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Full-size around-ear or over-ear headphones aren’t everyone’s thing, even though they tend to deliver the best sound. Not everyone wants to walk around wearing bulky headphones with giant, squishy ear pads. On-ear models with smaller earcups are more compact, travel-friendly and tend to cost less. These headphones have evolved to offer more models with active noise cancellation, noise isolation, a headphone amp and other advanced features that were once only found in larger over-ear models.
Here’s a look at our current top picks for the best on-ear headphones based on key factors such as how effective they are at noise cancellation and how good they sound. They’re all wireless headphone models except the Grado Prestige Series SR80e and Beats EP wired headphones. There isn’t a single earbud on this list, so if that’s something you’re looking for, check out our wireless earbud list to have music piped directly into your ear canal.
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