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Amazon is selling $140 noise-canceling headphones for $30, and shoppers say they deliver 'clear, punchy sound'
Amazon is selling $140 noise-canceling headphones for $30, and shoppers say they deliver 'clear, punchy sound'

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Amazon is selling $140 noise-canceling headphones for $30, and shoppers say they deliver 'clear, punchy sound'

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission. Amazon is selling $140 noise-canceling headphones for $30, and shoppers say they deliver 'clear, punchy sound' originally appeared on TheStreet. The outside world can get incredibly noisy. The best way to drown out annoying sounds is by filling your ears with "the good stuff." You know, your favorite tunes, podcasts, and audiobooks. The $140 Tagry Noise-Canceling Headphones are on sale at Amazon for $30, and they're an excellent way to block out a loud world. Shoppers love them, calling them "stylish and comfortable." Great headphones are usually feature-packed, and these are no exception. They provide true active noise canceling, so once you put them on, you won't be able to hear all the annoying ruckus a casual stroll, a bus ride, an airport, or even an office can make. These headphones provide punchy bass to make whatever you listen to sound better than ever before. And despite being able to make everything from podcasts to soundtracks sound better, these headphones have a battery life that smokes the competition. On a full charge, they can run for up to 100 hours, making this a perfect pair for anyone who forgets to charge their devices. A mere five minutes of charging provides you with a whopping 10 hours of playtime. Aside from impressive sound and dependable battery life, these headphones are also lightweight and comfortable, so you can wear them for hours and forget you even have them on. They connect to any Bluetooth-enabled device wirelessly, or you can connect via a 3.5 mm audio jack. This pair is also foldable for easy storage and even comes with a convenient carrying case for traveling and daily commutes."When it comes to sound quality, these headphones definitely deliver," one shopper said. "The bass is punchy and adds a lot of energy to the music. I've used them to listen to everything from podcasts to high-energy workout playlists, and they handle it all well. Even though they're lightweight and compact, the audio quality is impressive. Whether I'm listening to soft acoustic tracks or louder, bass-heavy music, these headphones perform great." The Tagry Noise-Canceling Headphones retail for $140, but you can shop them at Amazon for only $30 right now. That's an unbeatable price for such a high-quality pair of headphones that can help you drown out cumbersome noise. Amazon is selling $140 noise-canceling headphones for $30, and shoppers say they deliver 'clear, punchy sound' first appeared on TheStreet on Jun 30, 2025 This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.

Nothing Headphone (1) Review: An Eye-Catching Design Backed by Strong Performance
Nothing Headphone (1) Review: An Eye-Catching Design Backed by Strong Performance

CNET

timea day ago

  • CNET

Nothing Headphone (1) Review: An Eye-Catching Design Backed by Strong Performance

CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 8.2 / 10 SCORE Nothing Headphones (1) $299 at Pros Sturdy, eye-catching design with translucent elements Clean, clear sound with well-defined bass that's enjoyable to listen to Strong noise-canceling and voice-calling performance Excellent controls that are intuitive to use USB-C audio Nice carrying case Cons Headphones are heavy and not quite as comfortable as some competing models They fold flat but don't fold up Sound quality is good but not a wow The ear pads are not easily removable and it's unclear whether they're replaceable Nothing Headphones (1) 8.2/10 CNET Score $299 at For the last few years Nothing has been making true-wireless earbuds with eye-catching designs for Android and Apple devices. Now it's released its first over-ear noise canceling model, the Headphone (1), in collaboration with KEF, the well-regarded British audio company that's known more for its speakers than its headphones. This is a premium model -- it retails for $299 -- and Nothing touted it in a teaser video as a cheaper, better alternative to the Apple AirPods Max. The question is, does it live up to that sort of hype? The answer isn't necessarily a resounding yes, but there's a case to be made that it's a better value than the AirPods Max. Read more: Best noise-canceling headphones of 2025 Nothing Headphone (1) design: Retro vibes Enlarge Image The Nothing Headphone (1) comes in white or black. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Nothing was founded in London in 2020 by Carl Pei, the former co-founder of OnePlus. The translucent theme has been part of the company's design ethos from the get-go, incorporated into its Android smartphones and earbuds. So everybody expected that Nothing's over-ear headphones would have some form of see-through ear cup. I was expecting more of a round or oval design, in line with its earbuds. But Nothing went with more of a square shape -- or squircle as the corners are rounded off. And while there have been plenty of headphones with square ear cups in the past, this model has a unique retro look with cassette tape vibes. Now Playing: Nothing Headphone (1) Unboxing 00:41 I was impressed with the build quality. The ear cups combine aluminum with high-tech plastic elements and the ear cushions are oil-resistant and have comfortable memory foam inside conforms to your head and passively seals out ambient sound. The headphones fold flat but not up and come with a nice carrying case. They do seem sturdy. However, they're a tad on the heavy side, weighing 329 grams. That's lighter than the 385-gram AirPods Max but both the 254-gram Bose QuietComfort Ultra and 254-gram Sony WH-1000XM6 weigh noticeably less and I found both those models a little more to wear over longer listening sessions. Enlarge Image The ear cups are oil-resistant and conform to your head to create a good seal. They're removable but it's unclear whether Nothing will offer replacement ear pads. Andrew Lanxon/CNET That said, the Nothing headphones' shape and design mean they don't look as big on your head like the Sony's do. I like how the controls have been implemented (expect for the fact that the Bluetooth button, located on the inside of the ear piece, is hidden). They're physical control buttons and among the best I've used on a pair of headphones that I've tested to date. Along with an actual on-off switch, there's a smooth-operating roller button for raising and lowering volume and toggling through noise-canceling settings. A paddle button allows you to skip tracks forward and back. And a button that Nothing simply calls "the Button" activates your voice assistant. It can also be programmed as a shortcut to other features such as Nothing's Channel Hop feature, which allows you to toggle between recent audio apps. Before I get to sound quality and noise-canceling performance, I'll quickly talk about the headphone's feature set. You get pretty much what you'd expect from a set of premium headphones these days, but it doesn't come with extras like a conversation awareness mode. Enlarge Image The headphone's controls are nicely designed. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Nothing Headphone (1) feature set: Solid but not spectacular There are ear-detection sensors -- you must activate them in the Nothing X companion app -- that pause your music when you take the headphones off your head and resume playback when you put them back on, a spatial audio mode with head-tracking, a low-latency mode for gaming and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. These headphones use Bluetooth 5.3. Additionally, there's a find my feature that allows you to play a sound through the headphones should you leave them under an object or they manage to hide themselves in other ways. And finally you get preset EQ settings in the app, plus an eight-band equalizer to fine tune things to your liking. Impressive noise cancellation and call quality The noise cancellation was better than I expected. From my tests in the streets of New York, the headphones have impressive noise muffling capabilities. There are four ANC modes -- low, medium, high and adaptive. The noise canceling isn't quite up to the level of what you get with Sony's WH-1000XM6 headphones, but at least it's a contest. The transparency mode is also good -- it's natural sounding. Another area where the headphones exceeded my expectations was voice-calling performance. The headphone has six microphones, four of which are used for voice voice calls. Callers said they could hear me clearly with minimal background noise in noisy streets of New York. Voices of people talking in the background occasionally leaked through but callers said they heard almost no traffic noise. Enlarge Image Retro vibes. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Enjoyable, clean sound From a tech standpoint, these headphones have 40mm drivers with a nickel-plated diaphragm, including rim and dome. Nothing says that adds rigidity to enhance clarity in the highs and power in the bass. That's all true, and the headphones are clean sounding, with almost no distortion, even at high volumes. Fairly open for closed back headphones, they offer nicely balanced sound and consistent, well-defined bass. They're enjoyable headphones to listen to. If I were to get nitpicky, I'd say they're just a touch clinical sounding, even after I played around with the EQ settings in the app. By that I mean they don't offer the more pure, intimate sound of some of the best-sounding headphones that offer a little more depth and refinement and make you want to go back and listen to all your favorite tracks to see how they sound. I should note that I listened to the headphones with both an iPhone 16 Pro using the AAC audio codec and the Google Pixel 9 using the AAC and LDAC audio codecs. A headphone cable is provided for wired listening and there's also USB-C audio for a digital wired connection. You do get a touch more clarity going wired, but it's not a night and day difference. Enlarge Image The headphones do feature USB-C audio and also come with 3.5mm cable for wired listening. Andrew Lanxon/CNET Healthy battery life Battery life is typical for today's over-ear noise-canceling headphones, which is to say quite good. You get up to 35 hours of listening time at moderate volume levels with noise-canceling on and up to 80 hours with it off. Using the LDAC audio codec does impact battery life, dropping you down to 30 hours instead of 35 with ANC on. A 5-minute charge gets you 2.4 hours of battery life with ANC on. How do they stack up to the competition? As for competing models, I'm still slightly more partial to the Sony WH-1000XM6 for comfort and they have the slight performance edge for noise canceling, sound quality and voice-calling. But they do cost $150 more. As I said in the intro, I do think that Nothing has a case to make that these headphones are a better value than the AirPods Max. Like the AirPods Max, they have a unique look that makes them instantly recognizable (whether you like the look of either headphone is a matter of taste, of course). Enlarge Image Side by side with Apple's AirPods Max. Andrew Lanxon/CNET While I'm slightly more partial to the sound of the AirPods Max and like their overall performance and feature set for iPhone users, they're almost 5 years old if you don't count the USB-C refresh from last year, which wasn't a major update. They're selling for $480 on Amazon right now, so they cost even more than the Sonys. A more apt comparison from both a price and design standpoint would be to Skullcandy's new Aviator 900 ANC headphones, which also cost $300 and have a translucent theme. The Aviator 900 ANC kind of surprised me because Skullcandy is more known for its Crusher headphones that deliver bone-rattling bass but not so-called premium sounding headphones. However, the Aviator 900, developed in partnership with THX, delivers surprisingly impessive sound -- not so much out of the box, but after you make some tweaks to the EQ in the app and turn on the THX spatial audio, the sound improves dramatically and is arguably more exciting than the Nothing Headphone's sound and more fun to listen to. The Skullcandy Aviator 900 ANC also cost $300. David Carnoy/CNET The Aviator 900 is also lighter (289 grams grams) and more comfortable to wear. Plus, it not only folds flat but folds up (into a soft carrying case that I like) and also has some nifty physical control buttons. It, too features good noise canceling and voice-calling performance, though the Nothing (1) headphones may have a slight edge in those departments. Even so, I slightly preferred Skullcandy headphones for their sound and fit. Nothing Headphone (1) final thoughts All things considered, the Nothing Headphone (1) ended up being more impressive than I thought it would be. Nothing has always been a good marketing company that usually does a bang-up job hyping its products up. Its first earbuds were a little more style over substance (the performance has improved with more recent models), but this headphone's sturdy, eye-catching design is backed by strong performance. While I have some quibbles with the headphone being a little heavy and I slightly prefer the sound quality of some competing models, the Nothing Headphone is one of the best new headphones of 2025. It will be interesting to see if its price can come down a bit to make it an even more compelling premium noise-canceling headphone option.

