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The Best Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

By Lauren Dragan
Updated
Our four picks for the best Bluetooth wireless headphones laying next to each other.
Photo: Michael Hession

Earbuds are discreet and convenient to use, but if you want to get the best wireless sound for the money, choose over-ear Bluetooth headphones.

Although no single headphones set is a perfect match for everyone, the JBL Tour One M2 comes darn close. We love this pair’s customizable sound, stellar call clarity, and days-long battery life—plus, it includes some bonus features usually reserved for pricier pairs.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

This versatile, over-ear pair sounds great, has a long battery life, and offers premium features at a lower price than its competitors. Some controls are a bit sensitive, though.

Budget pick

This affordable pair of over-ear headphones sounds good, is comfortable to wear, and has a long battery life. But they aren’t as refined in sound or build as our top pick.

Upgrade pick

These headphones are well made and feature-packed, and they can sound wonderful. But to get them sounding their best, some setup effort is required.

Also great

This pair provides the convenience of Bluetooth while still prioritizing sound quality. But these headphones lack features like noise cancellation and water resistance, so they aren’t ideal for commuters.

How we picked and tested


  • Great sound

    Our audio experts test for detailed, lifelike sound and clear microphone quality for phone and video calls.

  • Ergonomics

    A well-designed pair should fit most head sizes, and the controls should be easy to use. We have a variety of people try out our top contenders.

  • Battery life

    Batteries should last at least eight to 10 hours and ideally have an analog cable for situations where you need to listen wired.

  • Reliable connection

    We pair contenders with several different devices and test wireless reliability indoors, outdoors, and at a distance.

Read more

Our pick

This versatile, over-ear pair sounds great, has a long battery life, and offers premium features at a lower price than its competitors. Some controls are a bit sensitive, though.

JBL’s Tour One M2 is a comfortable, feature-rich Bluetooth set that does most everything well. The sound is good right out of the box, and it can be further improved with the use of the EQ settings in JBL’s app. The battery life, rated at 30 to 50 hours, is excellent, and the battery recharges quickly.

Voice control is available via the always-listening Alexa and Google Assistant functions, and Apple users can access Siri via a simple button push. The M2 supports dual-device connectivity, and the built-in microphones reduce wind and background noise remarkably well, ensuring clear phone calls—even on the go. Plus, this pair is water-resistant (with an IPX5 rating), so your gear won’t be ruined by rainy-day splashes.

Flaws are minimal: Though we like the combination of touch-based and physical control buttons, the touchpad can be a bit over-sensitive. Also, the active noise cancellation (ANC) is good but not as effective as that of our favorite noise-cancelling headphones.

Budget pick

This affordable pair of over-ear headphones sounds good, is comfortable to wear, and has a long battery life. But they aren’t as refined in sound or build as our top pick.

If you want a fantastic pair of wireless headphones for around $100, consider the Soundcore Space One. While the sound quality is not as rich and full as what our top pick delivers, it is still fun to listen to and can be modified to your taste in the Soundcore app. The headphones are lightweight and comfortable to wear for long stretches, and you get the full complement of control options. Also, the adjustable active noise cancellation is competitive with models that cost three times as much.

Dual-device connectivity is supported, and a hear-through mode can be activated by the press of a button or automatically when you speak. The 40-hour battery life with ANC on (55 hours with it off) means you may only have to charge this pair once a week or less.

The Space One has three noise-reducing microphones, but we found that voices can sound compressed and somewhat distant to callers—especially when compared to more expensive headphones like our top pick.

Upgrade pick

These headphones are well made and feature-packed, and they can sound wonderful. But to get them sounding their best, some setup effort is required.

If you’re willing to pay more to get a premium experience, the well-constructed Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are extremely comfortable, can sound great, and have a nice assortment of features that suit them for a variety of uses.

Out of the box, this pair’s sound quality is just okay. But if you put effort into adjusting the equalizer settings in Sony’s app, the WH-1000XM5 can sound better than our top pick and many other wireless competitors. The battery life is a solid 24 hours, and the combination of physical and touch-based controls works more intuitively on this pair than on our top pick, the JBL Tour One M2.

The XM5 set is particularly well suited for use in a loud office environment, since it passively blocks out human voices but has a natural-sounding awareness mode to let in sounds as needed. Plus, the speak-to-chat function will sense your voice, turn on the awareness mode, and pause your music automatically. And the built-in microphones are effective at reducing background noise during phone or video calls.

