We’ve scoured the market — and spent hundreds of hours testing — to find the best options available for everyone. The headphones on this list are the ringers. The value picks. The top guns. So stop tearing your hair out and peruse our curated collection of the absolute best headphones for you, your ears, and your wallet.
The best headphones overall: Sony WH-1000xM3
Why you should buy them: Beautiful wireless sound, plush comfort, and excellent noise canceling.
Who they’re for: Anyone who wants a top-tier wireless experience, and loves silencing the world around them.
Why we picked the Sony WH-1000xM3:
Sony’s technologically advanced WH-1000xM3 are the third generation of Sony’s flagship
At the heart of the WH-1000xM3 is outstanding wireless sound. Sony’s LDAC technology delivers a wireless signal at what the company claims is three times the quality of standard Bluetooth streaming, and the headphones also support the latest aptX HD codec (with supported devices). The 1000xM3 even “upscale” wireless music from high-resolution audio devices using a special chip, helping to make music sound dynamic and beautiful, with authoritative bass and clear treble response held together by a well-rounded midrange.
The WH-1000xM3’s excellent noise-canceling technology ranks second only to the Bose QC35 II, from the brand that has long dominated the market in terms of sheer noise-blocking abilities. That said, the Sony cans sound much better than the new bass-forward Bose option, and offer numerous features that help to create a much better overall experience.
The WH-1000xM3’s advanced control systems allow you to let in various levels of ambient sound, with advanced features like voice-only mode, which helps filter through vocal frequencies so you can hear your music and the voices around you while blocking out other sounds. Responsive touch controls let you navigate volume, make calls, and play and pause music with ease, all while helping to maintain a clean aesthetic. Best of all, the WH-1000xM3 offer a staggering 30 hours of battery life, providing even heavy users with days of use from a single charge, and have a quick charge feature that allows you to enjoy five hours of listening after just 15 minutes of charging.
If you’re looking for a pair of extremely comfortable wireless over-ears with great sound and a massive number of features, these are the best you’ll find.
The best headphones for music: Sennheiser HD6XX/HD650
Why you should buy them: Audiophile sound quality from a legendary brand, in a comfortable design that is also remarkably affordable.
Who they’re for: Those who take their music listening seriously, and want an uncompromising set of headphones.
Why we picked the Sennheiser HD6XX/HD650:
Audiophiles generally agree that if you’re passionate about music, and you have a listening space that is relatively free of outside sounds, nothing beats a really good set of open-back headphones. As far as we’re concerned, you won’t find a set of open-back
Those who buy either of these headphones are in for a treat. Our reviewer didn’t hold back in their assessment of these cans’ ability to fully realize every detail of a recording, noting their “warm and rigid bass, a midrange that dips close to the ruddy colors of analog tape saturation (without sacrificing an ounce of detail), and a laser tight response up top that helps illuminate vivid clarity and granular instrumental texture across the board.”
If that sounds like the kind of performance you want in a set of headphones, we think you need look no further than the Sennheiser HD6XX/HD650. You can certainly spend more to get this level of quality, but you don’t have to.
The best headphones for iPhone: Apple AirPods
Why you should buy them: Unbeatable ease-of-use, with access to the iPhone’s best features.
Who they’re for: iPhone (or iPad and iPod Touch) users, who want a set of truly wireless earbuds designed specifically for their phones.
Why we picked the Apple AirPods:
Apple’s genius is that it understands a basic human desire: To live a life as free of complication as possible. Its specialty is figuring out how to deliver all the benefits of new technology without increasing complexity. Its AirPods are a master class in that philosophy, offering what is by far the easiest set-up and use of any wireless earbuds. iPhone users can simply bring the AirPods in their charging case close to their phone, open the case lid, and that’s about all it takes — the iPhone instantly recognizes the AirPods and with a tap or two, you’re good to go. iCloud users can even extend that effortless connection to all of their other Apple devices like computers and laptops.
