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The Best Headphones To Buy in 2026 🎧

2022-03-16 · Long video (solo, talking head or whiteboard) · Ali · recording, 14:25 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Tools, apps and tech · mode: Review and recommendation · tags: Sponsor segment present

Ali and his team test six noise-cancelling headphones for looks, comfort, noise cancelling and sound: he picks the light, comfortable Sony WH-1000XM4 for himself, calls the Anker Soundcore Q30 the budget pick and the AirPods Max the best-sounding but too heavy, and drops the Surface Headphones 2 and Bose QC 700.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Six noise-cancelling headphones, how they were tested, and the upfront verdict

  • ★★★ Of the six noise-cancelling headphones tested, Ali will buy the Sony WH-1000XM4; on a budget the Anker Soundcore Q30 is surprisingly reasonable, and the AirPods Max suit those who don't mind long-term comfort and will spend more. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ Ali tested six noise-cancelling headphones extensively himself and had a few team members test them too, rating each for aesthetics, fit and comfort, noise cancellation and sound quality for music. — 00:00:29
  • ★★ The Anker Soundcore Q30 noise-cancelling headphones retail for about $100. — 00:00:58

00:01:17 — Anker Soundcore Q30

  • ★★ In Ali's team test the Anker Soundcore Q30 got the lowest marks for looks, averaging 1.5 stars, and 3.5 stars for fit and comfort; Ali finds its design a little plasticky and flimsy. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ Testing them extensively in a fairly quiet room, Ali noticed little difference in noise cancelling between the six headphones, unlike their sound quality. — 00:01:56
  • ★★ Ali finds the Anker Soundcore Q30's sound pretty good but still cheap-feeling; his team's average rating for its sound was 3.75 stars. — 00:02:26
  • ★★ Ali calls the Anker Soundcore Q30's battery life incredible: 40 hours with noise cancelling and 60 hours without. (hedged) — 00:02:26
  • ★★★ For a student on a budget who wants noise-cancelling headphones to focus when working or in a coffee shop, Ali calls the Anker Soundcore Q30 by far the best value for money. — 00:02:26
  • ★★ The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 retail for around $270; one knob turns the volume and the other the noise cancellation. — 00:02:55

00:03:03 — Microsoft Surface Headphones 2

  • ★★ Ali says the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2's advertised switching between an iPhone and a MacBook for a phone call has never once worked as intended for him. — 00:03:24 · iPhone, MacBook
  • ★★ The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 have fairly low battery life, around 18 hours, so they need charging somewhat regularly for long work sessions. — 00:03:24
  • ★★ In Ali's team test the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 averaged 4 stars for looks (Ali gave 5), 4.3 for fit and comfort and 3.3 for sound quality, weaker than some alternatives. — 00:03:24
  • ★★ Ali used the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 for about six months in 2021 and liked them mostly for their look, without having compared them with other headphones. — 00:03:53
  • ★★★ Ali calls headphone review videos somewhat artificial: once you own a pair you get used to it as the new normal, and only a side-by-side comparison makes you quibble over sound. — 00:03:53
  • ★★★ After testing them side by side, Ali will stop using the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 and switch to the Sony WH-1000XM4, a little better on all fronts except looks. — 00:04:22
  • ★★ Ali thinks the Sony WH-1000XM4 are the perfect mix of comfort, sound quality, noise cancellation and battery life, even if they look slightly less nice than the Surface Headphones 2. — 00:04:52

00:04:57 — Sony WH-1000XM4

  • ★★★ The Sony WH-1000XM4 were the most comfortable headphones tested, by a reasonable margin; Ali puts it down to their lightness, since comfort over long wear correlates strongly with how light headphones are. — 00:05:21
  • ★★ Ali finds the AirPods Max amazing in sound quality and battery life but so heavy that after about an hour his head starts to hurt. — 00:05:21
  • ★★ The Sony WH-1000XM4 are advertised with 30 hours of battery life with noise cancellation and 38 hours without, which Ali calls really good. — 00:06:28
  • ★★ Ali gave the Sony WH-1000XM4 four stars for sound, his team two to three, for an overall 3.5 stars, which he thinks underestimates them. — 00:06:28
  • ★★ Ali notes that neither he nor anyone on his team is an audiophile, so their headphone sound ratings are subjective impressions rather than objective measures. — 00:06:57
  • ★★ Ali will keep the Sony WH-1000XM4 as his headphones for everyday carry; he has not decided between white, silver or blue. — 00:07:26
  • ★★ The Bose QC 700 retail for $350, a little more than the Sony WH-1000XM4. — 00:07:55
  • ★★ Ali thinks the Bose QC 700's main selling point is its look; for him they are not quite as comfortable or as good-sounding as the Sony WH-1000XM4. — 00:07:55

