The best workout headphones

The Apple AirPods Max deliver a luxurious feel with a stainless steel headband and aluminum ear cups that feel sturdy yet are notably heavy; however, the headband is brilliantly engineered to distribute weight evenly, and the plush, deep ear cups with replaceable padding provide significant comfort. This headset includes top-notch noise canceling and a transparency mode, with volume and playback controlled by an insanely smooth digital crown, alongside auto-pause sensors and automatic switching for Apple devices. In our testing, the sound quality is very solid, offering a notably reduced emphasis in the highs and a little extra kick in the sub-bass region, with vocals remaining plenty clear, and it uses adaptive EQ to adjust sound automatically. Microphone quality is not great with the wrong device, but we found it works best with flagship Android or Apple devices, being most predictable with Apple. The active noise canceling is fantastic, completely blocking out hums and making music barely audible, performing very similarly to the Sony WH-1000XM6 and slightly out-edging the Bose QuietComfort Ultra in gross total attenuation. Our battery tests show the AirPods Max lasted just over 21 hours of continuous playback with ANC on, sipping battery well, though it lacks a physical power button and only enters a low-power mode when placed in its case.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 features a soft coating and vegan leatherette, with deep and wide ear pads that comfortably accommodate larger ears, and at 250g, we found it light enough to spare your noggin from extreme pressure. These headphones include popular features like Find My Device support via Android, Fast Pair, and an ear sensor that pauses music when the headphones are removed; the Sony Sound Connect app offers ANC optimization, 360 Reality Audio, and a custom equalizer. The headphones offer decent sound quality with strong bass and treble emphasis, but a somewhat recessed midrange, resulting in a consumer-friendly sound that may benefit from some equalization. Sporting an eight-microphone array and an AI noise rejection algorithm, the call quality is quite good and particularly excels at rejecting outside noise. The WH-1000XM5 represents a significant improvement in overall noise attenuation and ANC performance, being much better at isolating ears from noise and notably better in the low end compared to previous iterations and some competitors. Our standard battery test yielded 31 hours and 53 minutes with ANC on, slightly better than Sony’s advertised 30 hours, and disabling ANC increased it to 53 hours and 6 minutes.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones prioritize comfort with wide ear cups and soft padding that creates a good seal, weighing a mere 253g, though they lack an ingress protection rating, so we don’t advise working out or wearing them in rain or snow. Controls are straightforward with a multifunction button, a power button, and a touch-sensitive strip for volume; the Bose Music app allows for EQ adjustments, immersive audio settings, and firmware updates. The headphones do a pretty good job of recreating a sound that will satisfy all but those mixing music, with their CustomTune feature adjusting sound to meet individual ear anatomy, though they do beg for some tinkering if you’re not a bit of a bass-head. The microphone array works well in several simulated situations, capable of handling calls, but in-call results will vary depending on network or client compression. Bose is known for effective active noise canceling, and these headphones do a rock-solid job of dispelling outside noise, reducing the loudness of bus engines, train screeches, and airplane whines by about 87%. In our standardized test protocol, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones lasted for 27 hours and 37 minutes of continuous playback with ANC on.

The JLab JBuds Lux ANC are primarily constructed of matte-finished plastic with an aluminum skeleton in the band, featuring soft foam ear cups designed to accommodate real ear shapes, and they fold compactly for travel. On-headphone controls come in the form of rubberized buttons on the back of the right ear cup, and the JLab app offers a 10-band EQ, adjustable ANC modes, and a volume limiter, with customizable multifunction button options. The JLab JBuds Lux ANC sound pretty decent with a bass emphasis and plenty of high-end that appeals to someone listening for relatively short periods and those who have to deal with lots of environmental noise, though mids can sometimes take a backseat. As you can hear in our samples, the microphone does an excellent job fighting reverb, allowing your conversation mates to be heard clearly, though it’s not amazing against wind noise. Noise canceling is somewhat weak, offering between 10 and 20dB of noise cancelation under 700Hz, but the ear cups provide an outstanding job of passive isolation for high-frequency noise, physically blocking up to 46dB. In a valiant fight against our standardized battery test, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC held on for 44 hours and 22 minutes with ANC on.

