The 6 Best Headphones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Our audio experts have spent over a decade testing headphones, and we’ve leveraged that experience to select the top models across every budget and style. While our recommendations vary in design and features, they all share the same core strengths: great sound quality and lasting comfort. After hours of critical listening and hands-on testing with dozens of products, we’ve narrowed things down to the six best headphones you can buy right now.

If you’re looking for wireless over-ear cans, the Sony WH-1000XM5 are our pick for the best headphones overall. They’re the most well-rounded Bluetooth headphones we’ve tested, combining rich, detailed sound with excellent active noise cancellation (ANC). Sony also makes our favorite wireless earbuds, the WF-1000XM5, which deliver similarly impressive performance in a compact, in-ear design.

You’ll also find standout picks from Bose, Apple, Sennheiser, and Soundcore in our guide. Whether you’re shopping for premium audiophile gear or a great budget pair under $80, we’ve got recommendations for every listener.

Our top picks for the best headphones

Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM5 – See at Amazon

Best on a budget: Soundcore Life Q30 – See at Amazon

Best noise-canceling: Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) – See at Amazon

Best wired model: Sennheiser/Drop HD 6XX – See at Drop

Best earbuds: Sony WF-1000XM5 – See at Amazon

Best AirPods: AirPods Pro 3 – See at Amazon

Best overall

The Sony WH-1000XM5 are the best over-ear headphones we’ve reviewed. They offer excellent audio performance, extensive features, and effective noise cancellation. Though some competitors edge out the XM5 in specific categories, none can rival the overall package they deliver at this price. All things considered, these are the most versatile and well-rounded Bluetooth headphones available.

First and foremost, the XM5 headphones sound great. They offer spacious and balanced audio that brings tiny details to life in music across all genres. We found bass to be a little too aggressive using the default settings, but you can adjust this to your liking via a multi-band EQ in the Sony Headphones Connect app.

The XM5 headphones are comfortable to wear with a sleek, understated design and padded earcups. Like many competing models, you can control playback and volume on the earcups themselves. Sony’s interface relies on swipes and taps, and we found this method responsive. On the downside, the XM5 can’t fold up for compact storage. The older XM4 headphones could do this, so it’s somewhat disappointing that the XM5 lacks this function.

Though Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) have a slight edge in noise cancellation, the XM5 do a remarkable job of blocking annoying background sounds so you can focus purely on your music. While traveling, they can greatly reduce engine drones without introducing white noise, making them a perfect companion for commutes and plane rides.

Call quality is also excellent, and the headphones are packed with features, including Bluetooth multipoint, which allows you to switch between connected devices. We also love how intuitive Sony’s app is, with a design that makes it simple to adjust various settings to match your needs and preferences.

Sony also sells a newer version of these headphones, called the WH-1000XM6, which improve upon the XM5 with better ANC and a refined design that folds up. That said, the XM6 are typically around $100 more, so we still give the older model an edge in overall value.

Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 review and Sony WH-1000XM6 review.

Visit our guide to all the best Sony headphones.

Best on a budget

The Soundcore Life Q30 are proof that budget headphones can deliver excellent performance without sacrificing key features. For under $100, this over-ear pair wowed us with their pleasing audio performance and solid noise-canceling capabilities.

The Life Q30 produce a clean high-end with warm mids and stable low frequencies. The sound quality isn’t audiophile caliber, but the Q30 are remarkably well-equipped for their price. Noise-canceling performance is also surprisingly strong, besting several pricier models we’ve tested. Sony and Bose still provide a noticeable step-up in this department, but the Q30 held their own in our tests across noisy environments, including a cross-country flight.

Battery life is fantastic, with 40 hours of playback with noise-canceling on and an incredible 60 hours with ANC deactivated. Soundcore also features an app with handy functions, including adjustable EQ and various ambient audio modes.

While comfortable, the headphones’ build isn’t as high-quality as that of more expensive options. The plastic used for the headband and earcups feels somewhat cheap and scratches easily. We also encountered a few misfires with the right earcup’s tap command, which toggles between ANC and transparency modes.

However, these shortcomings are easy to forgive, considering how much value these headphones deliver at this price range. At a suggested list price of only $80, these are the best headphones for budget shoppers.

Visit our guide to all the best budget headphones.

Best noise-canceling

The QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) are Bose’s latest flagship headphones, and they continue to offer the most impressive noise-canceling performance we’ve tested. If your top priority is to reduce the volume of distracting noises, these are the best headphones for the job.