The noise cancellation isn’t as effective as that of our top pick, and this set isn’t built for water resistance, though it can handle a light spritzing rain. Sony’s one-year limited warranty covers manufacturing defects but not water damage, so we don’t recommend that you take this pair to the gym or out for a stroll in a deluge.

Also great

This pair provides the convenience of Bluetooth while still prioritizing sound quality. But these headphones lack features like noise cancellation and water resistance, so they aren’t ideal for commuters.

If your priority is to find wireless over-ear headphones that sound fantastic, the Edifier Stax Spirit S3 is for you. This pair is among the best-sounding under-$500 headphones we’ve ever tested, including those in our guide to wired audiophile headphones.

This portable pair uses planar-magnetic drivers, which are capable of reproducing delicate detail and powerful bass notes. The S3 sounds amazing in both wired and wireless mode, largely due to the built-in headphone amplifier, which provides consistent driving power. Edifier includes two types of earpads (isolating pleather and cooling, breathable mesh), and the sound quality remains consistent when you swap between them.

Though this pair has to be powered on to work, the 80-hour battery life means you won’t need to charge frequently, and there’s a quick-charge feature when you do. The built-in microphones sound clear, even in a light breeze, and the dual-device connectivity works well, for easy transition between phone and laptop use.

Though this pair is portable, the lack of water resistance means you need to be careful when commuting in inclement weather, and you should choose a different pair for working out. Plus, this pair lacks active noise cancellation.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in both music performance and audio production from Ithaca College, and my reviews of audio gear have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, and Time, as well as on Good Morning America, the BBC World Service, and NBC Nightly News.

I also spent several years in terrestrial radio before becoming a professional voice actor in Los Angeles—so I’ve been in and out of recording studios for over a decade.

While working for Wirecutter, I’ve tested over 1,700 pairs of headphones. In addition to my own testing, at Wirecutter we seek input from a rotating roster of audio experts, including session musicians, a sound editor, and experienced AV reviewers.

Over-ear and on-ear Bluetooth headphones are excellent for anyone who wants the best wireless sound for the money and/or doesn’t like the feel of earbuds in their ears. Compared with similarly priced earbuds, this headphones style has more bass response and a better sense of three-dimensionality in the sound.

Going cordless does come at a price, though. You should expect to pay more for Bluetooth headphones, to get sound comparable to that from the best wired headphones.

Although many of the sets in this guide offer active noise cancellation, we prioritized sound quality, comfort, and ease of use in our evaluations for this guide. If noise cancellation is your top priority, check out our noise-cancelling headphones guide instead.

If you’re looking for a pair of over-ear headphones to use for work, and your tasks include a lot of video chatting, phone calls, or work with dictation software, you may want to consider an office headset with a boom mic. You can find wireless options—even a few that sound pretty good while playing music—in our guide to office headsets.

For this guide, we’ve considered hundreds of headphone sets. To help us decide which ones are the best, we used the following criteria:

  • Fantastic sound quality and a comfortable fit: Nobody likes subpar audio, and a poor fit can affect sound quality. Plus, if a set is uncomfortable to wear, you won’t use it.
  • A minimum battery life of eight to 10 hours: Bluetooth headphones should last a full workday, at a minimum (the longer the better).
  • Solid Bluetooth connection and microphone quality: You should be able to take calls without having a connection that stutters, and voices should be clear, not muffled.
  • Easy-to-use controls: We dismissed any headphones with confusing or finicky controls that we found were easy to trigger accidentally.
  • Decent noise cancellation, if offered: ANC wasn’t a top priority in this guide, but if you’re paying more to get it, it should at least be modestly effective.
  • A good warranty and responsive customer support: This is the kind of thing that doesn’t seem important until you need it. A lifetime warranty means nothing if there’s no one you can call or email to get help.

To test over-ear headphones, our expert panelists first evaluate each pair’s sound, fit, and ease of use. The sets that perform well in those categories move on to round two, in which we test battery life, Bluetooth signal strength, and microphone quality. We evaluate call clarity in environments that are quiet, noisy, and windy.

