We live in a society where focusing on work requires either complete peace and quietness. Unfortunately, it’s a bit tough to get such an environment.
The solution for that is getting the best noise cancelling headphones to block out voices. With brands like Bose, Sony, JBL, and others, it might be quite hard to choose the right one. Some of them might not even be that good, to be honest.
The QuietComfort 35 II Headphones are the best choice for block out voice. So you can buy it now if you not have much time to read the whole article.
A good noise cancelling headphone would offer crisp, clear sound, Bluetooth connectivity, compatibility with Alexa and Google, and active and passive noise cancellation. The ones we have chosen for this top 10 list offer all those features.
But before we check out the reviews, let us tell you how these headphones work in the first place.
What is the best noise cancelling headphones to block out voices?
[table id=54 responsive=scroll /]
Do Noise Cancelling Headphones Block Out Voices?
The best noise cancellation is actually of two types: there’s active noise canceling, and then there’s passive. The two kinds of noise cancelling work differently.
The question of whether noise cancelling headphones can block out voice or not depends a lot on whether it features active noise canceling or passive. Both work great to mute or at least reduce the amount of outside noise that you hear, but passive does a better job at it.
One easy way to tell if your headphones feature passive noise canceling or not is if they come with earbuds (for in-ear ones) and foams covering your ear (for over-ear ones).
However, even with passive noise canceling, you can’t completely block out a person’s voice. If they are talking right in front of you or beside you, you might still be able to hear them a bit. But if they are a bit far away from you, rest assured that their voice won’t be heard.
How Noise Cancelling Headphones Works?
Noise cancellation is a relatively new piece of technology — especially active noise cancellation. While passive noise cancelling requires only foam or something to make the headphones air-tight set to your ears, it is not the same for active noise cancelling.
For active noise cancelling, there is a mic that takes in the sounds from your surroundings and transfers them to a frequency inverting device inside the headphones. That device then inverts the frequencies and plays it back to you. This inverted sound is nowhere near the regular surround sounds.
However, this only works up to 1000 Hz of frequency. Any sound above that will be heard through the best noise cancelling headphones if you don’t have music playing at full blast.
Passive noise cancelling, however, does not use any kind of fancy technology like that. Just some regular air-tightening the headphones so that sound does not pass through as easily.
10 Best Noise Cancelling Headphones to Block out Voice
Now that you know how it works, let’s dive into the reviews of headphones that offer high-quality noise cancelling, shall we?
1. The QuietComfort 35 II Headphones that Block Out all Noise
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 4.1 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 20 hours of playtime | Charging: USB-C | Waterproof: IPX4
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B0756CYWWD” value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Features active and passive noise cancelling
- Provides crisp and clear sound quality
- Comes with the bose connect app for hassle-free connectivity with your phone
- Comfortable to wear over your ear
Reasons to Avoid
- Firmware updates can cause some issues
Being one of the most popular brands in the realm of music, Bose produces some of the most top-of-the-line best noise cancelling headphones. Starting off our list with one of their hard hitters, the QuietComfort sure does live up to the brand reputation.
Featuring adjustable active noise cancellation, this headphone definitely knows how to mute the rest of the world for you. Especially when you listen to music or any kind of audio, you’ll forget any other sound exists!
Besides that, you also get passive noise cancellation, as this headphone uses foam that feels comfortable on your ears and fits snuggly. This snug fit further ensures that you block out any unnecessary noise from your hearing.
Apart from all that, the QuietComfort 35 II is an amazing headphone for listening to music. Offering you impressively crisp sounds and providing a 20-hour battery backup, this is certainly a force to be reckoned with.
You also get the Bose to connect app, which lets you connect the headphones to your smartphone with a one-touch connection. It also comes with a USB cable for further connectivity purposes.
To add the icing on the cake, this bad boy can be connected to Alexa, allowing you to access music and even search for stuff on the web using Alexa. The headphones are compatible with iOS and Android and can be used with the Bose Connect app.
Overall, it is a brilliant piece of tech and one that you should own if you want to get rid of all those voices in the background.
