The Sennheiser RS 275 are a pair of TV headphones, designed to let you enjoy movies, TV and multimedia without bothering family, roommates or neighbors. I’m an avid LOTR fan, and I regularly re-binge the Extended Editions, often taking me late into the night. I’ll usually get an angry, volume-related text from my wife upstairs at about 1am — just as the Rohirrim launch their awe-inspiring, tear-jerking charge into the fray on Pelennor Fields. So the RS 275 are, on paper at least, right up my street.

After a few weeks of testing, I’m happy to say these are a wonderful addition to my lounge setup. They’re not perfect, lacking the soundstage and subbiness of a proper surround system or soundbar. Their passive noise cancellation, meanwhile, isn’t the best, and they’re pricey in the U.S.

However, the sound quality is generally excellent, with a bright treble to bring out fine details, a clear mid-range for vocals, tidy bass, plus strong stereo imaging. There’s a wealth of connectivity and customization options, too.

Are these the best headphones for TV? Find out more in my full Sennheiser RS 275 review.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Specs

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Price & availability

Unfortunately, the Sennheiser RS 275 headphones ain’t cheap. In the U.S., they cost $299 from Amazon, while in the U.K. they’re a slightly more palatable £219 from Richer Sounds. That’s about the cost of a cheap soundbar, so if these will be your only audio output aside from a TV speaker (if you live in a dorm or something), I think that’s a reasonable price.

However, if you already have, want, or need a soundbar or speaker system, the RS 275 will be a secondary purchase. And that makes the $299 MSRP a little trickier to justify. I suppose the ‘cost:benefit’ analysis will depend on how much flak you’re getting for watching TV, and how often.

Thankfully, you’re not stuck for cheaper alternatives. The older Sennheiser RS 175 ($349) are regularly on sale for as little as $139. Then there’s the $159 Sennheiser RS 120-W, which are often reduced to the $100 mark.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Design

The RS 275 look like typical Sennheiser cans: jet black, understated but obviously high quality. The plastics feel premium; the headband is (mostly) nice and squishy; while the earcups are thick and padded, yet lightweight and breathable. I tested the RS 275 during a heatwave here in the U.K., with some extremely humid nights, and my ears never got sweaty. The headset is also super lightweight, so it never fatigued my neck.

My only issue, comfort-wise, is that the squishy headband padding doesn’t extend that far down the band itself. The last two inches have no padding. I didn’t have an issue, but I can see it being a problem for different head shapes.

Included is a headphone stand, which doubles as a platform and cable-tidy for the wireless transmitter. It helps keep my TV cabinet tidy, so I’m a big fan.

Controls

The RS 275 offer a few different control options. There are the on-ear controls for power and volume, plus sound mode and source controls on the transmitter. They’re all pretty self-explanatory and easy to get to grips with. Everything can also be controlled via the Sennheiser smartphone app, though, which I’ll cover below.

Connectivity

The RS 275 feature four connection methods to your TV: Bluetooth, optical, USB and HDMI. You’ll want at least USB or HDMI connected, as these power the transmitter. You can hook up via Bluetooth directly to your TV, but I’d advise using the transmitter as it enables higher quality codecs, including aptX, aptX Adaptive, PCM/LC3 and AC3 (Dolby Digital).

The transmitter uses Bluetooth version 5.4 and features Auracast, so you can hook up multiple Auracast-compatible Bluetooth devices and hear the same audio stream. That means you can watch movies with friends and family, yet still not wake the neighbors.

I mostly used the optical and USB connections. There won’t be a huge difference between any of the wired connections, really — by the time the signal reaches your ears via the transmitter using, say, the lossy AC3/Dolby Digital codec, it’s no longer high-res anyway regardless of how it came out of the TV or Blu-ray player. Note that optical is prone to timing issues, especially when scrubbing forward or back through a Blu-ray (the app has a feature to help with this).

The headphones also have two-device multipoint connectivity, so you can hook up to your phone and TV and switch quickly between the two to take a call.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Sound quality

As these are TV headphones, I primarily tested the Sennheiser RS 275 by watching “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Black Hawk Down (Extended Version)” on 4K Blu-ray. I also streamed “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)” on Amazon Prime TV, and “I Will Find You” on Netflix.

Movies

The RS 275 won’t compete with a surround system or one of the best soundbars, but that’s not to say they don’t sound good. The sound is really clean, with expansive treble and tons of mid-range clarity that brought out details I’d never heard, even in my most familiar movies.

In “Black Hawk Down” I’ve never before heard Mo Alim’s voice so perfectly distorted and crackly as he shouts through a megaphone in the early massacre scene. It was like I was in the room with Atto in the interrogation scene — his cigar pack ripping and match striking, then the metallic door latch clanking as the general entered.

There’s so much clarity that, weirdly, you start hearing things you don’t want to hear — in the Atto scene above, the effects sounded hyperrealistic to a fault, giving away that they’re actually quite obviously foley.

Vocals sound great, too. Even in noisier scenes throughout “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “Black Hawk Down”, I was never struggling to hear what any characters said.

Bass was fairly nice and well-textured in musical elements, although the headphones lack sub-bass response, sapping impact from heavy sound effects like explosions and aircraft in “Top Gun Maverick” and “Black Hawk Down”. Still, these are headphones, so you can’t expect the power delivery down low that you’d get from a subwoofer.

Separation is really strong. In the “Top Gun Maverick” opening scene, I could hear the clanking of machinery amidst the sound of engines and the “Danger Zone” soundtrack. Stereo imaging is solid, too. In “Black Hawk Down”, I could hear voices on each side in the busy Mogadishu marketplace, and in a scene with two choppers, I could distinctly hear the lighter Little Bird blades in my left ear, with the slower Black Hawk thrum in my right.

Admittedly, the RS 275’s soundstage isn’t that wide — expected given these are closed-back headphones. On the other hand, the closed-back sound gave a level of intimacy that I really enjoyed in certain scenes. I felt like I was inside Maverick’s helmet as he spoke to his colleagues over radio: the sound of his voice muted by his own helmet, with his colleague’s walkie-talkied voice piping in over the radio.

TV

In “I Will Find You” on Netflix, vocals were unfailingly clear, even whispered tones, while that bright treble shone again for gentler effects like handcuffs clanking. Here, too, I relished that closed-back intimacy — when the main characters were talking through a prison phone, for example, it sounded like I was in the visitor’s booth with them.

Admittedly, without the sheer loudness of movie effects and scores, I began to have trouble with passive noise cancellation, or a lack thereof. I could hear the radio in my kitchen playing, as well as road noise from outside my house, breaking the immersion.

Audio modes

The RS 275 have three modes: 3D for surround sound; Speech for vocal priority; and Plus, which combines the first two. Honestly, I didn’t find much use for them. Speech and 3D mostly resulted in a tinny, compressed sound. Plus mode, meanwhile, just sounded like listening underwater. I can see Speech being useful in situations where vocal audio is just terribly mastered, but in everything I watched, the RS 275’s default tuning was good enough.

Mileage will probably vary depending on how an individual film or TV’s audio is mastered, but honestly, the default mode sounds good enough to just forget the gimmicks.

Music

Although they’re primarily intended as TV headphones, the RS 275 headset is actually a pair of HDR 275 headphones. That means they double up as music cans, and it’s nice to know you can pick them up for a few tunes between movies.

I tested with my usual playlist on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles, and was pretty impressed. It’s the same story as above: a clean mid-range and airy treble, highlighting vocals and percussion; warm, refined bass; plus decent stereo imaging.

Listen along to my audio testing playlist on Qobuz.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Call quality

The Sennheiser RS 275 can be used like a traditional set of headphones. This means they have a microphone for calls. Unfortunately, it’s not the best, and my voice sounded quiet and tinny. However, I can’t knock too many points off here, as these are primarily intended to be used for movies and TV, which you’d want to pause for a call anyway — so you can just use your phone’s built-in mic.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: App

The RS 275 pair up to the Sennheiser SmartControlPlus smartphone app, which connects over Bluetooth (regardless of how the headset is connected to your TV). The app is pretty slick, and gives you full control over using and updating the RS 275. It’s the only way to fully control the RS 275, so I have no choice but to recommend using it — but thankfully, it’s great.

I found the app particularly useful for switching between connectivity channels to get the best sound for whatever media I was watching, checking which codecs were in use on-the-fly, and tweaking audio delay for sound/video sync issues over optical connection.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Battery life

The RS 275 offer up to 50 hours of playback, according to Sennheiser. And I have no reason to doubt that. After watching two movies and most of a TV season, I still had 70% charge left, which was very impressive.

When you do need to charge them, using the USB-C port on the transmitter will recharge the headphones fully in just 2 hours, which is pretty quick. Realistically, if you stay on top of juicing them, you shouldn’t experience much downtime at all.

Sennheiser RS 275 review: Verdict

As I mentioned above, as a night owl and a movie lover, I am the RS 275’s target audience. As a tech reviewer by profession, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know TV headphones were a thing, and so never knew I needed them. But I’m not sure I can go back now.

The RS 275 aren’t perfect. They’re pricey, they lack the bass and width of a proper sound system, and their passive noise reduction isn’t the best. However, place them in context, and none of that really matters. They’re designed to circumvent loudspeaker systems, so you can’t blame them for lacking the attributes of a subwoofer or Atmos setup. And realistically, they’re intended for use at night when it’s quiet.

But used as intended, the RS 275 are excellent, with clean sound, strong separation, decent stereo imaging, great comfort, plus a wealth of control and connectivity options. These ones are staying on my TV cabinet for good.

The HEDDphone TWO GT are a set of premium audiophile open back headphones from German audio manufacturer HEDD. Slightly counterintuitively, the TWO GT aren’t a successor to a ONE GT, but rather a redevelopment of the HEDDphone TWO (which themselves follow up the original HEDDphone).

The TWO GT pack tweaked AMT drivers and a warmer sound profile than the TWO, pitching them more towards leisurely home listening rather than pure, detail-oriented reference use.

With their striking yet comfortable aesthetic and unerringly premium German build quality, the TWO GT do much to justify their high price. Add on the utterly fantastic sound quality, and the TWO GT ought to be, at the very least, a serious shortlist candidate for any discerning listeners in search of new cans.

Could these be some of the best headphones for audiophiles? I think so. But read my full review to find out more.

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Specs

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Price & availability

The HEDDphone TWO GT cost $2,199 / £1,899 from HEDD. However, if you have your own cables already, you can save a bit of cash by buying the ‘UNPLUGGED’ variant without cables included, which cost £1,472 / $1,699.

While they objectively cost a lot of money, in the context of audiophile headphones, the TWO GT aren’t priced beyond the pale. In the audiophile landscape, $2,199 is just getting started. The Meze Audio Elite, for example, will set you back $4,000, while my other high-end cans, the Audeze LCD5-S, cost $4,500. I’m not saying those aren’t great headphones, but to a large extent there’s a law of diminishing returns at play here. The HEDDphone TWO GT sound utterly fantastic, so I don’t see why you’d really need to go further unless you want something specific that other cans offer.

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Design

What do you get if you cross a set of F1 pitwall headphones with a WWE-worthy stash of anabolic steroids? The TWO GT, obviously. These are absolute chonkers, and frankly, if I had to wear them anywhere outside the house, I’d probably feel a little self-conscious. Luckily, I don’t have to — like most audiophile open-back cans, these are intended for indoor (and, more specifically, home) use only.

They look great though: blacked out and replete with German neo-futurism. And besides, they wear their large size and hefty 1.2lb curb weight extremely well, proving effortlessly lightweight and comfortable atop the ol’ noggin.

That’s thanks to an unashamedly overengineered suspended headband. It’s a piece of padding suspended on a strip of synthetic fabric that weaves in and out of the main carbon-fiber headband. It distributes the weight extremely well, and also offers lots of adjustment. Sure, the end result isn’t any different from other suspended straps — a la Audeze LCD-X or Meze Poet. But it’s cool, different, and complements the general extra-ness of the overall aesthetic.

Included with the TWO GT are two sets of ear pads: one gloriously soft set of lamb’s leather; one vegan velour for the less carnivorous of disposition. I prefer the lamb’s leather pads, but both are incredibly thick and comfy anyway, so if HEDD had just given me the velour pads, I wouldn’t have complained. Also, while it’s nice to see a vegan option included, I find it kinda weird that they ship with both instead of letting you select one or the other at checkout — sure, a vegan won’t have to wear the lamb’s leather pads, but they’ll still have been forced to buy them, which isn’t much better.

Build-wise, these things earn their price. They feel premium. They feel special. They feel German. This is a double-decade set of cans at least, make no mistake. I love the loose-weave braided cables included (with the standard model), too, which feel super premium. Additionally, there’s a fabric hard case included, which features a cable storage compartment. This is much less bulky than the aluminum hard case that came with my Audeze LCD5-S, making the TWO GT easier to travel with.

Connectivity

The HEDDphone TWO GT are passive headphones, which won’t surprise any audiophiles. I’ll cover their amplification requirements below, but their unpowered nature means there are no mod-cons like wireless connectivity, battery life, ANC, etc.

They connect to your amplifier via a wired connection, and HEDD is generous with the included cablewear on the standard variant (the UNPLUGGED variant comes with no cables). There are two cables, one balanced 4.4mm, one unbalanced 6.35mm, with two adapters — a 4.4mm to XLR 4-pin adapter and a 6.35mm to 3.5mm — chucked in too.

Drive

As passive headphones, the TWO GT must be powered. You’ll want to use a DAC/amp to handle both the digital audio conversion and power. With an impedance of 41Ω and a sensitivity of 88dB / 1mW, they’re not too tricky to drive. HEDD suggests a minimum power of 200mW, but recommends around 1,000mW for peak performance. I powered the headphones using my FiiO K15 (up to 30,000mW), which was comfortable at 85% volume on the medium gain setting, and the iFi iDSD GR2 (up to 2,173mW), which I needed to run at about 80% volume without any added gain.

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Sound quality

Like other HEDD gear, the TWO GT use AMT transducers. These drivers employ a series of folded metal diaphragms to push and pull air, rather than the cones or wafer-thin layers of metal filaments used respectively by dynamic and planar magnetic drivers.

Historically, AMT drivers have been great for use as dedicated tweeters or mid-range speakers, but lacked bass response. To solve that, HEDD employs its “Variable Velocity Transformation” (VVT), which actively modulates the profile of the folds for response down as low as 10Hz. In short: bass good.

I tested the TWO GT using Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles. I streamed in lossless hi-res or CD quality via USB-C through the FiiO K15 and iFi DSD GR2 DAC/amps.

Bass

As you can see on the manufacturer’s frequency response curve, the TWO GT’s tuning is deliberately slightly warm, but it’s not aeons from the neutral tune of the HEDDphone TWO or HEDDphone D1. The TWO GT offer rich, enveloping bass, but nothing overwhelming. You could definitely still use these cans for reference or studio work.

As far as easy bass, the TWO GT relayed beautifully the thick, undulating double bass of Odetta’s Hit or Miss, as well as the powerful electronic bass warbling of Burn Water’s Ikigai.

When it comes to the trickier stuff, there’s less oomph in the sub region by default. However, the TWO GT can handle it if you dial in some extra low down power. I mostly used my FiiO K15 DAC/amp, as I like its clean, natural feel without EQ. But in songs where I wanted more sub bass — like the last 20 seconds of SOHN’s Antigravity — I switched to my iFi DSD GR2 and used the ‘XBass’ bass boost mode for a few dB extra at 20-30Hz. The TWO GT still weren’t as subby as my planar- and slam-plate-fitted Audeze LCD5-S, but did a respectable job, gently vibrating my temples (with no distortion whatsoever, I might add).

Mids

As I mentioned, while warm, the TWO GT are still well balanced across the curve, with a prominent, clean mid-range. There was a pleasantly-expressed, natural timbre to acoustic guitars, with a gorgeous woody resonance to 49 Winchester’s riff in Russell County Line. In Melvins’ dual-riffed sludge-fest, Honey Bucket, the lower mid-range packed bags of texture, with plenty of crunch to those distorted guitars, while strong separation let me pick out the individual riffs.

The upper mid-range also packs bags of resolution and natural timbre: vocals in Blusher’s Last Man Standing sounded full and lifelike, and I could pick apart the individual voices and whispered backing vocals throughout harmonies.

Treble

The treble is fairly bright. Personally, I felt myself wanting a tad more sharpness on certain tracks — typically it was busier, older recordings like Honey Bucket and The Who’s Eminence Front where I craved just a little more snap to cymbals and hi-hats. This is mainly down to personal preference and individual ear anatomy, though, and can simply be EQ’d or otherwise tweaked to taste. Using my iFi GR2, I applied a GTO digital filter with the Kenwood K2 HD upsampling mode, which worked a treat, adding that smidge of extra definition I was looking for up top.

Soundstage

As open backs, the TWO GT are plenty spacious. I could track the haunting, industrial percussion in Chris Stapleton’s Death Row fading backwards out of earshot. SOHN’s Antigravity, meanwhile, felt truly wide, the reverby opening percussion effects pinging inwards and outwards on a distinct horizontal plane.

Listen along to my testing playlist below, on Qobuz.

HEDDphone TWO GT review: Verdict

It’s really difficult to fault the HEDDphone TWO GT. Sound, comfort, build quality — it’s all there. The only major points I can really knock off are for the huge size and objectively high price, although with the caveat that, in the crazy arena of audiophile gear, they’re not priced beyond the pale. In terms of performance, you’re getting a hell of a lot here, and personally this is the sweet spot for me, in terms of audiophile sound versus cost.

Sure, if you want deeper bass, from both an extension and power standpoint, then I’d advise looking into warmer-tuned planars from the likes of Audeze or Meze, but that’s a sheer preference thing. And besides, the TWO GT can get respectably bassy if you play about a little with your DAC/amp. Wanna know the only really bad thing about reviewing the TWO GT? I’ll tell ya: It’s that I have to give them back.

The Sennheiser HD 550 are a set of mid-range open-back headphones, designed for critical listening. For a reasonable price (relatively speaking), they offer exceptional, high-end audio. Get them on sale, though, and they’re an absolute bargain.

They’re not totally perfect, with a cheap-looking design that doesn’t fold, and only a thin fabric bag supplied for storage, which feels a little stingy at this price. Those issues are minor, though, and matter very little when the HD 550 are actually on your head.

Performance-wise, there’s virtually nothing to complain about, as long as you want a neutral, rather than warm sound profile. So, could these be the best headphones for you? Probably. Read my full Sennheiser HD 550 review to find out.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Specs

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Price & availability

The Sennheiser HD 550 cost $349 at Amazon, although we’ve seen them drop to $199 at Amazon during sales events, so it’s worth holding out for a deal. Even at their full MSRP, though, I think they’re extremely good value for money (as you’ll see later). In the U.K., they’re a veritable bargain, costing just £179 at Richer Sounds.

The HD 550 compete with the likes of the Philips Fidelio X3 ($349 MSRP, but can also be found for under $200), Grado SR325X ($349) and Meze Audio 105 AER ($399). Personally, I prefer the Meze cans, which feel a little more premium and special with Meze’s typically striking aesthetic, and have a warmer (slightly bassier) profile. If you want that neutral tuning, though, which I understand, it’s Sennheiser all the way.

Likewise, if you simply can’t stretch the balance to the $399 105 AER, the HD 550 are a fantastic budget alternative if you can pick them up for that sub-$200 sale price. I've no qualms recommending that course of action.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Design

My only major gripe about the HD 550 isn’t actually that major. I personally think they’re kinda ugly. I find the long oval earcup design rather dated, and, dare I say it, uncannily ‘anatomical’ in appearance — the way they drop down from the headband resembles a particular diagram from biology class.

Meanwhile, the plain finish reminds me of the ultra-cheap Sennheiser cans we used in music class. But, realistically, when they’re on your head, looks don’t matter. I guess I’m just spoiled by having the Meze 105 AER at home.

