The best Sony headphones are ubiquitous on subways, flights or busy streets. It's impossible to avoid them – and for good reason; they're among the best around. Sony's headphones and earbuds balance performance, price and comfort extremely well, which is why they're as popular now as 40 years ago.
I know that the best Sony headphones rank among the best noise-cancelling earbuds and best noise-cancelling headphones because I've been reviewing audio kit full-time since 2019 – and I've tested all of Sony's recent big releases, while my TechRadar colleagues have tested the rest.
Our headphones advice articles are peppered with Sony gear, so if Sony headphones are the best, what's the best of the best? We rate the Sony WH-1000XM4 for over-ear value, and the Sony WF-C700N for earbuds as offering the best balance of value and performance, and we'll explain why in this guide – as well offering the alternatives you might prefer, from the ultimate pair of 'don't talk to me' Sony noise-blockers to the best bijou buds for small ears.
The quick list
Want to cut to the good part – ie. precisely which Sony headphones and earbuds are the best? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices. You can also jump to a bigger write-up of each pick, alongside our price comparison tool to help you find the best deals.
The best Sony headphones for most people
For supreme sound quality, noise cancellation, portability and comfort, the slightly older 2020-issue Sony over-ears remain the best buy for most people thanks to price cuts.
The best Sony earbuds for most people
Sony's mid-range buds are packed with several flagship perks, the most important of which is the strong noise cancellation and audio quality that can't be beaten for the price.
The best budget Sony earbuds
Some of the best low-cost buds we've ever tested. They're lightweight, deliver punchy audio, and keep going for 11 hours thanks to a long-lasting battery.
The best affordable Sony headphones
OK, they're not offering flagship perks – there are clear limitations to being half the price – but the CH720N are a comfortable, enjoyable listen, and the ANC does the job.
The best premium Sony earbuds
These flagship buds pack Sony's best features into a very comfortable and secure package. Expect noise cancellation, detailed sound, good battery, a solid build and more.
The best Sony buds for small ears
Comfort, lightness and security for petite ears is the name of the game here – they're stunningly small. Oh, and don't think the battery life suffers! Far from it…
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The best Sony headphones for noise cancellation
Sony's newest over-ear cans don't fold up (and those ear cups are big), but if it's bubble-of-silence noise cancellation you seek, this is the pinnacle of Sony's achievements.
The best Sony buds for the gym
Want something that offers Sony sound quality but also keeps you aware of your surroundings while running or working out? The open-ear design here works wonders.
The best Sony on-ear headphones
Their 50-hour battery, DSEE upscaler, sonic clarity and Bluetooth multipoint connectivity makes these cheap, portable on-ears an easy recommendation.
I've reviewed over 150 audio products since becoming a tech journalist, ranging from super-budget earbuds to high-end Hi-Res Audio music players. Before joining TechRadar, I spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing everything the world of audio had to offer; before that, I was a professional dancer. I'll always extol the virtues of listening (and dancing) to the best musical file quality and audio gear you can stretch to.
Recent updates
September 23, 2024
Added the Sony WF-C510 to the guide as our 'best budget earbuds' pick based on our recent review and testing.
The best Sony headphones
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The best Sony headphones for most people
If you're going Sony, why not wear the brand's most iconic design? Yes, they're a little older (having launched in late 2020), but in our opinion they're still the best Sony cans when you balance their portability, comfort, feature set and supremely gifted sound quality against their price, which has dropped a lot over time. The newer Sony WH-1000XM5 (our top pick for ANC further down in this guide) do offer an incremental gain in terms of noise cancellation, but you'll have to pay a significant price hike for it – and also, the newer model isn't quite as portable.
They're chock full of features too, including Sony's DSEE Extreme upscaling (to make compressed music such as Spotify streams sound better), multipoint pairing for easy switching between devices, auto play/pause when you remove them, Sony's 360 Reality Audio spatial audio plus LDAC wireless support for CD-quality wire-free sound from compatible phones. It's a shame there's no aptX support, but it's far from a deal-breaker, especially when you can often find them discounted in big sales events… They're also incredibly comfortable, and you get a 3.5mm headphone jack.