The 4 best noise-canceling earbuds, according to years of editor testing
The 4 best noise-canceling earbuds, according to years of editor testing

CNN

time22-06-2025

  • CNN

The 4 best noise-canceling earbuds, according to years of editor testing

The best noise-canceling earbuds we tested Best noise-canceling earbuds overall: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Best noise-canceling earbuds for Apple users: Apple AirPods Pro 2 Best budget noise-canceling earbuds: EarFun Air Pro 4 Best noise-canceling earbuds for working out: Beats Fit Pro Thanks to the best noise canceling earbuds, you no longer have to wear a bulky set of cans to quiet down the chaos around you. The latest wireless earbuds from top brands like Bose, Apple and Sony boast some incredibly strong levels of ANC, to the point where you can confidently walk through a crowded city street with them on and not end up with a complete headache. Of course, not all noise cancelling earbuds are created equally, which is where we come in. We've spent years testing the most popular ANC buds on the market, braving packed subway trains, snoring housemates and airplanes filled with crying babies to see which ones can actually drown out the noise and bring you some relaxation and focus. After near-endless hours of listening, here are our four favorites — all of which make great alternatives to over-ear noise-canceling headphones. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Earbuds The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer the best and most customizable noise cancelation of any buds we've tested, complete with Immersive Audio for 360-degree our review Apple AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C The AirPods Pro 2 offer superb ANC and a smart Adaptive Audio mode that can adjust to your surroundings, all while delivering great audio quality and seamless connectivity with your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Read our review EarFun Air Pro 4 The EarFun Air Pro 4's excellent noise cancellation belies its budget price, as do its great sound quality and plethora of useful features. Use our exclusive code EPRO4CNN to save extra at our review Beats Fit Pro The Beats Fit Pro get you AirPods Pro-quality noise cancellation within an extra-snug design that's tailor-made for working out. Bose has long held the top spot in our best noise cancelling earbuds category, and now that the QuietComfort Ultra are here, we don't see that changing anytime soon. The company's class-leading ANC isn't just blissfully suppressive — it's also more adaptive and customizable than almost all of the competition. The buds' handy ActiveSense feature can automatically adjust ANC levels based on your surroundings, while CustomTune analyses your ears to deliver the most optimal noise cancellation possible. You can also toggle between up to 10 sound profiles via the Bose app, and assign a custom ANC level (1 to 10) to each one. Bose knows noise cancellation isn't one size fits all, and we love the array of options on here. Once we got our settings right, we enjoyed a delightful amount of quiet whether we were on noisy flights, crowded trains, busy parks or chatty rooftop bars. Heck, even a crying baby couldn't break our tester's focus. And once it was time to switch to Aware mode to return to the real world, we could easily carry on conversations without taking the buds out. The QuietComfort Ultra's top-of-the-pack ANC helps accentuate its big new feature: Immersive Audio. Similar to Apple's Spatial Audio, this feature allowed us to enjoy our favorite songs in immersive 360 degrees — something that especially stood out when listening to live recordings. And unlike some other spatial audio options, Immersive Audio can convert just about any stereo content into three-dimensional sound. The fact that this superb ANC and audio is packed into a luxurious-looking (and water-resistant!) design complete with Google Fast Pair support for Android users and a healthy amount of customization options only rounds out the package more. The Ultra's battery life (6 hours with ANC on, 4 hours with it off) won't blow you away, but it's still better than the AirPods Pro 2's ANC runtime of about 5 hours. The earbuds don't support wireless charging out of the box; you'll need to get a separate $49 wireless charging cover, which we don't love. But if you're willing to invest in the best and most versatile active noise cancellation you can get from a pair of earbuds, Bose's are the ones to get. If you're one of the few folks that use an iPhone and aren't rocking a pair of AirPods Pro, the latest model's excellent ANC is one of many reasons to jump on the bandwagon. As someone who used the original AirPods Pro extensively, the increase in noise cancellation quality was immediately evident — annoying construction sounds that once broke through were now reduced to a mercifully manageable hum. Apple claims that these buds have up to twice as much ANC power as the original model, and I'd say they're not very far off. But while the AirPods Pro 2's noise cancellation impressed me off the bat, it's the way they've evolved over time that have kept them in my daily rotation. A recent software update introduced Adaptive Audio mode, which