I’ve also been testing the retro (and U.S.-made) Grado SR325 recently, whose mid-20th-century styling is absolutely stunning in my opinion. The HD 550 comfort and sound quality are both in a different league, though, so my advice is still to go German if you’re torn between the two.

While they're not pretty, the HD 550 are built like all Sennheisers I've tested: extremely well. They're light, but this hasn't come at the sacrifice of sturdiness. There’s no rattling or shaking, as I’ve experienced with some “premium” headphones (looking at you, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2). The plastics might look a little tacky but they're of high quality, and the metal grate on the back of the earcups feels premium, too.

With Sennheiser, whether it’s the $40 CX 80U or $399 Momentum 5, it doesn’t make a difference — everything the brand makes is built to an exacting standard, and I love that.

The HD 550 don’t fold, which isn’t a huge issue as they’re intended for home use — because they’re open backs, you’ll damage the drivers by exposing them to the elements. There’s no proper case for them, though, just a soft pouch, so be careful when storing that nothing else crushes them. At $349, a thin pouch feels more than a little stingy to me. The Meze 105 AER, by contrast, come with a hard-shell case and cable pouch, although the Grado SR325 come with literally nothing but a cable, so I suppose it could be worse.

Comfort

Comfort-wise, I didn’t have high hopes for the HD 550 — that plasticky finish rekindled memories of the Sennheiser HD 400U and their super-thin headband. Thankfully, I was proven wrong, and the HD 550 are really comfortable to wear.

There are no frills — no suspended headband design, as on the 105 AER — just a spongey, padded leatherette headband and some soft synthetic velour earcup pads. Depending on the shape of your head, I can see the two metal brackets either side of the headband padding might dig in, although I didn’t have this issue. The velour ear pads are squishy, comfy and breathable, and I had no issues with them getting hot or sweaty after a few hours use, although admittedly I was in an air-conditioned room. A huge step up over the (frankly unacceptable) raw foam pads on the Grado SR80 ($175) and SR325.

Sennheiser makes a big deal about how light the HD 550 are, and about how much attention has been paid to clamp force — specifically, the reduction thereof. Guilty on both counts but, y’know, in a good way. After several hours I had no neck ache from weight, and no pressure on my temples from clamping.

Connectivity

There’s really very little to the HD 550, connectivity-wise. These headphones are designed for critical wired music listening at home, and for gaming, so there’s no wireless, no onboard controls, and nothing fancy. They plug in via a cable, with a 3.5mm jack and 6.3mm adapter included.

Drive

The HD 550 are easy headphones to drive, with a sensitivity of 106.7dB/V, which equates to 98.5dB/mW given their 150Ω impedance. In layman’s terms, that means with 1mW of power fed in, the HD 550 will output 98.5 decibels of sound, which is nice and loud.

1mW isn’t a lot of power, so you can run these cans from your laptop, or even your smartphone, and get loud enough sound. Ideally, though, you’ll want to use a DAC/Amp, which can deliver more power and better digital audio conversion, for a tighter overall sound than running straight from a phone or laptop.

Initially during testing, the only DAC/Amp I had at hand was the iFi GR2, which was monumentally overpowered. Even at volume level 1 (0 is mute, 100 is full), the sound was painfully loud. I just stepped down in power to the FiiO K11 R2R, which was perfect, and delivered slightly richer bass than running straight from my MacBook Pro.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Sound quality

The HD 550 use a 150Ω dynamic driver, which Sennheiser proudly claims is built by the manufacturer itself in Ireland (as opposed to being built by a third party in China, I guess). According to Sennheiser, these drivers deliver supreme fidelity across the frequency range, precise channel matching and a wide soundstage. And yeah, that’s about right.

The HD 550 boast Sennheiser’s famously neutral sound. Personally, I prefer the warmer tune of the Meze 105 AER. But there’s still a nice amount of bass on the HD 550. They have no problems with the easy stuff down to about 60Hz or so, in electronic songs like Burn Water’s bassy-as-hell Ikigai, for instance. The bass that’s there sounds textured and well-controlled, too, with no distortion, bleeding or muddying on heavy rock tracks like Melvins’ Honey Bucket.

However, there’s not much extension into tricker subby stuff, despite the response range bottoming out at a low 6Hz on paper. The closing 20 seconds of SOHN’s Antigravity is composed primarily of the deepest sub bass known to mankind, which the HD 550 weren’t able to replicate very well. In fairness, the only headphones I’ve used that even come close to relaying what that song is supposed to sound like (i.e. on a large hi-fi speaker system) are the SLAM-plate-fitted Audeze LDC5-S, which vibrate my skull during the song’s close… but cost $4,500. In short, it’s a tough track, and I’m not marking the HD 550 down here — they’re just not designed to be subby.

My favorite thing about the HD 550 is the spotlessly clean mid-range. Guitars in particular sound absolutely great, with so much presence, precision and dynamism audible in the riffs of Honey Bucket and of QOTSA’s Medication. They’re not just suited to guitary business either: the oscillating opening synths of Dadi Freyr’s electropop Hot Damn had bags of punch and texture. It was like being in da club.

Then there’s the treble, which is gloriously detailed. I was picking out the softest of ethereal backing vocals in Ikigai, and even the trailing reverb of Chris Stapleton’s vocals bouncing off the recording studio’s walls in Death Row. It’s not too bright, though, so I never found myself fatigued or suffering ear-ache from cymbals.

The soundstage is likewise fantastic. Imaging is solid for the money, and I could pinpoint the plethora of production elements in The Who’s Eminence Front. And as open backs, there’s plenty of width and openness to the sound, too, with Antigravity’s almost disorientingly spatial intro pinging inwards and outwards in distinct layers from/to my ears. Lovely.

Listen along to my audio testing playlist on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles.

Sennheiser HD 550 review: Verdict

If you’re after highly detailed sound on a modest budget, I can’t think of any better headphones to buy. Okay, they don’t look as premium as rivals at the same MSRP, and I feel a bit shortchanged by the pouch, but those are minor issues. Bass isn’t the punchiest, either, so if you’re after a slightly warmer profile I’d recommend the Meze 105 AER instead. But if it’s the neutral profile you like — which many do, it simply comes down to preference — then the HD 550 are it.

I’ll end on an anecdote: after I finished testing, I passed the HD 550 to my colleague, Erin, who took a listen and summed things up just about perfectly, saying “this is how music is supposed to be listened to.”

I wasn't planning on partaking in Prime Day this week, but then I noticed that the earpads on my primary headphones are peeling and the cord connection is starting to fail. I need some new cans.

At one point, I had a pair of the excellent JBL Tour One M3 over-ear headphones, but my wife's Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones started failing, and I let her borrow the M3s. I never got them back.

Fortunately, right now, Amazon has slashed the price to $249, the lowest I've ever seen, knocking $200 off. These high-end headphones are soft, feel luxurious, and remain supremely comfortable over a long listening session.

Plus, they're JBL, so you know the sound is quality, and at this price, it's a deal you don't want to miss.

Neither I, during the cup of coffee I had with the M3, nor my partner truly utilized the included USB-C smart transmitter. However, my colleague Erin Bashford found it to be the best part of the Tour One M3.

"JBL's newest premium headphones, the Tour One M3, have broken my brain. Not because they're terrible — quite the opposite," Bashford said. "Because they come with the one thing I wish all the best Bluetooth headphones would include: a USB-C transmitter (alongside Bluetooth, of course)."

The transmitter lets you quickly swap between devices. Working away on your MacBook? You can easily hop over to your iPhone or Android in seconds. In theory, you can connect these headphones to anything with a USB-C port. My wife uses it with the Switch 2 to play Stardew Valley.

Plus, and equally as important, it comes with a 3.5mm jack. These headphones can connect to darn near anything with a USB-C or 3.5mm aux port.

I won't pretend that at $249 for Prime Day,a pair of Tour One M3 headphones isn't an investment, but it's one I don't think you'll regret, especially considering their normal price. These headphones don't have the social cachet of an AirPods Max 2 or Beats headset, but maybe they should.

HEADPHONES

We're tracking all the best Prime Day headphones deals

Right now, both Walmart and Amazon have excellent discounts for the Apple AirPods Max 2. Both retailers have knocked the AirPods Max 2 down to $399 (normally $549) ahead of Walmart Deals and Prime Day this week.

Nicely, these deals cover every colorway, so you have options. And, if you don't mind used, Amazon has the orange version for $379.

The AirPods Max 2 just launched in March of this year, and this is the first major discount we've seen for Apple's high-end over-ear headphones. In our AirPods Max 2 review, we praised the refreshed headphones for their rich, complex sound, calling it an upgrade done right.

"If you like how AirPods Pro or AirPods Max Gen 1 sound, you are in for a treat with the AirPods Max 2. Apple has taken everything from its predecessor and dialed it up to 11."

The Max 2s come with personalized spatial audio, Siri integration, Live Translation, and head gestures, making them more useful and smarter than their predecessor.

Unfortunately, especially these days, the normal $549 price tag is high. Now, that's not as much of a worry because at $399, the AirPods Max 2 outshines many of the best headphones.

There are two flaws you should know about if you're considering these headphones. They are a bit heavy weighing nearly a pound and the battery life is the same 20 hours as the previous AirPods Max headphones.

However, if those aren't a problem for you, then we highly recommend you snag a pair of AirPods Max 2 for Prime Day.

HEADPHONES

We're tracking all the best Prime Day headphones deals

I owe Apple an apology. When the AirPods Max 2 came out after a six-year wait, I thought, "Big deal, they're just another pair of headphones."

Then, my colleague, Erin, awarded the headphones a whopping 4.5-star rating in her full review, and even called them "the best headphones [she'd] ever used." Her article even went viral on Reddit with users disagreeing — and I'm here to disagree with all those commenters.

I admit I was wrong in dismissing them when they first came out, and I'm eating my words now.

Seamless Apple ecosystem integration, well-balanced and fine-tuned sound, and unmatched comfort make the AirPods Max 2 well worth their $500 sticker price. The AirPods Max 2 make listening to music extremely fun thanks to their energetic and immersive sound, which I'll talk about in detail shortly. Would I recommend them to everyone? Well, read on to find out.

Don't judge a book by its cover

I'm sure I won't be the first person ever to say this: the Apple AirPods Max 2 look really bulky and large. I'm used to more sleek-looking headphones, like the Marshall Monitor III that I've been rocking for over a year. The AirPods Max 2 feel very heavy too, at 13.6 ounces, when they aren't sitting on your head and are sitting in their smart case instead.

Because of how heavy they felt in my hands, I was skeptical about how comfortable they'd really be. Never judge a book by its cover, I guess, because the AirPods Max 2 are ridiculously comfortable. The mesh headband does a lot of the heavy lifting here by relieving the pressure you might otherwise feel on the top of your head. As I type this, I've been wearing the AirPods Max 2 for about six hours, and I have no complaints.

The AirPods Max 2 are also quite aesthetically pleasing. The headphones ooze class and luxury. I'm aware that the design remains largely unchanged over the original AirPods Max, but that doesn't bother me much. There's room for improvement, but the AirPods Max 2 still offer world-class design.

The sound is *chef's kiss*

The Apple AirPods Max 2's sound profile, straight out of the box, is immersive, energetic and expansive. Powerful bass that doesn't boom, crisp treble that doesn't pierce through the rest of the soundstage, and a refined midrange brings your favorite tracks to life — the AirPods Max 2 have got it all.

I put on 'Choker' by Twenty One Pilots and could instantly feel the anxious groove baked into the track.

What I love about listening to this song through the AirPods Max 2 is the emphasis on the bassline. It doesn't hit hard the way some bass-forward cans do, but it has room to breathe and it feels controlled. Each note plucked on Tyler Joseph's bass sounds clear and textured, and provides a fantastic drive to the song.

Next up, I listened to 'Lutt Le Gaya' from the Bollywood movie "Dhurandhar," and through the AirPods Max 2, I had newfound appreciation for the Punjabi-pop track. The vocals won me over as the headphones emphasized the vocals' rich, liquid smoothness, and I could feel the words swirling around me rather than just in my ears. The headphones also struck a great balance between the folk-style vocals and polished electronic production underneath, and the midrange and treble had plenty of energy to them.

Regardless of the song I listened to, whether that was Tame Impala's psychedelic 'Let It Happen' or Of Monsters and Men's soft 'From Finner,' the AirPods Max 2 delivered.

Are the AirPods Max 2 for YOU?

By now, you know where I stand on the Apple AirPods Max 2. But does it makes sense to buy the AirPods Max 2 if you're not deep into Apple's vast ecosystem? Not really.

Sure, I own a MacBook Pro M1 and I use a MacBook Air M2 for work. But I also use a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, and I've used Android phones for a few years now. Are the AirPods Max 2 perfect for someone like me? No, because I listen to music mostly on my phone, and the AirPods Max 2 would be wasted on me.

If I owned an iPhone, or should the day finally come when I decide to go full Apple, I'll be happily buying the AirPods Max 2. But until then, I'll stick to platform-agnostic cans like the Marshall Milton ANC.

Still, coming from someone who loves Marshall, Bose and Sony, the AirPods Max 2 are actually great headphones. You have to try them to believe it.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple AirPods Max 2 review: ‘Everything from its predecessor dialed up to 11’
• I hate that the AirPods Max 2 are the best headphones I've ever used
• I've been testing the new Marshall Milton ANC for 3 weeks — they fix my biggest gripe with on-ear headphones, and are the new gold standard

In case you missed it, the other week Sony dropped its $649 1000X THE COLLEXION headphones. But don’t worry, I’ll spare you the shouty caps and just refer to them as “1000X The Collexion” or simply “1000X” from now on.

An upgrade to the still fairly recent Sony WH1000-XM6, the 1000X have stolen the XM6’s accolade of being Sony’s flagship over-ears. And naturally, that demands a premium in price. The 1000X will set you back $649. So, some dollars indeed.

Sony sent us a few pairs to try out, and I’ve gotta say, they’re fairly impressive. As it happens, though, when the 1000X landed on my desk, I had at hand my daily drivers — which I think are the Sony headphones’ closest competitors: the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2.

Naturally, then, I did a little back-to-back test to see which came out on top. Here’s what happened.

But first, a note on price

Now, some important context before we start: there’s a $150 delta between these two sets of cans, with the Px8 S2 costing $799 at Amazon. The Px8 S2 don’t drop by much in sales events either, although you can grab a set used (Like New) from Amazon for $686. The Sony 1000X The Collexion come in $150 cheaper at $649.

My point here is to see whether — if you can afford to drop big bucks into headphones to begin with — it’s worth stretching that extra bit further to the pricier cans (spoiler alert… I think it is). For the target demographic, I'd say it's reasonable to assume an extra $150 shouldn't be a huge issue.

Sound quality: a close-run thing

Admittedly, both of these headphones sound fantastic. I went into my back-to-back sound tests thinking the Px8 S2 would wipe the floor with the Sonys, but it wasn’t a total wash out. The 1000X are marketed by Sony as offering a much more refined and spacious sound than the WH1000-XM6 — which are tuned more in line with what the mass market wants: bass.

That said, I still find the 1000X a little too warm in their tuning — for my tastes anyway. Now, I actually enjoyed this in songs where bass isn’t the overriding element to begin with — Metallica’s Seek & Destroy, for example, where the added power on Lars’ kick drum complements the drive and energy of the song.

Listen along to my testing playlist on Qobuz using the widget below.

Elsewhere, I still found softer percussion, shimmering effects and vocals often felt a little buried by the 1000X bass, especially in low-heavy electronica like Burn Water’s super-subby, atmospheric Ikigai. At least via the Standard EQ preset. This wasn’t a huge problem — Sony’s app has a wide range of preset EQs and a custom EQ. I really liked the Clear EQ setting, which controlled the bass a little better, for my tastes at least. But I had to play around a fair bit with EQ on a regular basis (a lot of people like doing this, but I find it distracting).

By contrast, I haven’t really ever needed to play around with the Bowers & Wilkins EQ. These cans just sound so clean and neutral out of the box, with so much fidelity everywhere you listen. Bass is better controlled, with plenty of detail in the treble, giving really bassy songs like Ikigai much more clarity by allowing the soft, ethereal backing vocals and effects the space they need. There’s bags of mid-range definition, too, which added so much crunch to the distorted riffs on Seek & Destroy.

Of note is that the 1000X use 30mm dynamic drivers. Size isn’t everything, of course, but I noticed perceptible distortion on some of the louder sub booms in Ikigai. The Px8 S2 suffered no distortion in the same areas, likely thanks to the larger 40mm drivers.

Both headphones are rather spacious for closed backs, but the Px8 S2 definitely have the edge, sounding noticeably cleaner, brighter and more open than the more intimate-feeling 1000X. Chris Stapleton’s Death Row was pleasingly dynamic on the Bowers & Wilkins, the bluesy guitar licks and Chris’ reverby vocals getting a little closer to the acoustic-esque experience of listening to the track through my Audeze LCD5-S open backs (although, obviously, the LCD5-S are in a different league, space-wise).

To supposedly help with that, the 1000X have a 360 upmix mode. I was excited to try this out, but unfortunately found it borderline unlistenable. I mean, it sorta works: Mk.Gee’s über spatial Dream Police was a perfect candidate, and the extra reverb and echoing made for a live-recording-esque kinda effect. But the sound was incredibly compressed, with a bucket load of audible noise.

An especially noticeable difference between the two is the Px8 S2’s greater detail at low volumes. We discussed this in our Px8 S2 review, so it was on my radar, but I hadn’t grasped the full extent until listening to them in earnest. Even at around 30% volume, the B&Ws retain an incredibly impressive amount of low-end texture and high/mid clarity. By contrast, I had to keep the 1000X at around 70% for a similar sound. Better for your ears, better for battery life, and better for the long term health of the drivers I guess.

Flawless ANC on both

Both the 1000X and Px8 S2 have fantastic ANC. In fact, it’s very hard to draw a verdict here. They both do a better job than my $1,200 Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95. Using the 1000X in the office, they cut virtually everything, including road noise from the open window next to my desk.

All I can say is that the Px8 S2 ANC is probably the best I’ve tested. Perhaps the strongest test was on the flight home from my honeymoon a couple of weeks ago. The seat in front hosted a screaming toddler, flanked by two dismayed parents, open-mouthed between kicks to the face. On the opposing aisle sat the similarly-unparented and only-slightly-older brother, listening to some mindlessly cheerful kids TV at full blast through his iPad speakers. In the midst of the chaos, a flight attendant fought desperately through the ruckus to ensure seatbelts were on — somehow, if the parents’ entitled faces were anything to go by, this was all her fault.

Tiny arms flailed. Dried fruit snacks flew. Someone probably lost an incisor. A flight attendant questioned her life choices by flying Ryanair. Many passengers did the same. Nightmare fuel, usually. But not with the Px8 S2.

Back in the sixth circle of hell — or the row behind the chaos — my wife looked aghast at me laughing maniacally. ‘How can you laugh through this?’ was the subtext. It was the poetry of watching all that happen in mime only, soundtracked instead by the screaming cacophony of Songs For The Deaf’s opener. “You can’t even hear it!”

No matter how loud the hellspawn in front decided to be, nor how long through the flight it decided to be so, I was alright. The Px8 S2’s ANC would drown out everything. And it did.

Everyday comforts

A lot has been said online about the supreme comfort of the 1000X, and I agree… for the most part. They feel like a premium set of cans, and if I’d bought them, I wouldn’t feel shortchanged in the build quality department.

Again, though, the Bowers & Wilkins have the edge. They go beyond premium to feel luxurious. After around an hour of wearing the Sonys, my ears started to feel a little toasty. The Px8 S2 use a more breathable material, as I wore them for most of a seven-hour train journey through Norway with no issues whatsoever.

Both sets of cans are a pain in the butt to carry around, though, as they don’t fold and use bulky carry cases instead. The Sony’s case is markedly thinner at least, so that’s the set I’d pick if portability were my biggest concern. Which it isn’t.

