The finest headphones for you are determined by a number of criteria, including your budget, the features you require, and any aesthetic or fit preferences you may have. Do you prefer over-ears with a headband or fully wireless earbuds that eliminate the need for a cable?
Don’t worry if you don’t know what you’re looking for. This article will help you locate the best headphones for you, whether you want high-quality sound or are on a budget and want to know which cheap earbuds are worth your time.
We’ve compiled a list of the best headphones available today, from truly wireless earbuds with no wires to highly immersive, noise-canceling headphones that can block out nearly all ambient noises so you can focus solely on your work, music, or podcasts.
Anyone who enjoys music should invest in a good pair of headphones. Whether you’re listening on your smartphone, laptop, or one of the greatest MP3 players, this is true. They’re also necessary if you travel frequently or need to listen to music while working or exercising in order to stay focused and perform at your best.
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During our testing, we found the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones to have great noise-cancellation and sound quality in a design that was both comfortable and lightweight.
They may not appear to be much different from their predecessors, the Sony WH-1000XM3, but new capabilities such as multipoint pairing, DSEE Extreme upscaling, conversational awareness, and auto-play/pause using a built-in sensor make them a considerable boost.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones also support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio format, which allows for spatial audio on stereo headphones, as well as the LDAC codec, which supports bitrates up to 990 kbps. It does not, however, support aptX or aptX HD, thus your hi-res audio support may be limited.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones are a fantastic pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones. Because of their outstanding noise cancellation and cutting-edge codec support, they provide precisely what they promise and then some.
UPDATE: For the past two years, the Sony WH-1000XM4 has been our top pick for the best headphones money can buy. The business now appears to be working on a successor, the WH-1000XM5.
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We were blown away by the 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones’ exceptional value for money after evaluating them for a few weeks. As a result, we think they’re the ideal headphones for anyone who prefers wired earphones.
It’s difficult to find a better-sounding and better-built pair of headphones for $100 / £100 (about AU$168) than the 1MORE Triple Drivers. Although, at double the price, the 1MORE Quad Drivers are still a bargain if you want a little more delicacy and luxury materials.
It’s difficult to criticize the Triple Drivers at this pricing point, especially with such a high-quality build and design. Sure, the included control feels a little cheap, but the luscious sound quality is given by these luxe-looking earbuds that are unrivaled in value and sound more than makes up for it. It’s tough to beat 1MORE’s Triple Driver in-ear headphones for the price.
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The SoundMagic E11BTs are a decent pair of wireless in-ear headphones that are difficult to criticize, especially given their inexpensive price. The audio quality on offer is excellent, and we thought they looked sleek during our testing.
We found them comfortable to wear and thanks to ergonomically constructed ear tips. They’re also connected to a flat neckband that won’t irritate you while you’re running or exercising. They have an IPX4 rating, so they should be able to endure sweaty workouts as well, making them a good backup pair of workout earphones.
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The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 Wireless Headphones are certainly worth considering if you’re seeking wireless headphones with active noise cancellation and aren’t scared off by the $399 / £349 / AU$600 price tag. Of course, the Sony WH-1000XM4 remains the best wireless headphones, but there’s not much to choose between them and these from Bowers & Wilkins.
We found the PX7 to be a joy to test, with sophisticated noise cancellation, better sound quality, and a refined design. We believe they could compete with any of the headphones on this list.
They also have aptX Adaptive for increased stability and latency between the headphones and your device, as well as aptX HD for high-quality (24-bit) streaming. That’s why, if you’re looking for a versatile pair of headphones, they’re the finest option.
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Sony is a big name in audio, and with the Sony WF-1000XM4, the business has integrated performance, ergonomics, and build quality in a noise-canceling true wireless package more effectively than ever before.
During our testing, we discovered that the newest wireless earbuds offer enough quality-of-life improvements to make them worth upgrading to, even though they are more expensive, as compared to their predecessors, the Sony WF-1000XM3.
