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Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Best Headphones for 2025
CNET's audio experts have put together a comprehensive guide to help you find your next favorite pair of headphones. From the best noise-canceling earbuds to workout-friendly headphones and open-back designs, we've personally tested or reviewed every pick on this list -- no guesswork here. Whether you're on a budget or ready to splurge on premium audio gear, we've got something for everyone. Many of the models we include focus on affordability, with only a few high-end picks exceeding $500. Recent standouts include the Noble Fokus Apollo and the Sony MDR-M1 wired headphones. Ready to upgrade? Let's dive into the best headphones and earbuds of 2025. There are so many different options to choose from when it comes to headphones that finding the best for you might be tricky. Thankfully, I've singled out a few models that we think are the best headphones overall. The Sonos Ace, Sony WH-1000XM5, Sony WF-1000XM5, Apple AirPods Pro 2, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. If you're looking for the best sound and have the budget, you can choose options like the Focal Bathys, Bowers & Wilkins PX8 and Beyerdynamic Xelento Wireless (2nd generation), which deliver outstanding sound quality. Over the last 20 years, I've reviewed hundreds and hundreds of headphones and earbuds -- and all of them having their pros and cons that make them worth considering. As the year goes on, I'll continue reviewing new models and updating this list accordingly. Yes, they're expensive, but the AirPods Max delivers richer, more detailed sound than lower-priced competitors from Bose and Sony. They also feature arguably the best noise canceling on the market along with premium build quality and Apple's virtual surround spatial audio feature for video watching. They're heavy, but they manage to be surprisingly comfortable, although I did have to adjust the mesh canopy headband to sit a little more forward on my head to get a comfortable secure fit when I was out walking with them. They should fit most heads well, but there will be exceptions. See at Amazon Hot on the heels of the third-generation AirPods, Apple has another new set of earbuds, this time from its subsidiary audio company, Beats. Technically, the 2021 Beats Fit Pro ($200) aren't AirPods, but they're built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro. Unlike Beats' earlier and less expensive Studio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro includes Apple's H1 chip and has most of the AirPods Pro's features, including active noise canceling, spatial audio, Adaptive EQ and IPX4 water-resistance (splash-proof). I'd venture to call them the sports AirPods you've always wanted. For some people, they might just be better than the AirPods Pro. Read our Beats Fit Pro review. See at Amazon Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new headphones. The quality of value-priced headphones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable headphones for less than $100. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost $200 or more -- sometimes much more. It's key that the headphones you buy fit your head well. They should offer a comfortable fit that's snug yet not too snug. Ideally, you want headphones you can wear throughout the day with minimal breaks. You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality. You want the best-sounding headphones with the best noise-canceling, call quality and features for whatever you're able to spend. It's critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer's remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days and then return one. We test headphones and earbuds based on six key criteria. These criteria include design, sound quality, noise-canceling performance, voice-calling performance, features and value. Design: Evaluating design, we assess not only how comfortable the headphones and earbuds fit (their ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. When it comes to earbuds, we also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings. Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment. Noise-canceling performance: If the headphones we're testing feature active noise canceling (ANC), we evaluate ANC performance by wearing the headphones in the same spot indoors near a noisy HVAC unit to see how well they do at muffling lower frequencies. Then we head out to the streets of New York to test the headphones in a real-world environment where we see how they muffle not only street noise but people's voices. Extra features: Some great-sounding noise-canceling headphones and earbuds aren't loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from quick-access awareness to transparency modes (your music pauses and the headphones open up to the outside world so you can have a conversation) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears. We also take a look at the companion app for the headphones if there is one and how user-friendly it is. Voice-calling: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the headphones or earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear our voices. Value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the headphones and earbuds against all these criteria and what they're able to deliver compared to other models in their price class. Mark Levinson No. 5909: The No. 5909 are premium audio brand Mark Levinson's first headphones and, yes, they're really expensive at $999. They're also really good. They have a sturdy design without managing to feel hefty on your head (read: they're substantial