The Verge sent some popular over-ear noise cancelling wireless headphones - Bose QC1 (the OG noise cancelling headphones from 2000) Bose NC700, Bose QC-45, Sony WH-1000XM5 & Apple AirPods Max - off to a laboratory to test their noise cancelling abilities. The full report is available in the article, but the best overall noise cancelling units were the Sony's, with the AirPods not far behind and the QC45 close to the AirPods. The AirPods did best for airplane type noise and "speech quality of audio playback with all the noise environments". So if you listen to a lot of podcasts and/or fly regularly, the AirPods Max are your best bet. I did not expect that.
If you liked this tiny snippet of content from The Sizzle - Australia's favourite daily email containing the latest tech news & bargains - then sign up for a 30-day free trial below. No credit card required! Learn more about The Sizzle at https://thesizzle.com.au