In our review, we said they "deliver excellent noise-cancellation and surprising sound quality all in a lightweight, comfortable design" and praising their "expressive dynamics and clear and distinct separation between each instrument."
The 30-hour battery life is standard, (the 60-hour playtime of the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless walks all over it) but for the combination of sound quality, classic build and Sony feature set, these headphones are stone cold class-leaders. Just try covering the right ear cup to engage Quick Attention (or Speak to Chat, where you just talk and the five mics under the hood get it and initiate Ambient Mode while muting your music) you'll see what I mean.
Read our full Sony WH-1000XM4 review
The best Sony earbuds for most people
The Sony WF-C700N are Sony's more affordable option to the higher-end Sony WF-1000XM5 further down in our list. So if you're looking for the best, premium buds, check those out. But after testing both extensively, we think the Sony WF-C700N earbuds are the best option for most people when you weigh up features, performance and price – no one would be disappointed clicking 'buy' on the Sony WF-C700N.
They're not the last word in hi-res audio (you only get SBC and AAC codec support, although Sony has thrown in its entry-level DSEE upscaler to make Spotify's mediocre-quality tracks sound a lot better) but you do get Sony 360 Reality support, which is even better if you pay for Tidal, Amazon Music or Deezer – because these streaming platforms have plenty of content presented in Sony's object-based immersive format for you to revel in.
I cannot stress this enough: they shouldn't be this good for the money. OK, you're not getting LDAC support or an an auto-off feature when you remove them, but I just can't bring myself to mind when the fundamentals are so impressive.
Sony's excellent Headphones Connect app is a big part of why the noise cancellation is so impressive, because it opens the door to Adaptive Sound Control optimized according to what you're doing – yes, these buds effectively learn how you use them, then try to help. And you can tweak it all in the app. When Ambient is deployed, for instance, you can select from 1-20 on a slider for how much sound should be let in. When ANC is on, all but the loudest noises are softened, leaving me immersed in my playlists.
Read our full Sony WF-C700N review
The best budget Sony earbuds
The Sony WF-C510 earbuds prove that the tech great can create some of the best budget buds around as well as some of the most expensive, high-end options. But the new WF-C510 true wireless earbuds aren't just cheap, they're exceptionally good value. To the point we called them some of the best low-cost earbuds we've ever tested in our review.
They impressed us so much because you've got almost everything you need here for only $59.99 / £54.99 / AU$109. And although the budget buds space is competitive, Sony does it better. The WF-C510s are lightweight at only 5g each, and comfortable to wear. We noted that they feel anchored in place in your ears thanks to their stellar design and "grippy" material, making them a top pick for all-day wear and even fitness. As we wrote in our review: "I even cycled confidently with them and completed a full workout at the gym without gravity doing its thing to them."
The Sony WF-C510 buds deliver "punchy and high-quality" audio. You'll find a sound profile that prioritizes clean treble more than a pounding bass, although there's plenty of power here. There's also an easy-to-use equalizer that allows you to tweak the sound.
The buds bring you 11 hours of listening from the buds themselves, which is a very impressive amount of time. Unfortunately, the charging case only delivers another 11 hours, which is a lot less than rivals and is our only notable gripe with these buds. Features-wise, these buds are lacking in places, but hey, Sony had to sacrifice something for the low price, right? You won't find active noise cancellation or wear detection here, which are two features that aren't essential but there are some budget rivals that do include them.
Still, these buds perform so well for such a low price, we think they have the potential to draw people away from the likes of the Bose Solo Buds or Apple's AirPods 4. As we wrote in our review of the WF-C510s: "Who needs to pay double, triple or even quadruple the price when cheap and cheery gets you this far?"
Read our full Sony WF-C510 review
The best budget Sony headphones
Sony's spring 2023-release over-ears may not boast audiophile quality sound, but audiophiles will (or emphatically should) appreciate what Sony's going for here despite the current lack of hi-res codec support: finely balanced sound with oodles of detail. For honest and faithful representation of your music, you can't do much better for this price.
The WH-CH720N scores another big point when it comes to stamina which, at 35 hours with ANC on (and much longer with it off), means they last longer than Sony's flagship headphones above. Food for thought, eh?