delivers a blend of ANC and Transparency based on your surroundings. It's been my go-to on dog walks, where I want to hear nearby cars and pedestrians but don't want my ears blown out by the sound of a high-rise being built. There's also Conversation Awareness, which automatically lowers your playback volume once your AirPods Pro detect that you're talking. With these features combined, you can let your earbuds adapt to what you're up to instead of constantly fidgeting with controls. When you're not trying to drown out the outside world, Transparency mode works as well as ever for amplifying your surroundings and making it feel like you're not wearing earbuds at all. And thanks to the new extra-small ear tip option on this latest model, more people than ever can enjoy that tight seal you need for good noise cancellation. The AirPods Pro 2's great ANC make it easy to get lost in the buds' superb sound quality and spatial audio capabilities, the latter of which make some of my favorite albums sound extra-immersive; almost like I'm hearing them live. And then you have all of the usual Apple perks like effortless pairing to your iPhone, iPad and Mac and hands-free Siri controls. Heck, you can even use these buds to take a hearing test. If you live in the Apple world and want a good balance of great ANC and hassle-free compatibility with all your gadgets, it doesn't get better than the AirPods Pro 2. It certainly doesn't hurt that these premium buds are almost always on sale these days. It's kind of shocking that the EarFun Air Pro 4 cost as little as they do. The company behind many of our favorite budget earbuds have managed to deliver AirPods Pro-like performance and specs, but for a fraction of the price — all while offering a few neat perks you won't find on more expensive competitors. The Air Pro 4's noise cancellation is strikingly good for a pair of sub-$100 buds, consistently and significantly dampening everyday annoyances like loud appliances and chatty public spaces. In fact, our tester found EarFun's ANC superior to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 and Google Pixel Buds Pro, both of which cost a whole lot more. Fortunately, ANC isn't the only area where the Air Pro 4 punch above their weight class. These buds are some of the best-sounding out there regardless of price, with our tester going as far to say that they sound even better than the AirPods Pro 2. It certainly helps that you can create your own sound profiles in the EarFun app for iOS and Android, as well as take advantage of high-resolution audio formats on compatible Android phones. Long battery life (7.5 hours with ANC on; 11 without) just sweetens the deal further. You do make a few sacrifices at this low price, namely finicky touch controls (a common problem with EarFun's buds) and subpar call quality. But if you want a reliable pair of ANC earbuds for roughly a fifth of what most premium competitors cost, the EarFun Air Pro 4 are the best of their kind. What if you need to drown out those extra-loud grunters at the gym? Meet the Beats Fit Pro. They're our favorite workout headphones and one of our picks for the best wireless earbuds overall, thanks in no small part to the reliable active noise cancellation that complements their exercise-friendly fit and robust feature set. The Fit Pro's active noise cancellation is on par with that of the original AirPods Pro, and was more than reliable for quieting loud subway cars and traffic-filled streets. Transparency mode was likewise reliable, which is something that's extra important for a pair of buds you might take out on a run. Sure, you might get more engrossing ANC from some other options on this list, but they don't come with the same unique fit that's tailor-made for athletes. Beats' earbuds sport a unique wing tip design, which forms a snug yet comfortable seal thanks to some added upper ear support. They've stayed securely fastened throughout years of heavy use, including no shortage of very sweaty basketball sessions. Gym-ready fit aside, the Beats Fit Pro are practically one-to-one with the AirPods Pro when it comes to sound quality and features while also sporting their own exclusive perks. They'll pair to your Apple gadgets as easily as AirPods do and have the same handy Siri controls, but also work great with Android via the Beats app. And unlike AirPods, the Fit Pro come in a ton of attractive color options, which is great for expressing yourself when you're out on the track or working on those gains. You'll also get a decent six hours of ANC battery life from these, which beats the AirPods Pro 2 by about an hour. The newer Powerbeats Pro 2 offer similarly great (if not slightly better) active noise cancellation, but I prefer the Fit Pro's less obtrusive design compared to the clip-on Powerbeats. The Fit Pro are also easy to score on sale nowadays, making their always-great value that much better. Performance Active noise cancellation: Active noise cancellation is always a major factor in our earbud ratings, and naturally, it held extra weight for this specific list. We evaluated each set of earbuds' ANC quality by simply using them out in the real world, taking note of how suppressive they were for noisy environments like subway cars, crowded