DevicesUpdated Oct 31, 20262 reviewed

The best recorders & headphones

Two sides of sound at work: a recorder that captures what was said in the room, and headphones that shut out everything you don’t want to hear.

Quick answer: the best is Sony WH-1000XM6 (8.4/10, best noise-cancelling headphones); Plaud Note Pro (8.0/10, best AI voice recorder).

Attribute	Sony WH-1000XM6	Plaud Note Pro
Score	8.4	8.0
From	$449.99 (launch)	$189
Best for	Commuters and open-office workers who want top-tier noise cancelling with long battery life.	Professionals who record many in-person meetings and phone calls and want automatic transcripts and summaries.
Capability	9.4	8.6
Ease of use	8.8	8.5
Value	7.1	7.4
Compatibility	8.8	8.2
Openness	7.0	6.6

Underlined values win their row.

Illustration of over-ear headphones labelled Sony WH-1000XM6

№019DeviceRecorders & headphones

Best noise-cancelling headphones

Sony WH-1000XM6

The WH-1000XM6 are the easiest way to turn a noisy office or commute into a quiet room: Engadget calls the noise cancelling better than ever and the fit supremely comfortable. Call quality suffers in loud places, the hinges feel fragile, and the price went up again.

Better ANC performance
Improved sound and vocal clarity

Price has increased again
Call quality suffers in loud environments

$449.99 (launch)Full review

№014DeviceRecorders & headphones

Best AI voice recorder

Plaud Note Pro

Note Pro solves the meeting problem software can’t: conversations that happen in a room, not on a call. Four microphones, up to 50 hours of battery and AI transcripts in 112+ languages make it easy to forget it’s there. Reviewers dislike the fiddly magnetic charging, and heavier use needs a subscription.

Slim, premium design
Accurate AI transcription

Frustrating magnetic charging; cable did not always stay attached
Background noise creeps in

$189Full review

Compare them in detail

Recorders & headphones: questions

What is the best recorders & headphone in 2026?

Sony WH-1000XM6 scores highest in our ranking at 8.4/10. The WH-1000XM6 are the easiest way to turn a noisy office or commute into a quiet room: Engadget calls the noise cancelling better than ever and the fit supremely comfortable. Call quality suffers in loud places, the hinges feel fragile, and the price went up again.

What’s the cheapest option?

Plaud Note Pro: $189 (official US store; launched at $179).

Sony WH-1000XM6 or Plaud Note Pro?

Sony WH-1000XM6 (8.4) — get it if you need to focus in open offices, cafés or on the move, all day. Plaud Note Pro (8.0) — get it if many of your important conversations happen face to face, and you want transcripts and summaries without opening a laptop.

How did you rank these?

Specs from official pages (Sony’s Singapore store where the US site was unreachable). Where the official US price could not be confirmed, we show the launch price reported by reviewers and say so. Products with only launch coverage are mentioned, not scored.

Read the methodology