The second generation of Apple’s AirPods maintain a decent five hours of play time, and offer a wireless charging case as a paid upgrade, but the big improvement is courtesy of the new H1 wireless chip. This gives the AirPods the ability to communicate with Siri without any taps. Just say, “Hey, Siri” and she’ll respond. It’s a small thing, but a helpful one, especially given that most people who like to go completely wire-free, also enjoy being hands-free so they can focus on the task at hand. The settings menu within the iPhone lets you customize both the tap controls and whether or not removing an earbud causes playback to pause automatically.
Sound quality has never been a major reason to go with the AirPods or the company’s wired EarPods, but neither is it a major drawback. As long as you’re not expecting audiophile quality, you won’t be disappointed.
The best headphones for kids: Puro PuroQuiet
Why you should buy them: The PuroQuiet protect your kids from dangerously loud sound levels while they cancel out external sounds.
Who they’re for: Parents who want to provide their kids with high-quality headphones, without exposing them to loud sounds.
Why we picked the Puro PuroQuiet:
Noise cancelation for kids? Doesn’t that mean they’ll ignore their parents even more often than they already do? Perhaps, but it’s a risk worth taking if it means your kids’ hearing will be protected over the long-term. That’s exactly the premise behind the Puro PuroQuiet headphones. Not only are they wireless and great-sounding, they come equipped with a software limiter that keeps the volume at or below 85dB, which is considered the maximum volume that children should be exposed to for prolonged periods. The noise-canceling feature means they’ll actually be able to listen to lower (therefore safer) volumes.
These headphones pack about 16 hours of battery life, which ought to be enough for a whole day or more, but if not, there’s always the option of using an analog cable instead. An external switch lets you turn the noise cancellation on and off. Make no mistake, these might be aimed at kids, but the quality of construction, selection of materials, and color choices give them an appearance that will still appeal to your young charges long after they’ve outgrown their Disney phase (some of us still haven’t).
We think your kids’ ears are worth it.
The best budget earbuds: 1More Triple Driver
Why you should buy them: These earbuds are premium in every way
Who they’re for: Anyone who wants a really great-sounding set of earbuds.
Why we picked the 1More Triple Driver:
The adage that you get what you pay for is generally true for audio products like headphones. What has made us big fans of the 1More brand is its ability to redefine that expectation in surprising ways. The 1More Triple Driver in-ear
Their combination of dual balanced-armature drivers matched with a dynamic driver to pump up the lower end are kind of engineering normally found on higher end earbuds. Even the smaller details are very well ironed out, such as Kevlar-wrapped cables that increase resistance to wear while simultaneously reducing tangles.
Boasting materials like cast aluminum that has been polished and sandblasted for a luxurious feel, even the included carrying case — normally a throwaway pouch that people ignore entirely — has been obviously crafted and built with care.
The headphones sound amazing, with a wide and complex soundstage that warranted an official THX certification. In fact, when we went backstage at a recent Aerosmith concert, it was the 1More Triple Drivers that the band and THX selected for the best possible listening experience.
The best wireless earbuds: 1More Stylish
Why you should buy them: Great sound, great battery life, and a price that’s within reach. What more could you want?
Who they’re for: Those who want in on the truly wireless earbud revolution but aren’t willing to pay what the big brands are asking.
Why we picked the 1More Stylish:
We admit it: We love a great deal. 1More understands this principle better than any other audio brand we’ve encountered, and its 1More Stylish truly wireless earbuds are all the evidence we need.
The 1More Stylish’s 6.5-hour battery life may not be the top of the range, but you’d have to spend a lot more money to get a significantly increased play time. Besides, that’s still more juice than models that cost way more. But battery life isn’t everything. We found the Stylish’s sound quality just as impressive, in some ways delivering a richer, fuller performance than the Jabra Elite Active 65t, which are one of our favorites. Their Bluetooth 5.0 connection remained rock-solid throughout our testing, something that has plagued other models, and their aptX support genuinely improves the quality of sound.
