Over the years, we’ve tested hundreds of pairs of headphones for this guide, so we can’t include notes on every pair here. Below, we provide our thoughts on some recently tested and high-profile models. If there is a specific model you’re curious about that’s not listed, our full testing notes are available in this spreadsheet.
Beats Solo 4: Overall, this set performs well but is severely lacking in features for the $200 price. The sound quality is good, though bass notes are a bit restrained for hip-hop and electronic music. The physical controls are easy to use. The microphone quality is clear and can handle mild background noise. The fit is lightweight and comfortable, even for (most) glasses-wearers. The 50 hours of battery life is solid, and we appreciate that the Solo 4 can play audio and charge via a USB-C cable. Unfortunately, there’s no ANC, hear-through mode, app-based EQ, IP-rated water or sweat resistance, or dual-device connectivity. The vented design doesn’t passively block out noise all that well, either.
Beats Studio Pro: For every positive, this pair has an equally disappointing downside. The noise cancellation and hear-through modes sound great, but neither is adjustable. It’s easy to use the larger physical buttons, but the power/ANC toggle button is inexplicably small. The foam earpads are soft but not replaceable. Android users get a dual-device connection feature; Apple users do not. There are three EQ settings, but they’re only accessible when listening via USB-C. But most importantly, the sound quality is dramatically impacted by use of the spatial audio: When it’s turned on, the lower bass is emphasized, and higher-pitched sounds have an artificial sharpness. With spatial audio off, the bass is notably diminished.
Beyerdynamic Aventho 100: A pricier on-ear set with a sleek, luxurious look, the Aventho 100’s build quality is substantial, with replaceable earcups, metal accents, and super-squishy, comfortable padding. In our tests, the sound provided plenty of bass and clear highs that weren’t shushing or piercing. The set has 40 hours of battery life and a quick-charge feature. The ANC is sufficient for airplane noise, and we found that the microphone quality was clear and capable of handling a bit of wind, although it wasn’t as effective in reducing nearby voices. The side tone had an odd, “talking in an empty hallway” quality. The physical controls are easy to use, but they are small, so it might take a little practice for you to get accustomed to activating them by feel.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones: These are good headphones, but they aren’t remarkable enough to justify their original $350 price. The build is lightweight with squishy earpads that should accommodate many glasses arms. The physical controls are easy to use by feel. Music sounded good in our tests, albeit slightly bass-forward out of the box. Although the Bose app provides an EQ feature, it’s too simplistic to be useful. The ANC is not as effective as what the rest of the current Bose line can deliver. In fact, at the highest intensity, these headphones reduced less noise in the airplane band than our budget pick. We do love that Bose includes a cable with a three-button remote and mic, a rare old-school nicety.
Edifier ES850NB: This set is equipped with high-quality drivers and finely adjustable EQ. However, the app’s EQ interface may be daunting to novices, and in our tests the high frequencies sounded icy no matter the adjustment. The ANC is middle-of-the-road in efficacy, and while the build is sturdy, the headphones have a snug clamping force that could be uncomfortable for people with larger heads.
Elgin Fury: We really like Elgin’s hearing-protection earbuds, so we had high hopes for this over-ear set. Unfortunately, despite offering decent sound quality and surprisingly clear phone calls, the Fury is simply too darn uncomfortable for us to recommend. The headband is a hard plastic that creaks and snaps when opened, and in my tests it exerted a clamping force that squeezed my head painfully. The optional inner earbuds are designed to provide additional protection, but they are connected by a too-short cable that makes it almost impossible to properly insert them into the ear.
Fender Mix: Fender’s first set of wireless, noise-cancelling headphones has a number of notable positives. The earpads and headband are easily replaceable, as is the rechargeable lithium battery. The Mix can connect to your device via Bluetooth or 3.5 mm cable, or by using the included USB-C transmitter, which is Auracast-enabled and conveniently stored in the headphone’s left earcup when not in use. But in our tests, the ANC was sub-par (a 15.1 dB reduction), and the sound in ANC mode was muddied by bloated bass. Right now, Fender doesn’t offer an app with adjustable EQ, so you can’t address this sonic flaw. The Mix is not available in the US yet, but we have found it on sale overseas. Fender says the headphones will soon be available here for $300.
JLab JBuds Open Wireless: These headphones are open-back, over-ear headphones with a removable grille to allow for more airflow. They are very comfortable and breathable, and they provide plenty of situational awareness. However, in our tests the sound wasn’t on par with that of open-back audiophile headphones, delivering a slightly muffled male vocal range and hissy highs. The microphone sounded quite muffled, too.
JLab Go Lux ANC Wireless: This comfortable, yet affordable on-ear pair has thick foam earpads that lessen the feeling of pressure against your ears. This pair sounded quite good in our tests, has easy-to-use physical controls, and offers a long claimed run time of 70 hours per charge. We found that the microphones did a solid job of reducing background sounds during calls, too. However, the noise isolation was only adequate; nearby voices were muffled but not fully blocked.