While competing for truly wireless earbuds may outperform the Sony WF-1000XM4 in some areas – such as noise cancellation – no other model comes close to matching the Sony WF-1000XM4’s overall quality. As a result, the Sony WF-1000XM4 is the best true wireless earbuds available today.
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The original Lypertek PurePlay Z3 true wireless earbuds (previously known as the Lypertek Tevi) wowed us, and the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 true wireless earbuds follow in their footsteps. They’re comparable to the originals, but with a few major upgrades, and they’re available for the same low price of $99 / £99 as the originals.
This has everything we liked about the original PurePlay Z3, including detailed balanced sound, an impressive 80 hours of overall battery life from its small USB-C charging case, and a comfortable fitting bud with physical controls. The Z3 2.0 earbuds, on the other hand, add wireless charging, a strong new LDX Audio mode, better app functionality, and a hear-through ambient mode to the mix.
Our own complaint is that app connectivity is spotty at best, and the ambient hear-through mode is practically useless in comparison to the noise-canceling WF-1000XM4 from Sony.
Nonetheless, with the price remaining so cheap and nothing to detract from the excellent standard the originals established, they remain must-have earbuds, more than a match for headphones two or three times the price, with a few significant upgrades.
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If the Sony WH-1000XM4s is the true monarch of noise-canceling headphones, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are the next in line – and we’ve included them in this list to provide some options.
Bose has made significant progress in the field of noise-canceling headphones by applying noise cancellation to both phone conversations and music. The sound quality was unquestionably good, with a bright, energetic character and a well-balanced soundstage.
If you’re debating between the Sony WH-1000XM4s and these Bose headphones, we’d suggest the former due to the lower price and longer battery life — they’re the greatest headphones for a reason. That said, you wouldn’t be making a mistake (and we wouldn’t blame you if you did) if you went with the Bose cans instead — they sound amazing, look wonderful, and the noise cancellation is incredible.
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This is Bose’s second try at genuine wireless headphones, and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds outperform the earlier SoundSport Free by a long shot.
These earbuds not only have a better design, but they also have excellent noise cancellation. There are ten different levels of ANC available here. You’re practically cut off from the rest of the world at maximum volume, wrapped in a sound cocoon built exclusively of your favourite tunes. Only high-frequency sounds such as sirens will be audible (and even they will be reduced to a significant extent).
We particularly appreciated the excellent sound quality – if a little less bassy than Sony – as well as the exceptional clarity.
Despite their hefty form aspect, we found these noise-canceling earphones to be really comfy and well-balanced during our testing.
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The Jabra Elite 45h combines Bluetooth 5 connectivity, 40mm full-range dynamic drivers, and a sprinkling of tactile push-button controls in a wireless on-ear frame for just $79 / £69 / AU$99.
We found the fit to be incredibly comfortable, thanks to the combination of faux leather and memory foam, as well as the non-creaky plastic (even if the earpads themselves absorb ear heat quite quickly and then give it straight back).
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri all have voice control options. The Sound+ control software from Jabra even guides you through a quick hearing test to determine how the EQs should be adjusted to best fit your ears. The Elite 45h are feature-rich even by the standards of openly inexpensive headphones.
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When you look at the Sony WH-CH510, it’s hard to believe that wireless on-ear headphones can be this affordable, let alone a set with decent sound, a USB-C connector, and 35 hours of battery life.
You’re probably already willing to make some compromises if you’re shopping for headphones at this pricing bracket. Thankfully, most of Sony’s compromises with the WH-CH510 haven’t been too significant – the lack of analog input mirrors, the loss of the 3.5mm port on most recent smartphones – while the lightweight, plastic design increases mobility and comfort.
While they don’t have the same level of clarity, balance, or sense of space as their WH-1000XM4 brothers, the sound produced by these on-ear headphones defies their size and cost. Most genres sound good here, while records with low mids and boosted treble may seem uncomfortably overdone.