Noise Cancelling Headphones for Sensory Overload Adults (2023 Reviews)
We will show you the best noise cancelling headphones for sensory overload adults for you. Being autistic, I constantly consider my disability when deciding what to buy. I prefer identity-first language, referring to myself as an autistic person rather than someone with autism. Things that may not even register with a neurotypical person, such as a beep, a buzz, or a scratchy tag, can overwhelm me. Thus, I have compiled a list of products that may be helpful for other autistic individuals.
1. Sony WH-1000XM4
Sony is known for Industry-leading noise canceling1 with Dual Noise Sensor technology that provides the best sound experience for you. It can reduce noise by up to 98% so that you can ignore the world and focus on yourself, creating peace of mind and your world. Furthermore, it has long battery life that can play for up to 30 hours, and super comfortable to wear for long hours without any pressure.
Key Features
- Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Battery: 30 hours
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Built-in mic and controls: Yes
- Driver unit: 40mm HD Driver Unit
- Water resistance: No
- Weight: 254g
Design:
- Earcups: super comfortable and soft, stable fit, and foldable design.
- Headband: solid and adjustable to fit any head size
- Voice control: use your voice assistant to control features without using your hand, and it’s available for google assistant and Amazon Alexa.
- Touch Control: automatically turn the volume down to hear other people talking to you, and place your hand over the earcup
- App: customize your sound preference with the app
Performance:
- Active Noise Cancellation: HD noise canceling processor QN1 blocks external noise well. Atmospheric pressure optimizing features activate when traveling.
- Adaptive sound control: an intelligent function that automatically adjusts the ambient sound for you to listen in a better experience.
- Microphone: advanced pickup voice and delivers clear voice quality while on phone calls.
- 360 reality audio: immerse yourself in the best sound quality.
- Speak to chat: automatically stop the music whenever you speak without taking them off.
- Auto pause: the proximity sensor and two acceleration sensors in the headphone automatically pause music when you turn them off.
Pros:
- Multi-devices connectivity
- Free code to use free four months in Amazon Music
- Powerful ANC customized
Cons:
- Expensive
- No aptX or aptX HD support
- USB-C port cannot be used for audio
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 348.00
2. Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony is known for Industry-leading noise canceling1 with Dual Noise Sensor technology that provides the best sound experience for you. It can reduce noise by up to 98% so that you can ignore the world and focus on yourself, creating peace of mind and your world. Furthermore, it has long battery life that can play for up to 30 hours, and super comfortable to wear for long hours without any pressure.
Key Features
- Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Battery: 30 hours
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Built-in mic and controls: Yes
- Driver unit: 40mm HD Driver Unit
- Water resistance: No
- Weight: 254g
Design:
- Earcups: designed for comfort, with a stable fit and foldable design
- Headband: solid and adjustable to fit any head size
- Voice control: use your voice assistant (Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa) to control features without using your hands
- Touch control: automatically turn down the volume to hear others by placing your hand over the earcup
- App: customize your sound preference with the companion app
Performance:
- Active Noise Cancellation: HD noise-canceling processor QN1 blocks external noise well, and the atmospheric pressure optimizing feature activates when traveling
- Adaptive sound control: an intelligent function that automatically adjusts the ambient sound for a better listening experience
- Microphone: advanced pickup voice and delivers clear voice quality during phone calls
- 360 Reality Audio: immerse yourself in the best sound quality
- Speak to chat: automatically stop the music whenever you speak without taking off the headphones
- Auto pause: the proximity sensor and two acceleration sensors in the headphones automatically pause music when you take them off
Pros:
- Multi-device connectivity
- Free code for four months of Amazon Music
- Powerful customizable ANC
Cons:
- Expensive
- No support for aptX or aptX HD
- USB-C port cannot be used for audio.
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 348.00
3. Soundcore – Space Q45
This model space Q45 is compelling in offering sound quality and a modern look. Especially the price is insane; it costs only USD 149.99. Furthermore, getting a rich and detailed soundstage, noise isolation features, and excellent call quality is worth paying for.
