The Best Travel Headphones for Every Kind of Listening Journey

Are earbuds or over-ear headphones better?

Generally this comes down to personal preference. For travel, over-ear headphones are often the more comfortable option, but they take up more space in your bag. Earbuds are compact and easy to use, but many people don’t like having something inside their ear canal for hours on end. If both of those options sound like they have drawbacks that would impact you, it’s also worth looking into open-ear headphones. In terms of form factor, these have the best of both worlds, but audio quality often suffers as a result.

Does noise canceling drain the headphones’ battery?

Yes. Across the board, turning on ANC will ensure that your headphone battery drains faster. On average, headphones will consume 25 percent to 35 percent more battery when turned to noise-canceling mode. This can cut short your total battery life by hours. For the best battery life possible with ANC turned on, go with the Dyson OnTrac.

Does noise canceling impact sound quality?

Oftentimes, yes. Especially on lower-end and budget ANC headphones, turning on noise-canceling can flatten the sound. ANC works differently depending on the tech, and some work better than others. This can subtly impact timing and rhythm to make songs sound imperceptibly off. In higher-end headphones like the Sonos Ace, the impact is much less perceptible.