We only have two minor gripes: We wish these earbuds had a pass-through feature to let sound in from the outside when we want it, and the ability to control volume from the earbuds would be a very convenient feature. But neither are show-stoppers, especially when you consider the 1More Stylish’s affordable price point.
The best headphones for working out: JLab Epic Air Sport
Why you should buy them: Immersive sound, excellent battery life, and waterproof functionality.
Who they’re for: Anyone who wants a set of wireless earbuds made specifically for demanding workouts.
Why we picked the JLab Epic Air Sport:
Until this year, our favorite headphones for workouts were the Jabra Elite Active 65t. Why? Great battery life, great sound, and the kind of waterproofing that means you don’t need to think twice before taking them on watery adventures. But JLab’s Epic Air Sport have won our workout hearts and it’s easy to see why: Almost everything we liked about the Jabras is now eclipsed by the JLabs.
It starts with battery life. These days, you can expect a lot of longevity from a set of true wireless earbuds and the Epic Air Sport deliver big time. They can run for 10 hours before needing to make a return trip to their charging case. For a lot of people, that means you don’t need to bring the case with you, which is a huge plus for those all-day bicycle road trips. Each earbud has its own power button — so no need to worry about wearing them down if you don’t use them for a while. But if you do pack the charging case, you probably won’t need to look for a USB cable for days — it stocks an amazing 60 hours of extra life for a total of 70 hours of autonomy.
The JLab Epic Air Sport come with a huge array of fit options. Seven sets of silicone gel tips and one set of foam eartips combined with the built-in earhooks to virtually guarantee a good fit. We love that there are three EQ modes to choose from, and you can select them from the buds themselves — no app required. We liked the Signature mode the best: “The sound engineers at the company have scooped out a bit of mud in the midrange to bring big, punchy bass alongside a crisp and bright high register,” our reviewer noted.
With an IP66 rating for dust and water resistance, the Epic Air Sport are up for almost anything short of an actual swim. You can’t fully immerse them in water, but showers (whether intentional or otherwise) should be fine, and it means you can clean them under running water. Access to your favorite voice assistant is the cherry on the top of this excellent set of wireless earbuds.
Research and buying tips
Who makes the best headphones?
There are a ton of manufacturers currently making awesome headphones, from major brands to smaller boutique outfits, so there is no clear winner when it comes to the best company in the headphone world.
Over-ear/On-ear headphones vs. earbuds: Which is better?
That depends on what you’re using them for and how much you’re willing to spend. At the high-end, over-ear and in-ear headphones can both perform fantastically. For those of us not willing to spend tons of money on
What headphones should I buy if I don’t want others to hear?
Closed back over-ear headphones or snugly fitting in-ear
How does active noise-canceling work?
Headphones with this feature use exterior microphones to capture the sound around you. They then reproduce matching frequencies with phase inverted to cancel ambient noise.
Do any headphones use a Lightning connector? Or USB-C?
Yes, you can find both Lightning and USB-C headphones on the market, but given that you might want to use your
Do headphones include a microphone?
These days, most headphones include a built-in microphone. That said, some do not, so be sure to check before you buy if you want to make phone calls.
Do headphones have audio lag?
Some lower-quality wireless models do lag when watching movies and YouTube on your cell phone, but in the vast majority of cases they do not have audio lag. Any wired headphones won’t have any audio lag at all, and neither will the vast majority of Bluetooth models.
How we test
We test headphones and earbuds the way normal people live.
We run every pair through a rigorous testing process over the course of several days or weeks. That includes playing them in all sorts of scenarios — be it on a bus, in the listening room, or at the office — and playing back from a wide array of sources. We know most people use their headphones with a smartphone, often with lower-quality MP3 resolution tracks, so we do, too.
However, we also move up to high-resolution audio files, as well as a wide variety of sources, including plugging in directly to a PC or Mac, using USB DACs (digital-to-analog converters), and employing high-quality, dedicated portable players and amplifiers. Finally, we compare the headphones to some of our go-to models, both in their class and price point, as well as a level or two above to find out if they can punch above their weight.