Key Features
- Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Battery: 50 hours
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.3
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Built-in mic and controls: Yes
- Driver unit: 40mm
- Water resistance: Yes
- Weight: 292g
Design:
- Earcups: incredibly soft and made from eco-friendly materials, comfortably fitting your ear
- Headband: smooth extension, durable, seamless design, lightweight, no pressure,
- Touch Control: Control or adjust the sound volume, pause music, and pick up calls at the left ear cup
- Voice Control: control anything using your voice assistant without using your hand
- Connectivity: easily connects to both Apple and Android, but with their Apple W1 chip, even more accessible for apple to use
- Soundcore App: adjustable EQ, customize and control your sound preference with the app
Performance:
- Active Noise Cancellation: blocks all the ambient noise and provides immersive sound, perfect for you to enjoy your world
- Sound quality: the LDAC transfer three times more detail than standard Bluetooth and provides a better sound experience with Hi-res audio, bright sound, and strong bass.
- Microphone: two microphones and an AI algorithm that identifies and picks up your voice and reduces background noise, providing clear phone calls
- Battery life: strong battery life, last long for playing music for up to 50 hours with ANC on and 65 hours with ANC off.
Pros:
- Modern design
- Multiple devices connection
- Best for traveling
Cons:
- Limited features in the app
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 149.99
4. Jabra Elite 85h (Noise Cancelling Headphones for Sensory Overload Adults)
Jabra Elite 85h designed to help people relax and feel comfortable while listening to music. Also, there are many essential features, such as active noise canceling, transparency, and incredibly customizable sound in their app easily and fast. Furthermore, the design is solid and secure to the head, and it cannot fall out unless you take them off. These are the best over-ear headphones.
Key Feature
- Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Battery: 36 hours
- Built-in mic and controls: Yes
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
- Codec code: AAC, aptX, and SBC
- Water resistance: Yes
Design:
- Earcups are super soft and breathable, easy to wear
- Headband: strong and adjustable arm, suitable for everyone, won’t fall off easily
- Voice control: control features with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.
- Control: you can customize your preferred sound with the app
- Water-resistant: IPX4 handles sweat and dust well
- Intelligent detection: when you take off the headphone, the music will auto-pause
-
Jabra Sound+ app: access bright sound, and customize features and sound as you like
Performance:
- Active Noise Cancellation: completely blocks all external noise and makes it easy to focus on music
- Transparency: allows you to hear your surroundings even though you are on the music
- Microphone: 8 microphones make your voice clear and easy to communicate via phone
- Sound quality: excellent sound quality, precise and deep bass
- Spatial audio: detect your environment as you move your head, and the music surrounds you
- Bright sound: detect and analyze your environment and provide the sound that is suitable to that situation
Pros:
- Modern and matte looks
- High-quality audio sound
- Rain resistant
- Long battery life
- Multi-devices connection
Cons:
- Ear cups are not foldable
- Touch control problem
Pricing:
These excellent noise cancelling headphones for sensory overload adults are available at Amazon for only USD 341.98.
5. Microsoft Surface Headphones 2
The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 are the tech giant’s second pair of noise-cancelling headphones, and they improve on the original Surface Headphones while retaining some of their best features. Despite these enhancements, which include a longer battery life and a more comfortable design, the Surface Headphones 2 are significantly less expensive than their predecessors, making them the obvious choice if you decide between them.
Key Features
- Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Battery: 20 hours
- Bluetooth: aptX adaptive, SBC
- Built-in mic and controls: Yes
- Drivers: 40mm Free Edge drivers
Design:
- Earcups: memory foam padding is ample and super soft, providing comfort during extended hours. In addition, the earcups now rotate 180 degrees, making them feel more comfortable
- Headband: aluminum slider made it flexible and durable
- Carrying case: protect and secure the headphones well
- Design: matte color plus the minimalist design made it looks modern
- Buttons and Dials Control: the button and dial are simple and satisfying, used for skipping, pausing, playing, and controlling the level of noise cancelation ambient sound
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0, a strong and stable connection.
Performance:
- Active Noise Cancellation: the ANC has been specifically tuned to block out human voice, and the Surface Headphones 2 deliver in this regard, making them ideal for use while working from home or in a busy office.