Battery life is another win for the Px8 S2, which offer up to 30 hours. After my seven-hour Norwegian train journey, they’d dropped to 83%, which tallies to our full battery test when we reviewed them. Battery life on the 1000X is just 24 hours. Admittedly, this is only an issue if you’re travelling away from power for any elongated period of time — not really a thing nowadays with the ubiquity of portable power banks.

Frustrating connectivity

I touched on apps a little earlier when talking about EQ, but there’s more to be said on this. Sony’s app is great, don’t get me wrong, but it’s fundamental to the operation of the headphones, and that really grates on me. You seemingly can’t even connect to the 1000X without the companion app, which feels extremely restrictive — especially for a product you’ve paid $649 for.

When you do try to connect, the Sony companion app acts like a typical Sony companion app: janky as all hell. It took me 16 minutes to get the headphones to connect. 16 minutes. To hook up over Bluetooth.

I love that with the Px8 S2, the app is essentially optional. You don’t need to download it in order to get the headphones working, and the driver tuning and default EQ are so good out the box that I rarely, if ever, need to open the app for tweaks.

The Px8 S2 also have USB-C and 3.5mm connectivity, as opposed to only 3.5mm on the Sonys. That means, if you want to play wired from your phone with the 1000X, you’re stuck using the technically subpar phone DAC. Will it make a noticeable difference? Probably not. But I like knowing that I’m bypassing my smartphone DAC altogether and using the Px8 S2’s internal conversion over USB-C, getting the best I can out of the cans when using my phone.

Still, if you’re concerned, you could always invest in a portable DAC/amp, like the FiiO KA13 ($65). Or my go-to portable DAC, the iFi hipdac 3 ($199).

The final word

So which would I buy out of the two? If you hadn’t already guessed, it’s the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2. Look, the Sony 1000X THE COLLEXION are decent headphones. But when you start pricing cans in the ultra-premium range, you’re gonna have to start mixing it with the big boys. And the 1000X can’t quite mix it with the chief.

If you don’t have the extra $150, I doubt you’ll be disappointed by the 1000X. They look great, sound great, and feel great on your head. It’s just that the Px8 S2 do, well, just about everything better.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple AirPods Max 2 vs Sony 1000X The Collexion
• I tested Soundcore’s newest premium flagship earbuds — and they’re coming for the AirPods Pro 3’s crown
• I’m ditching my over-ear headphones for these Sony earbuds to beat the heat this summer — and they offer Bose-like sound for a lot less

It's no secret that Bose is the unbeaten king of noise-canceling headphones. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen are incredible, boasting a plethora of outstanding features, including best-in-class ANC, supreme comfort levels, and great battery life. But it's also no secret that these headphones are very expensive, priced at $449 / £449, and not everyone can afford them.

But just because you're on a budget doesn't mean you can't have nice things — and British manufacturer Marshall has just shaken up the ANC scene with its brand new Marshall Milton ANC on-ear cans. I know what you'll say to that: a) they're on-ears and not over-ears like the QuietComfort Ultra, and b) how can any brand even conceivably think of dethroning Bose as the ANC king?

To that, I have a few retorts: a) they're on-ears but they're great on-ears, b) the Milton ANC weren't created to dethrone Bose, and a bonus c) they're half the price of the QuietComfort Ultra and for $229 / £179, they're simply fantastic. I've been testing the Milton ANC for three weeks and I've been using the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen for a week. If you can't afford Bose's offering, Marshall's offers bang for your buck. Here's why.

Hi, Nikita here! This isn't going to be a traditional face-off like the others you may have seen on Tom's Guide, such as my Marshall Milton ANC vs Monitor III. It would be unfair to make direct comparisons between the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen and the Milton ANC as both vastly differ when it comes to price, so it would be crown just one a winner. Think of this article as more of buying advice instead.

A few tricks up Marshall's sleeve

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen are excellent, but one of the areas they struggle in is battery life. The OG Ultra offered just 24 hours of playback time, but their successor kicks it up a notch to 30 hours... but that's still not class-leading. Meanwhile, one of the things Marshall has historically nailed with its consumer-first headphones (like the Monitor III) is battery life — and the Milton ANC are no different.

Offering 50 hours of battery life with ANC on and 80 hours with ANC off, the Milton ANC blow the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen out of the water. It's not even close, really. Sure, you get better ANC with the latter, but if it's more juice you're after, the Milton ANC are worth the trade-off.

But it isn't a massive trade-off either, which brings me to the Milton ANC's key selling point: these are Marshall's first-ever on-ear cans to feature ANC, and they've knocked it out of the park. I've tested a few on-ear headphones now, and the Milton ANC offer the most effective noise cancellation of them all.

Sounds indoors, like the kettle boiling or the clickity clackity of mechanical keyboards, are muted to ensure you feel immersed in your music. Outdoors, the ANC is alright — the sound of cars zooming past makes it through but it isn't too jarring.

I won't lie: using the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen outdoors blew me away as I couldn't hear anything, and they made me feel like I was in a room so quiet I could hear a pin drop. But I wouldn't hear that pin drop because the headphones would cancel out the noise. The Milton ANC can't compete with that, and they don't need to. For half the price of the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen, you're still getting pretty solid ANC, and the best on-ears have to offer at the time of writing.

Take control

I've spent a fair bit of time using the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen. I've found them extremely comfortable, and the plush ear cushions make my ears feel like they're resting on clouds. The design, though unchanged from the OG headphones, is pretty enough to look at, but the thing that bothers me most? The controls.

This might be a hot take but I think we need to get rid of touch controls on all headphones. They work fine on earbuds — the ones I've tested, at least — but I've never been a fan of them on headphones. The QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen's touch slider to adjust the volume sticks out like a sore thumb, and I've found its placement frustrating and ability to register my commands finicky, at best.

Turns out, I'm not the only one here at Tom's Guide who has struggled with the touch controls on the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen. Our Buying Guide Editor, Tammy, mentioned them in her review of the headphones, and Senior Reviews Writer, Erin, easily gave the win to the AirPods Max 2 when it came to the two headphones' controls.

So, what's better than a strange mix of physical and touch controls that leaves users frustrated? Full physical controls, just like on the Marshall Milton ANC. There are two buttons that control everything on the Milton ANC: a joystick-like power button that can be used to adjust volume and change tracks, and a customizable 'M' button that can be personalized to enable Spatial Audio, change EQ, or enable/disable ANC.

And simplicity works. The controls are easy to understand and don't give you much to complain about. Not to mention, that brass power button looks drool-worthy. The Milton ANC's design, in general, looks classier and more premium than the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen, but that's just my opinion.

Music to my ears

What surprised me most about using the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen and the Marshall Milton ANC to listen to music back-to-back was how similar their tuning is. Both headphones offer deep, rich, bass-first sound profiles, which may not be everyone's cup of tea — and if they aren't, both headphones come with user-friendly apps to customize the EQ.

Personally, I love bass-first tuning because that's the aspect of the soundstage I enjoy the most, so both the Milton ANC and the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen impressed me straight out of the box. 'Let It Happen' by Tame Impala sounds glorious through both pairs, but when it comes to spatial audio, I think the Milton ANC's Soundstage creates more of an immersive listening experience. The QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen's spatial audio is good but it does so at the cost of bass which sounds muted. The Milton ANC's, on the other hand, keeps the bass thumping while making the track sound wider.

'FA9LA' by Flipperachi sounds excellent through both headphones too, with great emphasis on the pounding bass without making the treble sound too shrill or piercing. Vocals? Crystal clear, with each word discernible and not bleeding into the next.

One of the biggest advantages of using the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen is that because the ANC is mindblowing, it makes you feel truly immersed in your music. The ANC on the Milton ANC is good, like I said earlier, but doesn't come close, and that has an impact on your listening experience. Swings and roundabouts.

Looking ahead...

So, should you buy the Marshall Milton ANC or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen? I wish I could say that there's a straightforward "yes" or "no" to that question but there isn't. Question is, how much are you willing to spend? If you've got a budget of over $450, money is no object, or you want to get peerless ANC, the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen are a no-brainer.

But if you can't loosen the purse strings to that extent, the Milton ANC are great value for money. They cost $229, so almost half the price of the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen, but they don't compromise on features that matter most to 90% of users. Here at Tom's Guide, our job is to help you upgrade your life for less, and when it comes to getting premium features and audio at a non-premium price, you can't go wrong with the Milton ANC.

More from Tom's Guide

• Not all on-ear headphones are uncomfortable: I’ve been using the new Marshall Milton ANC for 3 weeks and they’re ridiculously comfortable and offer outstanding sound too
• I’ve been testing the Marshall Milton ANC on-ears vs Marshall Monitor III over-ears — and it’s closer than you think
• I've been testing the new Marshall Milton ANC for 3 weeks — they fix my biggest gripe with on-ear headphones, and are the new gold standard

Marshall has just added the new Milton ANC to its lineup of audio gear and headphones, and these on-ear cans are nothing short of a triumph. As someone who prefers over-ear headphones, these feel like a game-changer, and they're the most comfortable on-ears I've used so far.

But before I started using the Milton ANC, I'd been using the Monitor III over-ears for over a year. This got me thinking, "Do I like the Milton ANC better than the Monitor III?" The answer, unfortunately, isn't a simple "yes" or "no."

To answer this question, I listened to music on both headphones back to back, and compared all their other features. They share some similarities, yes, but is one pair better than the other? And should you spend more nearly $120 more on the Monitor III? Let's find out together.

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Specs

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Price

One of the key differences between the Marshall Milton ANC and the Marshall Monitor III is the price. The Milton ANC sit between the flagship Monitor III and the Major V on-ear headphones, and they cost $229 / £179. These are mid-range headphones that offer some premium features at a non-premium price.

The Monitor III, on the other hand, cost a lot more. They have a retail price of $349 / £299 but given that they've been around since September 2024, you can frequently find them discounted for around $250 — especially during sales events. It remains to be seen what kind of discounts the Milton ANC will get once the headphones have lived a little.

Given their price, the Monitor III are priced similarly to (or even less than) other flagship active noise-canceling headphones from the likes of Bose and Sony. Also given their higher price point, they offer more features than the Milton ANC — but if you're on a budget, the Milton ANC are the way to go. If you can loosen the purse strings, the Monitor III are a no-brainer. This round is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Design

The next biggest difference between the Marshall Milton ANC and the Marshall Monitor III is the design. The Monitor III are over-ear headphones while the Milton ANC are on-ear cans. We'll talk about the Milton ANC first, as they're newer. They feature square earcups with soft memory foam cushions, and they sit on your ears rather than around them (as is the nature of on-ears).

If you're skeptical about how comfortable on-ears are, I'm here to tell you that as a fellow (and former) skeptic, I think the Milton ANC are the most comfortable on-ear headphones on the market. They don't clamp down on your ears too much, and the earcups themselves are quite spacious — so there's plenty of room for all ear sizes. The only issue is that people with cartilage piercings may find them uncomfortable.

That's where the Monitor III come in. These over-ear headphones are comfortable for all types of ears, and even for those who have several piercings. Because they sit around your ears, they don't press down on piercings. Ear cushions, again, are very comfortable, as is the suspended headband. They're heavier than the Milton ANC, though, as they weigh 8.8oz while the Milton ANC weigh 7.06oz.

Controls on both headphones are nearly identical as both feature a customizable 'M' button and a joystick-like power button for adjusting volume and playback. The buttons give lovely tactile feedback when pressed — kinda like on a guitar amp. Neither headphones' controls give you anything to complain about.

The Milton ANC borrow styling cues from the Monitor III too, which is why they're covered in black with brass accents. Given that the Monitor III did it first, and they're ever-so slightly more comfortable than the Milton ANC, the over-ears get the win in this round.

Winner: Marshall Monitor III

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Features & connectivity

Even though the Marshall Monitor III are the British brand's flagship headphones, the Marshall Milton ANC pack the latest Bluetooth 6.0. They also feature support for LDAC and LC3, while the Monitor III utilize Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC. Multipoint connectivity is at play here, as both sets of cans can connect to two devices at once. Both headphones can be used wired too, thanks to USB-C ports on each.

In addition to this, the Milton ANC become Marshall's first headphones to carry Apple Find My support (along with Google Find Hub). This is a fantastic addition for Apple and Google Pixel owners alike as they can keep track of their headphones at all times.

One thing the Monitor III pack that the Milton ANC don't is wear detection — but honestly, I've never been a fan of wear detection on headphones as I've always found it to be finicky. I'd take Apple Find My and Google Find Hub over wear detection any day. To my surprise (and perhaps yours), the Milton ANC win the features & connectivity battle.

Winner: Marshall Milton ANC

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Sound quality

What good are a pair of headphones if they aren't brilliant for music? Whether you get the Marshall Milton ANC or the Marshall Monitor III, you'll be getting powerful sound regardless — take the word of someone who's been listening to the same songs back to back on both pairs.

The first thing you need to know is that both sets of cans use the same 32mm dynamic drivers but cover different frequency response ranges. The Monitor III cover 20Hz-20KHz while the Milton ANC cover 20Hz-40KHz — so the entirety of the human hearing spectrum and then some.

Both headphones are tuned differently too. The Monitor III have a well-balanced sound while the Milton ANC are more bass-heavy straight out of the box, so it depends on what you like. I don't mind either of the headphones' default Marshall Sound EQ, but if you want to make adjustments to the equalizer, the companion app (Marshall Bluetooth) is very user-friendly.

To compare the headphones, I listened to the same three tracks first on the Milton ANC and then on the Monitor III. I used my Milton ANC testing playlist on Qobuz.

First up, 'Everybody Scream' by Florence + The Machine. Both pairs of headphones handled this witchy track exceptionally well. The Milton ANC put the bass first and it reverberated through the track, while the Monitor III offered a balanced sound profile. Vocals, through both, sounded beautiful, and the treble was never shrill or piercing. I'd say the Monitor III make the track sound more snappy and capture Florence's vibrato better, but the Milton ANC did a respectable job too.

I then listened to 'Elephant' by 070 Shake. Personally, I preferred the Milton ANC's sound profile for this track. Thanks to its bass-forward tuning, I felt immersed in the synthesized, wobbly bassline, and it felt like there was a better balance between the thumping bass and distorted vocals. The Monitor III, on the other hand, made the track sound more clinical which is better for those into detailed listening.

The final song I played was 'Let It Happen' by Tame Impala, and I listened to it to test the Soundstage spatial audio. Soundstage debuted on the Monitor III back in September 2024, and now, Marshall has equipped the cheaper Milton ANC with it too. Soundstage, essentially, moves the sound into a virtual room so it feels like the track is swirling around your head, which is incredible for an immersive listening session.

On both the Milton ANC and the Monitor III, Soundstage works very well. I set the virtual room to 'large' via the app while using both headphones, and it made me feel like I was at a Tame Impala concert. The soaring synths had plenty of height through both headphones. The Milton ANC, again, emphasized the bass but not too much. What I like, though, is that the Monitor III made the song sound wider and more expansive, which makes sense given their price point.

Sound quality was a close call, but the Monitor III take it. The Milton ANC offer excellent sound for the price, but the Monitor III are just a bit better and more well-rounded overall.

Winner: Marshall Monitor III

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: ANC

For ANC to be effective, there needs to be a good seal around your ears — or in your ears, if you prefer in-ear buds. It's for that reason that the Marshall Monitor III win this round. Don't get me wrong: the Marshall Milton ANC boast effective ANC, and I even slept through an entire flight without being disturbed. But because they're on-ears, breaks in ANC are to be expected and that's not their fault: it's the nature of on-ears.

By on-ear standards, the ANC is great. By general standards, the Monitor III offer better.

The Monitor III create a great seal around your ears and provide a decent level of passive noise cancelation too. Indoors, I can't hear anything, not even the sound of my very loud mechanical keyboard. Outdoors, I can hear cars going by but not to the point that they disturb my peace or break my immersion when I'm jamming to Green Day.

Winner: Marshall Monitor III

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Call quality

Unfortunately for the Marshall Milton ANC, this round goes to Marshall Monitor III straight off the bat. The Milton ANC's call quality can be described as middling at best as they made me sound scratchy and tinny on the phone. When I spoke with my colleagues on a Google Meet team call, they instantly noted, "You don't sound as good as your other headphones."

The other headphones in question? The Monitor III. I've been told by my partner and many other people I've spoken to on the phone and team calls that I sound warm and true-to-life through the Monitor III. It's disappointing that the Milton ANC don't make me sound as good but it is what it is.

Winner: Marshall Monitor III

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Battery life

I'll be upfront here: it's an uphill battle for any pair of headphones to upstage the Marshall Monitor III when it comes to battery life. These headphones pack monster battery life as they can last up to 100 hours with ANC off or 70 hours with ANC on.

But this doesn't mean that the Marshall Milton ANC have poor battery life — on the contrary, they're long-lasting too. The Milton ANC can last up to 80 hours with ANC off or 50 hours with ANC on. That's quite a big drop compared to the Monitor III, yes, but remember that there's a substantial price difference between the two.

The Milton ANC have an ace up their sleeve though: they feature a consumer-replaceable battery which can be accessed by twisting off the left earcup. This isn't particularly groundbreaking, though, as all Marshall is doing is abiding by E.U. regulations — but at least you can replace the battery yourself now in case it goes kaput.

I'd say the Monitor III win this round by a narrow margin, but rest assured that even though you're spending lesser on the Milton ANC, you're still getting long playback time.

Winner: Marshall Monitor III

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Verdict

When I first held the Marshall Milton ANC in my hands three weeks ago, I thought, "They're on-ears, how good can they really be?" Turns out, very, very good. They're excellent on-ear headphones and are ridiculously comfortable. I've never been happier to be proven wrong.

And truth be told, I'm surprised how close the competition was between the Monitor III and the Milton ANC. As you'll soon see in the ratings scorecard below, the Milton ANC come very close to the Monitor III — which is commendable given that they cost $120 less than the brand's flagship cans.

This face-off ends with the Monitor III earning 93/100 points, followed very closely by the Milton ANC earning 86/100 points. The Monitor III are the superior headphones, yes, but the Milton ANC are a home run for Marshall, too, and they've shaken up the on-ears realm in the best way possible.

Marshall Milton ANC vs Marshall Monitor III: Ratings scorecard

More from Tom's Guide

• I've been testing the new Marshall Milton ANC for 3 weeks — they fix my biggest gripe with on-ear headphones, and are the new gold standard
• Marshall Monitor III review: When heritage meets sonic prowess
• My doctor banned me from earbuds so I got these Marshall headphones instead — and I’m surprised I didn’t do it sooner

There are premium headphones, and then there’s the Sony 1000X “The Collexion” (yes, spelled with an X.) Pronounced “Collection,” this $650 remix of the popular Sony WH-1000XM6 is Sony’s 10-year anniversary victory lap for the XM series, aimed at style-conscious buyers who view tech as a seamless extension of their wardrobe.

But these aren’t just XM6s wearing a nicer coat. Sony upgraded the drivers with rigid carbon components that deliver a wider, richer soundstage with the kind of depth I actually wished the regular XM6 had from day one.

The thing is, that might not be enough to convince people this glow-up is worth paying substantially more than the standard XM6 when it comes to buying the best headphones. The Collexion comes with some weird compromises, such as a shorter battery life and no changes to active noise cancellation performance.

Sony is making a pretty bold pitch here: luxury materials, fashion-forward design and elevated sound without tipping fully into the four-figure territory occupied by ultra-premium audiophile brands. We’re talking stainless steel, vegan leather, and a finish that feels more designer accessory than commuter headphones.

And if Apple could make AirPods Max a status symbol, who’s to say Sony can’t do the same? I spent time with Sony’s most fashion-forward headphones yet to find out in my full Sony 1000X The Collection review.

Sony 1000X The Collexion: Specs

Sony 1000X The Collexion review: Price and availability

• $649/£550
• Cost $200 more than WH-1000XM6
• 10-year anniversary of Sony’s XM products

The Sony 1000X The Collexion costs $649 / £550 and was released on May 19, 2026, to celebrate a decade of Sony's XM lineage. The headphones are available now at major retailers like Amazon, as well as directly through Sony’s website.

