If you’re like most people out there, shopping for a new pair of headphones can quickly become overwhelming. After all, there are hundreds of options to choose from. The expert product reviewers here at BGR have thoroughly tested more than 200 different pairs of headphones, which makes us uniquely qualified to tell you which headphones are best suited to your needs.
Our top picks
If you want to skip straight to the good stuff, here are all the best headphones that we highlighted in this guide:
- Best Bluetooth headphones overall: Sony WH-1000XM5
- Best Apple headphones: Apple AirPods Max
- Best over-ear Bluetooth headphones: Sonos Ace
- Best Bluetooth earbuds: Sony WF-1000XM5
- Best earbuds for Apple users: AirPods Pro
- Best in-ear wired headphones: 1More Triple Driver In-Ear
- Best Bluetooth headphones for workouts: Beats PowerBeats Pro
- Best budget headphones: Plantronics BackBeat Go 600
- Best budget earbuds: Skullcandy Dime
Now, if you want to dive in a bit deeper and see what makes each pair of headphones the best in its category, keep reading our guide.
1. Best headphones overall: Sony WH-1000XM5
Pros: Excellent noise-cancellation, very comfortable, excellent sound quality
Cons: Still a little expensive, touch controls don’t always work
The AirPods Max may be awesome, but they’re not for everyone. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, however, are as close to perfect as you can get… as long as you can afford them, at least. These headphones retail for $398, which isn’t cheap.
Sony XM5 headphones will connect to all your devices through the latest version of Bluetooth. They can actually connect to two devices at once, making it easy to move from a computer to a smartphone without having to disconnect and reconnect all the time.
Even better than that is how great these headphones sound. They offer an excellent frequency response, and the associated app allows you to tweak the EQ to your needs. I’ll also note that Sony’s app offers some of the best EQ control you can get with any wireless ANC headphones. The noise cancellation on Sony XM5 is absolutely awesome, beating out almost all the competition.
Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 review
These headphones offer tons of other features, too. You can use them with an accompanying app and set up different profiles depending on your location. They also have a great transparency mode that can be activated simply by covering one of the ear cups, which is perfect for having a conversation when you’re listening to something. The app is available on both Android and iOS.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are also very comfortable. They’re extremely lightweight, meaning that it’s easy to wear them for hours on end without any issues. That’ll come in handy since these Sony headphones offer up to 30 hours of battery life.
2. Best Apple headphones: Apple AirPods Max
Pros: Excellent audio quality, class-leading noise cancellation and transparency mode, great integration with Apple devices
Cons: Far too expensive, don’t work well with non-Apple products
Let’s get one thing out of the way right now — these are better than the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, but only if you exclusively use Apple devices. If you want a pair of headphones to connect to your Windows computer or Android phone, then keep looking — these aren’t for you.
But if you do use Apple devices, you’ll absolutely love what the AirPods Max have to offer. For starters, they have a unique design that’s kind of retro. And while they’re a bit heavy, the headband design ensures that they don’t feel too heavy.
The AirPods Max sound awesome, with excellent detail in the high end and plenty of bass. They also offer the best noise-cancellation tech we’ve ever heard, and thanks to all their microphones, they have an awesome transparency mode. Of course, the AirPods Max also work very well with all of your Apple products and support things like automatic switching, Spatial Audio, and more.
Read our Apple AirPods Max review
The trade-off to all of those advantages? You’ll pay for them. Like a lot. At $549, these are the most expensive headphones on this list. If that’s a bit too much cash for you, we recommend the next option.
3. Best over-ear headphones: Sonos Ace
Pros: Great design, excellent audio quality, best-in-class build
Cons: Very expensive
Over-ear headphones are the perfect blend of portability and quality, and there are some great options out there. Chief among those is the Sonos Ace, which offers a stylish design, great sound quality, fantastic active noise cancelling tech, and more.
These headphones offer some great features. They don’t have built-in Wi-Fi, but they still integrate with your Sonos system as long as you have a compatible soundbar, like the Sonos Arc. Simply hold a button on the back, and you can easily transfer your TV audio from your soundbar to your headphones. Plus, Sonos Ace headphones support spatial audio, so the sound will come from the direction of your TV even when you turn your head.