The second-generation model was released in October 2025. Although audio quality and ANC strength remain largely unchanged from those of the previous model, the new headphones offer a few small but welcome enhancements in other areas. Unless you happen to find the first-gen headphones on sale at a big discount, we recommend grabbing the second-gen QuietComfort Ultra.

The headphones do an exceptional job of minimizing low-frequency distractions like engines, fans, and construction, but what’s even more impressive is how well the QC Ultra 2nd Gen silence higher-frequency distractions, like voices and keystrokes. Sony’s latest WH-1000XM6 headphones are nearly neck and neck with the Bose in some areas of ANC, but the QC Ultra had a slight edge overall in our real-world testing.

We also love the headphones’ natural-sounding transparency mode, which allows you to let in outside noise when you want to hear your surroundings. Bose has improved this mode for the second-generation model with refined ActiveSense technology that does a better job of naturally limiting the volume of sudden loud noises in your environment.

Sound quality is generally very good, but some users may want to adjust the bass levels slightly using the Bose Music app’s three-band EQ to achieve optimal depth, clarity, and balance. The headphones also support Bose’s spatial audio technology, which creates a surround sound effect with head tracking that repositions sounds to mimic the effect of turning your head in a room with physical speakers. The second-gen model features a new Cinema mode that uses this tech while also emphasizing dialogue in movies and TV shows. In our testing, it worked great, creating a movie-theater feel without overpowering speech.

Design-wise, the QC Ultra feature elegant materials with soft protein leather padding on the earcups and an aluminum band. The second-generation model also adds an extra dash of style with flashy metal accents on the band and cups. They can also fold up for travel and come with a handsome zippered case. Battery life is rated for 30 hours with ANC on, which is a welcome improvement over the 24 hours offered by the first-gen model.

Additionally, we appreciate the upgraded head-detection functionality, which can now automatically power down and disconnect the headphones when placed flat on a surface. They then quickly turn on and reconnect whenever you put them back on your head. This means you no longer have to rely on the power button during daily use.

Bose also offers an earbud version of the QuietComfort Ultra for those who prefer a more compact option. The over-ear model performs better overall, but the QC Ultra earbuds are the best in-ear noise-canceling headphones we’ve tested.

Check out our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review.

Visit our guide to all the best Bose headphones and best noise-canceling headphones.

Best wired model

The Sennheiser HD 6XX wired headphones are designed for listeners who want to enjoy audiophile-caliber sound at home. They lack conveniences like wireless connectivity and noise cancellation, but in exchange, they deliver better sound quality than any other pick in this guide.

The HD 6XX are a refreshed version of Sennheiser’s more expensive HD 650 headphones. This model has a slightly tweaked design and a 3.5mm jack instead of a 6.3mm connection, but otherwise, their performance is comparable. Yet despite delivering nearly identical audio quality, the HD 6XX are sold at a fantastic discount through Drop. Simply put, these are the best-sounding headphones you can buy for the money.

The HD 6XX deliver a more neutral audio profile than typical mass-market headphones. They favor accuracy over souped-up bass and treble. Our reviewer was blown away by their rich midrange performance, excellent timbre, clear texture, and spacious imaging. They’re so good that they’re likely to reveal little nuances in songs you may have never heard before.

Part of what gives the HD 6XX such natural depth is their open-back design. This means that sound is let in and out of their vented ear cups. This is in contrast to a traditional closed-back design, which doesn’t allow sound to escape. Although this design offers significant benefits to audio quality, it also means that the HD 6XX can’t block out ambient noise as effectively. Likewise, they let audio spill out into the room so others can hear what you’re listening to. As such, these headphones are geared toward home use and not intended for on-the-go listening.

The headband and earpads are soft and cushy, and the headphones are light with a well-built design. That said, our reviewer didn’t like the tightness of their clamping force. This is a small drawback, but one that could have been easily avoided.

Wireless headphones are undeniably convenient, but buyers who want wired cans that deliver exceptional audio performance should have the HD 6XX high on their list. They’re basically unmatched in this price range.

Check out our Sennheiser HD 6XX review.

Best earbuds

Sony’s WF-1000XM5 have everything we look for in top wireless earbuds. They’re compact, offer excellent sound quality, deliver solid battery life, and feature powerful noise cancellation.