How's the ANC? Bang on the money – but do take note that you're not having to lay down a massive amount of cash for them, so it's all relative. The active noise cancellation can reduce the volume of outside sounds to make your music or podcasts stand out better, but it would be an error to assume you're getting the eyebrow-raising sound blocking experience you get from the much-more-expensive Sony WH-1000XM5, listed below. Again, the point is, it's good performance for the price.
Build-wise, they're light and comfortable, at just 192g, which means they're far lighter than Sony's flagship cans (the XM4 weigh 253g) and even though they're not as well-padded as Sony's premium offerings, they almost certainly won't become uncomfortable. The plastic feels a little rougher and less high-quality than the aforementioned XM5, too, but that's to be expected.
Speaking of design, you've got physical buttons on the underside of both earbuds, including controls on the left ear cup for power and switching ANC modes and play/pause/skip buttons on the right. It feels a little less high-end compared to the capacitive touch-plate and swiping gestures you enjoy when using the XM4 and XM5, but the buttons are easy to find like the WH-CH720N overall, it's is a solid, likeable, cost-effective solution.
Read our full Sony WH-CH720 review
The best premium Sony earbuds
The Sony WF-1000XM5 are the brand’s latest flagship earbuds, full of its best features, despite being 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the XM4s that came before them.
Some of the top features – and further upgrades over the previous Sony buds – include three mics per earbud, two feedback mics, Bluetooth 5.3 and Sony's new dual integrated Processor V2, which is responsible for the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN2e. Battery life is the same with 8 hours from the buds and 24 hours in total from the case – and a quick charge of 3 minutes gives you an extra hour of playtime.
There’s also multi-point connectivity to two devices, LDAC and adaptive sound control, which you’d expect from a pair of top tier earbuds. You also get Sony's 24-bit audio processing and DSEE Extreme real-time 'upscaling' engine.
As you'd expect, they're better performers than the Sony WF-C700N, but having spent lots of time with both, I'm not sure they're different enough for the huge price increase. In my review, I noted that “noise cancellation simply didn't nix as much noise as two other rival models at the level.” So while ANC works well here, it's behind the likes of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II.
The build quality is good, and I prefer the design to the older XM4s. This newer version also comes with four polyurethane foam tips, which feel premium and ensure you’d get the best fit – there’s even a super-small size for little ears. I found that they also feel more premium compared to the Sony WF-C700N, though you'd expect so.
Read our full Sony WF-1000XM5 review
The best Sony earbuds for small ears
Long-term Sony devotees might remember that the company's earbuds didn't start out small – and some users struggled to achieve a secure fit and seal with early WF-1000XM iterations. Well, times have changed. These earbuds are positively tiny, to the point that that sit practically flush with your tragus when worn, so I pity the gust of wind tasked with trying to shake them loose.
Besides their absolutely diddy size, the secondary headline-grabber here is that the May 2022-issue LinkBuds S use the same V1 processor to combine noise cancellation and audio processing in one as the Sony WF-1000XM4, but here it has a new 5mm full-range dynamic driver to work with – and that too is smaller than the XM4.
And while the LinkBuds S may be small, their specification is anything but. With the exception of multipoint pairing, if there’s a perk these Sony true wireless earbuds can't boast, it’s likely not worth bothering with. Noise-cancellation can be turned on or off using the capacitive touch surface on each earpiece, while Ambient sound option offers 20 different increments, again handled by Sony's exemplary Headphone Connect app – the same one as Sony's flagship headphones use.
Any drawbacks? The sound lacks an extra ounce of punch, zeal, verve and fun. They're relatively detailed, open across the frequencies and reassuringly chunky through the low-end (it's not a question of leanness through the bass), but they could use a modicum of dynamic potency. It's nitpicking, but that's our job after all…
Read our full Sony LinkBuds S review
The best Sony headphones for noise cancellation
We're often asked why the WH-1000XM5 didn't simply supersede the WH-1000XM4 and take their anticipated seat in the top spot of this buying guide. Don't get us wrong, the WH-1000XM5 are very good indeed – but it's a question of value.
They follow firmly in their predecessors footsteps for sound and features (perhaps a tad too closely to be demonstrably better for the money), but the design is a big departure. The thing is, the design of the XM4 cans is one of their biggest selling points, while the XM5's design is… bigger (apart from the drivers, which are 10mm smaller, from 40mm to 30mm), sleeker and doesn't fold up. Essentially, you'll either love it or you'll hate it.