Price-wise, these cans land squarely between the Apple AirPods Max 2 ($549 / £499) and the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 ($799 / £629) in a territory not occupied by many other headphone models currently.

And because these are explicitly positioned as a luxury tier above the flagship line rather than a direct replacement for the $449 WH-1000XM6, don't expect to see them heavily discounted during standard holiday sales events anytime soon. They are expensive by any traditional consumer metric, but they occupy a specific high-end ecosystem tailored for buyers willing to pay extra for some aesthetic clout.

Sony 1000X The Collexion review: Design

• It’s in the materials: Sony has stripped out the lightweight, utilitarian plastic of the standard XM6 in favor of a striking, premium metal-and-leather aesthetic.
• Case or clutch?: Rather than a cheap tech pouch, the included carrying case looks and feels like a minimalist designer handbag.
• Heft vs. comfort: The shift to luxury materials introduces an external wireframe structure that alters the headphones' overall weight, but a wider headband does provide superior comfort.

While the Sony WH-1000XM6 built its reputation as a lightweight plastic tech product, The Collexion swaps plastic for solid stainless steel arms, buttons and inputs, plus supple vegan leather wrapping the earcups and headband. Sony even hid the “Left” and “Right” markings inside the earcups to keep the design seamless.

I tested the platinum finish, which accentuates the contrast of premium materials, though there’s also a sophisticated black option with shimmering color-matched metal. Either way, these felt genuinely luxurious to sport around New York City.

They don’t fold inward, but they do swivel flat into a redesigned carrying case that looks more like a minimalist designer bag than a typical tech pouch. It’s a bit chunky, but the reinforced shell makes carrying around $650 headphones feel a lot safer. (Between us, I loved toting it around.)

Sony 1000X The Collexion review: Comfort

On my head, The Collexion felt calibrated for comfort, with the weight balanced on a headband that’s 10% wider and 40% thicker than the standard XM6. Sony also shaved 5mm of thickness off the earcups compared to the XM6, while the earpads feel plush and padded.

But its ultra-premium materials introduce a literal physical weight: 11.3 ounces vs. 9 ounces for the plastic XM6. AirPods Max 2 tip the scales at 13.6 ounces, and since I’ve been using those lately, The Collexion actually felt like a bit of a welcome reprieve.

Sony WH-1000X The Collexion review: Controls

These headphones combine a highly responsive right-earcup touch panel with tactile physical buttons. Swiping for volume and track skipping works flawlessly. Best of all, The Collexion is equipped with a new dedicated hardware feature: a physical Spatial Upmixer button. On the standard XM6, toggling immersive 3D audio required app diving and was only available for Cinema Mode. Here, a simple physical press instantly toggles spatial audio for music, movies, or mobile gaming.

The headphones also feature snappy wear detection, instantly pausing your media the moment you lift an earcup to speak to someone and resuming it seamlessly when placed back on your head. You could always tap and hold on the right earcup to pause and initiate transparency mode, too.

Sony 1000X The Collexion review: Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, The Collexion is future-proofed with Bluetooth 6.0 (an upgrade over the standard XM6’s Bluetooth 5.3), multi-point connectivity, and a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm jack for wired listening.

Sony 1000X The Collexion review: Sound quality

• Unidirectional carbon driver: Sony introduced a brand-new, 30mm unidirectional carbon driver designed for wider frequency handling.
• Beefed-up circuitry: The internal circuit board features thicker copper foil layers for a cleaner audio signal.
• Top-tier processing and codecs: Powered by Sony’s new V3 processor, these headphones get DSEE Ultimate AI upscaling alongside LDAC, AAC, and SBC codec support.

The Sony 1000X The Collexion delivers the exact sound quality upgrade I originally wished the standard XM6 would’ve introduced over the WH-1000XM5. At the heart of this upgrade is a brand-new, rigid 30mm unidirectional carbon driver, paired with a beefed-up internal circuit board sporting copper foil layers 1.5 times thicker than the XM6.

For software processing, it steps up to DSEE Ultimate, Sony's highest-grade AI audio engine, and supports high-resolution LDAC alongside standard AAC and SBC codecs. You also get a fully customizable EQ via the Sony Headphones Connect app if you want to tweak the sound.

Listening to ‘bury a friend’ by Billie Eilish the sub-bass sounded cleaner and more controlled than the XM6. The track’s pulsing low-end hits with serious depth and punch, but never overwhelms the rest of the mix or introduces distortion, even at higher volumes.

For mids and instrument separation, I switched to ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac. The vocals, bassline and percussion all felt beautifully distinct, with a warmth and clarity that gave the song room to breathe without sounding crowded.

Then I tested treble and soundstage with ‘Kyoto’ by Phoebe Bridgers. The brass, acoustic textures and layered vocals sounded crisp and airy without teetering on sharp.

Sony 1000X The Collexion review: ANC

• Identical ANC: The active noise cancellation hardware and processing are completely identical to the standard XM6.
• Great, not legendary: It excels at cutting out lower-frequency environmental hums, it stops short of class-leading.

The active noise cancellation on The Collexion is excellent, but it’s exactly the same ANC you get on the cheaper Sony WH-1000XM6. Sony used the same microphones and processing here, which makes the lack of an upgrade feel noticeable at $650.

In testing, the headphones did a great job muting low-frequency noise like a loud studio AC unit and the constant rumble of New York City traffic. But sharper sounds still cut through more than they do on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which still delivers the strongest isolation I’ve tested.

Sony 1000 The Collexion review: Call quality

• Familiar mic system: The Collexion uses the exact same microphone hardware and noise processing found on the standard Sony WH-1000XM6.
• Excellent voice isolation: With 12 beamforming microphones, the headphones do a fantastic job separating your voice from surrounding noise.
• Clear real-world performance: Calls sounded rich, warm and consistently clean, even while walking through loud New York City streets.

The call quality on The Collexion is excellent, even if it uses the exact same microphone system as the XM6. With 12 beamforming microphones and strong onboard noise processing, these headphones do a fantastic job isolating your voice from chaotic surroundings.

I spent days taking calls while walking through New York City, and everyone I spoke to commented on how clear and natural my voice sounded. Vocals came through rich and warm without the thin, crackly quality some wireless headsets produce around wind or traffic. As a certified yapper who also cares about my style, I thrived with The Collexion as a wearable accessory.

Sony 1000X The Collexion review: Battery life

• Noticeable downgrade: Battery life drops to 24 hours with ANC on, down from the 30 hours offered by the cheaper Sony WH-1000XM6.
• Fast charging helps: A quick 5-minute USB-C charge delivers around 1.5 hours of listening time.

Battery life is easily one of the strangest compromises on The Collexion. Sony rates these headphones for 24 hours with ANC enabled, which is enough for a full workday or long-haul flight, but noticeably worse than the standard XM6 which lasts up to 30 hours.

In my testing, Sony’s numbers were accurate almost down to the hour. The headphones died right around 24 hours of use with ANC running continuously. Thankfully, the fast charging is excellent. Five minutes plugged in gave me roughly 90 minutes of playback, which made topping them off far less annoying day to day.

Sony 1000X The Collexion review: Verdict

The Sony 1000X 'The Collexion' is a niche, luxury statement piece that successfully bridges the gap between mainstream tech and high-end fashion. It delivers an incredibly premium experience with some weird compromises, but the style element is undeniable.

If you view headphones as a core part of your outfit, it is a luxury flex that happens to sound incredible. The designer handbag-style case is, in my opinion, a spectacular touch, and the upgraded rigid carbon drivers deliver the spacious, pristine soundstage I always wanted from the standard XM6.

On the downside, paying a $200 premium forces you into a frustrating battery life drop down to 24 hours and active noise cancellation that offers zero upgrade over the more sensibly-priced base model.

So maybe The Collexion isn't the practical choice for everyone, but hey, style rarely is.

I don't know about you, but I love it when the tech I love (or want) is discounted. As someone who reviews consumer tech for a living, it's my job to thoroughly test products and tell you whether they're worth your money, so trust me when I say the Marshall Monitor III are well worth the premium — and there's no reason to not buy them when they get a killer discount.

That's just happened. I was randomly browsing Amazon when I spotted this deal. The Marshall Monitor III are just $248 at Amazon right now, knocking 34% off. That's a crazy discount, and I've never seen them drop this low before. You'll be saving over $100 if you bag this deal — and there are many, many reasons why you should.

I've been using the Monitor III extensively for over a year. Regardless of where I go, they're either around my neck or on my head. I use them on my commute to and from work, while traveling, working, even playing video games — so I can attest to the fact that they offer bang for your buck.

Firstly, they're ridiculously comfortable with plush ear cushions and a headband that doesn't exert pressure on the top of your head. I've worn them for up to 10 hours a day without any discomfort. They weigh just 8.8oz too, so I never feel weighed down by them. But their key selling point is the outstanding, well-balanced sound quality.

The Monitor III's 32mm dynamic drivers deliver thumping basslines without them sounding muddy or booming. Treble is vibrant but never overzealous, so hi-hats and high-pitched vocals never pierce through the rest of the soundstage. They're tuned exceptionally, as you'd expect from a pair of flagship headphones. And if you want to adjust the EQ, you can do so through the very user-friendly companion app.

I also love the Monitor III's Soundstage spatial audio, which moves the sound out into a virtual room, and makes it feel like the instruments and vocals are swirling around you. Any time I listen to, say, Tame Impala through these headphones with Soundstage toggled, I feel like I'm at a live gig. It's some of the best implementation of spatial audio I've seen in a pair of headphones.

Alongside stellar sound quality and comfort, the Monitor III offer long battery life too. These headphones can last up to 100 hours with ANC disabled, which is great for anyone who forgets to charge their gadgets frequently. And needless to say, the Monitor III look extremely stylish, thanks to their black body and brass accents — I think they look better than most over-ears, including those from the likes of Sony and JBL!

The best time to buy the Monitor III was when they first came out and reviewed well. The second-best time to buy them is now, when they're $131 off at Amazon. This is a rare discount that doesn't come by very often so if I were you, I'd grab this deal with both hands and run!

More from Tom's Guide

• Marshall Monitor III review: When heritage meets sonic prowess
• My doctor banned me from earbuds so I got these Marshall headphones instead — and I’m surprised I didn’t do it sooner
• Marshall Monitor III ANC headphones — 3 reasons to buy 3 and 3 reasons to skip

We’ve waited six years for the new Apple AirPods Max 2, but after testing them for myself over the last two weeks, I’m no longer mad about it. The AirPods Max 2 are some of the best headphones I’ve ever had the pleasure of using.

Everything has been turned up to 11 — the sound quality is industry-leading, the ANC has improved massively, and the call quality is now professional-meeting-suitable. They still offer a feeble 20-hour battery life and a somewhat burdensome 13.6-ounce weight, but these issues don't detract from how excellent the AirPods Max 2 are overall.

I’ve tested tons of the best over-ear headphones, but none thus far have sounded quite this good. Sure, the Sony WH-1000XM6 are detailed and clean, and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2 are bassy, but the AirPods Max 2 are the best of all worlds. Rich, bassy, detailed, expansive, and clean.

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? Apple’s newest flagship headphones, replacing the AirPods Max
• What does it cost? $549 / £499 / AU$999
• What do we like? They are the best-sounding Bluetooth headphones (at this price point) ever
• What don’t we like? Issues from the previous model have been ignored — still just 20 hours of battery life, still very heavy

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Specs

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Price & availability

The Apple AirPods Max 2 are $549 from Apple U.S. In the U.K., they’re £499 from Apple U.K. In Australia, you’re looking at an AU$999 price tag. This is the same launch price as the previous model, in keeping with the precedent set by the AirPods Pro 3, which matched the Pro 2.

As you might expect, the AirPods Max 2 are considerably pricier than their flagship rivals: The Sony WH-1000XM6 have a $459 MSRP and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 regularly retail for $449. This isn’t to say the AirPods Max 2 are the most expensive wireless headphones on the market — you could also spend nearly a grand on the $799 Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, or break the 4-figure ceiling with the $1,199 Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95.

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Design

• Easy Digital Crown and ANC controls
• Still heavy, but comfortable nonetheless
• Fantastic smart features

If you’ve seen the original AirPods Max, you might be looking at the AirPods Max 2 and thinking, “Hmm. These look awfully familiar. Are you sure you didn’t just mix up your AirPods Max OG and AirPods Max 2 in the photos?”

I am quite sure. The AirPods Max and Max 2 are identical. You’ll see the same anodized aluminum ear cups; the same removable cushions; the same metal-and-mesh headband that tries its very best to alleviate skull pressure. At release, the headphones come in most of the same colors as the OGs — Midnight, Starlight, blue (pictured), orange, and purple. Unfortunately, it appears the green shade is no more.

This also means you have the same "bra" case seen on the AirPods Max OG. Some customers might be incredibly disappointed to see this make a return — it doesn't protect the headband or adjustment areas like other brands' carry cases. Although the case has a smaller footprint in your bag, you might not want to throw it carelessly into a particularly messy or chaotic backpack.

The controls are also the same: you’ve got a Digital Crown and ANC button on the right ear cup. You can adjust all these controls directly in your phone settings (if you have an iPhone).

I’m glad Apple hasn’t swapped the physical, tactile buttons in favor of the ‘touch area’ trend that seems to be sweeping through audio brands. The Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 and Sony WH-1000XM6 both suffer from this aberration, with ‘touch areas’ instead of buttons, so you need to stroke your headphones to change volume or skip tracks. These controls are especially egregious on the QC Ultra — I found myself trying to find the multi-purpose button, but accidentally turned the volume to max multiple times.

One of the primary complaints regarding the original AirPods Max was weight. The new AirPods Max 2 are the same weight, 13.6 ounces, making them almost double that of the Bose QC Ultra and Sony XM6 (8.8 ounces). Even so, the mesh headband does a lot of heavy lifting during wear. I didn’t often feel the need to remove or readjust the headphones.

While the Bose and Sony flagships are a lot lighter, they also look cheaper. Personally, I would much rather the uber-sleek, uber-premium AirPods Max 2.

Features

As you might expect from flagship cans, the AirPods Max 2 have are chock-full of features. The AirPods Max 2 are like AirPods Pro 3 in over-ear form: Apple has treated us to seamless Siri assistance, Camera Remote, Live Translation, Head Gestures, Conversation Awareness, and Personalized Volume.

I like that you can choose which features you want to activate. For example, I always turn off Conversation Awareness as it means I can’t (terribly) sing along to my favorite songs — my headphones turn on Transparency after assuming I’m talking to someone instead of warbling tunelessly to myself.

If you want to use Live Translation, however, you’ll need to pre-download the language packs. I tried this out with Korean, and it had about a 3-4 second delay, which is pretty much exactly how it works on the AirPods Pro 3. Perhaps good in a pinch, but wouldn’t be up to scratch for important meetings.

Unfortunately, like the previous model, there’s no IP rating, so I wouldn’t recommend taking these out in the rain. While disappointing, this isn’t a surprise for over-ears — neither the Sony XM6 nor the Bose QC Ultra have an IP rating. I’d recommend one of the best earbuds for that, like the AirPods Pro 3, or the Nothing Headphone (a), which are IP52.

As expected, the AirPods Max 2 integrate seamlessly with any Apple product. I only had to take my AirPods Max 2 out of the box, and my iPhone 16 Pro instantly lit up with a ‘Connect’ request. I didn’t have to manually connect to my MacBook Pro or iPad — the headphones just knew. When switching between devices, the Max 2 followed my output source.

Connectivity

Despite all these highs, I’ll end on a slightly disappointing note: the AirPods Max 2 run on Bluetooth 5.3. This Bluetooth version was released in 2021, so it’s frustrating to see Apple using it now. Samsung launched its new Galaxy Buds 4 series with Bluetooth 6.1. As you might expect, 6.1 provides a longer range (780-980 feet, respectively) and a more reliable connection.

I was able to get a decent distance from my phone — out of my apartment, up the stairs, onto the next floor — before the headphones disconnected, but I’d still like the best-of-the-best on Apple’s most premium offering, especially on what are intended to be the best wireless headphones.

They do, however, have native USB-C hi-res playback, which sounds utterly divine. Keep scrolling and you can read all about it.

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Sound quality

• Rich, detailed, wide, clear, sonorous — all the adjectives
• Terrific clarity across the entire frequency range
• Most importantly, fun to listen to

I’ll give you some spoilers straight away: the AirPods Max 2 are my favorite headphones to date. The sound quality is sublime. They have an exceptionally wide soundscape with enviable instrument separation. I tested using Apple Music and Spotify, via USB-C wired playback and Bluetooth — in every genre I listened to, I could make out every instrument, every harmony, every beat.

The low-end is rich yet balanced, with propulsive, deep sub-bass and a detailed, clarified upper-bass. Mids are also handled deftly; the soundscape is effusive and complex, with no overpowering frequencies, even in heavy genres. This builds a fantastic foundation for the treble, which is clear and bright. Hi-hats and cymbals clattered over the top of gnarly, crunchy bass, and didn’t overpower even stylistically pushed-back vocals.

When I played ‘Micro Cuts’ by Muse, a cluttered, almost invasive, high-octane track, the Max 2 dealt with the subtle guitar elements and heady falsetto vocals without breaking a sweat. The bass and percussion rounded out the frenetic guitar section, keeping the layers separated yet complementary.

I switched to electronic and played ‘925’ by Sammy Virji. The U.K. Garage beat pounded through the Max 2, sharing the space with the vocals. The bassline cut through the track like a snake racing through the jungle, barely making an impression on the undergrowth but letting everyone know it’s there. I was so impressed.

I then listened to some bluegrass-inspired singer-songwriter tracks. I played ‘Cheers’ by Faye Webster, a southern-blues-meets-modern-pop combo. Webster’s soft vocals were placed at the front of ‘Cheers,’ with the dynamic bass and rolling, bluesy guitar enriching the background.

To test out its video sound, I watched ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ and ‘Twilight’ on Apple TV with Dolby Atmos. The AirPods Max 2 handled both dialogue, action, and soundtrack fantastically. The wide soundscape enabled me to hear off-screen events as if they were truly behind me.

I tested the AirPods Max 2 with a lot more than I had space to include here. You can listen along to this review with my AirPods Max 2 testing playlist:

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: ANC

• 3 ANC modes: Transparency, Adaptive, and Noise Cancellation
• Better than original AirPods
• But still not Bose-beating or Sony-meeting

There are many, many things I love about the OG AirPods Max. The premium feel, the sound quality, the cushioned earcups, the controls, the mesh headband. But I don’t love the ANC.

I am pleased to report that the AirPods Max 2’s ANC is excellent. Sure, it’s not Bose-beating or Sony XM6-meeting, but it’s considerably better than Apple's OG over-ear headphones. Now, the AirPods Max 2 could be some of the best noise-cancelling headphones.

The AirPods Max 2 still allow some high-frequency sounds in: When I was testing ANC in the city, I couldn’t hear buses or motorbikes, but I caught some laughter from passers-by.

In general, the ANC deals with lower frequencies much better than higher frequencies, but this is all you need for day-to-day usage. I’m impressed with the upgraded ANC on the AirPods Max 2.

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: App

• Native customization for iOS users
• Nothing for Android, as expected

If you’re an iPhone user, you’ll be able to access tons of settings controls directly from your settings app. You can configure the Digital Crown and ANC button modes, including switching the orientation of the Digital Crown’s spin, activating Camera Remote, customizing Head Gestures, and more. Take a look at this screenshot so you can see for yourself.

Unfortunately, Android users get nothing. This is nothing new, but it’s still disappointing. You're basically stuck with default controls and none of the aforementioned features.

While unfortunate, this is the current state of play. Samsung’s newest audio products — the utterly fantastic Galaxy Buds 4 Pro ($249) — did not offer an iOS companion app.