Earbuds are ideal for taking on the go, and the WF-1000XM5 are light and easy to carry around with their handy wireless charging case. The buds themselves are notably sleeker than their predecessors, the WF-1000XM4 earbuds, which were larger and rounder in design. Battery life is also great for earbuds of this type, with up to six hours of playback with ANC on.

Speaking of ANC, the WF-1000XM5 are noise-canceling champs. The earbuds effectively suppressed low-frequency drones and trickier high frequencies in our tests. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds can do a slightly better job in this area, but the XM5 earbuds are a close second, and we prefer their audio performance.

Sound quality is exceptional, with crisp and deep audio that maintains detail across frequencies. High-resolution Bluetooth playback is also supported, but you’ll need an Android device compatible with Sony’s LDAC audio technology to unlock this feature.

The earbuds support other useful features, including speak-to-chat, multipoint pairing, and multi-band EQ adjustments that you can use to make personal sound profiles. This is accomplished in the Sony Headphones app, and we like how comprehensive it is.

Fit is subjective, especially for buds with an in-ear design, but we found the WF-1000XM5 to be comfortable and secure during our tests. The only downside to their build is that their glossy material can make them slippery when removing them from their case. But that’s an admittedly nitpicky complaint. Where it counts most, the WF-1000XM5 excelled in every benchmark we evaluated.

Visit our guide to the best wireless earbuds.

Best AirPods

The AirPods Pro 3 are Apple’s latest high-end earbuds, and they’re the best headphones for pairing with Apple devices, like the iPhone or Mac. Compared to the second-generation model they replace, the AirPods Pro 3 deliver improved noise-canceling performance, longer playtime, refined audio quality, enhanced water resistance, and a new built-in heart rate tracking feature.

Like the second-gen model, the AirPods Pro 3 are still powered by Apple’s H2 chip, but the company has implemented a new multiport acoustic architecture to enable better airflow. This results in improved sound quality with a wider soundstage and deeper bass.

The AirPods Pro 3’s noise-canceling feature has also been upgraded with ultra-low-noise microphones and foam-injected silicone ear tips, which are more effective at preventing sound leakage. In our testing, the ANC quality was indeed excellent and was only beaten by Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2.

The AirPods Pro 3 are also excellent fitness earbuds thanks to built-in heart-rate sensors that can provide helpful health data on your iPhone. They’re IP57 water resistant as well, which means they can withstand temporary submersion.

AirPods are known for their Apple-centric features, and the Pro 3 are packed with conveniences like Siri voice control, Find My support, and seamless switching between Apple devices synced to your Apple account. When paired with an iPhone, you also gain aural health functions, including a hearing aid feature, a hearing protection mode that reduces the volume of loud environments, and a five-minute hearing check. A new live-translation feature is also supported when connected to an iPhone with Apple Intelligence.

Sadly, these functions are not compatible with Android devices, so the AirPods Pro 3 are really only suited for Apple users. If you’re looking for Android-friendly recommendations similar to the AirPods Pro, visit our guide to the best AirPods alternatives.

Read our full Apple AirPods Pro 3 review.

Check out our guides to the best AirPods.

How we test headphones

To choose the best headphones, our reviewers conducted hands-on tests with popular models from every major brand. We evaluated sound quality and key features, using reproducible methods when possible. Our review methodology is informed by years of experience testing audio devices, which has helped us focus on what matters most in terms of overall value and performance.

To evaluate audio performance, we listen to a wide range of songs across various genres, as well as streaming videos and podcasts. We also mix up the source quality of the music we sample to determine how each pair of headphones handles lower-quality streaming, lossless streaming, spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos, and wired playback (if supported).

To evaluate noise-canceling capabilities, we use test sounds that simulate the sounds of airplane drones and voice chatter. We also take headphones outside to evaluate real-world performance during commutes, walks, flights, workouts, and other common activities.

Our goal is to use these headphones in a typical way, as buyers would, to get a sense of how they perform on a daily basis. For more details on our review process, check out our breakdown of how we test tech products.

What to look for in top headphones

When shopping for the best headphones, we recommend focusing on these factors to help narrow down the right fit for your needs.

Price range: Depending on their performance level and features, the best headphones start at around $25 and can cost over $500. Less expensive headphones are fine for casual listening, but they’re typically built from cheaper materials, offer less dynamic sound, and lack advanced features like ANC. Pricier models feature higher-end designs and include additional features, as well as higher-quality audio drivers, to deliver the best sound performance.