Next, we tinker with the apps and any bonus features (like location services, voice activation, dual-device connection, and control customization). If applicable, we mist the headphones with water to see how moisture might impact the touch controls. We try each pair on with glasses and consider how head shape or hairstyles could affect the fit. And if the headphones have active noise cancellation that sounds subjectively effective, we measure it.

Finally, to suss out long-term listening comfort, as well as any potential flaws we may have missed in the initial testing, we spend time using each pair during daily activities for about a week.

A couple of notes: We do not prioritize specific Bluetooth formats, or codecs, and we explain why in this article. Though many over-ear headphones support dual-device connectivity, the manufacturers often say that computer connection is not supported. This is not entirely true, but here’s why they say it.

A black pair of JBL Tour One M2 Bluetooth wireless headphones laying with its cups turned in.
Photo: Michael Hession

Our pick

This versatile, over-ear pair sounds great, has a long battery life, and offers premium features at a lower price than its competitors. Some controls are a bit sensitive, though.

The JBL Tour One M2 is a versatile and adaptable pair of Bluetooth headphones. This set sounds great, is comfortable to wear, and provides days-long battery life. Also, there’s an impressive array of customization options in the JBL app, so you can fine-tune the headphones to suit your needs.

Adjustable EQ ensures you’ll love the sound. Though the Tour One M2 set sounds pretty good right out of the box (just a bit bass-heavy), the JBL app’s nimble EQ interface makes it easy to tweak the frequency response to your liking. Alternatively, you can choose to use the app’s hearing-test-based EQ to adjust the sound to match your individual hearing needs. And if you’re concerned with protecting your hearing health, the app allows you to limit the volume to 85 decibels.

If you’re a fan of a broad soundstage (where the music has a real sense of space), you’ll love this pair. But overall, this set’s highs aren’t as delicate and crisp, and the upper bass isn’t as defined, as what you can get with our upgrade pick.

Phone calls sound great. The Tour One M2’s four-microphone array ensures that your voice will sound clear to others, and in our testing, we were impressed with how well the mics reduced wind noise and background sounds.

This set is light, comfortable to wear, and easy to use. The deep, oblong-shaped earcups are roomy enough to encircle your ears without squishing them, and the memory-foam-like earpads and headband padding make this pair pleasant to wear for extended periods. The headband’s moderate clamping force will hold the Tour One M2 in place on smaller heads, but it flexes enough to accommodate larger sizes without pinching.

The combination of physical buttons and a touch panel allows you to control playback, phone calls, volume, digital-assistant callup, and ANC/awareness mode toggling. Amazon and Android users can also opt to use a wake word to activate Alexa or Google Assistant.

A long battery life means less-frequent charging. JBL claims the battery life can be as high as 50 hours per charge or as low as 30, depending on how often you take calls and use noise cancellation. When we used them daily, we needed to charge batteries every other week or so.

If you do run out of juice, though, thanks to the Tour One M2’s quick-charge capabilities, you’ll get five hours of playback from just 10 minutes plugged in. You can maximize battery life by turning on the app’s auto-power-off option, which powers the headphones down when they’re idle.

The Tour One M2 has full controls, but the touchpad is sensitive, and the physical buttons are smaller than we’d like. Photo: Michael Hession

The adaptive noise cancellation effectively blocks distractions. Though this pair isn’t the absolute best we’ve tested when it comes to noise cancellation (see our ANC headphones guide to compare), it’s effective nonetheless. In our tests, when wearing this set, we were oblivious to knocks on the door and garbage trucks passing, and 75 dB plane cabin noise was greatly reduced. If you’re sensitive to eardrum suck, the JBL app provides a slider to adjust the ANC intensity.

When you want to hear what’s going on around you, JBL’s Ambient Aware setting mixes the outside world in with your music. For conversations, the TalkThru mode dips music volume and amplifies your surroundings—this can be accomplished via a button push or automatically when you speak.

The set’s dual-device capability lets you connect to two devices simultaneously, without having to fuss with Bluetooth settings.

And if anything goes awry, JBL covers the Tour One M2 with a one-year warranty.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The controls are more sensitive than we’d like. An unintended brush of the large touchpad on the right earcup caused our music to play and pause accidentally, which was annoying. We also wish the physical volume buttons were larger.

Likewise, we found the optional speak-to-enable TalkThru feature to be sensitive. Maybe I am just prone to sighing too loudly, but sniffs, sneezes, and throat clearing caused the awareness mode to turn on.

