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Best Overall Headphones
Sony WH-1000XM5
Best Earbuds
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Runner-Up
Anker Soundcore Space A40
Best for Workouts
Jabra Elite 8 Active
Whether you’re listening to the latest episode of the Gadget Lab podcast or hitting the trail with Taylor Swift on repeat, the right pair of wireless headphones can make your day. The only problem is that there are so many to choose from. WIRED’s Gear team is constantly testing new models, and these are the very best wireless headphones we’ve found.
Be sure to check out all our audio buying guides, like the Best Wireless Earbuds, Best Workout Earbuds, Best Smart Speakers, and Best Bluetooth Speakers, for more music nirvana.
Updated March 2024: We’ve added the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and Sony WH-CH720N headphones.
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Photograph: Sony
Best Overall Headphones
Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony’s flagship noise-canceling headphones are now in their fifth generation, and that means a new, more elegant look to go with improved sound and noise canceling. The WH-1000XM5 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) offer 30 hours of battery life and some of the best sound quality you’ll find, thanks to Sony’s clever processing and drivers. They cancel out the world better than nearly all competitors, and they even sense when you’re talking and automatically pause your music—you’ll rarely reach for the pause button. Smaller 30-mm drivers make for a punchy, convincing soundstage that can distract you from whatever you’re using music to escape from.
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Photograph: Amazon
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
In most ways—sound quality, battery life, comfort, control options—the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are properly competitive. But when talk turns to active noise-canceling, these Bose leave most rivals in the dust. Their ability to utterly cancel external sounds of all kinds has to be heard (or, rather, not heard) to be believed. If you spend time on noisy airplanes, buses, or what-have-you but would rather not hear about it, get a pair of QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The world will never sound the same again.—Simon Lucas
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Photograph: Anker
Runner-Up
Anker Soundcore Space A40
The Space A40 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are a surprisingly great pair of wireless earbuds. For under $100, you get solid noise canceling, multipoint pairing, and a wireless charging case. The sound is solid, with an app that allows you to customize your experience, and 10 hours of battery life to boot. The only faults are that they don’t have auto-pause when you remove the buds from your ears, and the touch controls aren’t the best we’ve ever used. But if you want an AirPods Pro–like performance for much less, these are a great pair.
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Photograph: Jabra
Best for Workouts
Jabra Elite 8 Active
The Jabra 8 Active are some of the most secure wireless earbuds around, especially for folks with small ears, and the IP68 rating make them a great choice for braving the elements—they’ll be fine in the rain or even a dip in the pool. They come with a bigger charging case than their predecessor and overall better battery life. The noise cancellation is excellent to drown out that guy blasting tunes at the gym, though you can still take advantage of Jabra’s HearThrough tech to let the ambient noise of the world in when you’re out running. The best part? Physical buttons! Your sweaty hair won’t accidentally switch songs on you.
★ Alternative: Jabra’s older Elite 7 Active are still excellent, especially if you can catch them at a significant discount during major sale events (around $100).
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Photograph: Apple
Best Earbuds for iPhones
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) with USB-C
The latest AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) come with USB-C and a revamped audio architecture but otherwise retain everything we loved about the previous generation for iPhone owners. Along with six hours of juice and a case with a speaker to help use Apple’s Find My feature, they have touch controls for quick volume adjustments. Noise canceling and call quality are among the top of the market and make these excellent for both work and play. Plus, a new IP54 rating means they’re resistant to dust and water (great for gym rats). If you own an iPhone and like to listen to songs at home or on the go, these are a solid choice.
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Photograph: Google
Best for Android
Google Pixel Buds Pro
The Pixel Buds Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are a perfect alternative to the AirPods Pro if you’re an Android fan, like me. The cute multicolored earbuds have great noise canceling, a super comfortable fit, and an hour more playtime (seven) than the Apple-made equivalents. I also like that they switch quickly between multiple paired devices, which makes it nice for those of us who use headphones for both work and workouts. Google also recently issued a firmware update that added new features, like Conversation Detection and Bluetooth Super Wideband for better call quality (read more here). The only downside is that they don’t work super well with iPhones. Too bad. So sad.
