The Edifier WH950NB don’t arrive shouting for attention. Instead, they offer a quiet nod and a raised eyebrow, the sort of understated confidence you usually associate with headphones that cost quite a bit more than these do. From the outset, they feel designed for real life rather than showroom shelves. Think daily commuting, long workdays, zoning out at your desk, or stealing a bit of peace in a busy house. Put them on and they simply get on with the job, without constantly reminding you they’re there.

The Quick Highlights List:

  • Active noise cancellation + ambient sound mode
  • LDAC codec with hi-res audio & hi-res wireless certification
  • Advanced 4-Mic ENC for the best voice clarity
  • Personalize EQ and select various music modes in edifier connect app
  • Supports google fast pair for android users

There’s a reassuring solidity to them as well. They’re not heavy, not flimsy, just nicely balanced in the hand and on the head. The ear cups settle in comfortably and create a gentle cocoon of calm, something you quickly learn to appreciate if you spend any time on public transport* or trying to concentrate with background noise swirling around you.

Edifier is clearly aiming for a very specific middle ground with the WH950NB. You get good sound, genuinely effective noise cancelling, and all-day comfort, without being asked to remortgage the house. It’s that sweet spot between “this feels like a treat” and “I didn’t make a terrible financial decision.” While the Sony XM6 are still the benchmark for noise cancelling, the WH950NB make a very strong case for themselves at almost a third of the price. They’re not here to topple the king, but they do make you seriously question whether you need to keep paying royal taxes.

I was genuinely keen to get the Edifier WH950NB Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones on my head. I’ve used a lot of headphones over the last 15 years, mostly over-ear models, and I’ve learned they simply work better for my head shape. I did enjoy the PowerBeats Fit I recently reviewed on dRN, but over-ear headphones are still my clear preference for longer listening sessions.

Going into this review, I promised myself I wouldn’t constantly compare them to my current daily drivers, the Sony XM6, which I bought recently. In my mind, there was no realistic way a pair of headphones costing around a third of the price could genuinely compete. Dear reader, I was wrong.

The WH950NB arrive in a nicely made, moulded semi-hard travel case. I don’t know the technical term for it, but it feels sturdy enough to survive daily life in a backpack. Inside, there’s a small sleeve holding the USB-A to USB-C charging cable, a two-pronged aeroplane adaptor, and a 3.5mm cable for wired listening if that’s your thing. It’s a thoughtful and complete bundle, and it immediately gives the impression that Edifier hasn’t cut corners where it counts. The WH950 do fold flat so that they fit nicely into the travel case.

On the front of the box, Edifier has lined up a small parade of awards, including Red Dot, iF Design, Good Design, and even a VGP Gold Award. There’s also mention of Hi-Res Audio and LDAC support, which is largely wasted on me as an iPhone user. I do have a Sony NW-A25 lying around somewhere, although I couldn’t find the proprietary charging cable when I needed it. Very on brand, Sony. That said, this review isn’t coming from an audiophile angle. It’s from the perspective of someone who simply wants good sound and effective noise cancelling while riding a rattling train or trying to focus at a desk.

Battery life is one of the big wins here. Edifier claims up to 55 hours of listening without noise cancelling, or around 34 hours with ANC turned on. There’s also fast charging to consider, with a ten-minute top-up delivering up to seven hours of playback. Everything charges via USB-C, which in 2025 is exactly what you want, and exactly what you should expect. It’s about 1.5hrs for a full charge which will see you get around 34 hours of playback with noise cancelling active. I find dropping the headphones on charge from time to time over my few weeks of testing has meant they’ve never been flat – in line with modern tech, the battery is great.

The WH950NB also support dual-device Bluetooth, meaning I can have them connected to my iPhone and my Mac mini at the same time. Switching between the two is mostly seamless. I’ve had a couple of moments where I needed to gently remind the headphones that I’d changed devices and could they please keep up, but in the spirit of honesty, I’ve had to do exactly the same thing with my $600 Sony XM6. I didn’t find the Edifiers any more or less frustrating, and honestly, that feels like a win. The WH950 also supports Google Fast Pair for Android users, but I’ve not been able to test that as I’m not one of those them-there Android users!

Sound-wise, the WH950 are pretty well balanced, they’re not quite as refined in the mids as the XM6, but they have a 40mm composite titanium film driver, where the Sony have the 30mm driver. The Edifier produce plenty of bass, but they’re also very nice in the mids and have perfectly clear and detailed high end control, too. There is an EQ function in the app, but I kept the headphones in the ‘Edifier’ mode for my tests, I figure that’s where most people will likely leave the headphones in their sound mode. You can choose from Edifier, Jazz, Rock, Bass, and Customised (choose your own adventure EQ settings) – You can see the image down below.

 

Comfort is a big deal for me. I’m desk-bound for most of the day, working as a social media manager, and I almost always have something playing. Music on Spotify or Apple Music, videos on YouTube or Vimeo, client content, you name it. Headphones are on for hours at a time, often well into the night once the kids are in bed. This might be slightly controversial, but I actually find the Edifier WH950NB a touch more comfortable than the Sony XM6. They don’t clamp quite as tightly around my head. That firmer grip on the Sonys probably contributes to their excellent noise cancelling, but being able to wear the WH950NB all day without a creeping headache is a huge plus. Long-term comfort matters just as much to me as absolute noise cancellation, and Edifier has absolutely nailed that balance here. As a small but important side note, I wear glasses, and headphones with a tighter grip can cause pressure and discomfort over time. The WH950NB handle this far better than most. (See the awkward photo below.)

Active noise cancelling is right where most people will want it for day-to-day use. The four-microphone system handles ambient noise well straight out of the box, and when paired with the Edifier ConneX app, you can fine-tune the level of noise cancelling from 0 to 9. It makes it easy to choose exactly how much of the outside world you want to let in, or shut out.

To be fair, I’ve experienced stronger noise cancelling from more expensive headphones. There’s slightly more noise when walking, and a faint rustle as the headphones move on my head, likely because the WH950NB don’t clamp quite as tightly as some rivals. As a result, the classic “tram stop test” leaves a little to be desired. Once you’re actually on the tram, though, most of the noise of the commute melts away.

At this price point, the Edifier WH950NB are easily among the leaders in their class. There’s also a wind reduction mode and an ambient sound mode. I didn’t find the wind reduction especially useful, but being able to dial in just the right amount of ambient sound through the app was genuinely handy and something I used more than I expected.

Edifier WH950NB Noise cancelling SettingsIn closing, I think the biggest ‘tell’ of how I feel about the Edifier WH950 headphones is that I reach for them before my $599 Sony XM6, I was and continue to be impressed by these headphones – Five stars! If you’re interested, here are a couple of the tracks I sat and listened to, walked while listening to and caught public transport while listening to! — Mon Rovîa, David Sylvian, Chris Cornell