The auto ANC setting can bother sensitive ears. JBL has included an automatic ANC setting, which adjusts the noise-cancellation levels based on your surroundings or how much sound is leaking in (this is great for those who wear glasses). Unfortunately, we found the real-time changes to be disconcerting. This felt similar to ears popping when a plane lands, so we chose to turn off that feature.

A pair of light blue Soundcore Space One headphones, our budget pick, against a green background.
Photo: Michael Murtaugh

Budget pick

This affordable pair of over-ear headphones sounds good, is comfortable to wear, and has a long battery life. But they aren’t as refined in sound or build as our top pick.

The Soundcore Space One is our favorite pair of over-ear headphones for around $100. The sound quality is enjoyable, and the fit is comfortable. Plus, the extra features make this set feel far more expensive than it is.

The headphones are lightweight and have a long battery life. You can wear this pair all day—the large, roomy earcups and plush memory foam ensure comfort. The foam is pliable enough that it molds around thin glasses arms to help keep a seal around your ears.

The body is primarily made of plastic, but the design feels substantial. We pulled our previously recommended Soundcore budget headphones due to build quality complaints, but it seems the company has improved the sturdiness with this pair. If something does go wrong, Soundcore backs the Space One with an 18-month warranty.

When fully charged, the Space One will play for 40 hours with ANC on (and longer with it off.) If you run out of power, five minutes of charging will provide about four hours of listening time.

The sound is pleasant to listen to–but a little coarse. Out of the box, this pair sounds somewhat smeared in the male vocal range and has a harsh quality to high frequencies. However, the Soundcore app provides various methods of EQ, so you can adjust the sound until you’re happy.

We found a balance we liked, but careful listeners might notice that there is still a rough quality to these drivers that you won’t hear in pricier pairs. And no matter how much we fiddled, the bass was still mildly bloated. These are minor flaws considering this pair’s affordability, and they still sound better than anything else we heard in this price range.

We love that this set has optional volume limiting so that your listening levels stay in safer ranges.

The layout of the physical controls makes sense, but some of the buttons are small. It may take some practice to get used to locating them by feel. Photo: Michael Murtaugh

The noise reduction is close to that of the best-performing ANC headphones. In our noise-cancelling tests, the ANC’s efficacy came remarkably close to that of our top picks. But if you occasionally want a little less ANC, the Space One has adjustable levels—or you can switch on the adaptive noise cancellation that will adjust based on your surroundings. If you like to plug into your audio device, the Space One’s ANC stays on when you use the supplied cable.

For quick conversations, you can hold a finger on the left earcup to enable “easy chat” mode—a hear-through mode with an emphasis on the frequencies that make up the human vocal range. We thought it sounded surprisingly natural. The optional speak-to-enable hear-through can be useful if your hands are frequently occupied.

Learning to use the controls may take practice. This pair uses physical buttons instead of touch controls. The button layout makes sense, but their size is small, and it takes practice to get muscle memory to press without looking. Folks with large fingers or who struggle with dexterity might find this frustrating.

There are three microphones that do a solid job reducing background noise, but they also give your voice a reedy and distant quality. In windy conditions, your caller won’t be blasted by the sound of air noise, but your voice will sound softer during stronger gusts.

A pair of Sony WH-1000XM5 Bluetooth wireless headphones laying with its cups turned in.
Photo: Michael Hession

Upgrade pick

These headphones are well made and feature-packed, and they can sound wonderful. But to get them sounding their best, some setup effort is required.

If you’re willing to pay more for a step up in both performance and comfort, consider the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones. They aren’t perfect out of the box, but those willing to do a bit of tinkering will be rewarded with some of the best-sounding wireless headphones available.

This set sounds amazing—with some help from EQ. Out of the box, this wasn’t our favorite-sounding pair. The boosted lower frequencies give the sound a clouded quality—like hearing a TV subwoofer from one room over. But by using the advanced EQ feature in Sony’s app, we could bring down the lows and boost the range at 1 and 2.5 kilohertz. Then it was as if the shroud had been lifted, and the XM5 rendered clear, delicate, detailed highs and deep bass notes with pitch, rather than just punch.

