JBL Everest Elite 300

With wireless on-ear freedom, these noise cancelling headphones let the wearer mix external sounds with the full-range output of the headphones. While nowhere close to diminutive, the Elite 300 never feels bulky even as the user dials the level of ambient sound up and down to match the circumstances. On the airplane to Portland, screaming children two rows back? Create a listening cocoon. Waiting for friends to join you for a cortado at the coffee shop’s community table? Back off the tight, enclosed soundscape for a more expansive acoustic environment. Testers verified the headphone’s 10-hour battery life, sweet Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity and built-in auto off sensors in dozens of listening sessions. The mic with echo cancellation is adequate, while on-frame controls quickly became intuitive, using press-and-toggle motions for all functions, including ambient control. Spend twice as much to (perhaps) get truer frequency response. Or not. Dollars to downbeats, this is one of the best values currently on the market.

Best For: Noisy work environments, international and extended domestic travel where ambient control is critical