There is built-in EQ in the Sonos app, but it’s not great. Thankfully, they offer excellent sound quality in spite of that, boasting plenty of bass, excellent mid-range, and a good amount of detail. They also have plenty of padding and a relatively lightweight design, which helps them remain comfortable while listening.
The biggest downside with these hot new headphones is the price. At $449, they’re most expensive than comparable offerings from Bose and Sony. They’re $100 cheaper than AirPods Max, however, and they have much better build quality than anything from Sony or Bose.
4. Best true wireless in-ear headphones: Sony WF-1000XM5
Pros: Excellent fit, great audio quality, industry-leading battery life
Cons: Expensive
AirPods are great, but if you don’t have Apple products, then they’re not necessarily for you. Instead, you should go for the Sony WF-1000XM5 in-ear headphones, which are essentially the true wireless earbuds sibling to the WH-1000XM5 headphones that we covered earlier. They retail for $298, which is more than AirPods Pro, but they offer much better sound quality and ANC than you’d get from Apple’s offering.
There are plenty of things that make these great headphones. For starters, they sound amazing. The headphones boast deep, detailed bass performance, decent midrange, and excellent high-end response. And you’ll be able to enjoy this great audio quality for long periods of time, thanks to the awesome 8-hour battery life (24 hours with charging case).
The headphones are built for comfort. They have a shape that should nicely fit into your outer ear, and they come with foam tips to help make for a nice seal. That helps make sure that the noise cancellation tech works well too.
Like the over-ear WH-1000XM5 headphones, these earbuds offer some great features. These headphones also connect to the Sony app, so you can tweak controls, EQ, and settings. And, they also offer a great transparency mode, which also lets you have quick conversations without having to take your headphones out of your ears.
Read our Sony WF-1000XM5 review
So what’s the catch? Well, the main downside is that the headphones are a little expensive. If you can afford it, however, they’re well worth the cost.
5. Best in-ear wired headphones: 1More Triple Driver In-Ear
Pros: Great sound quality, good fit, solid build
Cons: A bit harsh at times, cable isn’t the strongest
Not everyone wants wireless headphones, despite the fact that they’re getting better and cheaper. Some will still prefer a pair of solid wired earbuds — and if that’s you, we recommend considering the 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones.
There are a number of things that make these great headphones. For starters, as you might note by their name, they’re triple-driver headphones, which basically means that instead of offering one driver that handles the full frequency range, these headphones have three specialized drivers for different areas of the frequency range. All that to say, they sound great, although they can have slightly harsh high frequencies at times.
There are other great features on offer too. The cable is relatively strong, and they fit well, so they should remain in your ears easily. And, they have a relatively easy-to-use control module, which is always helpful.
So what about the downsides? Well, the cable can get tangled from time to time, and the mid frequencies don’t necessarily have the most clarity. But apart from those issues, these headphones have an excellent audio quality that should suit most listeners. That’s especially true given the fact that the headphones are relatively inexpensive.
6. Best in-ear headphones for Apple users: AirPods Pro
Pros: Excellent Apple integration, good noise-cancellation, great audio quality
Cons: A little expensive, don’t work great with non-Apple products
True wireless headphones are all the rage these days, and if you’re an Apple user, then the AirPods Pro can’t be beat. The AirPods Pro offer an excellent fit, solid audio quality, good noise-cancellation, and perfect integration with all your Apple devices.
The stem on the AirPods Pro may not be everyone’s favorite look, but it actually serves a great purpose on the AirPods Pro. To control the earbuds, all you have to do is squeeze the stem on either side. It works great, and far better than controls on most true wireless headphones. You can also tweak what the controls on the stems do. For example, holding down on the stem can control noise cancelation, and squeezing multiple times can skip forward or backward.
Like other AirPods, the AirPods Pro offer some awesome Apple-focused features. They’ll automatically switch between all your Apple devices, and they support things like Spatial Audio and Siri. That’s not to mention the fact that they sound pretty great, and even support noise cancellation.
Of course, the AirPods Pro do have some downsides. For example, the AirPods Pro are a little pricey, coming in at $249 when they’re not on sale with any discounts. And, the white color may not necessarily be for everyone, though it does help you know when it’s time to clean them.
