Central London, in loud and crowded parts of the city, and at home while washing the dishes. The Independent's tech reviewer spent weeks with a field of noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds, and the IndyBest roundup he produced puts Bose at the top.
His overall pick is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones at £449. He calls their noise cancelling class-leading and says they can reduce a busy train station or a cafe with a loud coffee machine to a hum. They weigh 250g, run for 24 hours on a charge and use Bluetooth 5.3. They come in black, white smoke, lunar blue and deep plum. He also praises their comfort and a standby mode that gets playback going quickly. His complaints are that the design is too safe, the price is high, and he wishes the battery lasted a few hours longer. Music playback is excellent, he says, though it lacks a little of the depth of Sony's and Apple's rivals.
Sony's WH-1000XM6 take the audio prize at £399. Deehan says every layer of a song gets its due, with a punchy delivery. They weigh 254g, last 30 hours and fold away for storage. He says the noise cancelling is far from lacklustre: while washing dishes he heard nothing but his playlist. The only reason they miss the top spot, he writes, is that Bose's cancelling is a hair better. He finds the Sound Connect app more cluttered than Bose's or Marshall's, and notes these are Sony's most expensive headphones yet. For tighter budgets he points to the older WH-1000XM4 at £199.
The budget choice for headphones is the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro at £149.99. They weigh 286g and run 40 hours with noise cancelling on, or 60 hours with it off, a battery life he says beats far pricier models. Anker aims for the same high-energy sound as the Sony XM6. Deehan says it is less detailed but works well for the money, with weighty bass that suits studying. The headband and ear cushions are comfortable and the headphones fold compactly. He advises against changing the sound profile in the app: pushing the bass further made it worse. He also calls the equaliser settings disappointing.
In earbuds, the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 at £119 is the budget pick. Each earbud weighs 4.7g, and the case brings the total to 48.1g. Battery life is 12 hours per charge and 39 hours with the case. Deehan says the sound brings the lows and mids forward, and he tested it with Tommy Richman's "Million Dollar Baby", where he found the bass pulsated in a way other earbuds struggle to match. The weak point is durability: the case picked up notable marks after a single gym trip.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, 2nd generation, are the top earbuds pick. He says no other earbuds cancel noise this well, and that the design stays in place during cardio workouts. They are pricier than most competitors and larger than some will like. Battery life is six hours per charge. The Marshall Monitor III A.N.C., at £291, is named best for battery life, and the Dyson OnTrac, at £449, is the pick for customisation.
Deehan tested for noise cancelling, sound quality, battery life, comfort, durability and how well each product fits into a wider ecosystem. The choice largely comes down to whether a buyer wants Bose's stronger cancelling or Sony's richer sound, and what they are willing to pay for either.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Sony's WH-1000XM6 miss the top spot only because Bose's noise cancelling is a hair better.— Thomas Deehan, The Independent
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