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Call quality

• Voice Isolation has come to the Max series
• Fantastic environmental noise reduction
• Sometimes emphasizes surrounding voices, though

To test call quality of the AirPods Max 2, I used them for personal calls and work meetings. When I called my boyfriend, he said that my voice was perfectly clear and was notably better than that of other headphones I’ve tested recently — AirPods Max Gen 1 and Nothing Headphone (a) ($199).

He couldn’t hear any of the environmental noise around me, not the loud buses or roaring motorbikes, but some passing voices made it through the ambient noise reduction filters. So, while the AirPods Max 2 isolated my voice from traffic noise well, some voices still managed to sneak through.

On work calls, my colleagues reported that my voice was clear, and I “sounded the same as AirPods Pro 2 or 3.” However, one colleague reported that I sounded a little clipped.

I think you could use the AirPods Max 2 on work calls, personal calls, and anything in between. I’d happily use them as my primary call headset from now on.

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Battery

• 20 hours
• No, that’s not a typo
• Just 20 hours

Unfortunately, the AirPods Max 2 have a meager battery life of just 20 hours. This is the same as the previous model, and, if you couldn’t tell, is my primary issue with the headphones. In 2026, there’s very little excuse for a 20-hour battery.

Other models in this price class — Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 — last for 30 hours. While still not great, especially considering the new Nothing Headphone (a) last for 135 hours (75 with ANC), 30 hours is considerably more impressive.

I tested the AirPods Max 2 for seven days and had to charge them twice. I listened for around 25 hours overall, mostly via Bluetooth.

Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Verdict

I’m glad we waited six years for the AirPods Max 2, because this is an upgrade done right. If you like how AirPods Pro or AirPods Max Gen 1 sound, you are in for a treat with the AirPods Max 2. Apple has taken everything from its predecessor and dialed it up to 11.

Additional features like Personalized Spatial Audio, Siri integration, Live Translation, and Head Gestures are useful, but if the sound was mediocre, smart functions wouldn’t be enough to make me recommend spending $549 on headphones. (I suggest waiting for the first discount if that price feels a bit too steep in this current economic climate.)

But because the sound quality is so excellent, I genuinely would recommend buying the new AirPods Max 2. Yes, the battery life is still as feeble as a Victorian chimney sweep and the cans are still almost twice the weight of Sony and Bose’s flagships, but the flawless, studio-quality sound more than makes up for it. For me, this is a near-perfect audio product.

Sonos has come back onto the scene with two new speakers for 2026, but I'm here to let you know the brand's epic headphones, the Sonos Ace, are currently on sale at thanks to Amazon's Big Spring Sale.

Right now, you can get the Sonos Ace for just $299 thanks to a 25% discount as part of the retailer's spring sale. That's $100 off these excellent premium cans.

• shop Amazon's entire Big Spring Sale

I've been using the Sonos Ace as my go-to headphones since 2024 when these noise-cancelling cans were first launched, and I'm constantly impressed by them. They're comfortable and sound great — not to mention looking pretty slick in my humble opinion.

One of the main issues — as is usually the case with Sonos — is that the price was a little on the high side. Thankfully, now these headphones are a couple of years old we get deals like this knocking a sizable amount off the MSRP.

Battery life on these headphones is exceptionally solid at 30 hours, and the sound you get is rich and detailed. I always appreciate the wide soundstage whenever I slip these headphones on. And thanks to the soft-touch foam earcups and the fact the headphones only weigh 312 grams (11 ounces), it doesn't take long before you forget you're wearing them.

The killer feature

My absolute favorite part about the Sonos Ace is how they can switch seamlessly from a Bluetooth connection to a Wi-Fi link to your Sonos soundbar to play content from your TV. The headphones deliver the full Dolby Atmos experience directly into your ears without disturbing anyone else nearby. This is an absolute godsend if you want to watch movies or play games late into the night without disturbing a partner, your neighbors or the kids sleeping in the room upstairs.

And because it's coming from the soundbar's input, you can use it with any streaming service or any games console hooked up to your TV.

Finally, there's a real joy to using the physical controls on these headphones. There's a tactile "Content Key" on the right earcup letting you play/pause as well as volume up/volume down, while a secondary button gives noise control on/off, aware mode, and voice control options.

If there's one complaint I have with the Sonos Ace, it involves the protective case the headphones ship with. Getting them into it almost always involves awkwardly trying to slide the earcup stems inward to make the headphones compact enough to fit. But come on, if that's the only thing I can find to complain about then that should tell you all you need to know.

Long story short, this is an Amazon deal I definitely recommend you look into, and that goes double if you've already got other Sonos products in your home. Finally, check out our Amazon Big Spring Sale live hub for the latest discounts we've spotted all this week.

In the age of hybrid working, many of us have had to adjust to not seeing our colleagues as much, and having virtual calls and briefings — whether that's on Zoom, Google Meet, or a quick huddle on Slack.

Unsurprisingly, the best headphones and headsets for working from home have also shot up in popularity, and if you spend a lot of time on calls, you need a competent headset that you can wear all day long.

But how much are you willing to spend on a conferencing headset? How does $700 sound? It's a lot of dough, isn't it? I've been testing the Jabra Evolve3 85, and although it's expensive, it sounds superb.

Listening comfortably all day long

Before I dive into the sound quality, I want to talk about one of the other things the Jabra Evolve3 85 excels at, and that's its design.

Just like with any other pair of headphones, I don't think you should spend any amount of money on a conferencing headset that you can't wear all day long. The good news is that the Evolve3 85 is extremely comfortable, so rest assured that you're getting bang for your buck here.

One thing I've always loved about my Marshall Monitor III headphones is the lightness, as they weigh just 8.8oz, and they feature a leatherette headband that helps relieve some pressure you'd otherwise feel on the top of your head. I'd say the Evolve3 85 headset is on par with my Monitor IIIs in terms of comfort. Jabra's offering weighs 7.76oz so it's very lightweight, and the breathable cushion padding on the headband feels excellent. The same padding has been used for the ear cushions too, and I love it.

Another thing I love is the cavities on the inside of the earcups, which are there to nestle your earlobes and ensure your ears don't get squished. It's so effective, and now I wish all headphones had these cavities. Having worn the headset for an eight-hour work day (I removed it just once), I can confidently say that it's the comfiest one out there.

A beautifully balanced sound profile

The Evolve3 85 headset is fitted with 32mm drivers that cover a frequency response range of 20Hz-20KHz (so the normal human hearing spectrum), and the headset makes music sound true-to-life and full of character, never once getting overwhelmed by multiple instruments even.

The treble is crisp and vibrant and never overzealous. Through the Evolve3 85, in songs like 'Carnival of Rust' by Poets of the Fall, the hi-hats never sounded too shrill, and worked well with other instruments to create a wonderful melody. Each note plucked on the acoustic guitar was discernible and never harsh to the point that it overpowered the vocals. Speaking of, the vocals in tracks like 'White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter' by Lana Del Rey were nothing short of detailed. The 'tss' and 'sh' sounds — and there are many of them — sounded clean and didn't bleed into one another either.

Bass sounded just as good if not better through the Evolve3 85. Powerful but not booming, especially in songs like 'Money' by Pink Floyd and 'Little Dark Age' by MGMT. The sub-bass and mid-bass packed plenty of detail too, and I found the lower and mid-ranges better on the Evolve3 85 than on my Marshall Monitor IIIs — and that's saying a lot, as I adore the latter. The bass on the Evolve3 85 sounded warm with lots of low-end impact, and truth be told, I wasn't expect that from a headset designed for conferencing!

The elephant in the room

So, the Jabra Evolve3 85 is clearly a phenomenal headset. But it's hard to ignore the elephant in the room that's desperately asking to be addressed, and that's the headset's price. The Evolve3 85 is a premium work headset that retails for $720 / £539. It's more expensive than my PlayStation 5 Slim ($549), my Nintendo Switch 2 ($449), and even the brand new MacBook Neo ($599) and the Nothing Phone 4a Pro ($499).

The Evolve3 85 is supremely comfortable, yes, and its audio quality for calls and music is nothing short of sublime, but is it worth over $700? Kind of, yeah.

I know there are cheaper options out there, like the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 ($250), the HP Poly Voyager Surround 80 UC ($349), and the Cleer Enduro ANC (1$149), but all of them have significant drawbacks, such as unreliable battery lives, underbaked apps, finicky wear detection, and so on.

And the Evolve3 85 headset doesn't have any such flaws. It's expensive, but for the money, you're getting up to 120-hours of battery life, a sleek charging pad for you to charge the headset between calls, a lovely boomless mic, and peerless sound quality and vocal clarity. If I won the lottery, I wouldn't tell anyone, but there would be signs — and the Evolve3 85 around my neck would be one of them.

More from Tom's Guide

• ‘The king of conferencing headsets’: I just tested the Jabra Evolve3 85 and I’ve never heard my colleagues this clearly before
• Best headphones and headsets for working from home
• My doctor banned me from earbuds so I got these Marshall headphones instead — and I’m surprised I didn’t do it sooner

If you’re a hybrid worker or spend a lot of your work day on team calls, you need one of the best headsets and headphones for working from home — and the Jabra Evolve3 85 is just that. This is the perfect headset if you want to sound professional in online meetings as it boasts excellent vocal clarity. Its boomless mic with AI noise cancellation makes you sound loud and clear on the other end, while a range of productivity features keep you locked in.

The cherry on top of the cake is the headset’s long battery life. If you enjoy listening to music while working or between tasks, then the Evolve3 85 is sure to impress you with its wide and dynamic soundstage… as long as you can stomach the price.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Jabra Evolve3 85 review.

Jabra Evolve3 85 review: Specs

Jabra Evolve3 85 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? Jabra’s flagship work-first headset with a boomless mic
• Who is it for? For hybrid workers and those who spend a lot of time on calls and online meetings — and music lovers
• How much does it cost? It ain’t cheap. The Jabra Evolve3 85 retails for $720 / £539
• What do we like? So many things! The comfortable design, productivity features, clear mic, excellent vocal clarity, long battery life, and more
• What don’t we like? The premium price tag

Jabra Evolve3 85 review: The ups

From its exceptionally comfortable design and plethora of productivity features, to its outstanding vocal clarity and boomless mic, there’s a lot to love about the Jabra Evolve3 85.

All-day long comfort

The Jabra Evolve3 85 is a work-first headset as Jabra claims it’s designed for the “modern worker.” If, like me, you spend a lot of time on team calls and meetings, and need a headset that will let you work comfortably all day long, this is it. Firstly, the Evolve3 85 is very lightweight, weighing just 7.76oz. It’s 35% slimmer and 23% lighter than the Evolve2 line, and lighter than other work-oriented headsets, like the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 (10.2oz, $250), the HP Poly Voyager Surround 80 UC (9.7oz, $349), and the Cleer Enduro ANC (10.6oz, $149).

Aiding the Evolve3 85’s comfort factor is the lovely breathable cushion padding on its headband. This relieves the pressure you’d otherwise feel on top of your head, enabling you to wear it for hours on end. This same padding has been used for the ear cushions, and they feel excellent to me. I also like the cavities on the inside of the earcups, which are there to nestle your ear lobes and ensure that your ears don’t get squished.

If on-ear headphones are more your speed, you might prefer the Jabra Evolve3 75 ($463) instead — these are very well padded. However, in our testing, Tom’s Guide’s Senior reviews editor Pete Wolinski found them a little uncomfortable after five or six hours due to the on-ear design, with the earcups pushing his ear helixes into the side of his head.

Having worn the Evolve3 85 for eight straight hours, I can confirm that it’s exceptionally comfortable. My ears never felt hot, and my head didn’t feel like it was being weighed down either. I also appreciate that foldable design and included pouch that you can store the headset in when you’re traveling.

Build quality is sublime too, with matte finish on the headband and earcups, and I didn’t think the headset sounded hollow or underbaked when I tapped its different parts with my fingernails.

A plethora of productivity features

There’s no dearth of productivity features on the Jabra Evolve3 85. You can buy the headset with either Microsoft Teams or Unified Communication optimization. If you get the former, a Microsoft Teams logo graces the right earcup, and it doubles as a button that lets you answer/reject incoming Teams calls. The Unified Communication model, on the other hand, offers plug-and-play functionality across multiple platforms, such as Google Meet and Zoom. The UC model is the better choice if, like me, you work across platforms and don’t want to be locked into just Teams.

Whenever you’re on a call, the integrated 360° Busylight located on the left earcup lights up in bright red to let those around you know that you’re busy and shouldn’t be disturbed. This is a great feature to have, especially if you’re on an important call and don’t want to be interrupted by anyone else. I do, however, wish you could turn this light on outside of calls, as I like to be left alone when I’m in the zone and writing away.

In addition to this, you also get AI integration, so you can prompt Gemini, ChatGPT or another assistant of your choice by simply using your voice and not having to use your hands. Jabra says that the Evolve3 85 “accurately captures over 9 out of 10 words in AI voice prompts.” While I personally don’t use AI assistants and chatbots, it’s good to know that this feature exists for users who love using AI. I tested it with Gemini on my Google Pixel 10 Pro XL and it worked well. Gemini understood me clearly and promptly, and instantly made me a to-do list and set a reminder as I asked for.

For those who work across multiple devices, multipoint connectivity is at play so you can connect up to two devices at the same time using Bluetooth 5.3. The box also includes a USB-C dongle (or USB-A, depending on what you choose when you buy the headset) which increases the number of simultaneous connections from two to three. Google Fast Pair also means that you can connect the headset to your phone in mere seconds, as I did, and Apple Find My and Google Find Hub let you keep a track of where your headphones are.

There’s also wear detection which pauses playback if you lift an earcup or remove the headset entirely, and it worked like a charm in my testing. This is perhaps the best wear detection I’ve seen on a pair of over-ear headphones, as it’s something I’ve always disabled on the likes of the HP Poly Voyager Surround 80 UC and even my trusty Marshall Monitor III ($349) as I found the wear detection on them finicky, and it never worked as intended.

Exceptional vocal clarity

Any work headset needs one thing for certain to be considered excellent, and that’s exceptional vocal clarity. You should be able to hear your on-call colleagues or clients with so much clarity that they feel like they’re in the room with you — and the Jabra Evolve3 85 does just that. It’s fitted with 32mm drivers which cover a frequency response range of 20Hz-20KHz which is fairly standard for most headphones and even gaming headsets, as that’s the spectrum of human hearing.

Having attended five meetings with the Evolve3 85 nestling my ears, I can confidently say that this headset will please anyone who works from home or gives online presentations. These calls took place over Google Meet and Slack (huddles). I could hear my colleagues on the line loudly and clearly, and even when multiple people were speaking at once, I could still understand them. Voices and words never blended together.

I appreciated the Evolve3 85’s adaptive/dynamic noise cancellation here too, as it automatically adjusted itself when there was a loud noise in the background. It kept me focused on the call I was on. In my testing, this worked well both indoors and outdoors. Aside from Google Meet and Slack, I also spoke with my partner on the phone, and I could hear her well even while walking and making my way through crowds.

Voice clarity is further bolstered by active noise cancellation (ANC) which works superbly, isolating you to the point that you can’t hear anything else when you’re outdoors and you feel like you’re the only person in the world. I couldn’t hear people chatting in the office or the sound of my loud keyboard, or cars whizzing past me outdoors. I listened to a podcast and I could hear the host and guest speaking to each other and laughing clearly, like I was in the room with them.

Crisp and clear microphone

There’s no point in spending any amount of money on a work-first headset if it doesn’t make you sound loud and clear on calls — after all, you want to impress your audience, right? The Jabra Evolve3 85 gives you nothing to complain about in that department, and it boasts one of the strongest mic performances I’ve seen so far.

The Evolve3 85 features a boomless mic (an array of six in total) so there’s no mic arm sitting in front of your mouth, and this helps its sleek, inconspicuous appearance. The mic covers a frequency response range of 10Hz-20KHz, so it covers the full spectrum of human hearing and ensures natural sound reproduction. The headset utilizes Jabra ClearVoice which uses AI-powered deep learning to isolate your voice from background noise, and it works extremely well.

The first thing I did to test the headset was call my partner when leaving work. She said I sounded perfect and crystal clear, and didn’t think my words were bleeding into one another either. She also couldn’t hear the birds chirping right overhead, or the sound of lots of people chatting and shuffling around in a busy parking lot — all she could hear was my voice. In fact, she said I sounded like I was in a quiet room indoors.

I had to hear it for myself, so I recorded myself speaking with the TV playing in the background. In the clip above, you can’t hear the characters from Schitt’s Creek speaking, and my voice is the only one that can be heard, which is amazing.

I then recorded myself speaking a few sentences with popping sounds, such as words starting with ‘P,’ ‘B,’ ‘T,’ ‘D,’ ‘K’ and ‘G,’ known as plosives. As you can hear in the clip above (and laugh with me at my goof-up while saying one of the tongue twisters), the ‘P’ sounds don’t sound overly harsh or unpleasant.

Next up, I tested the Evolve3 85’s ability to handle sibilance. These are your ‘s’ and ‘sh’ sounds which are prone to whistling (and can be unpleasant to listen to), so the best way to do this was by trying a famous tongue twister. As you can hear in the clip above, the mic handled the hissing sounds quite well, and again, the sounds don’t bleed into one another.

I also appreciate the Evolve3 85’s sidetone as it enables you to hear yourself speaking when you’re on a call, so you can check that you aren’t speaking too softly or loudly. This is a feature we see on most of the best gaming headsets and is very handy to have. The sidetone’s volume can be adjusted via the companion app (more on that shortly).

Dynamic music performance, too

Look, if I’m spending over $700 on a work-first headset — yes, that’s how much it costs — you’d best believe that I will be using it to listen to music in my downtime too. The Jabra Evolve3 85 is, in fact, excellent at making your favorite songs sound better than ever. I listened to a few tracks from my roster of testing songs on Qobuz with the Evolve3 85 plugged into my MacBook Air M2 via the included 3.5mm aux.

I started things off by listening to ‘Carnival of Rust’ by Poets of the Fall, and each note plucked on the acoustic guitar sounded loud and clear but not so harsh that it overpowered the vocals at the beginning of the song. When the rock instruments kicked in during the first chorus, they created a wonderful melody that sounded thoroughly enjoyable through the Evolve3 85.

To test the Evolve3 85’s bass, I listened to ‘Little Dark Age’ by MGMT and once again, the bassline sounded clear and every note plucked on the bass was discernible but it also worked in harmony with the other instruments to create an immersive soundscape. The bass never sounded booming or overpowering.

Vocals sounded just as beautiful in tracks like ‘White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter’ by Lana Del Rey. Lana’s sibilance, the ‘tss’ and ‘sh,’ in the first verse sounded detailed and clean, and I would expect nothing less from a headset that boasts vocal clarity for work calls. My colleagues tried the Evolve3 85 briefly as well, and all of them complimented the headset’s wide and dynamic soundstage.

Listen along to my review with the Jabra Evolve3 85 testing playlist:

Long battery life

The Jabra Evolve3 85 boasts long battery life, and according to Jabra, the headset can last up to 120 hours for music and 25 hours when used exclusively for calls. While I wasn’t able to drain the entire battery, I noticed that after approximately 16 hours of use, the battery percentage had dropped to 75%. Keep in mind that I had ANC on at all times, and used the headset for work calls as well as listening to music.

The Evolve3 85’s battery life is better than the competition’s. The Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 last for just 20 hours, while the HP Poly Voyager Surround 80 UC lasts for 21 hours and the Cleer Enduro ANC lasts for 60 hours between charges. Also, charging the Evolve3 85 for five minutes provides five hours of runtime. Oh, and they come with a sleek wireless charging pad too!

User-friendly companion app

To customize the Jabra Evolve3 85, you’ll need to download the Jabra Plus app on either iOS or Android. The app is extremely intuitive thanks to its user-friendly interface, and it gives you lots of control over the headset’s settings. Via the app, you can adjust the sidetone volume, enhance treble or bass in calls, swap between EQ presets and customize your own, toggle hearing protection as well as spatial audio in media.