Nothing Headphone 1: This is an all-around solid set of headphones. The sound quality in our tests was excellent (especially after we did a bit of fussing in the EQ), the ANC is above-average, and the headphones look cool, in a stormtrooper-chic kind of way. Although the physical controls are limited in the customization options they offer, they function without the hiccups that commonly afflict touch controls. The microphones sounded slightly distant on our calls, but they handled a light breeze and some background noise. The headphones are IP52-rated, too. But the felt case will pick up lint and animal hair like crazy. If you’re fond of the aesthetic, this set is a good choice — just be sure to add a lint roller to your cart.
Nothing Headphone A: This pair is similar in looks and performance to the 1, but usually costs about $100 less. The A has slightly longer battery life, but it does not come with the hard protective case, and it uses fewer microphones, which impacts call clarity and the effectiveness of the ANC.
Raycon Everyday Headphones Pro: This pair is unoffensive but also unremarkable. The ANC is middle of the road, and the three EQ settings are all exaggerated, with a harsh twang to piano sounds and a compressed soundstage (though the Bass mode could be fun if like a bumping hip-hop feel). The microphone sounds clear in a quiet room, but it picks up every little high-pitched background noise and gives your voice a sibilant quality.
Sennheiser Accentum Plus: This pair has smaller earcups that feel refreshingly streamlined, but they might be a touch too small for folks with larger ears. Out of the box the sound is quite nice, with an extra bass bump that is most noticeable with hip-hop and rap tunes. There’s also extra intensity in the highs that could be perceived as either added detail or sibilance, depending on your ears. If you want to EQ the sound, you’ll need to create an account in the app and take an unusual sound-preference test that asks how loud you like drums or strings. There’s no option to use faders to fine-tune the sound yourself. The active noise cancellation isn’t as effective as what our picks deliver, and the microphone quality makes you sound compressed, like you’re on an old-school landline.
Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless: This pair is light and comfortable, and the ANC is quite effective on very low frequencies. Out of the box, bass notes sounded intense, as did the range between 3 and 4 kHz. You can adjust the sound via EQ presets or a “sound personalization” quiz. I found the quiz process to be confusing and ultimately not that helpful; Soundcore’s Hear ID is more straightforward and successful. The Sennheiser app offers no way to customize the controls, and there are no voice or motion-based controls like you get on other premium sets. Ultimately, while this is a very good set of headphones, we expected more for the high asking price.
Sony 1000X The Collexion (WH-1000XX/W): This premium pair is a slightly modified, more luxurious version of the Sony WH-1000XM6, our favorite set of noise-cancelling headphones. Changes include a roomier earcup, bigger drivers, a metal headband and ports, touchpads covered with vegan leather, and the addition of a handle to the carrying case. Though the earcups have more space inside, Sony kept the external profile the same by making the earcup walls thinner, which means the passive noise isolation (which muffles higher-pitched sounds like voices) isn’t as effective as that of the XM6. And beyond the isolation and aesthetics, the overall listening experience is largely the same. I listened to the XM6 and 1000X back to back over the course of several hours, and while the 1000X does seem to have a slightly bigger soundstage, the sound is so similar, it will be a negligible difference for most listeners. Yet the Collexion costs around $200 more. If you like this set’s more luxurious look and feel and you have the means to spend $650, I’m not here to yuck your yum. But for most people, the XM6 is the better buy.
Soundcore Space 2: The newer version of our budget pick adds a few improvements, like 10 additional hours of battery life, wear detection, and improved ANC. Soundcore also added an app-based AI assistant called Anka. When I tested Anka, it provided similar call-and-response language translation as other web-based offerings, it read (rather clunkily) some random news stories, and it offered to chat with me to keep me company (I’m good, thanks). While this set’s improvements are nice, we didn’t find them compelling enough to warrant spending $130; but if the Space One is discontinued, we may consider them as a possible replacement.
Steelseries Arctis Nova Elite: This pricey gaming headset claims to be suitable for crossover use, so we tested it against other wireless headphones. If you’d like to know about its gaming-console-focused capabilities, read our guide to gaming headsets. Although this set looks heavy, it’s actually very comfortable, with large earcups and a lightweight feel. We love that this pair uses replaceable batteries, and we like the retractable boom mic, which automatically turns on side tone when extended. The mic works in both extended and retracted mode. In our tests, when retracted, it did a reasonable job of removing light wind and some background noise, but it couldn’t handle especially noisy or gusty conditions. When extended, it couldn’t handle wind at all. (You’ll sound like a Weather Channel field reporter during a hurricane.) The ANC’s effectiveness was average, but there wasn’t as much physical isolation as we had hoped for in a gaming set; you’ll probably hear people talking if your game volume is low or muted. Out of the box, this pair’s sound had bloated bass and tizzy, tinny highs. If you like big, booming explosions and little crunchy footstep noises, you’ll like the tuning. Steelseries says that the sound can be adjusted with EQ in its mobile app, but despite several attempts and firmware updates, we were unable to get the app to recognize our test pair. Overall, while this gaming set can technically serve as an everyday Bluetooth headset, we prefer our picks.
This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.