If you know going in that you’ll never touch the EQ settings, this isn’t the pair for you—our top pick sounds better right out of the box (though it, too, can benefit from some EQ adjustment). This means you’ll need to use a smartphone and download an app at least once to make adjustments and save your EQ profile to the headphones.

This pair is ultra-comfortable. We loved the lightweight build, soft memory-foam padding, and ergonomically shaped earcups. The XM5 has the perfect ratio of clamping force to earpad squish, for a fit that hugs your head rather than squeezing it. The earpads should accommodate all but the most thickly armed glasses, and the earpads are replaceable (but doing so is tricky, so keep the XM5 clean and in the included hard-sided case, to make the foam last as long as possible).

The XM5’s combination of physical and touch-based controls works a bit more effectively than on our top pick. We didn’t find the Sony controls to be overly sensitive to inadvertent bumps, humidity, or cold. The physical multifunction button on the left earcup can be customized to either toggle noise-cancellation modes or activate Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

The battery will last 24 hours or more per charge. Sony claims up to 38 hours, but in our real-world testing, we were able to eke out only 24 hours. That’s lower than for our other picks but still sufficient, especially when the quick-charge function provides three to five hours of use from a 10-minute charge.

The headphones will warn you when battery power is low, but when you’re given the warning, you should plug in your headphones. The percent is measured in increments of 10, so 10% battery life can mean anywhere from 1% to 10% is remaining. The XM5 also comes with an analog cable for corded listening, but it has no remote and mic.

The controls on the XM5 are intuitive, and this pair is lightweight, so it’s enjoyable to wear for hours. Photo: Michael Hession

The XM5 is especially great for office use. This pair blocks voices better than most noise-cancelling sets—and that can be very helpful in cafés and open-plan offices or when you’re working from a noisy home. You’ll also hear a dip in low-frequency hums, like noise from planes and air conditioners. But this pair isn’t as effective in this respect as our picks for the best noise-cancelling headphones. Plus, the ANC isn’t adjustable, so if you’re prone to eardrum suck, you may find the XM5’s noise cancellation to be uncomfortable.

The microphones pick up speech clearly and reduce background noise on calls. While testing, we noticed that the XM5 seemed to use internal sensors to detect when the wearer was speaking. So when we weren’t talking, callers weren’t subjected to wind or background noise. When we resumed speaking, callers could tell there was wind, but they were able to easily understand what we were saying. The reduction software somewhat compresses your vocal tone, but not so much that it becomes distracting.

The XM5 has a voice-activated hear-through mode; this can detect when you’re speaking, pause your music, and turn on the external microphones so you can hear your conversation partner clearly. When you stop talking, the hear-through mode turns off, and your music resumes. But if the feature isn’t to your liking, no worries; as with many of the XM5’s features, it can be turned off in the app.

The XM5 doesn’t have water resistance. This pair can handle a light spritzing rain, but it’s not IP-rated like our top pick. Sony offers a one-year limited warranty that covers manufacturing defects but not water damage.

The XM5’s predecessor, the WH-1000XM4, needs more EQ adjustment, but it’s also a great option if you can still find it, especially on sale.

A pair of Edifier Stax Spirit S3 Bluetooth wireless headphones laying with its cups turned in.
Photo: Michael Hession

Also great

This pair provides the convenience of Bluetooth while still prioritizing sound quality. But these headphones lack features like noise cancellation and water resistance, so they aren’t ideal for commuters.

If sound quality supersedes all other factors, the Edifier Stax Spirit S3 is the first pair of wireless headphones we’ve tried that can compete sonically with the wired picks in our audiophile headphones guide. But this set lacks some features, such as noise cancellation and water resistance, that you’ll get with our other picks.

This pair’s sound competes with that of vastly pricier wired options. Listening to this pair is a delight. The planar-magnetic drivers and built-in amplifier ensure excellent sound, whether you’re streaming wirelessly or connected with a cable.

High frequencies sounded delicate, providing detail without excessive hiss or piercing. The low end also sounded fantastic. Bass notes had real pitch, as well as clear attack and decay. No matter how intensely the bass bumps on a track, you won’t lose other musical elements in a fog of smeared subwoofer bloat. You can read how its sound compares with that of other excellent wired options in our audiophile headphones guide.

