A good pair of headphones is absolutely essential for many of us. Aside from breathing new life into our favorite songs, they keep us entertained and distracted with music, podcasts, and audiobooks when we're traveling to work, working out, or just trying to disconnect from everyone else.
We spend a lot of time with our headphones – and if you're looking for a new pair, you're going to want a pair of the best headphones you can find.
It's our mission to hook you up with a pair of great-sounding headphones – the best headphones money can buy, even when you're on a budget.
Below you'll find our selection of the best headphones for each form-factor, and we've even picked out a less-costly option for each so that a lack of finances won't stop you from finding a pair of headphones you'll truly love.
If there’s anything surprising about the new Sony WH-1000XM3 it’s that they’re so consistent with what Sony has released in the last two years in the form of the Sony WH-1000XM2 and Sony MDR-1000X. To wit, they’re a dominant noise-canceling pair of headphones that can beat anything Bose has with both arms behind its back.
That’s because, while Bose has done a tremendous job working out its noise cancelation algorithm over the years, Sony has spent that time perfecting audio playback while simultaneously creating an adaptable algorithm that doesn’t just create a single sterile sound barrier, but multiple kinds that can tailor itself to whatever situation you’re in.
Beyond being exceptional at keeping external noises at bay, these impressive Sony headphones are Hi-Res Audio-ready, sporting aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC codecs, plus will offer Google Assistant support right on-board. If you need a headphone that can live up to any challenge and excel in any environment, these are the pair for you.
After spending a few weeks with both the 1MORE Triple Driver in-ear headphones and the 1MORE Quad Driver in-ear headphones we were blown away at just how much value each one gave in their prospective price ranges.
At its price tag, it’s hard to think of a better-sounding and built headphone than the 1MORE Triple Driver. That said, if you want just that little extra refinement and luxurious materials, the 1MORE Quad Drivers are still a good buy at twice the price.
There’s very little we can fault the Triple Drivers for. Its rubber cable is annoying and its remote control feels cheap, but these are just nitpicking. But, for its price, it’s impossible to do better than 1MORE's Triple Driver in-ear headphones.
If you have a tendency to lose or break headphones, but still value sound quality, it’s hard to think of a better value than the RHA S500u.
These headphones have no business sounding so good for the price, sporting a balanced soundstage with a slight mid-bass bump.
Bass is slightly emphasized, but not egregiously and features good impact while maintaining good control – and highs, while sibilant at times, makes music sound more exciting.
For your money, you can't do any better than Grado's SR60e. The third-generation of the Brooklyn, NY-based company's Prestige Series is its best and most refined yet.
The SR60e in particular is a smart choice if you're looking for an entry-level set of headphones that sounds like it should cost you way more than it does.
Its open-backed ear cup design makes them a more breathable experience than what most on-ear headphones can deliver. In a few words, it's our gold-standard when it comes to on-ears.
While the original Plattan headphones were just fine for a pair of on-ear headphones, Urbanears wasn’t satisfied with being mediocre. The company took customer feedback to heart and addressed many complaints about comfort, sound quality, and isolation.
For the most part, Urbanears succeeded, making the Plattan II a worthy sequel to the company’s most popular headphone.
In short, these are basic headphones without a ton of features. But, because they're feature-light, you get a good-sounding pair of wired headphones for significantly less than you would otherwise.
While Beyerdynamic may not be as well known as its German brother, Sennheiser, the audio company has a history of creating some of the best-sounding audio gear on the market – the company’s DT770, DT880, and DT990 were renowned for their excellent build and sound quality.
Above all, however, stands the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, an open-back version of the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro, a headphone that won our Editor’s Choice for its imaging, design, and value for the money. Both headphones are priced the same, so you won’t find a deal picking up one over the other. The difference here comes down to sound.
As they’re open-back, the DT 1990 Pro is meant to be used at home or in the studio for serious analytical listening. Sound is able to get in and out, but the good news is that the open-back design gives you the DT 1990 Pro a great sense of space. The soundstage is quite wide, too, allowing even the most lackadaisical listener to pinpoint the exact location of where each instrument is playing.
If you've been searching for a pair of Hi-Fi headphones that are used by some of the world's leading audio engineers, these are them.
Audiophiles typically shun wireless headphones because of poor sound quality. However, Bluetooth audio has improved tremendously over the years. There are now plenty of wireless headphones that can please the music enthusiast, with Hi-Res Audio support being more and more prevalent.
