The best noise-cancellation headphones to block out your chatty boss

Whether you’re on a flight or at your office desk, everything, everywhere tends to be loud these days. The gentleman sitting in the aisle seat watching his WhatsApp forwards at full volume, the sales team girl clacking away at her keyboard with the passion of Mozart, or that annoying colleague who loves sending and receiving voice notes for the world to hear—all of it gets in the way when you want to get stuff done.  
 
It’s why active noise cancellation on headphones is becoming a mainstay feature for most audio brands to consider. We’re no longer arguing about wireless versus wired (the answer is clear: wireless is convenient), but we stay divided on picking between bulky over-ear and sleek in-ear ones.  
 
A full-sized over-ear wireless headphone set—like my trusty Sony WH-1000XM5—not only offers better performance than other wireless sets, it’s also more effective in cancelling the pandemonium outside. In fact, the Sony WH-1000XM5 comfortably wraps around your ears while delivering the sound-engineered magic of active noise cancellation on the go, and offers hands-free access to our virtual allies such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. That it’s not fugly is a bonus.  
 
Playlist or podcast, it’s easy to get lost in its sound. But what’s brilliant is that you don’t have to take it off if you need to be part of a conversation—just place your hand on the right ear cup to reduce the volume and turn on hear-through.  
 
Agreed, this model is big in size, but its muted design doesn’t stand out in an office cubicle. And for frequent flyers, its outsized form and cushy ear cups are less of a bother when you’re sitting down for a few hours, and the loud hum of the aircraft gets cut out so effectively.  
 
It’s worth pointing out that the Sony WH-1000XM5 isn’t new—it’s been around for two years now. Some might even suggest that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is newer and better, but I’ll throw my weight behind Sony’s proven results in noise cancellation, sound quality, battery life, and technical superiority, and suggest that the WH-1000XM5 is the better pick between the two old competitors. (And at ₹29,900, it’s ₹6,000 less than its closest adversary). 
 
While True wireless earphones appeal to many because of their compact size that fits in a pocket, Sony isn’t looking at making any changes to its form. The upside of this size is that can run for more than 30 hours per charge, which means that you won’t have to fret too much about the battery running out at an inconvenient time. So reserve some space in your backpack or fling it around your neck, and rest assured your workday will be quieter than any before.