Looking to save money while still buying the best audio gear that money can buy? There are deals on all sorts of tech, from headphones to Amazon Echo speakers, plus robot vacuums, sous vide cookers and more for Amazon Prime Day. Check out those sales or read on for the best prices on headphones and earbuds right now.
Today’s best headphones and earbuds come in an array of designs, ranging from over-ear models to almost-invisible earbuds. As you begin shopping, you’ll also discover a wide range of prices, depending upon the features supported and compatibility with the latest audio technologies. All of the best headphones and earbuds can produce terrific sound to treat your ears—while there’s nothing wrong with many Bluetooth speakers, there’s no question you’ll get the best audio experience from headphones.
Whether you need one of the best over-ear headphones or earbuds, let our list help you find solace ... [+]
Like virtually all wireless headphones, the models here rely on Bluetooth wireless. That means you can pair them with your smartphone, tablet or computer, moving as far as 33 feet from your device. The latest headphones and earbuds also include such features as noise cancellation to mitigate ambient sound; water resistance; and spatial audio technologies, like Dolby Atmos, to produce more immersive sound.
Whatever your needs, here are 8 of the very best headphone and earbud options you can buy today. (See our separate roundup of the best earbuds to delve deeper into that specific style.)
- Best Wireless Earbuds Overall: Sony WF-1000XM4 ($279)
- Best Wireless Over-Ear Headphones Overall: Master & Dynamic MW65 ($499)
- Best Wireless Earbuds For iPhone: Apple AirPods Pro ($180, Was $220)
- Best Wireless Over-Ear Headphones For iPhone: Apple AirPods Max ($449, Was $549)
- Best Noise-Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones: Sony WH-1000XM5 ($398)
- Best Wireless Earbuds For Working Out: Jabra Elite 7 Active ($179)
- Best Budget Wireless Earbuds: OnePlus Buds Z2 ($99)
- Best Wireless Headphones For Travelers: Bose QuietComfort 45 ($329)
Best Wireless Earbuds Overall
Versatile and Great Sounding Earbuds
Best Wireless Over-Ear Headphones Overall
Comfortable, Lightweight Design
Best Wireless Earbuds For iPhone
Improved Noise Cancellation, Waterproof Coating And 3D Audio
Best Wireless Over-Ear Headphones For iPhone
Experience An Impressive Collection Of Outstanding Features
Best Noise-Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones
Adjust Sound Based On Your Personal Fit
Best Wireless Earbuds For Working Out
Sweatproof Earbuds With Adjustable Transparency Mode
Best Budget Wireless Earbuds
Great Sound For Less Than Half The Cost Of AirPods Pro
Best Headphones For Travelers
A Favorite Choice For Frequent Flyers
Best Headphone And Earbuds Deals You Can Shop Now
Beyond our best picks above, these are some of the best headphones and earbuds deals you can score right now. Don’t wait too long—these deals won’t last.
Save 32% On Apple’s Best Earbuds
Get $100 Off Apple’s Bestselling Headphones
Get The Reflect Mini for $75 Off
Samsung’s Improved Galaxy Bud Pro Is $20 Off
Save $20 On The Galaxy Buds2
Save A Massive $175 On The Venerable Beats Studio 3
Discount On Bose Over-Ear Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Savings On Beats’ Over-Ear Headphone
For more great deals, check out Forbes’ Amazon Prime Day coupons.
What To Look For When Buying Headphones
Choosing the perfect headphones or earbuds has a lot to do with personal preference for physical and aesthetic style. You also want to base your decision on where and how you use headphones or earbuds, and what features are important to your audio enjoyment.
Apple AirPods Max are versatile and well-rounded headphones.
First, decide if you want traditional over-ear headphones, on-ear headphones or earbuds. Next, determine if you want wireless connectivity (via Bluetooth), or if you’re okay with a cable connecting the headphones to your smartphone, tablet, computer, TV or other devices—assuming these devices have an audio jack built in.
Now, let’s take a quick look are some of the other common features and functions you'll want to consider.
Type
Both headphones and earbuds offer different designs that impact their style, comfort and in some cases, functionality. Once you make the broader choice between headphones and earbuds, focus on the sub-categories of these products that are described at the end of this article to help you determine what’ll work best for your personal needs.
Water Resistance
Most headphones are not waterproof or even water resistant. However, some earbuds are sweat resistant, dust/dirt resistant and even fully waterproof. This is essential if you plan to use them outside in the rain, around water or in situations where you’ll be sweating. Be sure to choose earbuds (or headphones) designed to adhere to your lifestyle without having to risk damaging your investment.
Audio Performance
Forgetting about all of the fancy designs and other bells and whistles the latest headphones and earbuds offer, ultimately what matters is audio quality——whether you want to enjoy music, audiobooks, podcasts or audio from TV shows or movies. Factors in audio clarity include the power and adjustability of the bass and treble, and the midtones that fall in between.
Beyond basic audio clarity, headphones or earbuds with spatial audio can provide a more immersive listening experience when you’re enjoying audio using these technologies—including both music and movies. Some headphones may have extra features like active head tracking, Dolby Atmos support and adaptive EQ.
Noise Cancellation
Most earbuds and headphones with noise cancellation allow you to turn this feature on or off manually. Some even allow you to manually adjust the level of noise cancellation manually via a proprietary mobile app. However, make sure to buy a model that says it has active noise cancellation to get the best results. Active noise cancelling earbuds and headphones use their built-in microphones to measure the ambient sounds that surround you and then automatically adjust the noise cancellation feature to an optimal setting.