Unlike most Bluetooth headphones, the Stax Spirit S3 sounds fantastic in wired or wireless mode. For many audio fans, being able to connect via a cable and get great sound is essential. Many older audio sources lack Bluetooth capabilities, and until Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless is widely adopted, you can’t listen to CD-quality music wirelessly. The Stax Spirit S3’s internal amplifier helps the set’s tuning stay consistent regardless of the connection method.

This pair is smaller and lighter than most audiophile sets, so you can wear it all day. Though the earcups extend farther out from the head than those of our other picks, the Stax Spirit S3 won’t look out of place at an office. This pair folds up into an included carrying case that’s compact enough to fit in a messenger bag. Also included is a fabric-wrapped 3.5-mm cable and a 3.5-mm-to-6.3-mm plug adapter.

You can easily swap between isolating pleather and “cooling” mesh earpads. The pleather pair blocks some external noise and is soft enough to smoosh around thinner glasses arms. The mesh pair allows in more air (and noise) and is made of a “cooling” material, which we found feels cooler in the same way mint is cooling. Whichever pads you prefer, the sound remains largely the same. Edifier cleverly designed EQ presets in the app that adjust the sound to suit the earpads’ distinct acoustic environments.

The 80-hour battery life is most impressive. It’s especially important because even though these headphones can work with a cable, they are not passive and must always be powered on to function. That’s a downside, as is this pair’s inability to play music while charging. But the quick-charge capabilities prevent this from being a dealbreaker, since a 10-minute charge will get you 11 hours of listening time.

The Stax Spirit S3 includes two sets of interchangeable earcups: One is a traditional leatherette set, and the other is mesh, with a cooling property that feels minty on the skin. Photo: Michael Hession

The microphone quality is very good. Though the built-in microphone isn’t noise-reducing, it won’t be overloaded by a light wind, so you should be able to take calls while walking. A downside is that the microphone doesn’t function when you are connected to a device via cable. You’ll still hear your caller, but the job of capturing your voice will default to the internal mic of your device (phone, laptop, etc.).

The Stax Spirit S3’s dual-device connectivity works well for easy transition between phone and laptop use.

The app’s “hard sell” for the Edifier store is very annoying. Both the “mail” and “discover” tabs within the app lead to Edifier’s store, and escaping those sections isn’t intuitive. Rather than offering the universal X to close, there’s a small circle with a dot in it—at the top right of the app screen—that lets you exit the area. To avoid the hassle, we suggest that you stick to the “headphones” tab.

If anything goes wrong, the Stax Spirit S3 is covered by Edifier’s one-year warranty.

If you’re a committed Apple fan: The Apple AirPods Max is a very good pair of wireless headphones. This set sounds and looks great, pairs easily with Apple devices, and offers the best noise cancellation we’ve ever measured in the airplane band of frequencies. These headphones would be tough competition if they were lighter and less expensive, and if the active noise cancellation were more adjustable to account for eardrum suck. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are lighter and less expensive, have a longer battery life, and block more noise in the human vocal range (if that’s the type of noise isolation you desire). You can read our full writeup on Apple’s over-ear headphones in our guide to the best noise-cancelling headphones.

If you want the best noise-cancelling headphones: The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is our favorite noise-cancelling set, even when pitted against newer Bose models. These over-ear headphones are lightweight, have a long battery life and easy-to-use controls, and are compatible with Google, Apple, and Alexa voice assistants. Read all about them in our guide to noise-cancelling headphones.

If eco-friendly practices are important to you: House of Marley has a more environmentally minded approach than many other electronics companies. And the Positive Vibration XL ANC is a really lovely pair of Bluetooth headphones, as long as you don’t use the active noise cancellation. They fit comfortably, with a soft, padded headband and earcups. Unlike most new Bluetoooth headphones, this pair includes a cable with a single-button remote and microphone; so if the battery dies, the XL ANC is still functional and can take calls.

But the noise cancellation, though effective on very low frequencies, isn’t supported by good sound isolation, so folks who are affected by eardrum suck may find using the ANC to be uncomfortable. With the ANC off, the sound is fantastic—balanced and clear. Yet the ANC negatively impacts the sound: Bass notes sounded louder yet duller, as if someone had turned up a subwoofer and tossed a blanket over it.

If you’re looking for wireless headphones for watching TV: We recommend the Insignia NS-HAWHP2 because it uses radio frequency (RF) transmission rather than Bluetooth. You can read about this set in our guide to the best wireless TV headphones.

