Technologies

Best Noise-Canceling Earbuds for 2023

The best noise-canceling earbuds deliver sublime audio and block out unwanted sounds exceptionally well.

With noise-canceling earbuds, you can enjoy your music, podcasts or audiobooks anywhere without having to worry about background noise getting in the way. Active noise canceling, or ANC, true-wireless earbuds have taken over the headphone industry, and while just a few years ago, it would have cost you $200 or more to get noise-canceling capabilities, these days you can get a decent pair of ANC earbuds for as little as $60. And to help you find the pair that’s best for you, we’ve rounded up some of the best noise-canceling earbuds on the market right now below.

Noise-canceling technology continues to evolve and improve with each passing year, with the best noise canceling able to mask a wider range of frequencies and do it on the fly («adaptive» noise canceling) with sophisticated software algorithms and more powerful but energy-efficient processors embedded in the buds. Apple, Sony and Bose remain among the leaders in the category, but they have plenty of competition.

This list is all about great noise-canceling earbuds, but you can see more styles, including plenty of over-ear headphones, in our list of the best noise-canceling headphones. We update both of these lists regularly as new models hit the market.

Honorable mentions:

Soundpeats Air Pro 3 — The Soundpeats Air Pro 3 are lightweight buds that sound quite good and offer decent noise canceling for their modest price point. They use Qualcomm’s latest QCC3046 chipset (Bluetooth 5.2) with aptX Adaptive Bluetooth audio streaming that’s supported by many Android smartphones. IPX4 splash-proof, they have a battery life rating of six hours, with an additional three charges in their compact charging case, which is around the same size as the AirPods Pro’s case.

While the buds’ biggest strengths are their lightweight design, sound quality (you get big, bold sound with strong bass that only lacks that extra bit of clarity and definition that higher-end buds offer), the only downside is the voice-calling performance is only so-so — callers said the microphone pick up and voice clarity just wasn’t as good as some earbuds we’ve tested and reduction of background noise was not great either. In other words, don’t buy these if voice-calling is a priority.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 — Available in four color options, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 noise-canceling headphones don’t feature as good sound or noise canceling as the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but they’re compact (15% smaller and 20% lighter than the earlier Buds Plus, they barely stick out of your ears) and cost significantly less. Because they sit more flush with your ears — and have that curved design — they also pick up less wind noise. They’re IPX2 sweat-resistant while the step-up Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are fully waterproof (IPX7).

Is it ‘noise canceling’ or ‘noise cancelling’?

Short answer: both. Either spelling is correct, as «canceling» is more common in American English while «cancelling» is more common in British English. CNET uses «noise canceling» since the company is based in the US, but the noise is canceled just the same, regardless of spelling. If you’re looking to see what different noise-impacting technology is out there for headphones, check out our article on noise-canceling versus noise-isolating headphones, which highlights differences in function — and not just a difference in spelling.

More earbud and headphone buying advice

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for May 20, #443

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 443 for May 20.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle reminds me that I haven’t had a meal in a fancy restaurant in some time. Maybe it’s time to make a reservation. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Oh, of course!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Elegant eats.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

SITE, FINE, SINE, DINE, PEAS, TEEN, PEER, STEEP, DEER, SEED, SEEN, POET, TREE, NOPE, SEES.

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

SOUP, SALAD, CHEESE, ENTREE, DESSERT, APPETIZERS

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is FINEDINING. To find it, start with the F that’s three letters down on the farthest row to the left, and wind across.

Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for May 24, #713

Hints and answers for Connections for May 24, #713.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections puzzle has a fun variety of categories. The purple one appeals to my English major heart. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Goo-goo.

Green group hint: Not shirts.

Blue group hint: City that never sleeps.

Purple group hint: Acclaimed writers.