streets and (when possible) flights. For a more objective side-by-side comparison, we also played airport sounds from a computer and took note of how well each pair of buds were able to silence the noise. Sound quality: Great ANC isn't very useful if it's highlighting bad sound, which is why overall audio quality played a major role in our evaluations. We took note of how well each pair held up with our usual playlists, making sure to get a healthy mix of rock, pop and hip-hop music in the mix. Bonus points for any earbuds that offer perks like spatial or high-resolution audio. Design Comfort and fit: You can't get quality noise cancellation without a nice snug fit, which is why comfort and snugness are a major factor in our evaluations. We note not only how comfortable and secure each pair of buds are out of the box, but also how many ear tip options are available for finding the right fit. Aesthetics: Your earbuds should look good. While style isn't everything, we generally favored options that we'd actually want to be seen in public wearing. Having multiple color options is always a nice bonus. Controls: We tested every available on-ear control for each pair, noting not only how well the controls work but also how many options there are for customizing what they do. Features and compatibility Companion app: Earbuds with a good companion app have a major advantage here, especially if you want to easily toggle and customize your ANC. We also tested each set of earbuds' special features to see how useful they are — and how they stack up to what competitors offer. Compatibility: Whenever possible, we paired each set of buds to both an iPhone and Android phone, noting how easy the process was on both platforms and if any features were missing on either of them. Think about how much ANC you need If you're reading this, you obviously want a pair of earbuds that can silence noise. But good ANC comes in many forms. If you want the most suppressive noise cancellation out there — not to mention the ability to finely adjust said noise cancellation — then go ahead and get the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. But if you're mainly going to use these at the gym, you might be willing to trade best-in-class ANC for still very good ANC and a more workout-friendly design. Think about where you'll be using your earbuds, and what kinds of noise you're looking to drown out. Sealed versus open Most noise-cancelling earbuds have soft silicone tips that form a tight seal in your ear, like the AirPods Pro. But what if you hate things that go deep in your ear? While you may have been out of luck in the past, newer options like Apple's AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and the Galaxy Buds 3 manage to deliver very serviceable ANC within a more breathable design that's akin to the old-school AirPods. Consider your budget Budget is always a factor when buying any pair of earbuds or headphones, and fortunately, you don't have to sacrifice ANC just because you're looking to spend less than $100. While cheap noise cancelling headphones used to be rare (or just not very good), models like our top pick in the EarFun Air Pro 4 offer some very reliable noise suppression for $50 to $60. That said, paying up generally gets you even better ANC, sound and build quality. Compatibility matters The best pair of earbuds is often the one that works the best with all of your gadgets, and that remains the case with ANC earbuds. Sure, the AirPods Pro will technically work with an Android phone (and let you switch sound modes via on-ear controls), but you'll be missing out on most of their key features. Certain buds from brands like Sony and EarFun support high-resolution codecs for even better audio, but you'll need a compatible Android phone for those. If you use a mix of Apple and Android devices, we find that Beats' headphones are the most platform-agnostic of the bunch. Sony WF-1000XM5 Sony's latest flagship headphones offer a plethora of premium features alongside up to 24 hours of battery life. Read our review The Sony WF-1000XM5 are our favorite overall true wireless earbuds, and are really dang good at noise cancellation. They beat Bose by a few hours on battery life and have slightly better sound quality, and while they're similarly expensive, they also go on sale often. You really can't go wrong with either pair of buds if you want something best-in-class, but in terms of sheer ANC quality and customization, the QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra manage to squeeze ahead. It doesn't hurt that we find Bose's Immersive Audio a little easier to use than Sony's 360 Reality Audio. Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 The sequel to some of the most popular earbuds ever introduce a sleeker design and heart rate monitoring. Read our review A great alternative to our top workout pick, Beats' Powerbeats Pro 2 improve on the company's wildly popular clip-on earbuds with a slimmer design, better audio quality and, most notably, active noise cancellation. They even have the unique ability to monitor your heart rate, which is great for getting some extra workout insights without having to wear a fitness tracker. We wish the ANC was a little stronger and prefer the Beats Fit Pro's less obtrusive design, but these are still an excellent choice who want the added security afforded by their ear clip design. Apple AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation The standard AirPods get active noise cancellation for the first time with this model, which also tout great sound quality and wireless charging. Read our review The ANC version of 2024's AirPods 4 offer shockingly good noise suppression for a pair of open-style earbuds that don't lodge deep into your ear like many of the other options on this list. In fact, they're not that far off from what you get from the AirPods Pro 2, and have a cheaper retail price to boot. We still prefer the AirPods Pro's overall fit and quality, but these are a very good alternative if you want something more breathable. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II The second-generation QuietComfort Earbuds feature deeply adaptive and customizable ANC and three sets of swappable ear tips and stability bands for finding a good fit. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are only a year older than our top pick in the Ultra, and they're still a good buy if you want Bose quality on a tighter budget. Their excellent active noise cancellation is pretty much on par with what you get from the Ultra, complete with great sound quality, tons of features and dependable battery life. If you're an audio enthusiast that wants access to perks like 360-degree Immersive Audio and high-quality lossless support (not to mention a slightly nicer look), you may want to spring for the Ultra. For everyone else, the basic QC buds still hold up well today. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Samsung's latest premium earbuds take on a decidedly different design while offering customizable ANC and some exclusive perks for Galaxy phone owners. Read our review Samsung's latest flagship earbuds take an interesting new direction, ditching the smaller, more discreet designs of old in favor of something that just looks like AirPods. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro offer dependable noise cancellation for Android users, though we didn't find its Adaptive mode (which is meant to adjust between ANC and ambient passthrough on the fly) to be very reliable. Samsung also deserves props for managing to squeeze some noise cancellation into the cheaper, open-style Galaxy Buds 3. However, the buds' unreliable controls, throwaway AI features and polarizing design mean that all but the most hardcore Samsung enthusiasts can look elsewhere. What is the difference between noise reduction and noise-canceling? What is the difference between noise reduction and noise-canceling? Earbuds with active noise cancellation use built-in microphones to actively counteract any ambient noise reaching your ears, whereas earbuds with basic noise reduction (sometimes known as passive noise cancellation) simply reduce outside noise due the physical seal they form in or around your ear. Why can I still hear things with noise cancellation on? Why can I still hear things with noise cancellation on? Even the best noise-canceling earbuds and headphones don't quite block 100% of the noise around you; there's only so much sound that your ANC earbuds can detect and and drown out. That said, there are a few things you can do to make sure you're getting the best noise suppression possible. For starters, you'll enjoy much better ANC if your earbuds are forming a tight, secure seal within your ears, so make sure to try out the different ear tip options that come with your buds in order to achieve that fit. Secondly, you'll want to check out your earbuds' settings via their respective companion app; Some of them (like Bose's) offer multiple levels of noise cancellation, while others (like Apple's) offer modes that switch between ANC and Transparency on the fly. If you're using an adaptive mode like that, you may not be getting the maximum noise cancellation that your earbuds can provide. Are noise-canceling earbuds as good as earplugs? Are noise-canceling earbuds as good as earplugs? Noise canceling earbuds and earplugs are two very different types of products. A good pair of ANC buds will generally block more noise than a set of earplugs, because they're using microphones to analyze and counteract the sound around you. Meanwhile, earplugs rely on the natural noise reduction that simply comes with having a snug piece of foam or silicone in your ear. Earplugs are also usually much cheaper. The downside to noise-canceling earbuds is that if they run out of battery, so does their active noise cancellation; earplugs are generally analog products that you can wear all day. In short, pick up noise-canceling earbuds if you want to listen to music while also drowning out noise. If you want to simply lower the volume a bit when you're at a live event or traveling, go with earplugs. CNN Underscored has a team of writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been covering reviewing headphones and earbuds for more than a decade, is rarely seen without something in or on his ears. Right now his desk is alone is littered with far more wireless earbuds than any one person should have.

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