Optus Mobile Review ALDI Mobile Review Amaysim Mobile Review Belong Mobile Review Circles.Life Review Vodafone Mobile Review Woolworths Mobile Review Felix Mobile Review Best iPhone Plans Best Family Mobile Plans Best Budget Smartphones Best Prepaid Plans Best SIM-Only Plans Best Plans For Kids And Teens Best Cheap Mobile Plans Telstra vs Optus Mobile Optus NBN Review Belong NBN Review Vodafone NBN Review Superloop NBN Review Aussie BB NBN Review iiNet NBN Review MyRepublic NBN Review TPG NBN Review Best NBN Satellite Plans Best NBN Alternatives Best NBN Providers Best Home Wireless Plans What is a Good NBN Speed? Test NBN Speed How to speed up your internet Optus vs Telstra Broadband ExpressVPN Review CyberGhost VPN Review NordVPN Review PureVPN Review Norton Secure VPN Review IPVanish VPN Review Windscribe VPN Review Hotspot Shield VPN Review Best cheap VPN services Best VPN for streaming Best VPNs for gaming What is a VPN? VPNs for ad-blocking More competition means better products, but it can also make picking out a pair of headphones feel more overwhelming. To help, we’ve selected our favourite over-ear headphones from the models we’ve tested over the last few years.  In this guide we’re specifically looking at over-ear headphones. If you’re after wireless earbuds, read our best of here.  To start, they’re between $100 and $200 cheaper than the XM5s (depending on where you look), which represents a pretty significant saving. The XM4s also have a more compact, collapsible design that makes them more suitable for travel.  The newer XM5s definitely offer improvements in sound quality and noise cancellation, but for most, we’d say it makes more sense to go for the cheaper WF-1000XM4s.  Not everyone will appreciate the audio prowess on offer, but the complete lack of distortion at high volumes, the throbbing-yet-balanced bass, and the spacious sound stage put the AirPods Max closer to audiophile territory.  The AirPods Max offer subtle improvements when compared to other high-end consumer headphones, but they’re hard to beat if you’re looking for exceptional sound.   Note that if you can’t find the HD 458BTs around, the HD 450BT and HD 450SE are effectively the same, other than some slight aesthetic differences. Namely, the 458BTs have red racing stripes, while the other models are just black.  The HD 450SEs also benefit from Alexa support, which is missing on the standard models. We’ve linked out to the HD 450SEs as they’re the cheapest option right. 

Sound: Do they sound good? Audio quality is pretty important for headphones, after all. Comfort & Design: Are they comfortable to wear over extended periods of time? Features: How long does the battery last? Is the connectivity reliable? Is the noise-cancelling good? Vibe: What’s the overall experience? Value: Are they good for the money?

While audio products can be quite subjective for many reasons, we have standardised testing procedures across the team designed to help us look at the category in a consistent way. You can read more about how we review over-ear headphones here.

How long do you want the battery to last? Where are you going to wear these headphones? Are they for home, the office, commuting, or travel?  Are you going to be taking hands-free calls with these earbuds? How important is noise-cancelling to you? Are you hoping to be listening to high resolution audio using these headphones? Do you care about having headphones that neatly integrate with the operating system of your connected device? How portable do you want your headphones to be? How much money feels like too much money to spend on a set of earbuds?

Everyone’s needs are different, but getting a sense of the features you care about most helps when it comes to picking the right pair of headphones. 

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