Karlston Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 The Best Wireless Headphones for Everyone We found a bunch of headphones and earbuds that sound like a million bucks, even if you're on a budget. Whether you're listening to the latest episode of the Gadget Lab Podcast or hitting the treadmill with your favorite Taylor Swift album in tow, the right pair of wireless headphones can make or break your day. Problem is, there are a lot to choose from. WIRED's Gear team is constantly trying out new models, to help those of us that are tired of using a dongle. These are our top picks for the best wireless headphones and why you might be interested in each pair. Be sure to check out our other audio guides for the best wirefree earbuds, best workout earbuds, best smart speakers, and best Bluetooth speakers if you're searching for other kinds of audio nirvana. Updated in May 2020: We've revamped this guide with a bunch of new headphones, including the JLab Go Air, Beats Powerbeats, and Jabra Elite Active 75T. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more. Photograph: Sony Best Overall Headphones Sony WH1000XM3 Which is better: Bose or Sony? For now, we're giving the edge to Sony for noise-canceling and audio quality. The WH1000XM3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) sound absolutely vibrant and last up to 30 hours on a charge (that's 10 hours longer than Bose cans). Their noise-canceling is on par with Bose and better than everything else on the market. The touch controls aren't perfect, but the ability to put your hand over the right earcup to hear outside noise is super handy. The only annoying issue is call quality. The XM3 are poor at phone calls. You'll sound like you're down the hallway to folks on the other line. (The older Sony 1000XM2 are also superb, but not worth it unless you get a good discount.) $348 at Amazon $350 at Best Buy Photograph: 1More Best Overall Wirefree Earbuds 1More Stylish True Wireless From tiny tots to stubborn geriatrics, I’ve yet to find a person who doesn’t like the way these rubberized wirefree earbuds fit their ears. Three sizes of silicone eartips and comfortable earfins help them stay secure in almost any ears. The Stylish also sound great, with the AptX-enabled buds offering punchy bass that’s impressive for headphones this size. Such comfort, sound quality, and an Apple AirPod–beating 6.5 hours of battery life (at a price tag that’s $60 cheaper) make the 1More Stylish the best wirefree earbuds you can buy right now. $100 at Amazon $100 at Best Buy Photograph: Beats Best Workout Earbuds Beats Powerbeats (2020) AirPods are easy to use with iPhone, but they’re not all that great when it comes to battery life or sweatproof performance. Our favorite pair of workout headphones are actually the Beats Powerbeats (8/10, WIRED Recommends). The earclip-style buds stay attached during workouts, with a wire behind the head that keeps you from losing one, and lets you hang them around your neck when you're not listening. They look and function identically to the more-expensive Powerbeats Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but the cable means you get 15 hours of battery life to the Pros' 9 hours, and saves you about $100 bucks. $150 at Apple $150 at Amazon $150 at Best Buy Photograph: Bose Best for Phone Calls Bose Noise Cancelling 700 Special digital signal processing (DSP) and an advanced microphone array inside Bose’s latest flagship headphones allow them to limit background noise and focus on your voice alone, making them the best headphones you can buy when it comes to call quality. Plus, the special mics and DSP pair with Bose’s incredibly effective noise-canceling tech, making it seem like you’re in a quiet space even when you’re out and about. Couple all of that with great comfort, noise-canceling, battery life, and sound quality, and the Bose 700 are among the best headphones for a businessperson right now. $399 at Amazon $399 at Best Buy Photograph: Sennheiser Best Sound Quality Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless You won’t get the same tippy-top-level quality noise-canceling or battery life as you will from the two top Sony or Bose headphones on our list, but the third generation of Sennheiser’s Momentum Wireless still silences a lot of noise and are a tour-de-force when it comes to sound quality and design. The posh over-ears are reminiscent of studio headphones from the rock and roll era, with robust stainless steel and plush leather earpads that stay comfortable for hours on end. Sennheiser's excellent in-house tuning will sometimes make you think you’re listening to remixes of your favorite records with more detail added in. Their low-end bass is bold—but not overwhelming—and it joins a hyper-detailed middle and high range, painting your favorite tunes in vibrant musical color. The added noise-canceling serves the music in the same way a white wall serves art in a gallery. $400 $350 at Amazon $400 at Best Buy Photograph: Sennheiser Best Headphones for $100 or Less Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT Don't let the drab design fool you. These Sennheisers (7/10, WIRED Recommends) sound killer and last 25 hours on a charge. They also produce powerful but not overpowering bass and have an app that lets you tinker with EQ settings. Near Field Communication (NFC) makes Bluetooth pairing as easy as holding up your phone, and the buttons on the earcups make changing songs and adjusting volume straightforward tasks. If you want noise cancelling, the fancier Sennheiser BT4.5 might be up your alley. $85 at Amazon $100 at Best Buy Photograph: Taotronics Best Headphones for $50 or Less Taotronics Active Noise Cancelling Headphones If you’re looking for a decent pair of over-ear headphones with great sound and battery life, try this model from Chinese brand TaoTronics. They are a perfect travel companion, with 45 hours of battery life and decent noise reduction (though not the whisper silence you’d expect from the Sony and Bose models, which cost hundreds of dollars more). And unlike some of the more expensive models, you won't have to worry as much about breaking or losing them. $50 at Amazon Photograph: Sony Best Noise-Canceling Buds Sony WF-1000XM3 Toting around a big pair of over-ear headphones used to be the only