The Heavys H1H headphones are large but we found them comfortable to wear, with a cushy headband and roomy ear cups that provide a quality seal, and they feature swappable earcup shells. These headphones use a unique 8-driver design, “Hellblocker Noise Cancelation (ANC),” a transparent mode, Bluetooth 5.1 with SBC, AAC, and aptX adaptive codecs, and a physical volume knob that doubles as a play/pause button. In our testing, the Heavys H1H offer excellent separation of all the instruments, with impressive low-end punch from the kick drum, crisp distorted guitars with good definition, and clear vocals, making them an ideal pair of cans to enjoy your favorite heavy tunes. The Heavys H1H includes a microphone, allowing for phone calls. The “Hellblocker Noise Cancelation (ANC)” works to keep outside noises at bay and helps in isolating the listener from environmental sounds, though activating ANC can cause a minor loss in bass response. The review content does not specify the battery life for the Heavys H1H.

The Sony WH-1000XM6 addresses past gripes with a less fragile hinge and an updated ANC mic cover, offering a wider band structure that is more accommodating to larger heads, though the relatively thin ear pads and a potentially protruding ANC mic might affect comfort for some users. These headphones are packed with features accessible via the Sony Sound Connect app, including a 10-band equalizer, EQ presets, advanced Bluetooth settings, and spatial audio through 360 Reality Audio. We found these to be measurably the best-sounding Sony WH-1000X-series headphones yet, offering a pleasing sound profile that does not underemphasize certain regions in the highs by default. The 6-mic beamforming array with AI-trained voice extraction does a fantastic job of handling outside noise like wind, ensuring your voice comes through clearly. The WH-1000XM6 are competent noise canceling headphones, comparable to top-end ANC headsets, excelling in isolation which allows the ANC system to shine in the sub-1kHz region, deleting outside noise quite well. After surviving our standardized battery test for 37 hours and 14 minutes with ANC on, the Sony WH-1000XM6 does an admirable job at powering through a week or intercontinental flight.

The Nothing Headphone (1) features a unique retro-futuristic design with square aluminum slabs and transparent plastic, feeling solid and premium while offering comfortable wear for hours due to secure clamping force and cozy memory foam ear cushions. It stands out with an IP52 water and dust resistance rating, a tactile control system with a rubbery roller for volume and a paddle for track skipping, and a feature-rich Nothing X app including an 8-band custom equalizer and spatial audio with head tracking. The default EQ preset reveals a dark sound signature that is good but not great out of the box, with good bass depth but weak midrange strength and consistent underemphasis in the treble, requiring EQ tweaking for a more natural listening experience. The four-microphone array with AI-powered Clear Voice Technology delivers solid microphone performance, producing clean, intelligible speech and effectively suppressing wind and droning background noises, though it struggles with echo and reverberation. It provides consistent noise cancellation, achieving 15-25dB of attenuation in the 20-200Hz range and 20-30dB in the midrange, effectively handling engine, traffic, and conversation noise, with very good passive isolation for higher frequencies. In our testing, the Nothing Headphone (1) lasted 42 hours and 53 minutes with ANC on, exceeding the manufacturer’s claim and outlasting several flagship competitors.

When we look at these headphones, we see a range of options catering to different priorities. For those deep in the Apple ecosystem, the Apple AirPods Max offers seamless integration and fantastic noise canceling, though they are quite heavy and less versatile outside of Apple devices. If top-tier noise canceling and versatility across devices are your main concerns, the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the newer Sony WH-1000XM6 are excellent choices, with the WH-1000XM6 offering even better sound and battery life. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are also a strong contender for noise canceling and comfort, especially if you’re an Android user looking for high-bitrate audio support with Snapdragon Sound. For those who want excellent value without breaking the bank, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC provides surprisingly good sound and long battery life at a very affordable price, making it a great budget-friendly option for commuters. The Nothing Headphone (1) stands out with its unique design, water resistance, and a feature-rich app, ideal for those who enjoy customizing their sound and want something visually different, even if the default sound needs some tweaking. Finally, for listeners who specifically crave a powerful sound profile tailored for heavy music, the Heavys H1H delivers excellent sound separation and low-end punch, though its battery life isn't specified in the review. Ultimately, if you prioritize cutting-edge noise canceling and sound performance with excellent battery life, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is a strong recommendation. However, if budget is your primary driver, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC offers incredible value. For iPhone users, the AirPods Max remains the most integrated option despite its higher price and weight.