Skip to main content

The best headphones of CES 2020: Shure, Panasonic, Jabra, and more

This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.

Headphones have come a long way in the last few years. Whether it’s silencing the world around you for nocturnal bliss in any setting, cutting loose all cables for total wireless freedom, or a beautiful mix of both, we expect a lot from our cans in 2020. And at CES 2020, we got a sneak peek at the best of what’s to come in the year ahead.

Below, we’ve selected the most value-packed, coolest, and most innovative headphones we’ve seen so far at the show this year, from noise-canceling true wireless earbuds to killer new travel cans, and more. Follow below for our top picks from CES 2020, and get ready to save your dollars for their impending release.

The products in this article were selected by our editors as standouts in the headphones category at CES 2020. Check out our Top Tech of CES Awards, which award our favorite products in over ten categories, to see all the hottest gear.
best tech ces 2020 digital trends editors pick
CES 2020

Shure Aonic 50

Ryan Waniata/Digital Trends

The storied audio brand has watched from the sidelines as competitors got into travel-friendly, active noise-canceling headphones to great results. Now, the brand is jumping into the game with the gorgeous new Aonic 50. Offering stout build quality, comfy and cushy padding, and noise-canceling that gave me a lovely respite from the bustle of the showroom floor, the $400 Aonic 50 may be pricey, but they don’t disappoint.
While battery life at 20 hours doesn’t match the top of the class (see Sony), it’s more than enough for all but the craziest trips you could take, and it matches Bose’s new 700. Beyond that, you’ve got the sound — glorious, balanced, clear, and defined. Thank goodness Shure has brought its audiophile touch to the modern era.

Technics EAH-AZ70W

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Panasonic’s first true wireless headphones are actually from Technics, the company’s high-end audio wing. Well, the first ones you can try, anyway. Panasonic brought three pairs of fully wireless buds to the show, including two pairs under the Panasonic banner, but the Technics are taking the lead. And after spending some time with them, I came away impressed with the company’s first try in this crowded space.

Active noise-canceling is the headline here, and the buds’ hybrid system did a very nice job shutting out the chaotic drone of 150,000 people in a single convention center that is CES. Sound was also relatively impressive in the few minutes I spent with the buds, with powerful bass and clear treble, though the very top of the midrange gets a little sharp at times (I’m guessing Panasonic may tool with this before the buds hit the market in June). Other features for these $250 buds include 6 hours of battery life, IPX4 water resistance, and ambient sound mode, which, like the ANC, will be adjustable through an app.

PuroPro

Ryan Waniata/Digital Trends

Puro’s new cans offer a lot of the features we expect in a pair of top-flight wireless headphones, including noise cancellation with two adjustable modes, solid sound, and battery life of up to 32 hours without noise-canceling, and 28 hours with it. But they also offer something unique to the travel-can marketplace: Volume limiting.

The company was created to design headphones for children that wouldn’t allow them to crank up the volume after the founder’s daughter incurred hearing loss from her regular headphones. But, as it turns out, adults aren’t much better at regulating their sound, so the PuroPro now do the same for us. The cans limit sound to 85dB automatically (no matter how far you crank up your phone). That’s frankly as loud as anyone needs, but because we’re adults, you can also engage a feature that allows them to go up to 95dB, so at least you’ll know when you’re being careless with your long-term hearing. Now, that’s innovation.

Shure Aonic 215

Ryan Waniata/Digital Trends

Another pick from Shure, the Aonic 215 aren’t your average true wireless headphones. Using the company’s previously crafted modular design, but in a true wireless version, the 215 let you swap out multiple earbuds from Shure’s wide selection. The modular battery wraparounds bring 8 hours of battery life per charge, along with three more charges in that mondo case. They also sound fantastic, like their over-ear brethren, but if you want to upgrade, you can replace the buds with Shure’s latest at any time.

Jabra Elite Active 75t

Image used with permission by copyright holder

OK, full disclosure: Like many earbuds and headphones at the show (especially from big brands), the Elite Active 75t ($200) aren’t fully ready for prime time. I got a chance to check out an early sample, though, and they sound fantastic. The earbuds I tried, while nearly identical to the Elite 75t, also seemed to be a bit less bassy at first blush (something I was happy about). Jabra reps told me this may be due to firmware updates, and, of course, the buds are also adaptable via the EQ in Jabra’s app. Water-resistance is also improved, now rated at IP57, meaning they’re fully dunkable for up to 30 minutes — perfect for a wash after a workout.

It’s the app that’s not quite up to speed for the Elite Active 75t yet, but when it’s fully fleshed out, its set to offer more features than ever, including My Sound, which is designed to calibrate the sound using the onboard microphones for fully tailored audio. My Control will also let you customize the controls to your fancy. Frankly, any Jabra upgrade is worth getting excited about, and if the My Sound works as designed, these may be among the best buds of 2020.

Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.

Editors' Recommendations

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
The 11 best noise-canceling headphones for 2024
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: Earcup/logo close-up.

Noise-canceling headphones are a wonder of the modern world. No, seriously, the tech that makes them work is borderline magical, bringing much-needed quiet to our everyday bus and plane rides, study and work sessions, and movie, music, and podcast sessions. The best noise-canceling headphones have a great mix of features, including that all-important ANC and transparency mode for letting in some outside sounds. Comfort, battery life, and, of course, price are other important factors.

While active noise cancellation has been around for a while now and is almost standard in headphones from over-ear models (our focus here) to earbuds, the feature is better in some types of devices than in others. Whatever your listening needs may be, though, we've got you covered.

Read more
First listen: EarFun’s first over-ear headphones are impressive for $80
EarFun Wave Pro at CES 2024.

EarFun, a company that has been surprising us for several years with ultra-affordable wireless earbuds that sound terrific, has taken its first step into the over-ear wireless headphone space and we got a chance to give them a listen at CES 2024. The EarFun Wave Pro are priced at $80 and will be available toward the end of March.
EarFun Wave Pro

The Wave Pro look impressive on paper. They've got hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC), hi-res audio capability thanks to support for Sony's LDAC Bluetooth codec, Bluetooth Multipoint, 40mm drivers, five built-in mics for calls, and a huge 80-hour claimed battery life.

Read more
Audio-Technica’s latest hi-res earbuds debut at CES 2024 for $199
Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 wireless earbuds.

It's been a surprisingly quiet CES 2024 for new headphones and earbuds, but Audio-Technica (A-T) hasn't disappointed us. It launched its ATH-TWX7, a new set of hi-res, noise-canceling wireless earbuds that fill a big gap in the company's product lineup. The ATH-TWX7 come in black, white, or grey colors and are available starting January 9, for $199.

The ATH-TWX7 share a lot in common with A-T's flagship ATH-TWX9, but at $199, the TWX7 are a lot more affordable than the $299 TWX9.

Read more