Where's the Noise › Accessories
Most accessories are clutter. These twelve fix a real problem, extend a pair's life, or do a job better than headphones can.
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A hard case that fits your pair, a USB-C adapter with a DAC for when the battery dies, and, if you fly, an airline adapter. If you are buying headphones to sleep in, buy foam earplugs instead.
Almost no phone has a headphone socket any more. This is what lets a wired pair, or a wireless pair in cable mode, play from your phone when the battery dies.
What to look for: Look for one that states a built-in DAC and a sample rate. Passive adapters only work with phones that still output analogue.
Check price on AmazonMany seat-back screens still use two 3.5 mm prongs. Without this, the headphones you bought for flying cannot play the film. Check your pair has a 3.5 mm socket first.
What to look for: Gold-plated contacts and a short body, so it does not hang out of the armrest.
Check price on AmazonA backpack is the most common way an expensive pair dies. A hard shell costs less than one set of replacement pads.
What to look for: Measure your cups. The XM6 folds and the XM5 does not, so their cases are not interchangeable.
Check price on AmazonWorn pads leak, and a leaking seal costs more noise cancelling than any firmware update can win back. It is the cheapest upgrade there is for a pair you already own.
What to look for: Pads are model-specific: XM6 and XM5 pads do not swap. This set is for the XM6.
Check price on AmazonOn earbuds, the tip is half the noise cancelling. Foam expands into the canal and often seals better than the silicone in the box.
What to look for: Match the stem diameter to your earbuds and size up until the seal holds without pressure.
Check price on AmazonCheaper than losing one bud at the gym, and they let you choose a tip for seal rather than for grip.
What to look for: Shapes are model-specific; Pro 2 and Pro 3 differ.
Check price on AmazonBlocked mesh is the usual reason one earbud goes quiet. People replace the pair when the fix is a brush.
What to look for: Soft brush plus putty. Keep metal tools away from the speaker mesh.
Check price on AmazonPads last longer off a dusty desk, and a pair you can see is a pair you actually wear.
What to look for: A wide saddle. Narrow hooks can dent a padded headband over time.
Check price on AmazonCable mode keeps working when the battery is flat, which matters most on the pairs you rely on for flights.
What to look for: Check the headphone end: some pairs take 2.5 mm rather than 3.5 mm.
Check price on AmazonFor sleeping, mowing or a loud concert, foam beats every pair on this site and costs a few dollars. We would rather say so than sell you headphones for the job.
What to look for: A noise reduction rating printed on the box, and a size that does not ache after an hour.
Check price on AmazonMost TVs either lack Bluetooth or add lag. A transmitter turns your headphones into late-night TV headphones.
What to look for: aptX Low Latency or aptX Adaptive at both ends, or voices drift out of sync with lips.
Check price on AmazonIf the person who needs quieter television is not the person reading this, a dock-and-dial set is kinder than teaching Bluetooth.
What to look for: A charging base instead of phone pairing, and a physical volume dial on the cup.
Check price on AmazonOnly for seat-back entertainment on aircraft that still use two-prong sockets, and only if your headphones have a 3.5 mm input.
When they flatten, crack or stop sealing. If pressing the cups makes the background noticeably quieter, the pads are leaking.
For sleep, yes. They block more, cost far less, and you can lie on your side in them.