but not too heavy), and they're comfortable to wear over long periods thanks to their nicely padded (and replaceable) leather-covered earcups and headbands. Read our Mark Levinson No. 5909 hands-on to learn more about the premium headphones. : There's a bit of an old-school vibe to the Technics EAH-A800 -- and it's not just the Technics brand, which Panasonic resurrected in the last few years. Their design is something of a throwback but the headphones are comfortable and both fold up and fold flat. They feature a big, energetic sound with powerful bass and good detail (they take a day or two to break in). : Featuring excellent sound, improved noise canceling and voice-calling performance as well a smaller, more refined design that includes stabilizing fins (so the earbuds stay in your ears more securely), the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are among the best true-wireless earbuds, giving the Sony WF-1000XM4 a run for the money. Learn more in our Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 review. : Sennheiser updated its well-regarded 4.50BTNC noise-canceling headphones in 2020. The new headphone model is called the 450BT, and it has some notable upgrades, including better battery life (up to 30 hours with noise canceling on), USB-C charging, Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX support for devices like the Samsung Galaxy smartphones that support it and more comfortable ear pads. The 450BT noise-canceling headphones list for $200, but usually cost around $125 although they have dipped to as low as $100 in flash sales (they're a good value at that price). Both companies make very good headphones, which offer excellent active noise canceling. Some people may argue that Sony has a very slight lead right now, but others may slightly prefer Bose. The Sony WH-1000XM5 is one of our top-rated headphones, but Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds 2 arguably have the best noise canceling at the moment. Both brands are staples in the audio world, making excellent soundbars, speakers, and other home theater essentials. Neither is better or worse, they're just different styles of headphones. If you're looking for more discreet headphones, with a charging case that can easily fit in a pocket, true-wireless earbuds (in-ear headphones) are the way to go. Many people don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears, so they prefer full-size headphones. They're getting close. Premium wireless headphones can easily sound better than middle-of-the-road wired headphones that cost less than $100. Going wired still is the best option for optimal sound quality, but wireless headphones often come with a cord that allows you to plug in. If you're looking to muffle ambient sound from the outside world, active noise canceling is a feature you'll want in your headphones. Note that noise-canceling performance varies from headphone to headphone, with Bose, Sony and Apple arguably offering the best. It depends. While the jump from a $100 to a $500 pair of headphones will certainly be noticeable, there comes a point of diminishing returns. You've also got to question yourself where you intend to use the headphones while making your buying decision. For example, would you truly benefit from the added fidelity of an ultra high-end pair of headphones on your morning commute?
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
Best Over-Ear Headphones for 2025
While wireless earbuds are popular, there are still plenty of reasons to love over-ear headphones. Features like improved noise cancelation, built-in boom mics and better overall frequency response are unique to the sound quality of headphones that fully cover your ear. I've also included a handful of wired-only over-ear headphones for audio purists looking for that extra level of clarity. Note that this list is regularly updated as more over-ear headphones hit the market, with the most recent addition being the Noble Fokus Apollo. If you're looking for the best sound and have the budget for it, you can go for options like the Focal Bathys, Bowers & Wilkins PX8 and the Noble Fokus Apollo. All of them deliver outstanding sound quality. As for a budget pick, we think the Earfun Wave Pro is among the better values. Excellent mid-range models include the flagship Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones (seen at the top of this list) or the Sony WH-100XM5s (seen just below the Bose QCs). When testing and evaluating over-ear headphones, we consider factors like build quality, comfort and sound quality, as well as noise-canceling and voice-calling performance. I'll be sure to add more models as I test them in 2025. We were fans of Beyerdynamic's earlier DT 770 Pro headphones. The new DT 700 X is easier to drive than the 770 Pro, thanks to the company's new Stellar.45 sound transducer with an impedance of 48 ohms, so it plays better with smartphones, tablets and laptops without requiring a headphone amp. These headphones are targeted at content creators who want accurate audio reproduction, but it's a bit more dynamic sounding and less bass-shy than many studio headphones, which tend to restrain the bass and hew toward a very neutral sound profile. The DT 700 X are revealing, clean-sounding headphones that offer invitingly open sound (particularly for closed-back headphones) and make you realize what you're missing after listening to similarly priced Bluetooth headphones. Unlike the earlier DT 770 Pro, which is being sold at a nice discount (around $160), the DT 700 X comes with two interchangeable (detachable) straight cables in different lengths, and the DT 700 X arguably has a little cleaner look than