You can also enable a setting which allows you to automatically answer calls if your headset is charging on the included pad and you remove it. I tested this out and it worked as intended, and it’s quite a handy feature to have as you can keep charging the headset between calls without plugging it in.

A desktop version of the app can also be downloaded on Windows machines and it gives you the same level of customization as the mobile version. On macOS, you’ll need to download Jabra Direct instead which, again, gives you the same personalization options.

Jabra Evolve3 85 review: The downs

There isn’t much wrong with the Jabra Evolve3 85, but note that it costs a premium which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Very, very expensive

I’m going to hold your hand when I say this: the Jabra Evolve3 85 costs an arm and a leg. It’s very expensive and will probably burn a hole in most people’s pockets — unless of course this is your work-sanctioned headset, and if that’s the case, never quit your job. The Evolve3 85 costs $720 / £539 at Amazon, making it one of the most expensive headsets I’ve tested. When I told everyone in the office just how expensive the Evolve3 85 was, everyone collectively gasped — and that doesn’t happen very often.

It’s nearly as expensive (or more than) as flagship headphones from heavy hitters in the audio world, like the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 ($699), the Sonos Ace ($449) and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 ($449). Is the Evolve3 85 worth the premium? It depends. Can you afford it? Then sure. You get fantastic audio quality and detailed vocal clarity, along with a boomless mic that makes you sound amazing.

But regardless of the things it does exceptionally well, the Evolve3 85 won’t be for everyone, primarily because of the price. If you want cheaper, work-first headsets, there are plenty to choose from. Jabra’s own Evolve3 75 is a little cheaper at around $460, but it’s less comfortable. The $250 Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 is an excellent alternative but its battery life isn’t as long as the Evolve3 85’s, and its app feels underbaked. Or you could go for the $149 Cleer Enduro ANC which is much, much cheaper, but doesn’t feature the best mic.

Jabra Evolve3 85 review: Verdict

What does spending $700 on the Jabra Evolve3 85 get you? A boomless mic with AI noise cancellation that ensures the person on the other end of the phone (or laptop) can hear only you. Crystal clear vocals that make your colleagues sound just like they do in person. A wide soundstage for when you want to listen to your favorite tunes. Up to 120 hours of battery life and a sleek charging pad.

The Evolve3 85 is an exceptional headset, and one I didn’t expect to love as much as I do now. While its premium price tag is a little hard to stomach, it’s worth paying the price if you want refined and rich sound quality as well as monster battery life, all packed into a comfortable design. I’m almost tempted to make the Evolve3 85 my daily driver at work!

The Nothing Headphone (a) are some of the most exciting new headphones on the market right now. I’m so sick of audio brands making boring — sorry, “discreet” — headphones that look like every other pair of over-ears. I respect a brand that goes above and beyond to make visually interesting tech, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Headphone (a).

But is this enough to make them some of the best headphones you can get? Hmm, well, it depends. Yes, if you wouldn’t class yourself as an audiophile and you just want some funky cans to vibe out to. On the other hand, if you take music quality super seriously, then I’d recommend something else.

At the end of the day, $199/£149 is a solidly mid-range price, and is a heck of a lot cheaper than Bose and Apple’s competition. Want to find out more? Of course you do. Keep reading this Nothing Headphone (a) review.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? Nothing’s newest flagship headphones
• What does it cost? $199 / £149
• What do we like? They’re so cool
• What don’t we like? I wish the soundstage was a little wider

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Specs

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Price & availability

The Nothing Headphone (a) are $199 from Amazon U.S. and £149 from Amazon U.K.. This is a pretty standard midrange price, but similar cans can set you back upwards of $300.

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones (not Ultra) are $359, the Soundcore Space One Pro are $199, and the 3-year-old Sony WH-CH720N are $179. You can also get the detail-forward Cambridge Melomania SE P100 for $299, which might be better for more traditional ‘Hi-Fi’ lovers.

I’m not overly enamored with the Headphone (a)’s Bluetooth sound quality, but if you’re looking for fashion-forward design without breaking the bank, these cans might be a better option over these alternatives.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Design & controls

• Stylish, fashion-forward design, although divisive
• Easy-to-use, intuitive, and unique on-cup controls
• Quite clampy

There’s no doubt about it: the Headphone (a) are a Nothing product, and you’d be able to tell from one minute glance. Nothing has really mastered its unique design, combining eye-grabbing, sci-fi aesthetics, with intuitive and user-friendly controls.

The Headphone (a) come in four colors: black, white, pink/white, and pink/yellow. I tested the white, but if I were buying for myself, I would probably get the pink. It’s like if a 22nd-Century robot and Marie Antoinette had a weird, shouldn’t-work-but-does baby.

That being said, if you’re of the futuristic-aesthetic opinion, you’d be so impressed with the Headphone (a). However, if you’re more of a traditionalist and you want the classic black, discreet earcups vibe, these probably aren’t the cans for you.

Personally, I love how the Headphone (a) look, and I wish more audio brands were confident enough to play around with design. I want to see how far these manufacturers can push it. Maybe not as far as Dyson pushed it, though — I don’t think I need a face mask with my headphones, thank you very much.

The controls are just as boundary-breaking, too. Instead of your standard buttons on the cups or — god forbid — touch ‘areas’ (that always mean a gust of wind pauses my music), the Nothing Headphone (a) utilize two funky little controls: a roller and a paddle. Yes, think back to when you went to soft play areas as a kid. Remember those abacus-like toys installed on random climbing walls? The roller is basically like the adult version of that.

If you couldn’t tell from its name, the roller controls your volume by rolling. You get to roll up or down to adjust volume, or hold it down to cycle through the (two) ANC settings. How fun is that?

You also get a paddle, which is for skipping tracks and answering calls. I found both of these buttons really fun and functional — you don’t have to memorize which identical-feeling button corresponds to which control. Both the buttons are instantly distinguishable. I’m a huge fan of this, and hope other audio brands are paying attention.

I will say that the overall fit isn’t ideal. I found the headphones a touch clampy, like a Cyberman in Doctor Who. They’re not aggressively uncomfortable, but if you’ve got a particularly sensitive head, you might be better off with the lighter Soundcore Space One Pro.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Features & connectivity

• Built-in ChatGPT and Nothing Space, but these features are useless to me
• Bluetooth 5.4
• Multipoint

The Nothing Headphone (a) have a range of “smart” features — like ChatGPT integration and AI functionality with Nothing phones — but does anyone ever actually use this? I never feel the urge to ask ChatGPT for advice when I’m wearing my headphones. I just use my noggin. I never use the heart rate monitor on my AirPods Pro 3. My social anxiety is way too crippling for me to use Live Translator in real life. But, at the end of the day, these are all cool features to have should you desire them. It’s nice that they’re there, right?

If you’ve got a compatible phone or a Nothing phone, you get access to LDAC, a hi-res streaming codec. I tested this and found it produced a cleaner, clearer sound profile to the standard AAC. However, this is Android-only, so Apple users, move along, please.

Android users are kind of spoiled, here: you also get Google Fast Pair, which I tested with my Samsung Galaxy S25+ and found it worked seamlessly. This is great, should you switch between devices often.

But one thing that everyone can make use of is the Nothing Headphone (a)’s sparkling IP52 rating. Most over-ear headphones (especially around $200) don’t really have an IP rating — the Soundcore Space One Pro, the JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition — so I’m surprised to see it here. Heck, even the Bose QuietComfort Headphones and Sony WH-1000XM6 don’t have an IP rating. The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 are IP54-rated, but cost a huge $1,199. The Nothing Headphone (a) are actually the first over-ears I’ve ever tested with an IP rating.

The IP52 rating isn’t overly impressive compared to the ratings usually found on earbuds — like the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro’s IP57 rating — but it means the headphones are protected against sweat and light drizzle, although not heavy downpours.

In terms of connectivity, the Headphone (a) have Bluetooth 5.4, which isn’t as up-to-date as the Bluetooth 6.1 we just saw on Samsung’s newest Galaxy Buds, but is at least an upgrade on Apple’s odd predilection for including Bluetooth 5.3 on flagship headphones in… *checks notes* 2026.

In reality, Bluetooth 5.4 means you get up to 800 feet of range. In reality, I was able to get down the stairs, the entire way across the office, and back upstairs on the other side of the building without the headphones disconnecting. This is really impressive.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Sound quality

• Soundscape can feel cluttered
• Great vocals and electronic genres are clear
• Rock/metal fans might be left wanting

Of course, I will go into more detail about the sonic performance, but in a nutshell, the Headphone (a) sounds like how a diet of unseasoned mashed potato might taste. Good; will keep you alive, but it won’t exactly fill you with life-altering zeal and zest and zing and all those emotions that make life worth living. You might be a bit happier if your mash had a shedload of heavy cream and salt, but, again, your body wouldn’t exactly flourish.

This is how I feel about the Headphone (a). I don’t hate them, but I also don’t love them either. There’s something missing, some je ne sais quois, some indistinguishable essence. The bass performance is where most of the issues lie: there’s no complexity to the low-end. When I was testing these cans, I was craving more. Exactly like if I ate nothing but mashed potato. I’d always be craving something more.

I listened via Bluetooth on my iPhone 16 Pro, LDAC on my Samsung Galaxy S25+, and wired. I’ll discuss all three of these playback styles here.

When I listened via the provided 3.5mm aux cable on my MacBook Air M2, I was more impressed than wireless. ‘Man Made of Meat’ by Viagra Boys was raucous and unapologetic, with a heavy bassline pounding the track forward like a runaway steam train careening down a railroad, but there was a lack of complexity in the guitar-led soundscape. The vocals sounded excellent, though, and the stereo guitar effects were clear in each ear. I wish the headphones could juggle the difference between bass guitar and a deep rhythm guitar more deftly.

With LDAC enabled on my Samsung Galaxy S25+, the sound quality was much better, although it still can’t compete with the Bose QC Headphones ($359) or the Soundcore Space One Pro ($199). ‘Play Me’ by Fcukers was a little muddled at the top of the treble, as if the sound was underwater. However, the synth-led bassline was clear and melodic, and the vocals were supremely clear. It’s just a shame that the percussion pinched.

After, I switched to my iPhone 16 Pro to test with the basic AAC codec. I listened to ‘Convention’ by Julia Jacklin, which is an acoustic singer-songwriter track. The guitar plucks, and soft, emotive female vocal sounded great through the Headphone (a), but the sibilance in Jacklin’s voice bordered on harsh every now and then. I think the Headphone (a) handles acoustic tracks better than heavy rock or electronic songs, because the lack of bass means there’s less to get confused with, but then the treble gets overwhelmed, resulting in hissing.

If you’re upgrading from sub-$100 headphones and this is your first pair of “treat yo self” cans, I think you’ll get on with the Headphone (a) just fine. The style and features are super impressive for cans of this price.

However, if you’re used to things like Bose QC, AirPods Max, and Sony WH-1000XM6, you might want to consider spending more for some premium flagship cans.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: ANC

• Two ANC modes: on, off, transparency
• Middling ANC, not impressive nor useless

The ANC on the Nothing Headphone (a) is both nothing to write home about and also nothing to get up in arms about. I was able to hear myself typing and general office noises like chairs being pushed back and muffled conversations, but I was in enough of my own bubble not to really pay this any mind.

When I wore these headphones in the city, I could hear a decent amount of car noise, but general chatter was mostly silenced. I suppose this is good for not getting hit by cars in a busy city, but these headphones certainly don’t have the same industry-leading ANC you’d find on Bose cans.

If you’ll be using these headphones primarily for public transport or in loud environments, you might be better off with some of the best noise-cancelling headphones, like the Bose QuietComfort Headphones or the Sony WH-1000XM6.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: App

• NothingX app
• Tons of (rather confusing) EQ adjustments
• Need to switch on dual device connection in the app

Unlike other headphones I’ve tested, if you want to activate multipoint, you have to toggle it on in the Nothing X app. Usually, you only have to connect to your earbuds/headphones on one device, then connect on the second one (usually after following a vaguely confusing course of button-mashing). Not with the Headphone (a). You have to physically activate multipoint in the app.

Once I did this, though, multipoint was great, as you’ll have read in my ‘Features & connectivity’ section above.

There are loads of other features in the Nothing X app: EQ adjustment, headphone locating, toggling between ANC modes, adjusting controls, and more. Here are some screenshots so you can see.

I really like the Nothing X app. Thankfully, it’s very easy to navigate and not overwhelming for those unfamiliar with Nothing’s ecosystem.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Call quality

• Decent call quality, but not amazing
• Good at silencing ambient noise
• 2 mics

To test the call quality on the Nothing Headphone (a), I called my boyfriend. He’s been the callee on every pair of headphones/earbuds I’ve ever tested, so he’s a great test subject.

He said that while my voice was audible and intelligible, I was a little muffled, as if I were mumbling. My daily drivers — AirPods Pro 2 — made my voice much clearer. However, he said the traffic noise around me was completely silent, which is great if you call in busy areas. I’d say these cans are good enough for everyday, but I’d leave professional calls or important meetings to flagship options.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Battery

• A mindblowing 135-hour battery life
• Which goes down to 75 with ANC on
• Still phenomenal!

The most attention-grabbing feature of all is, without a doubt, the awesome 135-hour battery life. I’ve seen or tested headphones close to this degree of battery life before — the unkillable EarFun Tune Pro, which last for 120 hours, or the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE, which can go for 100 hours — but nothing matching the Headphone (a). This battery life is incomprehensible, incomparable. There are no other cans — that I know of, anyway — that can outlast the Headphone (a).

I used them for 24 hours and the battery went down to 85%. This is a crazy good battery life, and one of the main USPs of these headphones. Big thumbs up from me.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Verdict

If you want super-stylish, fashion-forward, sci-fi headphones, you won’t be disappointed by the Nothing Headphone (a). They are seriously some of the coolest cans I’ve ever had the pleasure of putting on my head. While I was wearing them around the city, I felt like a model (well, that’s hyperbole, but you get the gist).

Although the sound quality leaves something to be desired, if you’ve got an LDAC-compatible Android or Nothing phone, you will probably be more impressed than if you’re an iPhone user. I wish the soundscape was a little wider and more detailed, but the vocals drive the tracks enough for this to be ignored if you value style more.

So while these might not be the perfect headphones for me, if you want to look cool and ultramodern and you’ve got an LDAC-compatible phone, they might be the best option for you.

Look! It's a pair of over-ear headphones. It's so good-looking. It sounds so great. It's... not JBL, Bose or Sony?!

Over a year ago, I reviewed the JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition over-ear headphones. I awarded them a 4-star rating and Tom's Guide's Recommended award. When I was done reviewing them and they were sitting on my apartment's coffee table, my partner asked me if she could try them. Try them she did, and loved them as much as I did too (I'll stop speaking like Yoda now).

The Epic Lux Lab Editions are some of the coolest-looking cans I've had the pleasure of reviewing — or testing, even. They don't look like just any other pair of headphones, and they're extremely comfortable too. What I love even more is the sound quality, which is powerful and refined, with punchy bass and clean treble. Long battery life and the highly effective ANC make these a winner, and even a year after having tested them, I still recommend them wholeheartedly. Here's why.

Oh-so-classy

I remember the first time I unboxed the JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition headphones like it was only yesterday. They clearly left an impression on me and it isn't difficult to see why. These are extremely good-looking, classy headphones. JLab is traditionally a budget brand, but these are the brand's "premium" headphones, and they certainly look the part — and like they cost more than $150.

If you want minimalist headphones that look classy, the Epic Lux Lab Editions are the way to go. They sport an all-black design with some silver accents and tasteful branding on the earcups and headband. While they can't fold for easy transport, they're fairly comfortable to wear around your neck as they weigh just 10.58 ounces.

The light weight also means that you can wear them for hours on end without feeling weighed down. After all, what's the point in spending any amount of money on cans if you can't use them all day long? The Epic Lux Lab Editions' headband is made of a soft mesh material while the ear cushions are made of "cloud foam" or plush faux leather. The ear cushions feel very snug and comfortable, and it feels like your ears are resting against clouds — so JLab was clearly on to something when it called the material "cloud foam."

Overall, the Epic Lux Lab Editions are supremely comfortable. While writing this article, I wore them and then swapped to my Marshall Monitor IIIs and then back to the JLabs, and I felt like both headphones were on-par with one another in terms of comfort, which is excellent. When I asked my partner what she thought of the Epic Lux Lab Editions, she said, "These are the most comfy headphones I've ever used," so there's that.

Block out the noise

Similar to how there's no point in buying headphones that aren't comfortable, it's also a waste of your money if those headphones don't sound excellent — and for the most part, the JLab Epic Lux Lab Editions sound excellent and balanced. They're fitted with 32mm dynamic drivers which provide a wide soundstage and cover a wide frequency response range (20Hz-40KHz), so you can hear the sub-bass and upper ranges well.

The Epic Lux Lab Editions are outstanding for detailed listening. Every single ka-ching in Pink Floyd's 'Money' sound crisp and packed full of detail, and directional audio means that you can hear the sound travel from one earcup to the other, creating an immersive soundscape.

As someone who loves discovering new sounds in songs I love, I thoroughly appreciated being able to hear the drumsticks hitting the set's frame throughout 'Minority' by Green Day. The bass is hella punchy while the treble is crisp and never overzealous. Plosives and sibilance sound very clean too, and words never bleed into one another in vocal tracks.

In addition to the lovely sound quality, the Epic Lux Lab Editions boast highly effective active noise cancellation (ANC) too. I highly recommend utilizing ANC when you're on your daily commute so that you can block out the world and simply focus on your Wordle or catching up on the news — or if you just want to focus when you're in the office without being disturbed.

While the ANC I think is awesome, my partner said, "Overall, the ANC is really good and I really like that I can feel immersed in the task I'm doing or the music I'm listening to, but when I'm listening to podcasts, external noise does manage to creep in when I'm walking through town, which can be a bit disruptive." ANC will be subjective depending on your ears, so keep that in mind.

Loooooong battery life

On top of it all, the JLab Epic Lux Lab Editions boast long battery life too: 90 hours with ANC off, and 60 hours with ANC on. For the price, I think that's amazing. The headphones come with a really cool magnetic charging pad as well, if you want to charge them wirelessly, so you can have them on display and show them off if that's something you like doing.

I can't recommend the Epic Lux Lab Editions enough. I love them, my partner loves them, and I'm sure you'll love them too. They're priced at $199 / £199, and during sales events like Black Friday, you can find them for as little as $129 / £149! If Bose, Sony and JBL don't tickle your fancy, I have a feeling the Epic Lux Lab Editions will.

More from Tom's Guide

• JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition review: These $199 “luxury” headphones easily beat JBL and Beats
• My doctor banned me from earbuds so I got these Marshall headphones instead — and I’m surprised I didn’t do it sooner
• Best over-ear headphones in 2026

It's finally happened: Apple has revealed the AirPods Max 2. The company didn't hold an event or tease the announcement. Instead, a post suddenly appeared on Apple's website announcing the new model, which features the powerful H2 chip and vastly improved noise cancellation.

The company says the new AirPods Max 2 features better ANC, improved sound quality, and other intelligent features while maintaining the over-the-ear design for which Apple's most expensive headphones are known. And they're still expensive, coming with the same $549 price tag as the previous model.

AirPods Max 2 — what's new?

According to Apple, the H2 chip and new computational audio algorithms have allowed the cans to reach 1.5x more effective noise cancellation than the previous generation. For anyone who wants to keep the outside out while listening to high-quality music and podcasts, this could be a game-changer.

Beyond noise cancellation, Apple claims the headphones feature improved microphones that make the Transparency sound even more natural. I've never liked the Transparency feature on AirPods, so I'd be curious to try the new and improved version to see how it is.

While most users will probably prefer Bluetooth, Apple also supports 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio when connected via the included USB-C cable. For those willing to trade the convenience of wireless for sound quality, this could be a massive upgrade.

And for the wireless crowd, AirPods Max 2 offers lower-latency wireless audio, making playing in Game Mode on iOS, macOS, and iPadOS games feel even more responsive and immersive.