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Photograph: Amazon
Best Cheap Noise-Canceling Headphones
Sony WH-CH720N
In some ways, it’s obvious that the WH-CH720 cut some corners. They don’t fold, for instance, and they don’t come with any kind of carry-case or bag. But for everything that really matters, these Sonys are the real deal. The sound quality is excellent, with very acceptable active noise-canceling. They are also built to last and have battery life that goes on and on. On a pound-for-pound basis, it’s hard to know how you could do any better.—Simon Lucas
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Photograph: Apple
Best Over-Ears for iPhones
Apple AirPods Max
They’re some of the most expensive wireless headphones on the market, but Apple’s AirPods Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) will get you the best sound. They have rich bass, a massive soundstage, and excellent noise cancellation. My favorite part? The large Apple Watch-like knob on the top of the right ear cup, which you use to easily adjust the volume. Apple users will love how well they integrate with iOS devices, and especially how well they handle video. When watching via certain apps (HBO Max, for example), they can track your head to simulate full object-based surround sound.
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Photograph: Bose
Best Noise Canceling
Bose QuietComfort Ultra
In the ongoing race for noise-canceling supremacy, Bose once again takes pole position with the powerful yet elegant QuietComfort Ultra (9/10, WIRED Recommends). These headphones provide astonishing noise canceling that stands above rivals, able to dissolve everything from footsteps and lawnmowers to rushing traffic and even high-frequency annoyances. They supplement these skills with slick and lush sound quality, a posh and supremely comfy design, and Bose’s spatial audio DSP aimed to create a deeper sense of immersion from stereo audio. You’ll pay a premium for the ride, but those looking for the ultimate in headphone tranquility won’t regret going all in.—Ryan Waniata
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Photograph: Technics
Best Business Buds
Technics EAH-AZ80
Not only do the Technics EAH-AZ80 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) boast excellent noise canceling, great sound quality, and a sleek wireless charging case, they have a special trick that will appeal to those of us who are always on the move: These earbuds can pair with up to three devices at once, making switching between your phone, laptop, and tablet for Zoom calls easier than ever.
Technics also includes several different ear-tip sizes and shapes for a better fit than most premium earbuds, and they last for seven hours with noise canceling on, which is more than enough for a day’s work (as long as you pop them in the case on your lunch break).
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Photograph: Bose
Best for Phone Calls
Bose Noise Canceling 700
Special digital signal processing (DSP) and an advanced microphone array inside these Bose headphones allow them to limit background noise and focus on your voice alone, making them excellent for call quality. Plus, the special mics and DSP pair with Bose’s incredibly effective noise-canceling tech for amazing peace and quiet when you’re home or out and about. All of that plus great comfort, long battery life, and excellent sound quality mean the Bose 700 should be your top pick if you place a lot of phone calls and Zoom meetings. It’s frequently on sale for around $330, so try not to pay more.
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Photograph: Master & Dynamic
No Frills
Master & Dynamic MH40 (2023)
The Master and Dynamic MH40 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are classic over-ear headphones that dismiss things like noise canceling and adaptive EQ for simple, elegant design and excellent sound, whether wired or wireless. These headphones support hi-res audio formats, and their build quality is among the best you’ll find, with materials like leather and aluminum. They also have multipoint pairing, which makes them decent for people who bounce between listening on their cell phone to a laptop or tablet.
They cost significantly more than other headphones that lack active noise canceling, but the sound quality, design, and build make these a pair that will likely last for years, far more than more-affordable options.
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Photograph: JLab Audio
Go Anywhere Headphones
JLab Audio JBuds Mini
These teeny earbuds from JLab are designed to attach to your key chain and go with you wherever you roam. They come in several cute colors (or you can get them in understated black), and the buds themselves are some of the smallest I’ve ever seen, which makes them excellent for people with small ears. They don’t sound as good as others on this list, but for $40 they’re decent, and they are the easiest headphones to carry with you everywhere. An IP55 rating means they’ll be fine against trips to the gym and the beach, and they get five and a half hours of juice between trips back to the case.