00:07:57 — Bose QC 700

  • ★★ Ali's team rated the Bose QC 700 poorly: 3 stars for noise cancellation, 3.1 for sound quality and 3.2 for looks. — 00:08:25
  • ★★ Ali has used the Bose QC 700 for six months, since his Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 were lost when his Tesla was broken into; he will give them to a friend and replace them with the Sony WH-1000XM4. — 00:08:25

00:08:52 — Apple AirPods Max

  • ★★ The Apple AirPods Max are really expensive, retailing for around $640 when converted from pounds. — 00:08:54
  • ★★★ Ali finds the AirPods Max's sound way better than every other pair tested, so good that the others sound bad next to them until you get used to them again. — 00:08:54
  • ★★ Ali calls the AirPods Max case totally pointless: Gordon and Angus in his studio never carry it, and neither did he when he used AirPods Max. — 00:08:54 · Angus
  • ★ Ali says the AirPods Max are really good for people with Apple devices, as they pair with iPhones and Macs really easily. — 00:09:52 · iPhone
  • ★★ Of the six headphones tested, only the AirPods Max lack a 3.5 mm headphone jack, so they cannot plug into an airplane's entertainment system; Ali calls this not a huge problem. — 00:10:15
  • ★★ The B&O Beoplay H95 are ridiculously expensive, at $940 or thereabouts. — 00:10:44

00:10:54 — B&O Beoplay H95

  • ★★ Ali rated the B&O Beoplay H95's sound three stars and preferred the Sony WH-1000XM4's sound, though the H95 cost about triple. — 00:11:34
  • ★★ With the B&O Beoplay H95, Ali says, you are really paying for the more premium leather feel. (hedged) — 00:11:34
  • ★★ Ali liked the B&O Beoplay H95's Nordic Ice colour so much that he would have bought them for the look if they were lighter, but they are too heavy to be comfortable, so he is not a fan. — 00:11:34
  • ★★ Ali's three main uses of noise-cancelling headphones in recent years: his Study With Me playlist on Spotify while working or doing deep work, music, podcasts and audiobooks on trains and planes, and editing videos wherever he goes. — 00:12:03 · Spotify, deep work (concept)

00:12:25 — What he uses noise-cancelling headphones for

00:12:58 — Sponsor read

00:14:00 — The three picks and sign-off

In the description and comments

  • ★ Ali Abdaal (channel): The channel says the team testing the headphones was not told which pair it was wearing, as the headphones were put on their heads from behind, so the Anker Soundcore Q30 was rated on merit. — creator comment
  • ★ Ali Abdaal (channel): To a viewer who objects that £80 is not ridiculously cheap, the channel replies that the Anker Soundcore Q30 is ridiculously cheap relative to higher-end noise-cancelling headphones. — creator comment

Threads in this video

  • shift · Which tech is worth buying? — After testing them side by side, Ali will stop using the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 and switch to the Sony WH-1000XM4, a little better on all fronts except looks. (00:04:22)
  • refine · Which tech is worth buying? — For a student on a budget who wants noise-cancelling headphones to focus when working or in a coffee shop, Ali calls the Anker Soundcore Q30 by far the best value for money. (00:02:26)
  • restate · How do you improve your focus? — Ali's three main uses of noise-cancelling headphones in recent years: his Study With Me playlist on Spotify while working or doing deep work, music, podcasts and audiobooks on trains and planes, and editing videos wherever he goes. (00:12:03)
  • mentioned · A lot of Ali's belongings are stolen from his Tesla (2021) — Ali has used the Bose QC 700 for six months, since his Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 were lost when his Tesla was broken into; he will give them to a friend and replace them with the Sony WH-1000XM4. (00:08:25)
  • restate · Should you listen to music while studying? — Ali's three main uses of noise-cancelling headphones in recent years: his Study With Me playlist on Spotify while working or doing deep work, music, podcasts and audiobooks on trains and planes, and editing videos wherever he goes. (00:12:03)
  • refine · How do you decide whether a purchase is worth it? — Ali calls headphone review videos somewhat artificial: once you own a pair you get used to it as the new normal, and only a side-by-side comparison makes you quibble over sound. (00:03:53)

Mentioned

Central: AirPods Max · Anker Soundcore Life Q30 · B&O Beoplay H95 · Bose QC 700 · Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 · Sony WH-1000XM4

Also: Angus · deep work (concept) · Gordon · Spotify

Also centred on Microsoft Surface Headphones 2: What's in my Bag - My Everyday Carry

Replies to

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