What you cannot fail to adore, however, is the active noise cancellation. While it's true that Bose's excellent Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones beat anything Sony makes for noise-nixing efficacy, if it's the Sony sound you want, the WH-1000XM5 do it best.
The gains are incremental in the iteration (rather than huge), the battery life remains settled on 30 hours and the pricing is still a little high in today's market – see how the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless undercut that asking fee considerably – but if you want the quietest backdrop for your tunes in a Sony design, this is it.
Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review
The best Sony buds for working out
What if you want Sony earbuds, but you also want to stay alert to your surroundings and hear noises such as cars on a busy road, dogs in the park – or even your yoga instructor at the gym? And what if, although you realise most modern earbuds come with ambient sound profiles these days, you'd prefer to just know you'll hear what you need to hear?
Sony gets it. The Sony LinkBuds actually look a bit like a certain brand of ring-shaped ear plugs, but here, that novel ring part is actually a driver with a hole in the middle, a design that leaves your ear canals completely free to hear your environment while you enjoy music, enjoy podcasts, or answer phone calls.
Because the design is so dainty, Sony has even come up with an ingenious way of controlling them that avoids touching their miniature housings – instead, you can tap your face to tweak the volume, skip tracks and so on. Yes, it's fun!
And the audio quality (bass clout aside) is surprisingly great, with a remarkably wide soundstage – although in such a design, bass response and resonance through the low end is always going to be somewhat compromised. You don't get active noise cancellation here (that's not the point of the LinkBuds) but what you do get is a product that truly fulfils a brief: an excellent set of open-ear earbuds for running or the gym.
Read our full Sony LinkBuds review
The best on-ear Sony headphones
The key takeaway here is that these Sony on-ear headphones sound great for the price, especially one you've deployed Sony's DSEE upscaler and tailored the EQ to your liking in Sony's excellent companion app, all of which are incredible perks at this two-figure level.
Are they the final word in sonic brilliance? No, although the soundstage opens out considerably when listening at anything over 40% volume and after deploying Sony's Clear Bass EQ preset. Also, you don't get hi-res audio support or active noise cancellation, but the WH-CH520 are still excellent value for money. Why? Because alongside their classy build and finish (the textured plastic, generous padding and physical buttons make these on-ears feel far more expensive than they are) you're also getting multipoint connectivity for seamless device switching.
The cherry on the top of the sundae? That would be their 50-hour battery. If you know you like an on-ear design that doesn't fully cover your ears, so won't overheat your noggin during those long listening sessions (and offers easy portability on the commute) add the WH-CH520 to your shortlist.
Read our full Sony WH-CH520 review
How to choose the best Sony headphones for you
Which Sony headphones are the latest?
Short answer: the Sony WF-1000XM5 are the newest earbuds (or headphones) in this roundup – but we can do better than that! Let's have a timeline of notable Sony headphone and earbuds releases, shall we? We'll work back from most recent set.
Sony WF-C510 (budget earbuds) September 12, 2024
Sony ULT Wear (over-ear headphones) April 17, 2024
Sony WF-1000XM5 (flagship earbuds) July 24, 2023
Sony WH-CH520 (on-ear headphones) April 11, 2023
Sony WF-C700N (earbuds) April 1, 2023
Sony WH-CH720N (over-ear headphones) February 21, 2023
Sony LinkBuds S (earbuds) May 20, 2022
Sony WH-1000XM5 (flagship over-ears) May 12, 2022
Sony LinkBuds (open-ear earbuds) February 15, 2022
Sony WF-1000XM4 (flagship earbuds) June 8, 2021
Sony WH-1000XM4 (flagship over-ears) August 6, 2020
With Sony (and in fact with audio products in general), newer doesn't always mean better – but then, Sony has been outdoing both the competition and itself long before even these propositions hit shelves (case in point: the 2018 WH-1000XM3, now a modern classic).
What we're trying to say is, don't assume the newest earbuds or cans from Sony, or any brand, are the best choice; we've tested them all and (we flatter ourselves) we know what we're doing. If it's not featured in one of our guides soon after its release, there's a reason for that.
