Headphone Reviews

SteelSeries brings its EQ audio expertise to consoles and mobile devices.

The company’s latest flagship earbuds might lack originality, but they nail sound quality, transparency mode, and voice call performance.

With a slew of improvements led by a far more comfortable design, Google’s latest earbuds are a compelling upgrade for Pixel owners.

The AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation are worth springing for compared to the regular pair. Both sound good, but the ANC works surprisingly well — most of the time.

The OpenRun Pro 2 add USB-C charging, a dedicated speaker for bass, reduced vibration, and AI noise cancellation.

The bass is pretty good for open-ear fitness buds, but alas, my glasses foiled the ear hook design.

Usually, I’m all about the bass for workout headphones, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Suunto Sonic and Wing.

The first headphones from Sonos deliver on comfort, sound, and more — with a unique TV Audio Swap feature that’s very convenient (when it works). But the ongoing app fiasco casts a cloud over the company’s big moment.

Beats’ on-ear headphones get an overdue refresh with a more comfortable design, longer battery life, and wired audio over both USB-C and the 3.5mm jack — but no ANC.

The Soundcore Sleep A20 are decent passive earbuds that are great for side sleepers, even if Anker overpromises.

For once, I didn’t have to worry about a fiddly fit getting in the way of heart rate tracking.

The company has always delivered on audio quality, but after stumbling with some bugs and hardware issues on the Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds, Sennheiser is focusing on the little things — and it shows.

With a design that clings to your outer ear, these earbuds are unlike anything the company has made before.

The first wireless earbuds from Sony’s PlayStation unit have unique planar magnetic drivers and an equally unique style.

These $100 earbuds offer good sound and impressive noise cancellation for the price, and they bring back the wing tip design of the Galaxy Buds Plus.

With a traveler-friendly design and superb comfort, Bose’s latest flagship headphones right the course after the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 — but they don’t come cheap.

Spatial audio and voice call improvements are the main new features, but these earbuds are largely identical to last year’s QuietComfort Earbuds II otherwise.

With sound quality worthy of Technics’ name and unique three-way multipoint, the EAH-AZ80 are a comprehensive package worth their $300 price.

Sony’s latest flagship earbuds are excellent on multiple fronts, but the lack of an ecosystem will hold them back in the not-too-distant future.

They look like a lazy refresh from the outside, but the noise-canceling Studio Pros include a ton of new features like transparency mode and lossless USB-C audio. And they solidify Beats’ unique appeal as a dual-ecosystem brand.

Foam earplugs are convenient and cost virtually nothing. But with ticket prices these days, it’s worth spending a bit more on earplugs that preserve the fidelity of live music.

With better sound, improved noise cancellation, and a standout translucent design, these are everything the original Beats Studio Buds should’ve been.

The WF-C700N earbuds fit great, sound decent, and offer plenty of software tricks. But even within Sony’s own lineup, you might have better options.

With readily available spare parts and a modular construction, Fairphone’s first over-ear headphones are a suitable companion to its repairable smartphones. I just wish they sounded better.

The touchscreen offers quick access to earbud settings along with extras like timers and even a flashlight. It’s not a super compelling addition right now, but this is only the beginning of what’s sure to become a trend.

The second-generation earbuds might look almost identical to the Ear 1s but with a $50 higher asking price. Lucky for Nothing, their sound quality is in a different league.

Our top fitness earbuds pick from Beats now comes in more colors, but there are also great options from Sony, Jabra, Sennheiser, and more.

We all get tired of Bluetooth sometimes, and the IE 200s are a nice reminder of what we’ve lost by trading the headphone jack for wireless convenience and platform-specific earbud features.

Nothing has ironed out the kinks of its debut pair of earbuds with the Ear Stick. But in the process it’s dropped some of the features that made the Ear 1s competitive.

Redesigned inside but not out, the new AirPods Pro are destined to be another hit — even if the magic is waning

Bose makes a statement with its new $299 buds

More comfortable, much better sound, and improved ANC

An overhauled design prioritizes comfort over the retro looks of Sennheiser’s past Momentums

Google’s premium buds have more features — without deal-breaking flaws

For a first effort, there’s a lot to like about Beyerdynamic’s $250 buds

The audio brand’s new noise-canceling headphones can hang with the very best

The standard Nova Pro is a compelling wired option, too

These budget earbuds don’t disappoint for their under $40 price

An airy fit, ANC, and LDAC all in one pricey package