Spatial Audio is also seeing improvements. The company promises improved instrument localization, more accurate and consistent bass response, and more natural-sounding mids and highs.

The microphones are also better, with Apple saying they include "studio-quality audio recording," which "allows interviewers, podcasters, singers, and other creators to record their content with higher-quality audio and more natural vocal texture."

More from Tom's Guide

• 5 signs you need to upgrade your wireless headphones
• I just tested Skullcandy’s high-end headphones and they’re awesome in so many ways
• 5 ways the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 can revive the series and beat the AirPods

I’ll admit it straight away: I’ve fallen head over heels in love with the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 — in my opinion, some of the best over-ear headphones on the premium market. Chief among the virtues of the H95 are their sublime sound quality: clear and expansive treble; punchy but detailed mids; rich yet supremely balanced bass; plus, a gloriously wide soundstage.

Better yet, the H95 are styled beautifully, with craftsmanship worthy of the Norse pantheon. Their leather earcups (sorry, vegans) and padded headband are extremely comfortable, and with an IP53 rating, you can stand getting caught in the rain.

Obviously, none of the above comes cheap — especially not when made by Bang & Olufsen. And letting the otherwise stellar show down slightly is the ANC, which, although not terrible, feels a little weak for a $1,200 set of cans.

Originally released in 2020, the H95 are still available in 2026, with updated colorways over the original models. So are they still worth buying? Find out more in my full Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Specs

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Price & availability

• $1,200 / £879 MSRP
• Around the $850 / £600 with deals in 2026
• Luxury finesse a cut above premium competition

The H95 were originally released back in 2020. The design hasn’t changed since, with the exception of colorways. In 2026, you can buy the H95 in blue, brown, black, or white/gold. I tested a slightly older model in white/silver, which are no longer stocked on the B&O site — but performance hasn’t changed.

As a rule, Bang & Olufsen gear doesn’t come cheap, and the Beoplay H95 are no exception. In the U.S., the H95 cost a whopping $1,199, while in the U.K., although not quite as extremely priced, they still cost a buttock-clenching £879 at Amazon. However, that's MSRP, and I've seen them drop as low as $850 in the States and £599 in Britain at the time of writing.

This puts the H95 way, way beyond much of our favorite premium closed-back competition. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2, for example, cost a mere $449; while the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 cost $479; and the Apple AirPods Max cost $549. We’re obviously into ultra-premium territory here, at least in the States, where the H95 compete with the $1,099 Focal Bathys MG.

So, is the steep price worth it over, say, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2? Probably not. I use the Bose at work, and they’re fantastic. But it’s kinda like asking whether a Ferrari is worth buying over a BMW. If you have the money, the H95 give you a luxury finesse that’s just a cut above the rest.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Design & comfort

• Beautiful Scandi design and build quality
• Very comfortable thanks to premium materials
• Not for vegans

The B&O Beoplay H95 are gorgeous to behold, and then to actually hold, too. Aesthetically, they’re pure Scandi chic — simple, minimalist and contemporary. Despite the design being a few years old now, it hasn’t aged a day.

Build quality is phenomenal, partly thanks to the premium materials used: brushed aluminum for the structural bits, lambskin leather earcups, a combined leather and fabric headband — it’s all super luxurious. It isn’t just for show, though, and the H95 are well put together, too, feeling like a long-term investment. The construction is up there with the superbly crafted (and equally pricey) magnesium Focal Bathys, and a big step up over the rattly Bose QC Ultra Gen 2.

Unfortunately, there’s no faux-leather version, so vegans be warned! For vegan-friendly audiophile headphones, check out the FiiO FT13 ($329).

The H95 come with a square, hard-shell aluminum carry case. It’s very protective, but it scratches extremely easily and is hella bulky — which renders it problematic when carrying around in your bag. After scratching my case up taking it to work, I now just leave it at home. I’d prefer a hardened fabric case, as on the Focal Bathys and Bose QC Ultra Gen 2. Thankfully, the H95 fold, so they’re easy to slot into a bag on their own… just avoid them getting crushed.

The H95 are IP53 rated, meaning they’re dust-protected (that’s the 5) and will hold up against light sprays of water (the 3). As such, you needn’t worry about getting caught in a rain shower. IPX3 also makes them sweatproof, although I’d question the sense of getting $1,200 headphones all stinky and sweaty. If you will be doing that, the earcups can at least be removed with a simple twist, then replaced… for $149 a go.

Comfort

Despite all the luxurious materials, the H95 still feel nice and light on the head, although I prefer a suspended headband setup — like that on the Audeze LCD-X ($1,099) — for the feeling of true weightlessness.

The leather earcups are super soft, with thick padding inside. The same is true for the fabric headband interior, too. I love the capacious depth of the earcups, meaning I’ve never felt my helixes touch the drivers. There’s a soft fabric gauze inside the earcups, which is in reach of my ears — but it’s silky soft, delicately thin and, being elasticated, extremely forgiving, so no issues there. I’ve worn the H95 for hours at a time with zero complaints.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Controls

• Combination of physical and touch controls
• Physical dials good but easy to knock
• Touch controls surprisingly reliable

The H95 are operated via a combination of physical and touch controls. On each earcup is a dial. The left controls noise cancellation, allowing you to rotate between transparency mode and ANC, and then to dial in the amount of cancellation you want — different chimes let you know when in each mode, and when ANC is maxed. The right-hand dial controls volume.

Both are easy to use, even when walking, although I’d have liked a little more tension on the dials. I found it easy to knock them when adjusting the headset or repositioning my (long) hair.

Playback controls are assigned to the right earcup, which has a touch-sensitive face. A tap pauses/plays; a finger swipe towards your face skips a track; and a swipe towards the back of your head goes backward. I normally hate touch controls, but I’ve got on with these just fine. Weirdly, they’re less easy to knock and engage than the dials, yet I’ve never failed to trigger them when I want to.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Connectivity

• Bluetooth 5.1
• USB-C and 3.5mm connectivity best
• BT multipoint for everyday versatility

The H95 use Bluetooth 5.1, showing their age in 2026, where we’ve hit Bluetooth 6.1 — which brings (among other things) the LC3 Plus codec for higher-res playback. Of course, 5.1 was de rigueur in 2020 and, even today, most headphones and earbuds are still being released with 5.3 or 5.4 anyway (which have improved range and efficiency over 5.1, but nothing to seriously benefit sound quality). Codec-wise, there’s AAC and SBC, or aptX Adaptive for some higher-quality playback.

To make the most of these cans, though, you’ll want to use them wired, for which there are two ports: 3.5mm and USB-C (with cables and a 3.5mm splitter included in the carry case). I prefer USB-C, as this lets the headphone’s DAC oversee audio conversion when playing music from my laptop.

The Beoplay H95 also pair with the B&O app, which is fairly good. Setup is easy, but the app gets a little shaky if you’ve had to re-pair your headphones with your smartphone between uses. When it is working, the app offers EQ (-ish, more on this later), playback controls, ANC control, a wind guard to prevent buffeting (only accessible via the app, annoyingly) and battery status.

There’s also multipoint connectivity, so you can have the H95 hooked up to two Bluetooth devices at once. When using them for playback from my laptop, I was able to take calls on my phone automatically through the headphones. So useful.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: ANC

• ANC passable but not great
• Digital wind guard handy

Noise cancellation is my only major gripe with the H95. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t terrible, but it isn’t great either. I was still able to hear bus engines, as well as conversations around me — admittedly heavily muted on both counts.

The H95 ANC is on par with the much cheaper Shure Aonic Gen 2 ($349), but nowhere near the lofty heights of the Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 — the be all, end all of over-ear ANC. There’s obviously a simple way around this, though: just put on something heavy and turn up the volume.

The H95 also feature a wind guard, available via the companion app. This is useful if you live in a windy, rainy country like me (I’m in the U.K.), as it almost entirely cuts the annoying buffeting sound of wind. The Aonic Gen 2, by comparison, were terrible in this regard.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Sound quality

• Detailed, textured sound
• Bass well controlled
• Wide soundstage

Sound quality is what the H95 are all about. The noise is beautiful and refined, with an expansive and detailed treble, punchy and precise mids, and warm yet controlled bass. There’s just so much detail to enjoy, making these perfect daily drivers for audiophiles.

I tested the H95 using Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles. I primarily listened over USB-C, at data transfer rates between 16-bit / 44.1 kHz (CD-quality) and 24-bit / 96-192 kHz (high-res). I also tested over Bluetooth when using the headphones out and about, but everything below is based on my notes from USB-C playback, using the headphones’ internal DAC.

EQ

I spent most of my time using the default Optimal EQ profile, which is well-balanced and suitable for almost everything. I’ll point out wherever I diverged from Optimal and why. Just to note, this isn’t a conventional EQ — to create a custom profile, you place a point on a circular map based on the characteristics you want (e.g. more bass). It’s much simpler than a banded or parametric EQ, but still works well for tailoring sound based on the results you want.

Treble

Sound is remarkably detailed. You’ll be hearing effects and noises you’ve never heard before in your most familiar tracks — subtle sparkles, retreating echoes, the softest of backing vocals. Much of this comes down to superb clarity in the treble. I could hear the faintest delay applied to the opening staccato claps in Alphaville’s synth-pop classic, Big in Japan. Danny Carey’s cymbals and high hats in Tool’s Pneuma, meanwhile, were beautifully crisp and sharp. Vocals sound great too — the ethereal vocals of Burn Water’s Ikigai standing tall above the song’s huge booming bass line.

The only uncomfortable treble was that baked into a song’s production to begin with — like Stewart Copeland’s piercing cymbals on The Police’s Truth Hits Everybody (which are usually borderline painful). I simply switched to a custom treble reduction EQ to solve the problem, using the B&O smartphone app via Bluetooth (even while listening on my laptop via USB-C). Very handy.

Mids

The H95 have the cleanest midrange of any cans I can remember using, with plenty of power yet ample definition. Guitar riffs sound super textured and clinical, even on sludgy and distorted songs. I could hear every single scratch of distortion on Metallica’s Seek & Destroy, and Melvins’ Honey Bucket. I use these songs to test mid-tone separation, as each features two guitars playing similar riffs to widen the sound, but which lesser cans can easily muddy together — no such problems on the H95.

Bass

Bass is rich and deep, but deftly controlled. As great as the Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 are, sometimes I find them a little bass-forward when I don’t want them to be. The H95 offer that extra balance and sophistication, scaling back bass to avoid overwhelming everything else. When you want the power and depth, though — in electronic dance music, for example — both are there for you. The big ol’ subby bassline of Burn Water’s Ikigai pulsated warmly through the drivers with no distortion at all.

If you need a little more oomph in the subby region — something I found on Skream’s ultra-low (and aptly named) Sub Island — no bother: simply crank the sound profile slider towards “High Bass”.

Soundstage

The H95 soundstage is lovely and wide, too. Mk.Gee’s Dream Police sounded as atmospherically spatial as it ought to, while the opening xylophonic chimes of Phil Collins’ Hand in Hand floated gracefully in stereo between each ear.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Mic quality

• Mic a little tinny
• But fine for calls

The H95 microphone is a little weak, I’ll admit. I used the mic to record some voice clips and the results were a little scratchy and tinny. Likewise, I called my wife, and she reported my voice sounding a little distant.

Still, I had no problems using the H95 for phone calls over several months testing — speaking to family and friends, sorting admin over the phone, and even arranging a workshop appointment with a hard-of-hearing motorcycle mechanic. In short, the mic isn’t perfect, but it’s fine for calls — you’ll get by (although you may need to speak up).

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Battery life

• Very strong 50-hour battery life
• 38 hours with ANC on
• Better than premium rivals

Bang & Olufsen rate the H95 for up to 50 hours of battery over Bluetooth with ANC off, and around 38 with ANC on. Most of my testing was spent listening through the H95 over USB-C, but I tested the headphones over Bluetooth for around a week, using them at work for four to five hours at a time. I was able to get around a week’s life out of the H95, more or less tracking to the 40-ish hours playback time.

This is strong battery life on paper — the QC Ultra, in comparison, are rated for 30 hours; the Focal Bathys MG for 38 hours. The H95 have the longevity for any situation you can throw at them, save travelling for days on end away from power sources.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review: Verdict

There’s an old adage that ‘you get what you pay for’. Often, it’s pretty easy to debunk that as a tech journalist. There are a great many products out there which defy that rule — it’s just that the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 don’t.

These headphones look, feel, and behave every cent of their $1,200 price tag: effortlessly refined and highly detailed audio; gorgeous Scandi styling; premium build and construction. My only major gripe with them is the ANC, which could be better, but it’s by no means awful.

As extravagantly pricey as the H95 are, there’s no doubt in my mind: if I could afford these headphones, I’d buy them in a heartbeat.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X are some rare headphones, capable of striking the balance between pumping bass and faithful detail without losing any sonic ferocity. But is this enough to make them some of the best headphones?

It depends on you and what you need from headphones. As you might’ve guessed from the name, the DJ 300 Pro X headphones are intended to be used by the disc jockeys amongst you. If you’re after cans with rich, punchy bass and an accurate reproduction of studio-quality detail, you’ll want to know about the DJ 300 Pro X.

However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The DJ 300 Pro X only really excel with electronic genres like house, DnB, techno, and garage. Rock, indie, and even some pop songs fall a little flat. But are you an electronic DJ? Highly likely, right? Then you’ll want to find out more in this Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? Cans for the disc-jockeys of the world
• What does it cost? $279 / £169
• What do we like? The bass performance is rich and balanced without overpowering the detail in the treble
• What don’t we like? They’re weirdly expensive (especially in the U.S.) and not hugely versatile

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Specs

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Price & availability

The Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X are $279 from Amazon U.S. and £169 from Amazon U.K.. This is reasonably pricey for on-ear DJ cans: I tested the $99 Rode NTH-50 and found they performed similarly. While I think the DJ 300 Pro X sound great, they’re probably not the best-value reference cans you can buy.

If you’re a music professional — be that studio or DJ — you’ll likely be familiar with Beyerdynamic. The German brand offers tons of professional-quality cans: the DT collection is ideal for studio recording and mixing thanks to the over-ear design (meaning they can be worn for longer periods than on-ears) and neutral tuning.

We reviewed the $159 Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro earlier in the year and awarded them a magnetic 5 stars, so might be worth checking out if you want Beyerdynamic sound quality for cheaper.

Pioneer also makes DJ headphones: the HDJ-CUE1 are just $89 from Amazon, and the HD-JX7 are $239 from Amazon. These are considerably cheaper than Beyerdynamic’s offering, so, again, could be worth checking out if you’re short on cash.

Finally, Sennheiser’s HD-25 are generally considered the “best in class” DJ headphones, and are just $142 from Amazon. These headphones are supremely comfortable and have swappable parts, so might be worthy competitors.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Design

• On-ear rather than over-ear
• Closed-back design to prevent ambient noise interference
• Uncomfortable for long periods

As you might expect from DJ cans, the DJ 300 Pro X are on-ear rather than over-ear. This is both a pro and a con: positively, the on-ear design means you can move the earcup back with little fanfare, so you can interact with the crowd or colleagues as necessary.

Negatively, the on-ear design means the DJ 300 Pro X are uncomfortable to wear for long periods. After just thirty minutes, my ears were aching, and I had to remove the headphones to allow my poor cartilage to recover. This issue was only exacerbated by my glasses, so I’d recommend glasses-wearers steer clear of on-ears.

This was true of the Rode NTH-50, so it’s an on-ear headphones issue rather than a DJ 300 Pro X issue. The Sennheiser HD-25 are on-ears that somehow don’t suffer from this, so I’d recommend them if you’re going to be playing for hours and hours.

If you have problems with on-ear cups like me, you can swap out for over-ear pads. I appreciate Beyerdynamic offering two wear styles with these headphones.

However, the cups themselves are soft, and there’s a decent amount of padding on the headband. You can add your own DJ branding if desired — but I didn’t get a chance to test this out as I didn’t have any replacements available.

The DJ 300 Pro X feel well-made and sturdy, and the integral parts are replaceable, so the $279 asking price isn’t outrageous here.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Connectivity

• 3.5mm and ¼ inch connectivity
• Can connect to left or right ear cup

The Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X come with both a 3.5mm jack and a ¼ inch jack. I listened while connected to my MacBook Air M2 and had zero connectivity issues.

The headphones have a 2.5mm jack on both the left and right earcups, so you can switch depending on your listening device. Strangely, my MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro M1 have the headphone jack on opposite sides (right and left, respectively), so this is a necessary feature if you’re using multiple devices.

If you’re unfamiliar with DJ cans, you might be surprised by the lack of Bluetooth, but this is normal on studio or professional headphones. If you want optimal sound, you don’t want to be listening via Bluetooth. If you’re mixing tracks live, you want zero latency and zero connection interruptions, so wired headphones will be your savior here.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Sound quality

• Rich, clear bass and detailed treble
• Sounds best with electronic music
• Rock, metal, and alternative perform considerably worse

As the DJ 300 Pro X are (shockingly!) DJ headphones, they’ll sound a little different than your standard Bluetooth headphones. With Bluetooth headphones, the sound signature is often quite warm, rich, and bassy. Cans like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM6 are proof of this.

The DJ 300 Pro X are heavy on the detail, but bassier than reference or studio cans. This is a feature rather than a bug. DJ cans need to be bassy because you should mix basslines rather than mids — so being able to hear the low-end over a rowdy crowd and speaker setup is a necessity.

To test the DJ 300 Pro X, I listened to a range of genres on Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles.

First, I played ‘Blue’ by Billie Eilish, a dynamic, episodic track built over Eilish’s iconic breathy vocals, soft guitars and pianos, closing out with an electronic beat. The electronic, bass-heavy pulse sounded the best, with well-rounded lows and balanced high-frequency effects. I was surprised to find a little crackling at the top of the treble, as this isn’t something I’d expect from detail headphones.

After, I listened to Grimes to test out the balance between soft feminine vocals and electronic instrumentals. I played loads of tracks, but I’ll just discuss ‘Violence’ here. This track has an electrifying techno beat with Grimes’s ethereal vocals floating over the soundstage.

As expected, Grimes’s delicate vocals were prevalent at the front of the track, as were the high-frequency electronic percussion instruments, but there was a touch of softness in the treble. The bass was warm and rich, with no muddiness or confusion. I’ll just throw in one more track here: ‘4AEM’ by Grimes is a DnB-heavy track with clattering percussion and breathy vocals. This song was a particular standout, showcasing the DJ 300 Pro X’s immersive bass performance and ability to balance sound across the frequency range.

However, ‘We Appreciate Power’, a metal guitar-led track rather than electronic instruments, suffered from the same crispiness as the Billie Eilish record, so I wouldn’t recommend these cans for rock or heavy genres.

I’ll discuss ‘Pennyroyal Tea’ by Nirvana. This track has Nirvana’s classic grunge flair, groaning guitars layered over Kurt Cobain’s raspy vocal, with quiet verses and loud choruses. The choruses sounded a little flat, like the guitars and the vocals were recorded smashed together. The verses sounded better — more balance across the frequency range — but this song was far less dynamic than electronic genres.

In general, electronic music sounded the best. I know, shocking, seeing as the DJ 300 Pro X are DJ headphones. Even so, I tested with acoustic and rock music, too, for a balanced analysis. If you’re a rock, metal, or alternative DJ, you might want to consider something else. But for techno, DnB, house, garage, and anything in between, the DJ 300 Pro X balance bass and detail admirably.

Beyerdynamic DJ 300 Pro X review: Verdict

If you’re an electronic DJ, then the DJ 300 Pro X are fantastic headphones that’ll impress you. With faithful bass reproduction that balances studio-quality detail in the treble, you won’t miss a beat.

However, if you’re a rock, metal, indie DJ — anything predominantly guitar-based — you might be disappointed. The DJ 300 Pro X tend to muddy complex guitar-based instrumentals and suffer from a touch of crispness at the top of the treble. Even so — sweeping generalization incoming — many DJs might only need to consider electronic genre performance.

