We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-01 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want lightweight all-day listening with true active noise cancellation and easy switching between your phone and laptop, choose Philips Active Noise Cancelling; if you need a low-latency wireless gaming headset with spatial surround and a detachable boom mic, choose Razer BlackShark V2.
• Philips Active Noise Cancelling — biggest strength: genuine Active Noise Cancellation, a very light build, multipoint Bluetooth pairing and up to 30 hours of playtime.
• Philips Active Noise Cancelling — biggest trade-off: no boom microphone and no low-latency gaming connection, so it is a listening-first headphone rather than a competitive gaming tool.
• Razer BlackShark V2 — biggest strength: THX 7.1 spatial surround, large 50 mm TriForce drivers, a detachable HyperClear supercardioid mic and a 2.4 GHz wireless link built for low latency.
• Razer BlackShark V2 — biggest trade-off: roughly 24 hours of battery, no active noise cancellation (it relies on passive sound isolation), and a bulkier, gaming-first design.
• Who each pick is for: pick Philips for commuting, travel, office focus and everyday music and calls; pick Razer for PC and console gaming where positional audio and a clear mic matter most.
The Philips TAH6506BK/00 is built around one idea: making the noise around you disappear so you can focus on what you are listening to. It uses Active Noise Cancellation rather than passive isolation, which means it actively works against constant background noise — the drone of an engine, the hum of an open-plan office, the rumble of a train. On top of that you get a very light 0.15 kg frame, a flat-folding design, and a rounded over-ear shape wrapped in faux leather. It is a headphone you forget you are wearing.
The feature set is clearly aimed at people who move between devices. Multipoint Bluetooth pairing lets it hold a connection to two sources at once, so you can be listening to something on a laptop and still take a call that comes in on your phone. Bluetooth 5 with a 10 m range covers a normal room. And there is voice control built in through both Apple Siri and Google Assistant, so you can ask for things hands-free instead of reaching for your phone. The 32 mm dynamic drivers with a 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency range and 112 dB sensitivity point to a tuning that leans warm and bass-forward, which matches the "deep bass" positioning.
Buy it if you want a slim, comfortable, travel-friendly headphone with real noise cancelling, long battery life and easy device switching. Skip it if your priority is competitive gaming — there is no boom mic, no spatial surround processing and no low-latency wireless mode. You also get a 3.5 mm jack, so wired listening is there when you need it, and the included carry case makes it genuinely portable.
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is a gaming headset first and a headphone second, and it is honest about that. The headline is THX 7.1 spatial surround, which is designed to place sounds around you in a way that standard stereo cannot — footsteps, reloads, distant movement. Combined with the 12 Hz – 28 kHz frequency range and the 50 mm TriForce titanium drivers split into three tuning zones for highs, mids and lows, this is a headset built to give you as much positional information as possible while you play.
The microphone is a serious part of the pitch. It is a detachable 9.9 mm HyperClear supercardioid mic, and the supercardioid pickup pattern is there specifically to isolate your voice and reject noise from around the room. Because it detaches, you can pull it off when you are just watching something and leave the headset on. Comfort gets attention too: memory foam ear cushions that are meant to stay breathable and avoid pressure build-up over long sessions, plus closed earcups for greater sound isolation.
That isolation is passive, not active — there is no ANC here, just sealed cups and plush padding. Wireless runs on a 2.4 GHz connection for low-latency audio on PC, and a 15-minute charge gets you going again, with up to 24 hours of average battery life. There is a 3.5 mm jack as well, which is how you would use it with consoles. Buy it if you game on PC or console and want spatial audio plus a genuinely good detachable mic. Skip it if you mainly want noise cancelling for travel or a headphone that pairs with two devices at once — those are not what this is for.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for active noise cancellation → Philips Active Noise Cancelling. It is the only one of the two with ANC; Razer relies on passive isolation from closed earcups.
• Best for voice quality on calls → Razer BlackShark V2. The detachable HyperClear supercardioid mic is purpose-built for voice isolation; Philips has voice assistant support but no boom mic.
• Best for battery life → Philips Active Noise Cancelling. Up to 30 hours versus up to 24 hours on the Razer.
• Best for fast top-ups → Razer BlackShark V2. A 15-minute charge is a genuinely useful feature if you forget to plug in.
• Best for switching between phone and laptop → Philips Active Noise Cancelling. Multipoint pairing does this natively; the Razer's 2.4 GHz link is oriented around a single gaming source.
• Best for all-day portability → Philips Active Noise Cancelling. It weighs 0.15 kg and folds flat with a carry case; the Razer is heavier at 11.36 oz and shaped for desk use.
• Best for low-latency wireless → Razer BlackShark V2. The 2.4 GHz connection exists to keep audio in sync with your game.
In my opinion, most people asking this question should buy the Philips Active Noise Cancelling. It covers the widest range of everyday situations — commuting, working, travel, music, calls — and it does the one thing the Razer cannot: actively cancel noise. But if gaming is your main reason for buying headphones, I would choose the Razer BlackShark V2 every time. Spatial surround, a detachable mic and a low-latency wireless link are exactly what a competitive setup needs, and no amount of ANC makes up for missing them. Pick based on what you actually do most, not on which spec sheet looks longer.
I can't point to sales figures, and this page deliberately avoids them. What I can tell you is that the two headphones here sell well for different reasons: Philips competes in the mainstream wireless/ANC category, while Razer competes in the gaming headset category. "Best selling" depends entirely on which of those two markets you are looking at.
What is the best selling headphones of all time?
That is a historical question about the whole headphone market, not something the spec sheets here can answer — and I won't invent a number. If you want to judge these two on merit rather than popularity, compare the features: ANC and multipoint on the Philips, spatial surround and a detachable mic on the Razer.
Popularity varies by country and by category, so I can't give you a single global answer, and I won't guess at one. The useful takeaway is that "best selling" and "best for you" are different things. Match the features to your use case instead of chasing a popularity list.
Both Philips and Razer are well-known names, but in different spaces — Philips is a broad consumer electronics brand, while Razer is known specifically for gaming gear. Popularity alone won't tell you which is right for you. Check the current price on Amazon for both, then decide based on whether you need ANC and multipoint or spatial audio and a gaming mic.
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