Should I buy Sony over-ears, on-ears, or true wireless earbuds?
It's a good question, although the answer will come down to personal preference and how (or when) you tend to listen to music. A few years ago, we might have suggested that if you want excellent active noise cancellation, you need to be looking at over-ears, but thanks to incredible advancements in anti-phase technology and the multiple microphones squirrelled away into ever-smaller earbuds (which gather audio information so that the ANC tech can quash it) that is no longer the case – particularly where the heavy-hitters such as Sony are concerned.
Do you carry a small bag to work? You may prefer earbuds, which can be stored easily in their diminutive case and eve thrown in a pocket, while over-ears need a bigger tote bag at the least. You may think they'll never leave your ears or your neck, but even Sony's newest cans don't offer any water resistance, so there will be times you'll want to store them safely.
Some of the TechRadar team adore the 'do not disturb' nature of larger over-ears. A few members of the editorial squad either don't like the intrusive nature of in-ears or struggle to achieve a secure fit. On the flip-side, others find their ears get a little hot wearing cans – and some of us simply don't like the way over-ear headphones get in the way of our drop earrings. Then again, if you've ever lost a single earbud to a puddle (or to the gap where station meets subway) you'll know how upsetting that is and may well have switched allegiance.
Our advice? Ask yourself which listening style best suits your lifestyle, read our reviews and, if you have the time, visit a bricks-and-mortar store to try your shortlisted option on before you buy.
Are Sony headphones better than Bose?
Both Bose and Sony have form in the wireless headphone arena, creating outstanding audio kit that largely sits in the premium end of the consumer spectrum – although Sony in particular has been working on that recently, with some excellent entry-level on-ears and earbuds.
We regularly recommend Bose products (and the company pioneered noise cancellation in the 1970s to help pilots land aircraft, so it's no secret that the company delivers excellent ANC in its listening gear), but in terms of the best headphones and earbuds, it's a closely run race. Ultimately, it will come down to your priorities.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, for example, offer excellent noise cancellation that just about trounces Sony's output, but for us the Sony WF-1000XM4 and more recently-released XM5s beat them for sound quality. The Bose option also doesn't offer wireless charging where Sony's does. Also, Bose's flagship earbuds are a little bulky by today's standards, although some users report that they love the security of the fins in the latest design.
In the over-ear category, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones also offer excellent ANC, but the 24-hour battery life is a little weak (Sony's like-model boasts 30 hours) and they're a lot more expensive than anything Sony has to offer. It comes down to what you prioritise.
How we test the best Sony headphones
☑️ More than 3,000 audio reviews
☑️ 15 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech
Every year, we test countless headphones and earbuds at TechRadar, which means we know exactly which features and specs to look out for – and we know good sound-per-pound performance when we hear it.
We arrive at our fully star-rated reviews by comparing the capabilities of each product (including sound quality, design, features, battery life, noise cancellation and spatial audio processing) of each set of each set of headphones or earbuds not just in isolation but against the class-leaders at the level – and by 'level' we mean 'for similar money'. Whether you have $2,000 or $20 to spend, we want you to buy the best thing within that budget.
We also test the audio performance using a wide range of musical genres and by streaming from various sources (including the gamut of music streaming services, plus downloaded music from dedicated hi-res audio players), using carefully curated playlists which we've been adding to and finessing over more years than we'd care to admit.
Naturally, we test noise cancellation in real-world environments, such on public transport, or walking in traffic in cities.
We put our hearts and souls into what we do (if it's a set of fitness-focused earbuds we're testing, you'd better believe we're out there before work running that 5k) and we're truly confident that our star-rated reviews are the best indication of the quality of the Sony headphones and earbuds in this list.
The latest updates to this Sony headphones guide
September 23, 2024
Added the Sony WF-C510 to the guide as our 'best budget earbuds' pick based on our recent review and testing.
June 17, 2024
Swapped the Sony WF-1000XM4 for the Sony WF-C700N as the best Sony earbuds for most people, balancing performance and price. We added the Sony WF-1000XM5 as the best premium earbuds option.
29 February, 2024
This guide was overhauled to add new Sony releases, and to make it easier to navigate.
