When you want to get immersed or totally lost in the audio you’re listening to, there’s no better option than using headphones. The best headphones offer features like noise cancellation, which allows you to greatly reduce or virtually eliminate ambient sound so you can comfortably focus on the music, podcast, audiobook or audio you want to hear with no outside interruptions.
Many of the latest headphones and earbuds offer superior audio quality at almost any budget you can imagine. More often than not, they’re wireless too, allowing you to pair them with any Bluetooth device so you don’t necessarily have to stay extremely close to the source. Based on your personal preference, however, you can also choose headphones or earbuds that offer wired connectivity.
Headphones and earbuds come in all sizes, shapes and colors—including traditional over-ear headphones and in-ear earbuds—some of which are waterproof, so you can use them while working out or engaged in a high-intensity activity that involves sweating or getting wet. Let’s take a look at eight of the very best headphone and earbud options for 2022:
- Best Earbuds Overall: Apple Airpods Pro
- Best Over-Ear Headphones Overall: Master & Dynamic MW65
- Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones: Sony WH-1000XM4
- Best Headphones For Working Out: Jabra Elite 85t
- Best Budget Headphones: Back Bay Duet 50 Pro
- Best Headphones for iPhone: Apple AirPods Max
- Best Noise Cancelling Earbuds: Sony WF-1000XM4
- Best Wired Earbuds: Shure SE425-CL Sound Isolating Earbuds
Best Earbud Headphones Overall
Noise Cancelling, Waterproof and 3D Audio For The Win
- Battery Life: Up to 4.5 hours per charge (up to 24 hours with multiple charges in the case)
- Water Resistance Rating: IPX4
- Driver Size: 11 millimeters
- Pros: Active noise cancellation, transparency mode, adaptive EQ, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, automatically pairs with other Apple equipment
- Cons: High price
If you have an Apple device—be it an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac—AirPods Pro just work. There's no fussing with Bluetooth. This means there’s no gritting your teeth as you try to reconnect in the middle of a workout. You also won't find yourself rolling your eyes in frustration as you try to listen to something on a different device and have to go through the pairing process again. Once you've paired them with your iPhone (which launches automatically the first time you activate them), you've paired them on every Apple device you own, automatically.
All of this wouldn't matter if the headphones themselves didn’t offer excellent sound quality. They’re not best-in-class, but they have fantastic active noise cancelling. Plus they’re sweat-proof and offer 3D spatial audio. The sound is crisp and clean. Battery life is respectable, with a wireless charging case to top them off. And they have a load of convenient features like auto-pause when you remove an earbud from an ear. You also get access to Siri and the automatic reading of incoming messages and notifications.
Best Over-Ear Headphones Overall
This Is The Sound Of Luxury (For Less Than AirPods Max)
- Battery Life: Up to 24 hours
- Water Resistance Rating: Not Applicable
- Driver Size: 40 millimeter Beryllium drivers
- Pros: Available in six colors, lightweight, made from premium materials (including anodized aluminum and leather), active noise cancelling, up to 65 foot signal range, also works with a 4.92-foot long audio cable with 3.5 millimeter jack, weighs 8.64 ounces
- Cons: High price, not waterproof (or even water resistant)
If you have the cash to spare, you’d be hard pressed to do better than Master & Dynamic's MW65 headphones. These over-ear headphones look stunning (check out that beautiful leather wrap, lambskin earpads and aluminum grille on the side of the cups). They also offer a respectable amount of clamping pressure to stay firmly on your head without causing a headache. And these headphones (with active noise cancellation) deliver excellent sound quality via a Bluetooth wireless connection. You can even summon Google Assistant from the controls on the right ear.
Sound quality is king here—the MW65 holds its own next to headphones priced significantly higher (including the Apple AirPods Max), with excellent bass and well-controlled midtones. The headphones run for about 24 hours on a charge, but you can also plug them into your source with a traditional audio cable for passive listening if the battery dies.
Best Noise Cancelling Headphones
These Headphones Change The Sound Based On Whether You’re Wearing Glasses
- Battery Life: 30 hours
- Water Resistance Rating: Not Applicable
- Driver Size: 40 millimeters
- Pros: HD noise cancellation using QN1 noise cancelling processor, proximity sensors and acceleration sensors know when the headphones are being worn and will automatically pause music, fingertip or voice-activated controls, pair with two devices at the same time
- Cons: Approximately 30-foot wireless range, not waterproof (or even water resistant)
The WH-1000XM4 improve on the last version’s noise cancellation, and add Sony's Edge-AI that is designed to rebuild audio that's been lost during digital compression. The XM4 still uses the QN1 processor (whose sole purpose is noise cancellation), but now takes advantage of a new algorithm developed to eliminate noise in real time. It’s great at blocking out engine noise (important for travelers), but also work well with conversation and background noise. The WH-1000XM4 are even smart enough to detect how your personal sonic profile changes when you're wearing glasses and adjusts accordingly.