- Transparency: allowing you to know and feel the world around you without taking them off
- Sound quality: with the 40mm Free Edge drivers, you get a generous, enveloping bass response, which makes for an enjoyable, easy listen
- Battery life: offer fast charging; the headphone can be fully charged in less than 2 hours
Pros:
- The design provides a comfortable long listening time
- Premium and durable design
- Convenience controls
- Aptx
- Solid Bluetooth connectivity
- Adjustable noise canceling/ambient sound
Cons:
- No AAC support
- Only fold flat
- Noise canceling and sound are not quite as good as rivals
- Battery life is not as good as rivals
Pricing:
These most excellent noise cancelling headphones for sensory overload adults are available at Amazon for only USD 129.99
6. Apple AirPods Max
AirPods Max has gained popularity among music enthusiasts with its modern design and, most importantly, their incredible noise isolation technology. Their sound quality is also impressive due to ANC mode, offering pure sound, and they enjoy listening without distractions. Also, they offer many colors with a fantastic aesthetic look. Find out more about the information below.
Key Features
- Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Battery: 20 hours
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
- Codec code: AAC, SBC
- Built-in mic and controls: Yes
- Driver unit: 40mm
- Water resistance: No
- Weight: 385g
Design:
- Ear cushions: made of memory foam designed to provide comfort, soft as a pillow.
- Headband: made of breathable knit mesh, distributes pressure across your head.
- Steel frame: made from stainless steel, super flexible, strong, and comfortable.
- Connectivity: easy and fast connection with Apple devices
- Touch control: touch control on the ear cups and more essential handy features automatically pause music when taking them off
- Voice control: simply using your voice to control music and make calls with your voice assistant
Performance:
- Noise Cancellation: the advanced algorithms to block all unwanted noise delivers an unparalleled listening experience.
- Microphone: Six outward-facing microphones detect the noise and help isolate your voice clearly to be heard by phone calls.
- Transparency: allows you to be aware of the surrounding sound when needed.
- Sound quality: High-fidelity audio delivers sound across a wide range of frequencies;
- 360 reality audio: you will enjoy the best experience with spatial audio and adaptive EQ that adjusts the sound to shape the ears.
Pros:
- Free Apple Music for six months
- Cinematic spatial audio
- Available in Active noise canceling and Adaptive transparency
- Brilliant extra features for IOS
Cons:
- Near-pointless case
- Expensive
- Limited features for Android
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 599.00
7. Skullcandy’s – Hesh® ANC (Noise Cancelling Headphones for Sensory Overload Adults)
You don’t have to pay higher to get the best headphones with excellent sound quality! These Hesh® ANC Wireless Headphones provide better quality than the expensive ones. The design is unique and modern, and the soundstage is robust as their brand name, with deep bass into your bone.
Key Features
- Active Noise Cancelling: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Battery: 22 hours
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0
- Codec code: SBC, AAC
- Built-in mic and controls: Yes
- Driver unit: 40mm
- Water resistance: No
- Weight: 228g
Design:
- Earcups: designed for comfort to wear in long hours without any pressure, with soft foam earpads
- Headband: strong, adjustable, and foldable; easy to carry on and put back in the case
- Voice control: Use your voice to control some features with defaults phone voice assistance
- Touch Control: control playlist such as skip/ pause music with the button on the earcup
- Built-in Tile™: easy to find your headphones when you lost them with the app
Performance:
- Active Noise Cancellation: cancel the noise up to 98% better than other expensive headphones, immerse yourself with excellent sound quality in your world
- Microphone: 4 mic- deliver great voice through phone calls and reduce background noise
- Transparency: turn on/off anytime you want to, allowing you to hear your surrounding with the headphone on
- Sound quality: rich in sound, excellent bass quality; you won’t believe it unless you try it
Pros:
- Warranty card for one year
- Perfect sound isolation
- Affordable price
Cons:
- No EQ control
Pricing:
These excellent noise cancelling headphones for sensory overload adults are available at Amazon for only USD 129.99.
Summary
It can be challenging to find suitable noise cancelling headphones for sensory overload adults. However, the headphones featured above are of excellent quality and are from a reputable brand. They are particularly beneficial for individuals with autism spectrum disorder who are sensitive to loud noise and may experience distress. By wearing these headphones, individuals can be assured of safety and protection against disruptive ambient noise. These headphones provide a controlled environment that promotes comfort, concentration, and social engagement. It is advisable to invest in high-quality headphones that can benefit mental health. We hope you find one of the abovementioned brands suitable for your needs.