The goal of noise cancellation is to greatly reduce or totally eliminate the ambient noise that surrounds you, so you can focus exclusively on the audio you’re listening to. If you’ll be using the earbuds or headphones during a phone call, active noise cancellation will help to ensure you’re heard when speaking and that you’ll clearly hear what others are saying. If you speak outside often, look for models that also tout wind reduction, which means they’re further tuned to counter the effect of a steady breeze.
Transparency Mode
A common feature with noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds, a transparency mode enables hearing some of what’s going on around you. Sometimes manufacturers have their own name for this mode. This can be handy if you want to hear someone nearby who is speaking to you without popping your earbuds out (or removing the headphones from your ears). While the noise cancellation functionality will do its best to eliminate unwanted sounds, transparency mode allows you to hear important sounds.
Noise Isolation
An offshoot of noise cancellation is the ability of headphones or earbuds to handle noise isolation. Instead or (or in addition to) relying on technology to reduce or eliminate unwanted sounds, noise isolation takes advantage of foam or silicon cushions or ear tips designed to seal the ear canal so those outside sounds are greatly muffled or blocked altogether.
Battery Life
Wireless headphones and earbuds have built-in rechargeable batteries. In general, the battery life of wireless earbuds is always significantly less than wireless headphones. For earbuds, a typical battery life is between five and seven hours. For headphones, expect a battery life between 10 and 24 hours.
The battery story changes when you use active noise cancellation, which requires more power. In general, when you turn on the noise cancellation feature in earbuds or headphones—and use them at a higher volume level—this will reduce expected battery life per charge considerably.
Fit And Comfort
Everyone’s ear canal shape and size is different, which is why most earbud makers include multiple ear tips to try out. Some ear tips mold to your ear’s shape or have a wing tip to keep it set in your ear. Earbuds are highly portable, are comfortable and can be the least distracting option to wear. They also come in varying degrees of water and sweat resistance. However, if you'll be sitting at your desk, traveling on an airplane or not highly active, traditional wireless headphones with noise cancellation may be a better option.
Earbud Charging Case
Wireless earbuds are small. When not being used, they get stored in a provided case. Active noise-cancelling earbuds usually include a case with a rechargeable battery. Not only does the case help keep track of your earbuds, it can replenish their charge while you’re out-and-about. Many can even give a charge boost quickly. After being inserted into a case for between five and 15 minutes, typically earbuds gain an additional several hours of quality listening time.
The case that comes with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds offers wired or wireless charging.
All cases connect to an external power source for charging, but some earbud cases also support wireless charging. You’ll discover that the case size for the various earbuds varies greatly. While all are pretty lightweight, some will fit much more comfortably in your pocket than others.
Special Features
Many earbuds and headphones offer a plethora of bonus features, like spatial audio, support for Dolby Atmos, the ability to manually adjust bass and treble, adaptive EQ, dynamic head tracking, the ability to participate in phone calls (or video calls) when paired with your smartphone and the ability to auto-pair with whatever device you’re using.
Some also offer functionality that works natively with your smartphone or with a separate app to allow you to quickly locate a misplaced earbud. Also, while most earbuds are water-resistant or fully waterproof, most headphones are not.
For control over your listening experience without having to tinker with the mobile device or computer the headphones or earbuds are paired with, some utilize built in buttons or touch controls that can be adjusted while you’re wearing them.
Based on the type of audio you’ll be listening to and where you’ll be using the earbuds or headphones, choose an option that offer the collection of features and functions you’ll use most often.
Access To Digital Voice Assistant
When you pair wireless headphones or earbuds with a smartphone, tablet or computer that has an integrated digital assistant, many allow you to activate that digital assistant with a tap or button press on the headphones or earbuds you’re wearing, or by using a voice command, like “Hey Google” or “Hey Siri” to wake up the assistant so you can verbally interact with it.
Not all headphones and earbuds are compatible with Google Assistant, Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana, so make sure what’s offered is compatible with the equipment (and digital assistant) you already use.
Mobile App
The majority of popular earbuds and headphones each have a proprietary mobile app designed to give added control over your audio listening experience.
While some of these apps are simply used to initially pair and setup the wireless device, others allow you to manually control advanced settings, such as noise cancellation levels, or bass and treble levels while you’re listening to audio using the earbuds or headphones.
Which Brand Is Best For Headphones?
With so much competition, don’t assume paying a higher price will ensure better audio quality. In some cases, you wind up paying a premium for a name brand’s logo to be displayed on the device.
When traveling, any headphones or earbuds (like the Jabra Elite 85T) with noise cancellation will ... [+]
Instead of focusing on a name brand, pay attention to the technical specifications, features, design and style that’s offered. Base your buying decision on whether a pair of headphones or earbuds will meet your expectations and adhere to your lifestyle.
What’s Better: On-Ear, Over-Ear Or In-Ear Earbuds?
The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones are a perfect example of an over-ear design that's ideal for ... [+]
Over-ear headphones cup your ears and use some type of cushioning around them to generate a comfortable fit. These cushions are also typically designed to reduce or block out outside sound. On-ear headphones fit directly on your ears. Earbuds, however, get inserted into your ears. Once you achieve the perfect fit with earbuds, you should be able to forget you’re wearing them.
The most common earbuds these days are true wireless earbuds. These have no wires whatsoever. Some wireless earbuds utilize a cable to physically connect the right and left earbud, but wirelessly connect to source device via Bluetooth.
Wired earbuds have become far less popular (mainly because most mobile devices no longer have headphones jacks built in). These earbuds have a 3.5mm cable that plugs into the headphone jack of the computer or device generating the audio. When it comes to higher-end earbuds that really focus on audio quality, audiophiles tend to prefer wired earbuds because they offer zero latency.
Which option you choose and which is better is subjective, based on how and where you’ll be using the headphones or earbuds and the audio quality and features you expect from them.