But all of the technical details fade into the background as soon as you put them on. You can’t help but notice how insanely quiet they make everything. It's like stepping off a busy street into a library. And, if you actually do that—step into a library—these headphones are smart enough to adjust the level of cancellation automatically based on the ambient conditions. You can even use the app to set whether the headphones optimize settings for voices (so that you don't miss a PA announcement). You can pair the WH-100XM4 with multiple devices, so there’s no more disconnecting and reconnecting between computer and phone, for example.
Best Headphones For Working Out
Sweatproof Earbuds That Let You Hear All Around You When You Run
- Battery Life: 7 hours (Up to 31 hours with charging case)
- Water Resistance Rating: IPX4
- Driver Size: 12 millimeters
- Pros: Active noise cancellation, transparency mode, 11 levels of sound, available in five colors
- Cons: Average overall sound quality, not well fitting for all ear shapes and sizes
Jabra’s Elite series of true wireless earbuds don’t get the attention they deserve. Almost every model has punched above its weight, and the Jabra Elite 86t is a great example of earbuds that can do a lot of things well. They’re especially great for working out, since you can take them out in the rain or sweat on them with no fear of long-term damage.
You also get solid noise cancelling tech with an ambient passthrough mode that can keep you safe if you run outdoors surrounded by traffic. In addition, you get a healthy 7 hours of runtime on a single charge (31 hours when replenished from the charging case).
Best Budget Headphones
Keep On Listening...For Up To 130 Hours
- Battery Life: Up to 8 hours (130 hours with multiple recharges in the case)
- Water Resistance Rating: IPX5
- Driver Size: 6 millimeters
- Pros: Low price, six fit options, bass mode, also great for hands-free calling
- Cons: Wireless range is about 30 feet
For the price, the Back Bay Duet 50 Pro earbuds challenge every pair of headphones on this list. These diminutive earbuds have eight hours of battery life per charge. Pop them in the included case between sessions and you'll get an almost unbelievable 130 hours of life—less if you use the case to charge your phone (a handy extra that not many other manufacturers offer). They fit perfectly and snugly in your ear and include six sizes of tips in case you need options. They also deliver impressively crisp sound for their size and price.
Back Bay tunes its products to what it calls "American Hi-Fi sound"—essentially, punchy bass and sharp high range tones with a neutral mid. The effort the audio engineers have put in really shows, with sound quality that rivals buds costing twice as much. The Duet 50 Pro sport IPX5 water resistance and on-ear controls for answering calls and stopping and starting playback. They might not have all the tricks of more expensive earbuds, but they still accomplish exactly what you need them to. The Back Bay Duet 50 Pro provide excellent sound and insanely long battery life in a cost-effective package.
Best Headphones for iPhone
Experience An Impressive Collection Of Outstanding Features
- Battery Life: Up to 20 hours
- Water Resistance Rating: Not applicable
- Driver Size: 40 millimeters
- Pros: Adaptive EQ, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, active noise cancellation, transparency mode
- Cons: High price, no power button, lacks 3.5 millimeter jack option, not foldable for travel
AirPods Max have an understated industrial design with earpads that fit comfortably over your ears. You also get a ventilated headband that makes them comfortable for long listening sessions. They turn on and connect to your iPhone or Mac automatically when you take them out of their case. They also support Apple's Spatial Audio, which maintains the position of your music as you turn your head. And there are all kinds of little integrations into the Apple ecosystem, like a battery life widgets on your iPhone and Mac, plus easy switching between your Apple devices.
The fidelity of sound and noise cancellation are excellent. If you're an Apple faithful, it’s easy to make a case for the AirPods Max (assuming they fit within your budget). They look great, sound great and iPhone users get advantages that others don't.
Best Noise Cancelling Earbuds
These Are Among Sony’s Most Impressive Earbuds
- Battery Life: Up to 8 hours (12 hours without noise cancellation)
- Water Resistance Rating: IPX4
- Driver Size: 6 millimeters
- Pros: Noise cancellation, transparency mode, quick battery recharge time (1.5 hours), gain optional control using the Sony Headphones Connect mobile app, Hi-Res Audio and LDAC support, adjustable EQ
- Cons: High price, no Bluetooth multiport
Sony has raised the bar on noise cancelling earbuds yet again with the WF-1000XM4. Totally redesigned and sporting the company’s Integrated Processor V1 (which improves even more on Sony's previous ANC processors), these are the wireless ANC earbuds to beat. The audio packs in all kinds of crazy tricks, like on-device upscaling of your compressed music, LDAC-enabled high resolution audio, automatic wind reduction and more.