A lot of new Bluetooth headphones were announced at CES 2024. Here are some of the more notable ones:

JBL announced four pairs of wireless headphones—two on-ear pairs and two over-ear pairs. The on-ear Tune 520BT features up to 57 hours of battery life and quick-charge capabilities for $50. The $100 Tune 670NC offers adaptive noise cancellation, a smart ambient mode, and up to 70 hours of battery life (44 hours with ANC on).

The over-ear Tune 720BT will offer up to 76 hours of battery life and rapid-charge capability (five minutes of charging gets you three hours of use) for $80, and the Tune 770NC will have adaptive noise cancellation, a smart ambient mode, and up to 70 hours of battery life (44 hours with ANC on) for $130. All four pairs will have Bluetooth 5.3, which is compatible with Auracast, and be available in March.

JLab’s JBuds Lux over-ear ANC headphones will offer an awareness mode, multipoint capabilities, and Google Fast Pair/Find My functions. The Lux will be available in late February for $80.

EarFun announced its first over-ear ANC headphones, the Wave Pro, due in March. This pair will reportedly offer up to 80 hours of battery life, quick-charge capabilities, multipoint connectivity, and support for LDAC for $80.

1More’s SonoFlow over-ear headphones, our former budget pick, will get an update this spring. The new version reportedly offers improved performance, a more substantial metal chassis, a physical dial control, and wireless charging via a charging stand.

Over the years, we’ve tested hundreds of pairs of headphones for this guide, so we can’t include notes on every pair here. Below, we provide our thoughts on some recently tested and high-profile models. If there is a specific model you’re curious about that’s not listed, our full testing notes are available in this spreadsheet.

1More SonoFlow: This pair is our former budget pick. The sound quality is pleasant and adjustable, and the design is lightweight and comfortable, though it doesn’t feel as sturdy as the Soundcore Space One. The 50- to 70-hour battery life is impressive for a model in any price range. The noise cancellation is effective, but it was bested by that of the Soundcore Space One. And the ANC does not work in wired mode, so if you’re on a plane that requires a wired connection to the in-flight entertainment system, you’ll either have to go without ANC or pick up a Bluetooth transmitter.

1More SonoFlow SE: A bare-bones edition of the SonoFlow, this set has similar battery life/quick-charge capabilities, app-adjustable tuning, and a lightweight design. But the SE lacks its sibling’s water resistance, software-driven noise-cancelling microphone, and ability to listen wired. The noise cancellation doesn’t sound as effective as the original pair, and the hear-through mode sounds muffled, but the microphone does a pretty good job of reducing background noise. We think spending a bit more for our budget pick is worth it for the extra functionality.

Beats Studio Pro: For every positive, this pair has an equally disappointing downside. The noise cancellation and hear-through modes sound great, but neither is adjustable. It’s easy to use the larger physical buttons, but the power/ANC toggle button is inexplicably small. The foam earpads are soft but not replaceable. Android users get a dual-device connection feature; Apple users do not. There are three EQ settings, but they’re only accessible when listening via USB-C. But most importantly, the sound quality is dramatically impacted by use of the spatial audio: When it’s turned on, the lower bass is emphasized, and higher-pitched sounds have an artificial sharpness. With spatial audio off, the bass is notably diminished.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones: These are good headphones, but they aren’t remarkable enough to justify the $350 price. The build is very comfortable, with a lightweight feel and squishy earpads that should accommodate many glasses arms. These headphones utilize physical buttons rather than the touch controls, and the buttons are easy to learn and find. The hear-through mode sounds natural, and music sounds good, albeit slightly bass-forward out of the box. The Bose app provides an EQ feature that can adjust the tuning, but it consists of only three faders, which is too simplistic. The microphones sound very clear in a quiet room, but background noises in the human vocal range, like a sink running nearby, will be pronounced. The ANC is not as effective as what the rest of the current Bose line can deliver. In fact, at the highest intensity, these headphones reduced less noise in the airplane band than our budget pick. We do love that Bose includes a cable with a three-button remote and mic––a rare old school nicety.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: Bose’s newest premium over-ear pair, the Ultra sounds good and has a lightweight, comfortable design. But we’d like to see more bonus features to justify the steep $430 price tag. Many headphones that cost under $250 are similarly comfortable and offer better sound customization, longer battery life, always-listening wake words, voice-activated awareness modes, a higher IP rating, and better microphone noise reduction. The ANC works very well, reducing a lot of noise in the airplane band—but it also produced a stronger feeling of eardrum suck than any other headphones we’ve tested. Of course, you can always use the app to dial down the ANC intensity, but really the powerful noise cancellation is the only compelling reason to buy these headphones.