That said, the Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT features some of the best wired and wireless sound quality for a budget headphone. They play well with all music genres and offer a near-flat response curve. They're extremely comfortable for long listening sessions and are well built.
Battery life is equally impressive with nearly 40 hours of playback from a charge, and while they lack some features of more expensive wireless headphones like active noise canceling and multi-device pairing, these are tradeoffs worth making for phenomenal sound.
While we think the Sony WH-1000XM3s are the true best noise-canceling headphones, the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 are a close second – and for the sake of offering an alternative, we've included them in this list.
Traditionally, noise-canceling headphones have been designed to block out the environmental sounds around you, so that you can hear your music more clearly (or catch some shut-eye on a noisy flight).
This can be really effective if you’re listening to music. If you’re making a phone call, however, the person you’re speaking to can still hear everything that’s happening around you, whether you’re standing on a busy street or trying to speak on a rumbling train.
The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 seek to remedy this, by applying noise-cancellation to phone calls as well as music, which is a fantastic feature.
The sound quality is undeniably good, with a vibrant, lively character and well-balanced soundstage.
For the money, the JBL Live 650BTNC punch above its weight in terms of sound quality, build, and features. They offer your choice of either Google Assistant or Amazon's Alexa voice assistant and can have their EQ customized by the JBL Headphones app. Battery life is rated at 20 hours with ANC and wireless-enabled and if you use the JBL Live 650BTNC with a wire with ANC enabled, you can get upwards of 30 hours on a single charge.
If you don’t want to splurge on the Bose QC35 II or Sony WH-1000XM3, you’ll be satisfied with the JBL Live 650BTNC knowing that you’re getting much of the same performance at a reduced price tag.
Again, the Sony WH-1000XM3 are our true winners in this category, but if you want an alternative, the Jabra Elite 85h is it.
Offering class-leading battery life, terrific style, and plenty of personalization when it comes to sound profiles, the Elite 85h is easy to recommend. That said, purists will bemoan the lack of high-end codec support and there are punchier headphones on the market at this price point.
When you consider that Jabra’s Elite 85h headphones are the company’s first attempt at premium wireless ANC headphones, the result is quite commendable. We can’t wait to see what the company’s next premium ANC headphones will accomplish.
For years, the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 were one of our favorite wireless headphones because of their excellent sound, build quality, and features. Unfortunately, though, they were also kind of expensive.
For a lot less, Plantronics now sells the still-very-good BackBeat Go 810, which uses less premium materials but sounds nearly identical to its more expensive predecessor.
That being said, we feel the Go 810 are an affordable pair of ANC headphones that will please travelers and commuters who don’t want to spend too much money on headphones.
The Focal Stellias sound absolutely fantastic. Their wide-open soundstage and detailed, accurate sound treatment means they make any genre of music sound brilliant.
If you listen to songs you think you know inside out, the Stellias' precise separation of the frequencies means that you will probably hear details you’ve never noticed before.
If you like to keep things minimal in the headphones department, you probably won’t like the showy, opulent design of the Focal Stellias, and they can feel a little chunky for wearing on the commute into work.
But if luxury is your thing, the full-grain leather cups, woven cables, brushed copper accents, and matching carrying case are likely to appeal.
That luxury feel is translated right down to the presentation of the user manuals in a neat little leather-style wallet – and you may well expect to find this level of detail in exchange for parting with as much as the Focal Stellia costs.
The NuForce BE Sport4 wireless earbuds are that rare find: earbuds that are good for basically all situations, whether you're looking to take them out on a run or just wear them around town.
They're ideal for exercise, although any Urbanite will also find their lightweight functionality and impressive sound isolation highly appealing.
If you want proof that wireless headphones can now compete with the best of them, look no further.
Considering it's still rare to get noise-cancelation in wired earbuds at all, the fact that Sony has managed to pack it into a pair that are not only wireless, but true wireless is very impressive indeed.
The Sony WF-1000X manage to offer a level of noise-cancelation that's very good for a pair of earbuds – it won't offer the same isolation as a pair of over-ear cans, but if you're after a sleek form factor then the compromise is worth it.
That being said, in spite of a few minor problems we feel that Sony has knocked the ball out of the park with the WF-1000XM3: not only are these hands down the best-looking True Wireless headphones out there, but they combine serious noise-canceling tech with fist-pumping musicality.
If you don’t want the inconvenience of carrying full-size cans, they’re a persuasive alternative.
