How We Test

Our mission is to measure what you actually hear—quiet, clarity, and comfort—where you actually listen. We test every pair in repeatable lab scenarios and verify results in real environments so our recommendations map to your airplane row, subway platform, or open office.

Environments and Soundscapes

We recreate common noise profiles: long‑haul airplane cabin rumble, subway screech and platform announcements, office HVAC and chatter, café clatter, and outdoor wind. Each soundscape is level‑calibrated in our room to match real‑world measurements. This lets us compare headphones apples‑to‑apples across the same conditions.

Measurement Chain

Fit and Seal: We test multiple fits and pad positions to capture best‑case, typical, and glasses‑on performance. Poor seal is the top reason ANC results vary; we document sensitivity to fit.
ANC Quiet Maps: Using IEC‑60318‑4 compliant ear simulators and calibrated microphones, we measure residual ear‑canal sound with ANC on and off, producing frequency‑by‑environment attenuation curves from ~20 Hz to 10 kHz. We visualize this as a Quiet Map so you can see what gets cancelled (rumble vs. screech vs. chatter).
Transparency & Pressure: We assess naturalness, localization, and any pressure sensation over time.
Comfort & Build: We log clamp force ranges, weight distribution, pad materials, hot spots, and glasses compatibility over multi‑hour sessions.

Calls, Mics, and Wind

Call Clarity: With multitalker babble at ~65 dBA, we capture mic output and score intelligibility via a combined objective SNR metric and a trained listener panel.
Wind Handling: We evaluate at controlled wind speeds and angles to expose buffeting, gating, and noise reduction artifacts.
Stability: We test for Bluetooth dropouts and switching noise during real meetings.

Connectivity, Latency, and Battery

Multipoint & Switching: We verify connections across common OS/device pairs and measure handoff time.
Codec & Stability: We log codec negotiation and check for stutter under load.
Latency: We measure end‑to‑end audio delay for meetings and gaming scenarios.
Battery: We standardize volume, ANC on/off, and content type; we log continuous playback and quick‑charge recovery.

Scoring and Rankings

Environment Scores: Plane, Subway/Train, Office, Street/Wind, Study/Library, Gym, and Gaming/Calls are scored from multi‑metric composites (Quiet Map segments, call clarity, wind handling, comfort, stability, battery).
Quiet‑per‑Dollar Index: We divide the relevant environment score(s) by current street price to surface best value at each budget.
Use‑Case Lists: Our picks are organized by place and task so you can quickly choose “best for airplane row 28,” “best for subway platforms,” or “best for HVAC‑heavy offices.”

Repeatability and Updates

We calibrate before sessions, document firmware versions, and retest when updates could impact ANC or mic behavior. We state our uncertainty ranges and call out when small deltas are within margin of error.

Limitations

Human fit variability, ear anatomy, and environment differences can influence results. That’s why we report both lab findings and real‑world verification and explain how changes in fit or firmware may affect performance.