Edifier W820NB Plus: With so many other great options, this pair just fell a bit short. The sound quality is decent, and the padding on the earcups is comfortable. The noise cancellation is moderately effective, but the overall reduction is marred by the design’s lack of passive isolation.

Edifier WH950NB: This pair is a mixed bag. Sonically, the bass is a touch bloated in the upper lows, and the highs have a slight coarseness to them, but neither flaw makes listening unenjoyable. The fit is lightweight and comfortable, and the earcups are deep, which can be more comfortable for people who have prominent or sensitive ears. However, the control buttons are small and tricky to feel, especially if you have larger fingers or challenges with dexterity. Like the W820NB Plus, this set lacks passive isolation. So although the noise cancellation is effective in a band of lower frequencies, you can still hear things like babies crying or dishes clinking. This combo of intense ANC and lack of isolation can exacerbate eardrum suck if you’re sensitive to it.

Onanoff Fokus +: The hear-through mode sounds like the person speaking has their hands cupped around their mouth. The sound quality isn’t much better, with blurry boosted bass and highs with a harsh, coarse edge. The only redeeming aspect to this pair is the boom mic, which is very effective at isolating your voice from background noise.

Phiaton BonoBeats Lite: It has been a while since we’ve tested a new pair of on-ear headphones, so we were hopeful that the BonoBeats Lite would be recommendable for someone who prefers that style. Sadly, this pair wasn’t what we’re looking for. The headband is small with a lot of clamping force. The noise cancellation is middling, the sound quality has recessed vocals, and the hear-through mode has a hissing quality. Bummer.

PSB M4U 9: PSB is known for excellent bass reproduction, and the M4U 9 is a great example of why. The bass is slightly forward in the mix, but the notes have actual pitch, even at volumes that might cause distortion in other headphones. Out of the box, the highs have a slight icy spike, and male vocals are slightly recessed, but it’s subtle enough to be a matter of preference. Taking the time to complete the hearing-test-based EQ test can improve the experience, and unlike many wireless headphones, this pair sounds just as good wired as it does wireless. However, there are also some downsides. The noise cancellation takes the edge off of low frequencies, but the intensity isn’t competitive with even our budget pick in this guide. The headband transfers a lot of noise, so a small bump or scratch resonates noisily. On a more affordable pair, we might be able to overlook this given the great sound quality, but for $500, we want better.

Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2: This pair is an evolution of studio headphones and may be considered by people specifically for that purpose. It retains the Shure sound (narrowly boosted high frequencies and extra energy in the lows around 60 Hz) when you listen passively. However, via Bluetooth, the sound out of the box is very boomy, and the three preset EQ modes all go too far in their application of filters. The sound can be customized in the app, but the interface is not user-friendly for beginners and not dexterous enough for experts. We eventually got to a sound that was “close enough” to what we wanted, but it wasn’t easy to get there. The noise cancellation is intense and restricted to lower frequencies, so for those sensitive to eardrum suck, you’ll want to make adjustments. The microphones are clear but pick up external noise and are easily overwhelmed by wind. If you specifically want a pair of studio headphones that can be used wirelessly, these are fine, but we’d suggest getting a pair of Sony MDR-7506 wired headphones and our budget pick here for less money combined.

Skullcandy Crusher ANC XT 2: This pair is for someone who wants the experience of a car-trunk subwoofer in a wearable format. The bass is loud and boomy, and a small motor vibrates the headphones so that you can feel the bass. It’s not our thing, but if you’re into that, we won’t yuck your yum. We’ll just say, don’t get these if you want effective ANC or balanced sound.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.

Meet your guide

Lauren Dragan

Lauren Dragan is a senior staff writer and has tested nearly 2,000 headphones for Wirecutter. She has a BA from Ithaca College in music performance and audio production. She’s been featured in Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, The New York Times, and more. Additionally, she’s a voice actor whose work includes projects for Disney and Mattel.

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