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Photograph: Samsung
Best for Samsung Phones
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro
The Buds2 Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are a solid Android alternative for people who aren’t stoked on the Google Pixel Buds Pro. They are supremely comfortable, and the dual-driver array means they offer better sound than the Pixel Buds, albeit without the multi-device connectivity. You do, however, get better microphones than on Google’s buds, which makes these better for people who work and play in the same buds.
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Photograph: Focal
Best-Sounding Over Ears
Focal Bathys
The Focal Bathys (9/10, WIRED Recommends), with their bespoke French drivers and comfortable leather earpads, are the best premium wireless headphones I’ve heard yet. They look fantastic, with light-up logos on the outside of each earcup, but they sound even better. DNA from its higher-end headphones trickles down heavily here. These noise-canceling headphones possess some of the clearest, most fun sound quality I’ve heard so far.
When you don’t want to listen wirelessly, these have a high-quality, built-in, digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a chip that will make your laptop or cell phone sound much better if you plug it in via the USB-C port. Thirty hours of battery life means they’ll last for even the longest trips, plus rapid charging means you can plug them in for 15 minutes and get five quick hours. They’re perfect for the stylish traveler if you can stomach the price tag.
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Photograph: JLab
Best for $50 or Less
JLab Audio Go Air
For a much more affordable option, we like these wire-free earbuds from JLab (8/10, WIRED Recommends). They get only five hours of battery life per charge, and the case (which holds about four extra charges) has an open-top design that can collect a bit of dirt and lint from 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 also have an IP44 water-resistance rating, so you can sweat in them without worry. The case has a built-in USB cable, so you don’t need to tote an extra cord. Check out our other favorite cheap headphones for more.
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Photograph: Bowers & Wilkins
Most Comfortable
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 Headphones
A combination of soft memory-foam-filled leather, flawlessly applied fabric, and high-quality plastics makes these light noise-canceling headphones (9/10, WIRED Recommends) the most comfortable I have tried. The sound is remarkable too. This established English audio brand showcased the full weight of its many decades of engineering high-end loudspeakers and headphones. The only downside is that this pair doesn’t cancel noise quite as well as the best from Sony or Bose, so you may want one of those if you’re primarily concerned with silence.
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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 ATH-M50XBT, which brings wireless technology to the beloved workhorse headphones. 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.
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Photograph: Sony
Best Augmented Reality Buds
Sony LinkBuds
If you like hearing the sounds of the world along with the sound of music when you’re on the go, the new LinkBuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are for you. These tiny buds have holes in the center of each driver, so outside sounds can filter into your ears. This makes them great for runs or bike rides, where safety is an issue. They’re small and comfortable, and they come with a compact charging case that fits in even the smallest pockets. Our only gripe? No wireless charging.
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Photograph: HyperX
Best for Gaming
HP HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless
This wireless headset from HyperX has great sound and a decent mic, along with solid build quality, but that’s not what garnered it an extremely rare 10/10 in our review. That would be the insane battery life: WIRED reviewer Eric Ravenscraft has spent over 300 hours listening to these without having to recharge them—they’re rated for 300 hours. We’re still scratching our heads as to how HyperX has play times that are literally 10 times the competition, but for now, the simple fact that it isn’t a lie makes them easily the best wireless gaming headset around.
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Photograph: Belkin
Best for Kids
Belkin Soundform Mini
They come in pink! According to senior associate editor Adrienne So, this is an all-important question for an 8-year-old. The build quality is sturdy, and we like that the earcups have decent padding. Volume is limited to the OSHA-recommended 85 decibels, so your kiddos can’t damage their ears on accident. They’re rated for ages 2+, but So was able to get her own head in her daughter’s pair (albeit with a tight fit), so these should last growing kids for a while with proper treatment. Check out our guide to the Best Kids Headphones for more picks.
Parker Hall is a senior editor of product reviews at WIRED. He focuses on audiovisual and entertainment products. Hall is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied jazz percussion. After hours, he remains a professional musician in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
Ryan Waniata is a writer, editor, video host, and product reviewer with over 10 years of experience at sites including Digital Trends, Reviewed, Business Insider, Review Geek, and others. He’s evaluated everything from TVs and soundbars to smart gadgets and wearables, with a focus on A/V gear. He has a… Read more
