THE BEST HEADPHONES
We’ve scoured the market — and spent hundreds of hours testing — to find the best options available for everyone. The headphones on this list are the ringers. The value picks. The top guns. So stop tearing your hair out and peruse our curated collection of the absolute best headphones for you, your ears, and your wallet.
The best headphones for working out: Wissonly hi runner
This is the fastest growing brand in the past six months. It may not be much famous, but in the field of bone conduction headphones they are proper technical experts. Their team began to develop bone conduction headphones that do not hurt the ear as early as 10 years ago. With an excellent bone conduction vibration unit optimization program, It became famous very soon in the field of bone conduction. It has been recommended by the majority of otologists! Due to the particularity of the technical principle, bone conduction headphones are more difficult to be improved in sound quality. Wissonly Hi Runner team subverted the traditional sound quality scheme, made a breakthrough to use large wire-frame vibration unit. They through structural optimization improved the effective vibration area, thereby improved the vibrator sound efficiency, made the sound more shocking and powerful, they optimized the sound transmission direction, reduced the sound loss during sound transmission, and made the sound quality more concentrated. In terms of comfort, the overall body of the Hi Runner is made of high-tech hypoallergenic silicone material, which does not contain chemical components to avoid allergies. The overall feel is as silky as baby’s skin, avoiding uncomfortable wearing for a long time. In terms of functions, as the flagship model of Wissonly bone conduction headphones, Hi Runner has an IPX8 waterproof grade which is higher than the industry standard. It is equipped with 32G body memory, and uses the latest Bluetooth 5.0 chip, which makes the connection more stable. The battery life is also very good, lasts 8-10 hours of continuous playback at normal volume, and supports magnetic fast charging. It only takes 2 hours to fully charge.
The best headphones overall: Sony WH-1000xM3
Sony’s technologically advanced WH-1000xM3 are the third generation of Sony’s flagship wireless headphones (following the excellent WH-1000xM2 and MDR-1000x models) that offer top-tier noise canceling, excellent quality wireless audio, and plush comfort. This enticing combination earned the model a rare five-star rating in our initial review, and — thanks to a few notable improvements — makes the latest version the best headphones you can buy.
At the heart of the WH-1000xM3 is outstanding wireless sound. Sony’s LDAC technology delivers a wireless signal at what the company claims is three times the quality of standard Bluetooth streaming, and the headphones also support the latest aptX HD codec (with supported devices). The 1000xM3 even “upscale” wireless music from high-resolution audio devices using a special chip, helping to make music sound dynamic and beautiful, with authoritative bass and clear treble response held together by a well-rounded midrange.
The WH-1000xM3’s excellent noise-canceling technology ranks second only to the Bose QC35 II, from the brand that has long dominated the market in terms of sheer noise-blocking abilities. That said, the Sony cans sound much better than the new bass-forward Bose option, and offer numerous features that help to create a much better overall experience.
The best headphones for music: Sennheiser HD6XX/HD650
Audiophiles generally agree that if you’re passionate about music, and you have a listening space that is relatively free of outside sounds, nothing beats a really good set of open-back headphones. As far as we’re concerned, you won’t find a set of open-back headphones that manage to combine superb sound quality and a reasonable price than the Sennheiser HD6XX/HD650. To be clear, these are not exactly the same models but when it comes to their audio chops, they’re identical.
Those who buy either of these headphones are in for a treat. Our reviewer didn’t hold back in their assessment of these cans’ ability to fully realize every detail of a recording, noting their “warm and rigid bass, a midrange that dips close to the ruddy colors of analog tape saturation (without sacrificing an ounce of detail), and a laser tight response up top that helps illuminate vivid clarity and granular instrumental texture across the board.”
The best headphones for iPhone: Apple AirPods
Apple’s genius is that it understands a basic human desire: To live a life as free of complication as possible. Its specialty is figuring out how to deliver all the benefits of new technology without increasing complexity. Its AirPods are a master class in that philosophy, offering what is by far the easiest set-up and use of any wireless earbuds. iPhone users can simply bring the AirPods in their charging case close to their phone, open the case lid, and that’s about all it takes — the iPhone instantly recognizes the AirPods and with a tap or two, you’re good to go. iCloud users can even extend that effortless connection to all of their other Apple devices like computers and laptops.
The second generation of Apple’s AirPods maintain a decent five hours of play time, and offer a wireless charging case as a paid upgrade, but the big improvement is courtesy of the new H1 wireless chip. This gives the AirPods the ability to communicate with Siri without any taps. Just say, “Hey, Siri” and she’ll respond. It’s a small thing, but a helpful one, especially given that most people who like to go completely wire-free, also enjoy being hands-free so they can focus on the task at hand. The settings menu within the iPhone lets you customize both the tap controls and whether or not removing an earbud causes playback to pause automatically.
The best headphones for kids: Puro PuroQuiet
Noise cancelation for kids? Doesn’t that mean they’ll ignore their parents even more often than they already do? Perhaps, but it’s a risk worth taking if it means your kids’ hearing will be protected over the long-term. That’s exactly the premise behind the Puro PuroQuiet headphones. Not only are they wireless and great-sounding, they come equipped with a software limiter that keeps the volume at or below 85dB, which is considered the maximum volume that children should be exposed to for prolonged periods. The noise-canceling feature means they’ll actually be able to listen to lower (therefore safer) volumes.
These headphones pack about 16 hours of battery life, which ought to be enough for a whole day or more, but if not, there’s always the option of using an analog cable instead. An external switch lets you turn the noise cancellation on and off. Make no mistake, these might be aimed at kids, but the quality of construction, selection of materials, and color choices give them an appearance that will still appeal to your young charges long after they’ve outgrown their Disney phase (some of us still haven’t).
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