way to effectively drown out the world, but no more. With its WF-1000XM3 (9/10, WIRED Recommends), Sony took a shrink ray to the same noise-canceling tech we loved inside its over-ear WH-1000XM3 model. These wirefree earbuds have six hours of battery life, making them great for all but the longest outdoor adventures, and a fast 10-minute charge in the case will nab you an extra hour and a half of juice for when you forget to charge them. Couple these features with Sony's outstanding DSEE HX audio processing, and you're left with some of the best-sounding and most capable buds around. $228 $198 at Amazon $230 $198 at Best Buy Photograph: Master & Dynamic Best Workout Buds for Audiophiles Master & Dynamic MW07 Go Master & Dynamic's MW07 Go (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are light, comfortable, and compact, but still sound fantastic, which is why they're now my go-to buds at the gym. They have a more vibrant soundstage and much more musical detail than most wirefree models, they last for 10 hours per charge, and they have an IPX6 rating, so you can confidently rinse them off after your bi-weekly trip on the treadmill. Plus, I like the physical buttons on top of each headphone, which never gets jostled when you adjust the earbuds during workouts—unlike pesky touch controls. $200 $145 at Best Buy $199 at Amazon $199 at Master & Dynamic Photograph: JLab Audio Best Super Cheap Earbuds JLab Audio Go Air For a super budget pick, we like these wirefree earbuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends). They only get five hours of battery life per charge and their case (which holds about four extra charges) has an open-topped design that can collect a bit of junk in your pockets, but they're great cheap headphones. They are small and comfortable in your ears, and they sound good enough for the price. They're also IP44 rated, so you can sweat in them without worry. The case even has a built-in USB cable, so you don't need to tote extra cords with you. Check out our other favorite cheap headphones, if you're on a budget. $30 at Amazon $30 at Best Buy Photograph: Apple Best for iPhone Owners (And Silence Lovers) Apple AirPods Pro The AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are easily worth the $100 premium you'll pay over standard AirPods. For one thing, they're much more comfortable and secure—thanks to silicone eartips that replace the standard AirPods' hard plastic. They also sound much better. The eartips create a better seal with your ears for more dynamic bass response. We also love active noise canceling. You'll never hear your kids squealing in the next room while you're trying to get some work done. You won't get that same "plugged-ear" feeling you get with other in-ears thanks to built-in vents, and an IPX4 rating makes them great at the gym. My only gripe? Battery life, which stands at a paltry 4.5 hours (outside of the 19.5-hour charging case). $249 $235 at Amazon $249 at Apple Photograph: Jabra Most Rugged Jabra Elite Active 75T The Elite Active 75T are the perfect earbuds for people who can't stop breaking their phone screens. They're tiny and ergonomic, so you won't drop one on the street during a jog, and they've got an IP57 rating, which means you can drop them in the sink or the dirt without any problems. They're also great-sounding headphones, with great 7.5-hour battery life outside the case, and some of the best call quality around. Do your worst, they'll keep on ticking. $200 at Amazon $200 at Best Buy Photograph: Master & Dynamic Best On-Ear Headphones Master & Dynamic MW50+ If you prefer to have your headphones sit on your ears, not over and around them, the MW50+ (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are some of the classiest cans you can find. They're padded with ridiculously soft lambskin and built around a metal frame with high-quality 40mm beryllium drivers. With 14+ hours on a charge and a two-year warranty, they're worth a serious look if you're seeking a premium audio experience. $349 $225 at Amazon $350 $225 at Best Buy Photograph: Audio Technica Best for Producing Audio Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT Audio Technica’s ATH-M50X (9/10, WIRED Recommends) headphones are known for balanced sound and great durability. It's made them ubiquitous in music and film studios around the globe. But what if you want to take them with you between takes? Enter the M50XBT, which brings wireless technology to the beloved workhorse headphones for just $20 extra. Don’t worry, wire lovers, the Bluetooth version comes with the same coiled studio cable as the original corded version, so you can easily plug in for a fresh take when you get back to the studio. $179 at Amazon $180 at Best Buy Photograph: Urbanears For Fans of Color Urbanears Pampas The Urbanears Pampas showcase classic Scandinavian minimalism, with a single joystick-like control mechanism to change songs, play and pause music, and adjust volume. They also come in several colors. The bass-forward headphones aren't the absolute best sounding pair you'll find for under $150, but their excellent looks—and fantastic 30 hours of listening time—make them a great choice if you value form as highly as functionality. These fabric-and-leatherette-lined cans should last you many years of solid use. $128 at Amazon $140 at B&H Audio $150 at Urbanears Photograph: JLab Audio Best Headphones for Kids JLab Audio JBuddies Studio Bluetooth These compact Bluetooth headphones limit the volume to your kiddos’ ears, keeping all sound below 85 decibels—the physician recommended limit for extended listening without hearing damage. They get 13 hours of listening time and have a durable design with pinch-less hinges to survive whatever kids can throw at them. The grey, blue, and purple colors also make it easier to tell whose pair is whose if you have multiple children. Plus, at just $30, they don't break the bank. Read our guide for more kid-friendly travel gear. $30 at Amazon $20 at Best Buy (Corded Version) Source: The Best Wireless Headphones for Everyone (Wired) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazz Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 oneplus buds about to come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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