2. Headphones 700 Headphones that Cancel Out all Noise
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 20 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless | Waterproof: IPX4
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B07Q9MJKBV” value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Active noise cancellation at its finest
- Comfortable to wear and very lightweight
- Offers 20-hour battery backup
- The music quality is crisp
- One-touch Spotify connectivity
Reasons to Avoid
- Hard to make small volume adjustments on the headphone
If you liked the QuietComfort by Bose, you’ll definitely like their Bose Noise CancellingHeadphones 700. There are several reasons to like this bad boy, one of them being that they can offer up to 11 levels of active noise cancelling.
If that doesn’t impress you, we bet the amazingly crisp sound it provides for music and on-calls will definitely appeal to you.
These headphones not only cancel out noises for you to hear stuff on it clearly but also eliminate unnecessary noises from your surroundings to keep your voice clear sounding on calls.
But can it block out voices from reaching your ear? Pretty much! As we said, you can’t really completely get rid of the voices around you, but this headphone can reduce the volume to the point that the voices are barely audible anymore.
Apart from its amazing noise cancelling features, you also get amazing music quality. The design is also very simple and comfortable, being made from lightweight stainless steel for the headband and earcups that are tilted just enough.
These headphones, much like the previous one, offer you a battery backup of 20 hours, which is pretty impressive if you ask us. You can access Spotify in one touch with these headphones, making them very convenient to use.
In our opinion, if you want an amazing pair of headphones that will provide the perfect amount of noise cancellation, this would be one of the best choices. We totally recommend this beast by Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones!
3. Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 30 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless | Charging: USB-C
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B0863FR3S9″ value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Features dual-noise cancelling
- Provides up to 30 hours of non-stop playback
- A 10-minute charge can last up to 5 hours
- It comes with touch sensor controls for adjusting nearly everything
- Comfortable to wear all-day
Reasons to Avoid
- You need to install the app to do anything literally with the headphones
Apart from Bose, the other brand that claims to be the King of the music-tech world is Sony. And we have absolutely no doubts about that because Sony produces equally incredible speakers and headphones, if not better.
Before we talk about how good it is at canceling out noise, let us first admire this beautiful piece of tech as a headphone. The WH-1000XM4 comes with Edge AI, which ensures next-level music.
The headphones feature touch sensors that let you pause or play, change the music, adjust the volume, and even make or answer calls. Not just that, but it also allows you to activate your phone’s voice assistant, be it Google or Siri.
This device uses high-quality Bluetooth connectivity to connect to your iPhone or Android and lets you listen to music for as long as you need. And as for battery backup, it can run up to 30 hours! This is really impressive, in our opinion.
Sony claims that you can even charge this bad boy for 10 minutes and binge on music for 5 hours at a stretch!
Now, as a noise cancellation headphone, it is phenomenal! It comes with a dual noise sensor that provides incredible active noise cancelling, and with the snug yet comfortable fit, you get passive noise cancelling as well.
In our opinion, if you don’t prefer Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones, this one by Sony would definitely be a brilliant option. Check out these bad boys today!
4. Jabra Elite 85h Noise Cancelling Headphones Block Out Voices
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 36 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless | Waterproof: Yes
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B07RQ366VK” value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Insane noise cancellation
- 36 hours of battery backup and insanely fast charging
- It comes with 8 microphones for crystal clear sound on calls
- Water-resistant
Reasons to Avoid
- Isn’t properly integrated with MacOS
Here’s a product by a brand you have probably never heard of. Although Jabra is not a popular or well-known brand, they are known to produce insanely high-quality noise cancellation headphones.
Why do we think this one qualifies to be one of the best? Well, it is because this headphone features active noise cancellation that responds to the environment you are in.
Specifically engineered for incredibly crisp sound quality for music and making calls, the Elite 85h is better than the Bose and Sony ones we just reviewed earlier. One of the biggest reasons it is better than those three headphones is its insane battery life.
Can you imagine getting 36 hours of backup from a headphone’s battery? We know we couldn’t until we came across this fellow. The headphone charges pretty fast, too; with only 15 minutes of charging, it can go 5 hours endlessly.
This bad boy comes with 8 microphones that enhance the quality of your calls, so your voice is crystal clear, and the receiver can hear no other voice than yours.
You can rely on this amazing pair of headphones to provide you with excellent service during work hours. And on top of all that, it is also water-resistant, so you can say it is nearly indestructible or highly durable.
If quality matters to you more than brand reputation, we would definitely recommend this one over the previous headphones for sure!
5. Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Over-Ear Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 30 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless/Wired | Waterproof: IPX6
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B07WK6SGZC” value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Features noise cancellation that adapts to your environment
- Comes with built-in wear sensors that allow the headphone to stop the music when you lift even one earcup up
- Offers a battery backup of up to 30 hours
- Charges pretty fast
- Very durable
Reasons to Avoid
- Dissatisfactory customer service
Here is another headphone brand that you might not have heard of. Bowers & Wilkins may not be on the top 10 spots for the most popular brands, but their product sure made the top 5 spots for best noise cancelling headphones!
The PX7 is easily one of the best in the market for amazing noise cancelling that helps block out voices. Why would we consider it one of the best? Because this one, much like the previous ones, can cancel out any background noise from your environment and adapt to it.
Being an over-ear headphone, it offers amazing passive noise cancellation with an incredibly comfortable and snug fit on your ears. It doesn’t feel heavy or uncomfortable even if you wear it throughout the day.
One of the coolest features of this headphone is that when you pull one of the earcups up, the music pauses for you, and once you put it back on, it plays again.
The battery is pretty impressive as well. Like most headphones above, this one also offers a 30-hour battery life, with incredibly fast charging. You can charge the headphones for only 15 minutes and use them for 6 hours at a stretch!
In terms of durability, this one beats them all! These headphones were made for use during commutes, so the smallest bit of scratches or impact won’t harm these bad boys.
So if you are looking for an incredibly rugged pair of headphones that can successfully cancel out most of the voices around you, you just have to check out the PX7 by Bowers & Wilkins.
6. Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones with Alexa
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 17 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless | Charging: USB-C
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B07VW98ZKG” value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Amazing active noise cancellation
- Provides crispy clear sounds
- Comfortable to wear for long durations
- Noise cancellation is adaptive to your environment
Reasons to Avoid
- Unimpressive battery life
Since these underrated brands are producing high-quality headphones, here’s another one from the same category but a different brand. There’s a high chance you haven’t heard of Sennheiser, but trust our words, they have a pretty good reputation for producing high-end noise cancelling headphones.
The momentum 3 is one of those headphones that you don’t expect to be amazing, as it doesn’t offer any flashy features, but you end up liking it because of its overall quality.
One of the only special features that seem notable for this baby is the adaptive noise cancellation feature that improvises according to your environment.
While this feature is nothing too surprising, considering we have already seen this being present in the previous headphones, the noise cancellation quality is exceptionally good.
This amazing headphone comes with active noise cancellation, which helps block out nearly all of the noise around you and provides crispy clear sound for music or voice on calls.
They are pretty comfortable to wear as well. With leather-covered ear pads and a soft headband that doesn’t feel uncomfortable, these headphones will feel light as air even when you wear them for too long.
The only con that we notice in this amazing pair of headphones is the battery life. While it is nothing to laugh at, it is not as good as the previous ones we reviewed. 17-hour battery life just doesn’t impress us at this point. Still, it’s pretty good, we’d say.
Apart from the battery life, the Momentum 3 by Sennheiser is pretty impressive and would be a good choice.
7. JBL TUNE 750BTNC Wireless Over-Ear Headphones with Noise Cancellation
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 4.2 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 15 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless | Waterproof: Yes
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B0818P1Q7L” value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Active noise cancellation with adaptive features
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Comes with a headphone jack for using with older phones
- Very affordable
Reasons to Avoid
- Battery life, as well as overall quality, is not on par with the previous products
And we are back with bigger, more popular brands! Just like Sony and Bose, when we hear JBL, we think of high-quality. The TUNE 750BTNC lives up to that reputation, that too being crazily affordable.
Unlike Sony and Bose, JBL is notorious for producing high-quality products at affordable prices. While the features may not be as flashy as the flagship models, the ones JBL makes are amazing for the price.
Why did we choose this one as one of the best headphones for the noise cancelling and blocking out voices, exactly? Well, it’s simple! It offers impressive noise cancellation at the most affordable price.
The TUNE 750BTNC features active noise cancellation to block out most of the voices around you, if not all. As we know, it is quite impossible (yet) to completely cancel out all the voices and sounds around you with headphones. Regardless, this pair of headphones does a pretty good job of getting rid of most sounds.
It also features Bluetooth connectivity and a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can use these headphones with your latest iPhone and your decade-old cellphone. The package also comes with a charging cable (a rare feat you see with devices these days, especially smartphones)
Speaking of charging, the headphones have a battery life of 15 hours, which might seem low on paper, but considering the price, it is pretty good.
Overall, these are a solid pair of the best noise cancelling headphones that we recommend to anyone who is on a budget but wants that premium voice blocking experience.
8. Shure AONIC 50 Wireless Over-Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 20 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless |
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B084S1CYKF” value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Active noise cancellation with adaptive features
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Comes with a headphone jack for using with older phones
- Very affordable
Reasons to Avoid
- Not the best one out there
Yeah, name brands are pretty impressive, but are you “shure” that they provide the best overall quality? Sometimes, as we have seen earlier, underrated brands can offer what even reputed brands can’t, and the AONIC 50 by the brand Shure proves that once again!
But why exactly do we consider this one of the best for canceling out voices? Well, this bad boy offers adjustable active noise cancelling that eliminated any kind of distraction for you.
Do you want an immersive listening experience? These headphones offer just that! Bringing justice to the sick beats and bass of your favorite songs, this pair of headphones “shurely” don’t disappoint (apologies for the repetitive puns).
It is also very comfortable to wear and keep on for long durations, thanks to the soft leather and foam combination on the earcups and headband.
The battery life of this pair of noise cancelling headphones, not something too impressive, but it isn’t disappointing either. 20 hours of non-stop playback is pretty decent, considering the price of this product.
The Bluetooth connectivity is pretty high quality; it lets you pair with devices and allows you to use the headphones, being up to 30 feet away from said devices.
But how can we consider it best to get rid of the voices around you? It isn’t necessarily the best one, but it is one of them, and it does a pretty good job at muting nearly every sound under 1000 Hz, just like every other headphone on this list. So it is pretty good in that sense.
We recommend these headphones to those of you looking for one that is budget-friendly but delivers high quality.
9. Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 5.0 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 18.5 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless | Waterproof: No
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B086Q9YGD3″ value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Features 13 levels of adjustable active noise cancellation
- Decent battery life with fast enough charging
- Crisp music quality
- Quite affordable
Reasons to Avoid
- Not very durable
- Firmware updates can be buggy
When we think of big brands that produce amazing music-playing devices, Microsoft is not a name that comes to mind. But exceeding our expectations and much to our surprise, here we are with one of their ANC headphones!
Microsoft, being such a big corporation, sure knows how to build the perfect noise cancellation headphone. Because the Surface Headphones 2 are better than we would expect, to be honest.
With 13 levels of active noise cancellation, you can easily blur out, if not completely get rid of all of the noise around you. While it is not as good as the Sony or Bose Noise Cancelling Headphonesones, it definitely does not disappoint.
Apart from its noise cancelling features, it is pretty good as a regular headphone as well. Providing pretty crisp sounds while listening to music as well as attending calls, the Surface Headphones 2 is cut above the rest.
Considering the price, the battery life is also pretty decent. You can listen to music for up to 18.5 hours non-stop, and attend voice call meetings on Microsoft teams for up to 15 hours. The charging is considerably fast as well. You get an hour of listening from charging the headphones for just 5 minutes.
There are some minor cons, though. These headphones are not very durable and might get broken easily as they are made of mostly plastic. And the firmware updates can be a little buggy sometimes, causing some trouble to your listening experience.
So if these are some factors that don’t matter to you, then we definitely recommend this pair of the best noise cancelling headphones by Microsoft.
10. Sony WH-1000XM3 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones with Mic
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth version: 4.2 | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 30 hours of playtime | Connectivity: Wireless/Wired | Waterproof: No
Today’s Best Deals
[amazon fields=”B089NZYF8D” value=”button”]
Reasons to Buy
- Decent active noise cancellation
- Impressive battery life
- Comfortable to wear and lightweight
- A more affordable option of the Sony 1000XM4
Reasons to Avoid
- Volume may feel insufficient for some people
And to conclude our list of reviews, we have another heavy hitter from Sony. This is the previous model to the second product we reviewed (the Sony WH-1000XM4). While it may feel like a downgrade from that one, we would say this one isn’t disappointing at all!
If you think the 1000XM4 is a bit too pricey, the 1000XM3 would be the perfect one. So if you liked that one, you’re sure to like this one.
Let’s talk about its features now! This bad boy features active noise cancellation that is pretty good at cancelling out most of the background noises in your environment. While it is not adaptive or adjustable, it does a pretty decent job of reducing the voices near you.
It comes with multiple built-in mics to ensure a crispy clear voice from your end for when you are on call with someone.
This amazing pair of headphones features high-quality Bluetooth and NFC connectivity, making them convenient to use.
As for the battery, you have absolutely nothing to worry about because this amazing ANC headphone features a 30-hour battery life along with fast charging. The battery is on par with the best headphones on this list, so you know it’s not a product to laugh at.
The headphones are pretty comfortable to wear, as they are lightweight and come with soft earcups with padding. So, while it is nothing too impressive, it is still a decent pair of headphones you can use to block out voices.
Features to Look for Before Buying
Although going directly to purchase one from our top 10 list would be what we recommend, we cannot let you jump in without a bit more guidance. So here are some pointers on what to look for and what to steer clear from.
Active Noise Cancellation
This one’s a given. The headphones you opt for must feature active noise cancellation, or else what are you even getting it for. Unless it comes with active noise cancellation, you will not be able to block out those voices at all.
The headphone that does not feature ANC cannot cancel out any background noise at all. You might hear your friend or co-worker talking next to you while listening to music.
Passive Noise Cancellation
If the foam of the headphones is air-tight and fits snug onto your ears, it has passive noise cancellation. Just make sure to get the ones that say they will fit properly over your head.
Comfort of Wearing
A by-product of being inactive noise cancelling is that the headphones would fit snugly. This is why the foam must be ultra-comfortable and soft, so your ears don’t hurt after wearing the headphones for too long.
Number of Microphones
Another key feature of noise cancelling headphones is that they usually have noise cancellations for the microphones. So check if the one you are getting comes with multiple mics. This will ensure that your voice is clear during calls and any other voice near you is blocked out by the headphones.
Battery Life
Having a decent battery life goes a long way. Most of the headphones we reviewed above have an average battery life of 20-30 hours. This is pretty moderate for ANC headphones, and we recommend you don’t settle for anything less than that unless you’re on a tight budget.
Material of Construction (Durability)
Plastic headphones will not last long. Unless you want to spend all of your savings on continuously buying headphones, we suggest getting a durable pair of headphones made of a combination of stainless steel, foam, and leather.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can Noise Cancelling Headphones Block Out Voices?
Q2. Can I use my noise cancellation headphones without playing music?
Q3. Should I go for in-ear or over-ear for noise cancelling headphones?
Q4. Are noise canceling headphones expensive?
Q5. Should I get a Sony or a JBL for noise canceling headphones?
Do noise cancelling headphones block out voices?
This is because the microphones inside the ear cups are designed to reject external sound while still allowing you to hear your music or phone call.
The result is that other people’s voices will be amplified and can be quite irritating.
If you need a way to isolate yourself from others in noisy environments, consider investing in a pair of passive Noise-Cancellation (ANC) headphones instead.
Final Words
Whether you choose the high-end name brands or the underrated ones, the bottom line is that even the best noise cancelling headphones to block out voices aren’t completely effective.
However, if you asked us which one gets the job done with near perfection, we’d say it’s the QuietComfort 35 II by Bose without a doubt.
This is the only one that comes the closest to blocking out all voices near you. That’s our opinion, but the choice is always yours!
Round up today’s best deals
[amazon bestseller=”best noise canceling headphones” items=”10″]