Design: Most headphones sold today use either an earbud-style or over-ear-style design. Earbuds feature separate left and right buds that are either connected via a wire or paired wirelessly with Bluetooth. This design is ideal for portability, especially for active uses such use running and workouts. Over-ear headphones feature large earcups and a headband. Although less portable, top over-ear headphones offer superior sound quality compared to other types of headphones.

Connectivity: Headphones are available with wired or wireless connectivity. Most wired headphones use a standard 3.5mm audio cable, and this type of connection enables the best audio quality with uncompressed sound. For this reason, many audiophiles still prefer models that are wired-only. Meanwhile, wireless headphones use a Bluetooth connection to pair with a phone or other audio source without any cables. Bluetooth is convenient, and the latest version of the technology offers good sound performance. However, the signal is still compressed to some degree, and wireless headphones require batteries that need to be recharged. Many Bluetooth headphones also support a wired connection, allowing you to use a cable as an alternative.

Noise cancellation: Many midrange and high-end wireless headphones support active noise cancellation. ANC uses microphones and processing to block out ambient sounds, which is desirable for people who want to listen to music in a loud environment. You can get decent ANC on headphones in the $80 range, but top models will set you back at least $300. It’s rare to find ANC support on wired-only headphones, so you’ll need to get wireless ones if you want noise canceling.

Headphones FAQs

What’s the difference between over-ear headphones and earbuds?

Many of the best headphones sold today feature an over-ear design or an earbud-style design. Both have pros and cons, so deciding which one to buy depends on your needs and preferences.

Over-ear headphones feature a headband with padded earcups that create a seal over your ears. The best headphones with an over-ear design can produce the highest-quality audio since they can incorporate larger speaker drivers than more compact earbuds.

Meanwhile, modern earbuds are small headphones made up of separate left and right buds. Depending on the specific design of the model you choose, these buds either rest right outside your ear or get inserted directly inside your ear. In-ear buds create a seal in your ear canal, which can produce better audio quality and superior noise isolation compared to open-fit buds.

Though even top earbuds can’t quite match the audio performance of the best headphones with an over-ear design, they’re appealing thanks to their compact design. This makes them ideal for taking on the go and using during activities like workouts.

For recommendations on earbuds specifically geared toward active users, check out our guides to the best running headphones and the best headphones for working out.

What is noise canceling?

Active noise cancellation, often abbreviated as ANC, is an audio technology incorporated into many headphones. This tech uses built-in microphones and processing to analyze the sounds around you and then block them out by reversing their frequencies.

The best headphones with high-end noise-canceling can do an impressive job of reducing ambient distractions. However, even top models can’t block out all noises, with high-frequency sounds being particularly tricky.

Many noise-canceling headphones also support a complementary feature that brands often refer to as “transparency mode.” This mode utilizes the same microphones to allow outside sounds in, so you can stay aware of your surroundings when necessary.

What is spatial audio?

Spatial audio, as it refers to headphones, is a feature designed to create a 3D surround sound effect.

Some songs available through services like Amazon Music and Apple Music are natively mixed using spatial audio formats, like Dolby Atmos, which can then be played back on any pair of headphones.

Some headphones also feature their own spatial audio modes, which can simulate 3D audio with any music source. Many of these modes use head-tracking, which repositions sounds to match your head movements, mimicing what it would be like to listen to music in a room with physical speakers.

What are the top headphone brands?

Several brands produce excellent headphones, but certain companies excel at designing models tailored to specific budgets.

For instance, brands like Soundcore and JLab excel at offering entry-level models that provide impressive value for your money. Meanwhile, brands like Sony, Apple, Beats, and Bose offer a wide selection of mid- to high-end wireless headphones with top-notch features.

Audiophiles, however, may want to focus on companies like Sennheiser, Master & Dynamic, Technics, Bang & Olufsen, HiFiMan, Focal, and Beyerdynamic. This is especially true if you’re looking for a premium pair of wired headphones for critical listening.

What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that transmits audio from a compatible source device, such as a phone, to a pair of headphones or speakers without the need for physical cables. Most consumer Bluetooth devices support a maximum wireless connection of 33 feet.

Bluetooth audio signals are technically compressed, which means that some sound detail is lost compared to a wired connection that can support lossless audio. However, current Bluetooth implementations and codecs do a great job of minimizing this loss in quality. So, while a wired connection does technically offer better performance, in many cases, the differences are subtle.

For other Bluetooth product recommendations, check out our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers.