Best noise-cancelling headphones for keyboard players

Top pick: Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless. For keyboard players the deciding thing is sound you can trust and a cable you can plug in — Bluetooth adds latency that makes playing feel laggy, so wired is how you practise. The Momentum 4 is balanced rather than bass-heavy, has a 3.5 mm cable for zero-lag playing, and its 60-hour battery means it's never dead mid-session.

Who the others suit:

• Sony WH-1000XM6 — best if room noise (housemates, traffic, a loud house) is the bigger problem; strongest ANC here, and it takes a cable too.
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) — the most comfortable for long practice sessions and the calmest, most neutral listen.
• Yamaha YH-E700B — worth a look if you play Yamaha gear and want a matching, instrument-tuned sound.
• JBL Live 770NC — the budget-friendly pick that still has ANC and a wired mode.
• Apple AirPods Max — only if you're in Apple's ecosystem and want the build quality; heavier on the head for long sits.

Skip the very cheap ANC models if you care about hearing your own playing accurately — their noise cancelling is weak and the tuning is bass-forward.