They’re impressive as a headset for your phone as well, with beamforming microphones and bone conduction sensors to detect vibrations from speech without pulling in ambient sounds. However, if you want to hear those ambient sounds, the WF-1000XM4 will let you do that too, with fully adjustable ambient detection. They're water resistant (IPX4), come with a wireless charging case, and have handsfree voice assistant capabilities as well.
Best Wired Earbuds
Get A Secure In-Ear Fit Using The Shure SE425-CL Sound Isolating Earbuds
- Battery Life: Not Applicable
- Water Resistance Rating: Not Applicable
- Pros: Excellent sound isolation, multiple ear tip options, replaceable earphones cable, high-definition drivers deliver natural and clear sound, ear hook design keeps them in your ear while remaining comfortable
- Cons: High price, does not generate strong bass
While the world may be heading in a wireless direction, there’s something to be said about earbuds that provide superior sound quality, but still rely on a wire. Designed to keep your listening experience pristine, these are sound isolating earbuds that use a wireform fit to ensure they stay in place when you’re in motion.
The speakers offer accurate and balanced sound with a frequency range between 20 Hz and 19 kHz. Weighing in at a mere 4.23 ounces, you'll find these wired earbuds to be extremely comfortable to wear. As you’d expect from a Shure product, they generate full-range audio that’ll sound natural, rich and immersive. There’s a reason why many professional musicians turn to Shure for their in-ear monitors. These SE425-CL offer many of the same features as their pro models.
A variety of ear tips are included in difference sizes and designs to provide you with a perfect fit. You also get a case that allows you to store the earbuds and keep the wire tangle-free.
What To Look For When Buying Headphones
Choosing the perfect headphones or earbuds has a lot to do with personal preference. That said, you also want to base your decision on where you’ll be using them, what activities you’ll typically be engaged in when wearing them, and what types of audio you'll be listening to.
First, decide if you want traditional over-hear 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 (which many no longer offer).
If you take the wireless route, you need to know the average battery life per charge and how long it’ll take to recharge the headphones. Wireless headphones typically have a battery life of at least 15 to 20 hours, while the battery life of wireless earbuds can be anywhere from four to eight hours.
How active you’ll be when listening to your audio will help you determine if you want traditional headphones or earbuds. For working out, running or any type of intense physical activity, earbuds will probably be the most comfortable and least distracting. These also tend to be waterproof and sweat proof. However, if you'll be sitting at your desk, traveling on an airplane or not highly-active, traditional headphones that are wireless and that offer noise cancellation will likely be a better option—but this is more a matter of personal preference.
Regardless of whether you go with headphones or earbuds, they should work with your smartphone and have one or more built-in microphones so you can take part in handsfree calling. Meanwhile, if the headphones or earbuds offer noise cancellation, they should also offer a transparency mode so you’ll still be able to hear what’s going on around you when it’s necessary.
Beyond just focusing on comfort and style, ensure the headphones or earbuds you choose will offer the highest-quality sound possible. Features like spatial audio, Dolby Atmos and adaptive EQ will all contribute to the sound quality you hear. A perfect fit will ensure you’re able to best utilize the noise cancellation many headphones and earbuds offer.
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.
There are plenty of lesser-known brands that pack a lot of cutting-edge technology into their headphones or earbuds and then offer their products at a much more affordable price. That said, you can’t go wrong with a premium band like Bang & Olufsen, Beats, Bose, Master & Dynamic, Shure, Sony or Sennheiser, if you’re willing to pay a higher price.
There are plenty of other brands—like OnePlus, Apple, Samsung, Jabra, Technics and Cambridge Audio, for example—that also offer excellent headphone and earbud options—with some being much more affordable than others for similar functionality and quality. Instead of focusing on a name brand, pay attention to the technical specifications, features, design and style that’s offered, and base your 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?
Over-ear headphones cup your ears and use some type of cushioning around them to generate a comfortable fit. On-ear headphones fit directly on your ears. Earbuds, however, get inserted into your ears. However, once you achieve the perfect fit with earbuds, you should be able to forget you’re wearing them.
In terms of which design is better, this depends on a few things, like what you’ll be doing when wearing them and how demanding you are when it comes to audio quality. You’ll find high-quality options offering superior sound from a variety of popular brands.
