Budget Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones: Over-ear headsets for the long haul
It used to be that Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) feature is only available on premium wireless headphones. Not with these budget wireless headsets. Not only do they produce high quality sound but offer noise cancelling feature and battery life to rival the likes of Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II, the yard stick for high quality wireless headphones.
These headphones are surprisingly comfortable and well-designed for prolonged use. In some cases, they even rival mainstream and premium headphones in terms of build quality and robustness. But the key thing with all headphones is that can it offer rich and balanced sound quality required for our listening pleasure.
Other features you may wish to consider are the length of playtime per charge and availability of passive playtime i.e. ability to continue to listen to music via a wired connection when the battery run flat. You also want quick access controls for playback with tactile buttons or touch panel and ability to take calls with onboard noise cancelling microphones on the headset.
Wireless features include advanced Bluetooth standard for AptX and HiRes sound, ability to pair and remember multiple device and ease of connectivity with NFC compatible hardware. A bonus would be to have the ability to customise your listening preferences using the free companion app.
Give that these are reasonably priced headphones, they may not necessarily have all the features listed above but will have most of it. It is a small trade-off considering the amount of money saved. We are talking, a fraction of the cost to buy compared to premium ANC headphones.
Top 8 Best Budget Noise Cancelling Headphones
1. Fogeek Apollo 1 Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones – Over Ear
- Battery Life: 30 hours wireless play time, 3 hours to charge
- 40mm neodymium drivers
The Apollo 1 maybe a budget wireless headphone with Active Noise Cancelling tech but the sound quality is anything but cheap. The pair produces excellent sound with deep and accurate bass response as well as powerful and crisp sound. It also comes with fully padded ear cups held together with 45°/90° swivelling band.
We wouldn’t recommend listening to any headphones all day for health reasons. A break is advised after prolonged use to give your ears and hearing a rest. This is typically around one to two hours. Still, Apollo’s lightweight and comfortable design lets you wear it all day (intermittently of course).
The built-in battery lets you use the headphone wirelessly for up to 30 hours. Onboard microphone lets you take and make calls without reaching for the phone. A flat case is provided that fits the headphones nicely with its fold flat design. The slim case will slip into the backpack without a problem.
2. COWIN E7 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones – Over Ear
- Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC
- Battery Life: 30 hours playtime, 4 hours charging time
This popular Bluetooth Headphones is available in six striking colours. The over-ear pair produces deep low range using 40mm large aperture drivers. The bass is accurate and punchy. The Active Noise Cancelling system helps reduce and eliminate noise in airplane, busy office or traffic. The latter requires you to be extra cautious and to be extra vigilant when crossing roads. It comes with on board microphone to let you take calls too.
The ear pads are comfortable and are connected to the headband with a 90° swivelling joint. At a full charge, the 600mAh battery offers up to 30 hours of wireless playtime. Another bonus with this headset is the availability of NFC pairing for ease of connectivity to compatible Bluetooth player. Finally, tactile buttons at the bottom of the earphones let you answer call, adjust volume, switch ANC on/off and control the music.
3. COWIN E7 PRO Active Noise Cancelling Headphones – Over Ear
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Battery Life: 30 hours of playtime with ANC enabled, 4 hours charge time
Another Cowin, this time the E7 Pro Bluetooth headphones comes with upgraded tech. There are 7 different colours to choose from this time. Apart from black and white, there are Blue, Green, Purple, Pink and Red.
The Pro unit also comes with Active Noise Reduction technology with sound produced from proprietary 45mm large aperture drivers, 5 mm larger than the Cowin E7. Noise reduction depth is also improved from 28dB to 30dB. What it lacks however is NFC pairing but that’s no show stopper.
The ear pads have also been upgraded for comfort and durability. Use of soft material and texture makes it a perfect pair for prolonged use. For wireless connectivity, it uses Bluetooth 4.0 and the big 800 mAh battery lets you enjoy up to 30 hours of playtime with ANC on.
Finally, the onboard Microphone allows you to take calls without reaching for your phone. The white version is shown below.
4. Boltune Active Noise Cancelling Headphones – Over Ear
- Bluetooth 5.0 (4 times further than Bluetooth 4.2)
- Battery Life: 30 hours playtime (1 hour quick charge)
With upgraded Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling technology, the Boltune is able to reduce external noise by 96% and works especially well in buses, planes and trains or subway. It also has a slightly bigger driver measuring 45mm for deeper bass and greater quality sound. The comfy ear pads and high quality aluminium alloy finish makes this set stands out.
Regarding the aluminium alloy headband, it is rotatable at the joints, has a lightweight design and is durable. Using Bluetooth 5.0 and CVC 6.0 microphone, the wireless headphone can hold its connection for up to 66 ft while the microphone offers hands-free calling facility. For battery life, it works up to 30 hours on a single charge with onboard 680mAh battery.