7. Best workout headphones: Beats PowerBeats Pro
Pros: Excellent fit, solid audio quality, good battery life
Cons: Expensive, bulky case
Looking for a pair of earbuds that will stay firmly in your ears while you run? The Beats PowerBeats Pro are absolutely the way to go. These headphones offer an ear-hook design that ensures they’ll stay in your ears when you’re running, working out, or anything else.
The headphones offer solid Apple integration, too. They come with Apple’s H1 chip, so they can switch between Apple devices seamlessly, and they support the Beats app for Android for things like firmware updating and pairing. So, while they’re definitely better used with Apple products, they still work with others.
Like other Apple-built headphones, you can tweak the controls for these in the Settings app, however there aren’t quite as many features as some other options. Notably, there’s no noise cancelation to control.
The PowerBeats Pro offers pretty good audio quality. The headphones have a solid bass response, with decent mids and highs, even if the mid frequencies are a little de-emphasized. But they’re not perfect, considering they’re a bit pricey, and the case is pretty huge. In other words, if you’re going on a run or something, you may want to keep the case at home.
Despite those issues, however, the Beats Powerbeats Pro are absolutely worth considering for sports use. They retail for $250, but they’re always on sale for much less than that.
8. Best budget headphones: Plantronics BackBeat Go 600
Pros: Very inexpensive, comfortable, wired or wireless listening
Cons: Not the most durable, bass isn’t the deepest out there
Want to spend as little as possible but still get a good listening experience? The Plantronics BackBeat Go 600 headphones are worth considering. These headphones offer an over-ear form factor that ensures they remain comfortable, plus they sound pretty great for the price. Sure, you’re not going to get the same punch that you would on much more expensive headphones, but they can still help make your music sound awesome.
These headphones sound pretty good, too. They offer decent bass response, along with well-tuned mid frequencies. You can enjoy that sound quality for hours, thanks to the impressive 18-hour battery life, and you can control it easily with the pretty easy-to-use on-ear controls. The headphones also come with a cable for wired listening, though that cable doesn’t offer any in-line controls.
So, what are the trade-offs to spending less? Well, the headphones don’t offer all that many extra features, and you won’t get noise cancellation. While they sound good for the price, they’re not the most detailed headphones out there.
But those things don’t mean they’re not worth buying — and in fact, if you don’t want to spend more than $25-$50, you’ll absolutely love what’s on offer here.
9. Best budget true wireless headphones: Skullcandy Dime
Pros: Cheap, solid audio for the price
Cons: Low battery life, cheap build
True wireless headphones have been around long enough to where there are now some excellent true wireless options. Like, for example, the Skullcandy Dime earbuds, which offer a generally solid audio quality, with enough bass response and high-end clarity for most.
The headphones don’t necessarily offer the most features, but they’re great for what they do offer. You’ll get a solid microphone quality and a water-resistant design, which means you don’t need to worry too much about using them in the rain.
As you would expect, there are some downsides to buying budget true wireless headphones. For example, they have a bit of a cheap build, and the battery life comes in at only four hours, which is on the low end. But if you don’t plan on listening for more than a few hours at a time anyway, that may not really matter to you.
The best thing about these headphones is that they’re incredibly inexpensive, coming in at less than $30. Safe to say, even if you’re looking for something to use for only a little while, the Skullcandy Dime true wireless headphones are absolutely worth considering.
Why should you listen to us?
Great headphones can completely change your music-listening experience, but there are so many models out there that it can be very difficult to find the best headphones for your needs. Between all the different options out there, you could spend months looking for great headphones.
Of course, there are plenty of things to consider before you buy a new pair of headphones. For starters, you’ll have to figure out what headphone form factor you want — from in-ear, on-ear, and over-ear headphones. Then, you’ll have to think about the features that you want. For example, you might want noise cancelling headphones, wireless in-ear headphones, or headphones that have a transparency mode.
Lastly, of course, you’ll want to consider your budget. There are great headphones across all price ranges, but there’s little point in thinking about headphones that you can’t afford.
I and the other experts here at BGR have tested hundreds of headphones from all the top brands, including Sony, Apple, Bose, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, Beats, JBL, Bowers & Wilkins, Sonos, Anker Soundcore, Jabra, Skullcandy, and more. We then used that expertise to recommend the best headphones options across a wide range of categories.
No matter what you’re looking for, there should be something on this list for your needs. Here are the best headphones out there. Alternatively, check out our guide on the best wireless earbuds.