their predecessor. Solidly built -- they weigh 350 grams -- they're quite comfortable, featuring upgraded soft, velour-covered memory foam earpads that offer decent passive noise isolation. The earpads and the headphones' other parts are replaceable, Beyerdynamic says. Beyerdynamic also sells the open-back DT 900 X for $30 less. That model should provide slightly more open, airy sound, but the big drawback is people around you can hear whatever you're listening to -- and sound also leaks in. This closed-back version is more versatile. See at Amazon Introduced way back in 1991, the Sony MDR-7506 has long been the favorite headphones of recording engineers and other sound professionals (yes, these are wired headphones). The origins of its design date even further back, since the MDR-7506 headphones are, in fact, a refresh of the Sony MDR-V6 that rolled out in 1985. Both models were designed for the pro sound market but remain hugely popular with consumers. The two models have the same design and are very comfortable, but they don't sound identical. Both offer very well-balanced sound and excellent clarity for their modest prices -- and both are great overall values. The MDR-V6 headphones make a little more bass and sound more laid-back and mellow, while the 7506 headphones are leaner with a more accentuated treble range, which makes the sound a little crisper and livelier. See at Amazon Before anything else, you'll want to figure out how much you're willing to spend on new over-ear headphones. The quality of value-priced headphones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable headphones for less than $100. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost $300 or more -- sometimes much more, upwards of $650. The majority of over-ear headphones feature active noise canceling. It does slightly affect sound quality, so if you're an audio purist, you may want to go with a model that doesn't have noise canceling. You can also sometimes save some money by getting non-ANC headphones, although noise canceling is becoming a fairly standard feature. Most headphones these days are Bluetooth wireless headphones. You still tend to get the best sound going the wired route. Many wireless headphones also come with a headphone cable for wired listening (and some offer USB-C Audio using a USB-C cable). We have a few headphones on this list that are wired-only. It's key that the headphones you buy fit your head well. They should offer a comfortable fit that's snug yet not too snug. Ideally, you want headphones you can wear over a day with minimal breaks. You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality. You want the best-sounding headphones with the best noise canceling, call quality and features for whatever you're able to spend. It's critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer's remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days and then return one. We test over-ear headphones based on six key criteria: design, sound quality, noise-canceling performance, voice-calling performance, features and value. We assess not only how comfortably the headphones fit (their ergonomics) but also their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. With over-ear headphones, we'll note if they're water-resistant, but only a few over-ear headphones have water- and dust-resistance ratings. We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing headphones to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment. If the headphones we're testing feature active noise canceling, we evaluate ANC performance by wearing the headphones in the same spot indoors near a noisy HVAC unit to see how well they do at muffling lower frequencies. Then we head out onto city streets to test the headphones in a real-world environment where we see how they muffle not only street noise but also people's voices. Some great-sounding headphones aren't loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from quick-access awareness to transparency modes (your music pauses and the headphones open up to the outside world so you can have a conversation) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears. We also take a look at the companion app for the headphones if there is one and how user-friendly it is. When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls on noisy city streets and evaluate how well the headphones or earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear our voices. We determine value after considering the strength of the headphones against all these criteria and what they're able to deliver compared with other models in their price class. Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2: A lot of us liked Shure's original Aonic 50 headphones, but they had pretty middling noise cancellation. Well, the 2nd-gen version addresses that issue -- the noise canceling is much improved -- and Shure has more than doubled the the battery life to around 45 hours (they now have a quick-charge feature) and also shrunk the headphone's carry case a bit, although it's still not that compact. Those upgrades make the Aonic 50 Gen 2 a top noise-canceling headphone. The Aonic 50 Gen 2s are pretty heavy at 334 grams, they're built sturdily and are also comfortable to wear, with nicely padded ear cups. They feature excellent sound quality with very good clarity and well-defined bass. Shure calls them a "studio headphone," so the sound profile is fairly neutral, but you can add more bass in the EQ settings in Shure's companion app for iOS and Android (engaging the Spatializer setting in the app expands the soundstage slightly but doesn't make a big difference). Bang & Olufsen's Beoplay HX: Bang & Olufsen's Beoplay HX headphones are the successor to the company's H9 series headphones (the X is the Roman numeral for 10) and, like those earlier H9 models, the HX headphones carry a list price of $599 (some colors are discounted at Amazon). That price makes it a direct competitor of Apple's AirPods Max, which is heavier at 385 grams versus the HX's 285 grams. I don't know if the HX headphones are more comfortable than the AirPods Max, but I found the two models pretty equal in the comfort department over longer listening sessions, and these do feature the usual swanky B&O lambskin-covered memory foam earpads. Their sound measures up well to the AirPods Max's sound -- overall, it's well-balanced, with deep, well-defined bass, natural-sounding mids (where vocals live) and inviting detail in the treble. V-Moda M-200: V-Moda's M-200 is one of the few wired headphones on this list. Released in late 2019, these clean- and detailed-sounding over-ear headphones have excellent bass response, and the cushy earcups mean they're also comfortable to wear. Featuring 50mm drivers with neodymium magnets, CCAW voice coils and fine-tuning by Roland engineers -- yes, V-Moda is now owned by Roland -- the M‑200 is Hi‑Res Audio-certified by the Japan Audio Society. Other V-Moda headphones tend to push the bass a little, but this set has the more neutral profile that you'd expect from studio monitor headphones. They come with two cords, one of which has a built-in microphone for making calls. It would be nice if V-Moda offered Lightning or USB-C cables for phones without headphone jacks. Note that last year V-Moda released the ($350), a wireless version of these headphones that includes active noise canceling. They also sound great, but their noise cancellation, call quality and overall feature set don't match those of the AirPods Max. Mark Levinson No. 5909 (Currently on backorder): These are premium audio brand Mark Levinson's first headphones and, yes, they're really expensive at $999. They're also really good. They have a sturdy design without managing to feel hefty on your head (read: they're substantial but not too heavy) and they're comfortable to wear over long periods, thanks to their nicely padded and replaceable leather-covered earcups and headband. Read our Mark Levinson No. 5909 hands-on. OneOdio A10: The OneOdio A10s deliver more than you'd expect for their relatively modest price, which is why they're featured on several of our best lists. They're built better than you think they would be for around $90 and are pretty comfortable to wear. They have a dual-hinge design and feel sturdy, weighing in at 395 grams, making them perfect headphones for a workout. They sound surprisingly decent and have reasonably good noise canceling with a transparency mode (which has a slight audible hiss). The headphones also have very good battery life. No, they're not as comfortable as Bose's and Sony's models (they do feel a tad heavy) and their sound lacks that extra bit of clarity, bass definition and depth that more premium headphones tend to deliver. They did exceed my expectations and come with a decent carrying case, even if the OneOdio logo splayed across it is a bit garish. Technics EAH-A800: There's a bit of an old-school vibe to the Technics EAH-A800 -- and it's not just the Technics brand, which Panasonic resurrected in the last few years. Their design is something of a throwback, but these headphones are comfortable and both fold up and fold flat. They feature a big, energetic sound with powerful bass and good detail, although they take a day or two to break in. Usually but not always. Over-ear headphones tend to have bigger speaker drivers (bigger isn't always better when it comes to speaker drivers, but it can be), which can lead to better sound. Also, the way over-ear headphones cover your entire ear can create better acoustics and help passively seal out more ambient noise. It's also worth noting that over-ear headphones tend to be more comfortable than on-ear headphones, although in warmer environments over-ear headphones will steam up your ears more than on-ear headphones. Only if you play them too loud for long periods. It's best to keep volume levels in the 50% to 70% range. Lighter headphones tend to be more comfortable, and companies like Sony and Bose have made an effort to shave as much weight as they can off their premium over-ear noise-canceling headphones. You also want headphones that have soft earpads and a comfortable headband, with high-quality memory foam and good padding. Heavier headphones, like Apple's AirPods Max, can be comfortable, but the weight distribution has to be good, along with the cushioning on the headband at the top where it meets the crown of your head. Short answer: both. Either spelling is correct, as "canceling" is more common in American English, while "cancelling" is more common in British English. CNET uses "noise-canceling" since the company is based in the US, but the noise is canceled just the same, regardless of spelling. If you're looking to see what different noise-impacting technology is out there for headphones, check out our article on noise-canceling versus noise-isolating headphones, which highlights differences in function (and not just a difference in spelling). In short, yes. Wireless over-ear headphones can be connected via Bluetooth if supported by your television. Otherwise, you're likely able to connect your over-ear headphones to your TV through an AUX cable or included wire with the appropriate dongle attachment. If you're really looking for the best sound from your TV, we recommend investing in a great soundbar or home theater system to bring the movie magic to life.