The Boltune headphones not only looks the part but produces good quality audio.
Quick charge lets you bring the unit back up with less than an hour on the charger. Plus, a quick 5 minutes charge allows for up to 2 hours of playtime. All controls are easily accessible letting you answer phone calls, adjust the volume or turn ANC on/off all.
5. Utaxo Active Noise Cancelling Headphones – Over Ear
- Bluetooth 5.0
- up to 30 hours play time, supports quick charge, 5 minutes for 2 hours of play time.
The Utaxo has a no nonsense design in all black. The Bluetooth Headphones is an Over Ear unit with microphone built-in. It produces Hi-Fi Sound with Deep Bass. The headband is foldable allowing for easy packing.
Complete with Quick Charge, the headphone lasts up to 30 hours of Playtime and recharges quickly. For looks, choose the Utaxo 2019 unit below, it will cost a bit more price wise but comes with left and right ear pads on rotating axis, Bluetooth 5.0 and CVC 6.0 noise cancelling microphone.
Lastly, buttons on the underside of the ear piece lets you answer the phone calls, control volume, turn ANC on/off and control the playback all on the headphones. The higher model we mentioned with swivelling instead of folding arms and higher trim is shown below.
- Bluetooth 5.0 for stable connections
- cVc 6.0 Noise Cancelling Mic
- Dual 45mm Driver
- Over 30 hours playtime per charge and supports Quick Charging 5 mins is enough for 2 hours of playtime.
6. Levin Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones – Over Ear
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Battery Life: Built-in 600 mA rechargeable battery, supports 20 hours of playback time, 35 hours on medium volume
The Levin Stereo Over Ear Wireless Headset with dicrophone has Active Noise Cancellation, comfortable Protein Ear pads, 90 degrees foldable design and up to 20 hours of playtime. Using carefully crafted 40mm driver, the Levin Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphone provides you with dynamic sound listening enjoyment.
Levin’s unit focuses on every detail of the sound, resulting in excellent acoustic accuracy and satisfactory lossless sound quality: strong bass and clear treble. Like all headphones here, it can be used as wired or wireless. When the battery runs flat, charge it for 2 hours to bring it back up. At medium volume, a full charge can sustain up to 30 hours of playback. For power saving, when Bluetooth is disconnected, it will automatically shut down after 15 minutes.
7. Mijiaer Active Noise Cancelling Headphones – Over Ear
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Battery life: 20 hours with ANC enabled, 35 hours with ANC disabled
This may not have a name that you can pronounce easily. But the key thing is it sounds good. And, at a price that you don’t need to think twice about, Mijiear is what you need. The bluetooth wireless headphones with microphone onboard has advanced Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) tech that can eliminate noise below 24dB. That’s enough to cancel off airplane cabin noise, traffic and busy office noise.
On top of that the noise cancelling function works with or without wire allowing you to be clever with energy use. Talk about energy use, the built-in rechargeable battery offers up to 20 hours of playtime with ANC mode on. On the other hand, with Bluetooth only, without ANC, the unit lasts up to 35 hours. If you run out of juice, turn to the cable and use the headphone on.
It uses a Bluetooth V4.2 chipset offering low latency and good fault tolerance. For sound, the engineered 40mm driver deliver powerful and crisp sound. Sound quality is good, so is the overall listening experience. Physical buttons on the under side of the for power button, track control, volume control, answer calls and switch ANC on or off.
8. Mpow H5 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones – Over Ear
- Bluetooth 4.1
- Battery Life: up to 30 hours
Not only does it pump out superior bass, the Mpow H5 headset with Active Noise Cancelling is among the best budget headphones out there. Available in a simple choice of colours; black or white, the unit enjoys upgraded soft ear cushions on 90° swivelling ear cups and adjustable headband for added comfort and ease fo storage.
On a full charge, the battery lasts for up to 30 hours for playtime or calls. When it runs low, use the cable to continue listening in passive mode. That is if you device still has the 3.5mm socket. The 40mm drivers and advanced CSR Bluetooth chip as well as CVC6.0 microphone is everything one needs for a good pair of headphones.
BONUS: TaoTronics SoundSurge 46 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones
This next headphones is not the cheapest but with its 40 mm dual large aperture drivers, it delivers deep and powerful bass and good all round sound quality.
The ANC tech can reduce low frequency noise by up to 96% so you can enjoy your music in the train, plain or bus. The set is comfortable enough for prolonged use and the 90° rotation axis will let you store it flat when you are done.
On a full charge, the headphones can last up to 30 hours of play time. Quick charge brings it back up to 2 hours with a quick 5 minute charge. Built-in cVc 6.0 noise cancelling microphone supports clear hands-free calls.
