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Here at WIRED, my colleagues and I test all headphones, including noise-canceling headphones, the way you use them. We wear them over multiple weeks to test their comfort, battery life, and the convenience and accessibility of their onboard controls. We listen to random tunes, podcasts, and videos, but also curated playlists full of music we’ve heard dozens of times.
For me, that means samples from the Beatles, Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, Beck, Nickel Creek, Snarky Puppy, Frank Sinatra, Depeche Mode, Anderson .Paak, and many more. Each of us has our own list, but the common factor is an array of genres to confirm how they work for all types of listeners. Whenever possible we take time to test lossless or high-resolution sound codecs with supported devices, and I use Spotify Lossless as my main streaming source.
For testing noise canceling, my colleague Parker Hall and I both take the earbuds out into the world, testing them for sounds from lawnmowers, vacuums, construction sites, traffic, and other local sounds, including their transparency and noise-canceling modes. Because we’re both audio producers, we also take them into our acoustically treated home studios, where we test their noise canceling against AirPlane drone demos, vocal chatter, and white or pink noise played through studio monitors. When possible, I also take any earbuds I’m testing on long trips and flights to see how they react to real-world environments. The goal is to wear these earbuds out to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
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