So if you’re one of the aforementioned electronic DJs, the DJ 300 Pro X are well worth looking into. Everyone else might be better off with the flatter Rode NTH-50.

A year or so ago, my doctor banned me from in-ear earbuds as excessively using them had resulted in me getting an ear infection. I was then advised to get myself a set of over-ear headphones, and so I did, and the pair I settled for was the Marshall Monitor III.

Truth be told, it's the best decision I've ever made.

If you need a pair of comfortable and powerful headphones, you'll love the Monitor III as much as I do (and right now, you'll save $100 on them).

The Monitor III, in my opinion, look far cooler than headphones from the likes of Sony, JBL and Bose. All of these brands are fantastic in their own right, but I'm partial towards a rockstar-esque look, and Marshall has designed the Monitor III with that thought in mind. After all, Green Day's frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, modelled the headphones on launch, and who doesn't want to feel as cool as him?

I've been using the Monitor III for a year now, and they're the most comfortable cans I've ever used. Their plush leather ear cushions sit snugly around my ears, and I'll often wear them for up to eight hours at a time, and they never hurt my ears or make them too hot. The leatherette and silicon headband also helps to relieve pressure on the top of my head, contributing towards the overall comfort.

As someone who often forgets to charge her headphones until it's too late, the Monitor III's battery life is nothing short of a blessing. On a single charge, you get 100 hours with ANC off and 70 hours with ANC on. That's phenomenal, and the battery life has remained reliable since I started using the headphones. They also feature fast charging, so charging them for 15 minutes yields up to 12 hours of playback time.

The Monitor III sound just as good (if not better) as they look. You can check out our in-depth Marshall Monitor III review for the full deets, but in a nutshell, they sound gorgeous. They boast a wide soundstage and make nearly every genre I listen to sound highly detailed. The bass is powerful but not booming; the treble is bright and crisp but not overzealous; and the transition between low hums to high screams is always smooth.

Whether I'm head-banging to Linkin Park or I'm deep in my thoughts while listening to the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 soundtrack, the Monitor III ensure I hear every note and feel fully immersed. I really can't recommend another pair of headphones if you want top-notch comfort, best-in-class sound quality, and long battery life.

For Presidents' Day, Amazon has introduced a 26% price cut on the Monitor III, bringing them down to $279 from their retail price of $379. I'd grab them now if I were you.

More from Tom's Guide

• My doctor banned me from earbuds so I got these Marshall headphones instead — and I’m surprised I didn’t do it sooner
• Marshall Monitor III review: When heritage meets sonic prowess
• The best noise-canceling headphones of 2026: Tested and reviewed

Ever since the Beats Studio Pro were released, I’ve worn them pretty much every single day. Not just because I love music (my Spotify really does hate to see me coming), but because loud, unpredictable noise is prime anxiety fuel for me. That includes busy streets and crowded trains during a morning commute to work. The adaptive noise canceling on these creates an instant sense of calm, like stepping into my own quiet bubble. They’re as essential as my phone and keys at this point.

And right now, the Beats Studio Pro are 51% off for Presidents’ Day, with $180 shaved off the usual $349. If you’ve been thinking about grabbing a pair or just need a way to calm your anxiety too, this is one of the rare moments to do it.

Ever since I got my Beats Studio Pro, I’ve worn them nearly every single day. For me, uninterrupted music isn’t just a pleasure but a way to manage my anxiety. It’s bass-forward like you’d expect from Beats, but still balanced enough that vocals and highs don’t get lost. Even at higher volumes, everything stays clear without that tinny or distorted feel some headphones have.

Comfort is just as important as sound, especially since I have multiple ear piercings and usually wear bulky jewelry. The plush ear cups fit my smaller ears without pressing or causing irritation, even after hours of wear. Plus, the long battery life is a lifesaver, because these headphones are practically glued to my head from morning until night.

As much as I love them, $349 was always a bit steep — I got them during an early sale and can confirm that this 51% Presidents’ Day discount ($180 off) is genuinely worth it. If you’ve been thinking about a pair, now is the time to snag this deal.

For more savings, check out our guide on the best Presidents' Day sales of 2026, along with the top deals we'd actually buy with our own money.

I am a big fan of long journeys. Watching the scenery rush past, the quiet hum of an engine, the woosh of the tires. I prefer those journeys in a car, however. That way, I'm not disturbed by a socially inept person blasting their favorite drum and bass tracks at full volume out of their phone speakers.

Recently, I was doing some traveling across the country, and found that a coach would be the cheapest way to do it. It would not be the calmest, however, so I was very thankful that I remembered to pack my bag with the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2. Drum and bass be gone.

Now my saviors can be yours for less — they're currently $399 at Amazon, thanks to a $50 discount.

I love drum and bass, don't get me wrong. Pounding low notes, massive drops, the heady delights of a darkened room at 3am as revelers try to dodge police attention. I don't love drum and bass when it's 9pm, and i'm trying to get some sleep on a bumpy coach ride with 12 hours to go.

Unluckily, they were sat just behind me, blasting an ungodly mix of Jungle, Jump Up, and goodness knows what else. If those words mean nothing to you, just imagine a wall of noise played through an ancient phone speaker. That was to be my sonic fate, as far as I could tell, for 15 hours.

I don't usually wear headphones when I try to sleep, but my erstwhile cabin mate forced my hand. I pulled my QC Ultra Gen 2 over my head and turned on the ANC. Normally, I'd expect the noise of the tires to go, the sound of the engine to melt away — but my d&b loving friend was also silenced.

I didn't even play any music while I got some sleep. I just left the ANC on, blocking out the rave playlist blasting away behind me. Then, when I woke up, I left them on and played my own music. Not a drum or a bass in sight. Well, some bass. and some drums. But not those drums or basses.

The 30 hour battery life was more than enough to get me through the night and the rest of my journey, and the comfortable padding made sure I didn't get uncomfortable. At least my ears were comfortable — I don't want to spend too long thinking about that coach seat.

I'm hoping I don't have to take another coach, given my long experience with this one. But, if I do, I know what headphones I'm packing in my bag to make sure I can't hear the music taste of the people sitting around me.

The first thing going in my luggage are the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2 — the best ANC headphones that let me choose when I want to listen to drum and bass.

Since the release of the Sony WH-1000XM6 in 2025, the previous model of the beloved headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, have moved into that price sweet-spot, offering great audio quality and noise cancelation at a reduced price.

But when there’s a new version available, why would you buy the old model? I hear ya — but there’s actually a whole bunch of similarities between the two sets of cans. I mean, they’re both some of the best noise-canceling headphones you can be. One's just a little bit newer.

If you want the comfort and stunning sound profile that comes with owning a pair of Sony’s flagship headphones — but are also conscious about your budget — then picking up the previous model is the best option.

The key differences

Upon first glance, the headphones look pretty much identical. It’s when you start looking a little closer that you see all of the details Sony changed to make the WH-1000XM6 a better fit. The most notable difference is that while the XM5 earcups rotate for storage, the XM6s are actually foldable, making them an easier and more compact option to throw in your bag.

The XM6s also benefit from the addition of Bluetooth LE and Auracast, and have heaps more room for EQ adjustment. While both headphones are supported by the Sony Connect app, you can certainly do more with the XM6s.

Active noise cancelation is also improved in the XM6 headphones, thanks to three additional mics. As a bonus, these also improve call quality.

Level playing field

But that’s pretty much where the differences stop. So now we've covered that, what are the similarities? Well, with ANC turned on, both models give 30 hours of battery life. I use the WH-1000XM5 headphones every day when I’m working, and I can go weeks between charges. This obviously depends on how loud I listen to the music, but it’s great to say that even with "older" headphones, I have no concerns about them dying on me.

When I’m looking for new headphones, battery life is one of the main things I take into consideration. I’m generally super forgetful, so I've found myself on more than one occasion ready to head out the door before realising my headphones are totally out of juice. But the 30 hours of battery life mean that this happens way less often, and I can rely on the headphones to power me through my whole day.

Good to be frugal

In this instance, I would advise being frugal. While the sound profile of the WH-1000XM6 headphones pips the XM5s to the post for more detailed listening, there’s not a great deal in it. In fact, when listening to more electronic music, I much prefer the sound profile of the XM5 headphones.

Of course, this is personal preference, but I'd argue $150 is more than just pocket change. It's a sizeable difference in outlay and when both headphones are at full price, it’s a no-brainer to go with the previous generation.

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• I tested the Sony WH-1000XM6 for three weeks — here’s my verdict
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There are loads of headphones to consider if you're looking for something new to slide over your ears, but there are few as fully featured as the Sony WH-1000XM6. They're the poster child for wireless headphones, representing the culmination of six iterations of the X mark family.

They also tend to come at a pretty high asking price — although you can currently save a whopping $60 at Amazon. That brings them back down to their lowest ever price for the first time in 2026.

The WH-1000XM6 might not be our top pick for the best headphones this year, but they're jam-packed with excellent features. They've got one of the strongest EQs in the category, with 10 bands of adjustment, so you can really dial in the sound to your preferences.

The ANC is super adjustable and extremely effective. You can even set different levels for different environments, using your phone's GPS and other features. It's all very clever, and more fully-featured than the Bose-flavored competition.

Sound is, as you might expect from Sony, very good. As has become well known with the XM family of headphones, you've got plenty of bass here, but there's an attention to vocals and voices that's uncommon for wireless ANC headphones. The soundstage has taken a slight hit as a result, making them more intimate than open and wide. Still, most people are going to wear them and think, "yeah, these sound epic."

30 hours of battery life is fine, easily enough to get you to the airport from a hotel and through your long-haul business flight. They fold up nice and small, too, into a compact protective case that's easier to fit into your carry-on luggage. You also get the requisite flight adapters and cables so that you can use them without a Bluetooth connection or to watch in-flight entertainment.

This is their lowest price, and we have seen it a couple of times before. It's a saving that pops its head up every few months, ready to help you save on a new pair of headphones. This is one such time — don't miss out this time around!

The Nothing Headphone (1) went from a pair of headphones I was disappointed by to headphones I love — all thanks to software updates. Since then, I've been more curious about what goodies the firm might be cooking up next. Thankfully, I've not got long to wait, because it looks like we'll see a follow-up sooner rather than later.

Thanks to billbil-kun at Dealabs (translated to English here), we've got some idea of when we might see the new (cheaper) Nothing Headphone (a), how much they'll cost in the U.K. and Europe, and what kind of colors we can expect them to come in. Color me intrigued.

What can we expect?

First things first — we've got a date. Apparently, they're launching on March 5 and you'll be able to buy some a week later on March 12. That's not too long to wait at all.

We've also got some colors — Pink, White, Black, and Yellow. That's two colors more than the Headphone (1), which only came in Black or White. These are going to be a whole lot more jazzy, from the looks of things, but you'll likely miss out on some of the more premium features of the costlier pair.

What that looks like remains to be seen, but sacrifices have to be made for price. We have prices too, although we're going to have to read between the lines to get an idea of how much they'll cost in the U.S.

We've got prices in Euros and pounds at the moment — €159 and £149. Looking at the Headphone (1), which cost £299 in the UK and $299 in the US, we could well get a similar pound-to-dollar price with this budget pair.

This is an exciting time for headphones and earbuds, especially now that brands are starting to make models that don't cost the world.

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Remember the Microsoft Surface Headphones? I’m sure you do.

The PC giant’s first-ever wireless headphones were noteworthy, but struggled to compete with the market’s best noise-canceling headphones. It wasn’t until the Surface Headphones 2 launched that business really picked up for Microsoft. Enhanced audio, intuitive features, and powerful connectivity earned them critical acclaim.

Then the product completely disappeared. No marketing. No software updates. No availability. Rumors of a threequel were also put to rest once Microsoft confirmed it was cancelling the next generation of Surface headphones back in 2023.

Microsoft's almost sequel

The closest we ever got to a follow-up was the Surface Headphones 2+. I tested them a few years back…and was greatly disappointed. That all changed recently.

My wife needed a pair of cans to use for business calls, so I passed along my unit since it was the closest option within reach. Never did I think that she would rave about them. Her reaction encouraged me to give the headphones a second shot. What I experienced was eye-opening.

The Surface Headphones 2+ aren’t just the best work-from-home headphones ever created – they’re essential for Microsoft Office enthusiasts.

Now, before you go pointing out other Microsoft Teams-certified headsets, know two things: (1) Office integration feels more natural and seamless with the Surface Headphones 2+ and (2) these headphones offer a lot more value when factoring in other hallmarks.

Come see what I’m talking about.

The perfect Office companion

Let me preface this by stating that I am not a Windows user. I’m a macOS and Android guy. That didn’t affect how I used the Surface Headphones 2+ since most Microsoft-related features are tied to the company’s cloud-based productivity suite: Microsoft 365.

Voice dictation on these headphones is on point. Best of all, it works with all Office apps: OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. I used voice-to-text to create captions and subtitles for PowerPoint presentations and transcribe email responses. The feature is highly intelligible.

Half the reason why voice dictation performs at an elite level is Microsoft’s excellent software engineering. The other half is credited to the Surface Headphones 2+’s built-in mics, which demonstrate stellar speech recognition. That same functionality carries over to digital assistance for flawless Google Assistant and Siri voice command execution.

The Play My Email feature is just as rewarding. I’m someone who leaves his inbox with zero unread messages at the end of the day. Hearing emails in real-time was more efficient than skimming through dozens of lines of text. This allowed me to multitask around the house and not miss or overlook important emails.

A true Microsoft Teams player

The “big” change that Microsoft implemented on the Surface Headphones 2+ was the USB Link dongle. It comes bundled with the purchase and is exclusive to this version of the headphones. The accessory bypasses Bluetooth to form a dedicated connection for Microsoft Teams. I found it more reliable than standard Bluetooth when paired to my MacBook Pro. Connectivity was stabler and stronger. It also made pairing faster and provided in-call controls for Teams chats.

Everything else that makes the Surface Headphones 2+ an underrated gem

People forget how innovative the original Surface Headphones were when they came out. At the time, it didn’t matter if their active noise cancellation was secondary to category leaders, like the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000xM4. The fact that Microsoft gave us 13 levels of ANC was astounding. That same technology holds up strong to this day.

Much of the fracas that surrounded me when working on my balcony was muted. That included dogs barking, landscaping tools, and talkative pedestrians by the pool area. High-pitched sounds (e.g., crying babies, whistles) were audible, but never broke my concentration.

It’s also worth reminding people that Microsoft’s headphones were some of the first models to feature Ambient and Passthrough modes. Both work exceptionally well on the Surface Headphones 2+. Ambient mode effectively increases situational awareness, while Passthrough mode demonstrates exceptional vocal capture to hear conversations loudly and clearly.

I’m glad Microsoft hasn’t ended smartphone support for the Surface Headphones lineup. Otherwise, we’d lose out on audio personalization features like the customizable EQ with multiple presets and Qualcomm’s aptX codec for CD-like sound over Bluetooth (Android and Windows only). These are accessible through the Surface app.

Lastly, the Surface Headphones series boasts one of the most attractive and unique designs constructed. It’s all in the details. What’s not to love about the creative dial controls, plush leather padding, sleek arched yokes, and sturdy craftsmanship that outclasses current minimalist-styled favorites (e.g., Apple AirPods Max, Sony WH-1000xM6).

The Surface Headphones 2+ currently sell for $149 at Amazon – an unbeatable deal considering their premium ANC, audio quality, design, and MS365 integration. Believe me when I say that your home office setup is incomplete without them.

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• 5 signs you need to upgrade your wireless headphones
• I just tested Skullcandy’s high-end headphones and they’re awesome in so many ways
• 5 ways the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 can revive the series and beat the AirPods

When I'm buying headphones for either myself or someone I love, there are a few things I look for. Solid ANC. Long battery life. Excellent sound quality. Exceptional comfort. These features are absolutely non-negotiable. If the headphones don't sound good, or can't isolate sound well, or they die quickly, I want nothing to do with them.

I take a similar approach when I'm reviewing headphones and earbuds for work. Recently, I tested a set of cans that costs less than $50 and it convinced me that you should always spend more on headphones if you can. Just because something is cheap doesn't mean you have to buy it — take a look at the Tribit QuietPlus 81, as an example.

The QuietPlus 81 caught my eye last week, sitting on our testing shelf, the box with the words "ULTRA LONG BATT, SMOOTH TALKING" staring right at me. So I picked them up to review them. These headphones boast 110 hours of battery life, decent ANC, and a comfortable, foldable design, all for less than $50. So what's the problem? Well, let me take you through it — and present you with a strong case as to why you should always spend more on headphones.

You don't want to start disliking your favorite artists, do you?

Whether you're a casual listener or an audiophile, sound quality is one thing that should never be compromised on. After all, we all love appreciating our favorite musicians for their art, right? Personally, I don't want to use a set of cans that makes me dislike Pink Floyd or Twenty One Pilots. The Tribit QuietPlus 81 are fitted with 40mm drivers which, according to Tribit, deliver enhanced bass response.

I don't agree with this. In my testing, I found the bass sounded muddy and lost all nuance, especially in tracks like ‘Longview’ by Green Day and ‘Casualty' by Linkin Park. Percussion instruments, like drums, struggle when listened to through the QuietPlus 81 too. Snare hits sound shrill and unpleasant, overzealous almost.

The best part of the QuietPlus 81? The vocals, probably, which sound fairly decent and clear, in tracks that don't feature multiple instruments. For pop songs or acoustic tracks, the headphones are fine, but for everything else, I'd recommend other cans, such as the JLab JBuds Lux ANC or the 1More SonoFlow SE. Though they're pricier than the QuietPlus 81, they're well-worth the extra spend as they feature a well-balanced, rounder sound profile.

Premium build quality goes a long way

When you buy headphones (or any tech, really) one of the most important things to consider is the build quality. While not true for all cans, budget headphones usually don't utilize top-notch materials — that's why they're cheap! The Tribit QuietPlus 81 are made of ABS plastic which feels too plasticky for my liking. They squeak a bit, especially when you're folding and unfolding them, which makes me question just how long they'll actually last.

It's also worth noting that when there's no music playing through the QuietPlus 81, there's a static noise that makes it sound like you're underwater. I'm not entirely sure why this is, but it could be related to the poor build quality. Tribit doesn't specify the waterproof rating either, so I wouldn't recommend using these cans when it's raining heavily or while you're dripping sweat at the gym.

An area they do last a long time, though? Battery life. "ULTRA LONG BATT" in bold, all-caps is written on the product box, and Tribit isn't lying. The QuietPlus 81 are rated for a whopping 110 hours (with ANC off) or 70 hours (with ANC on). Even after six hours of using the headphones, I still had 100% battery, which is amazing. It's even longer than the pricier Marshall Monitor III, a premium pair of headphones that can last 100 hours between charges.

What are my options, then?

Okay, so you don't want to buy the Tribit QuietPlus 81 but you also don't want to spend hundreds on a competent set of cans, so what are your options? Lucky for you, there are a few! And though the following aren't as cheap as the QuietPlus 81, I believe it's worth spending the extra dollars on them as they offer better build quality, better sound, and better value for money.

More from Tom's Guide

• ‘These headphones boast 110 hours of battery life — but fail to make up for the poor sound’: Tribit QuietPlus 81 review
• 'Expensive doesn’t mean good’: here’s why I’ll be sticking with my $40 speaker over this $200 one
• ‘I didn’t think a traditionally budget brand could make such good premium speakers’ — here’s why the Edifier QR65 are never leaving my desk

Tribit is well-known for making budget audio gear, and the latest addition to its extensive lineup are the Tribit QuietPlus 81 over-ear headphones. These cans pack some serious battery life, rated at 110 hours with ANC off — yes, they’ve got ANC, which is quite cool considering they cost just under $50!

Alongside long battery life and ANC, you get decent sound quality, as sub-$50 headphones go. But if you’re an audiophile or someone who truly appreciates the nuances in music, I’d consider other options. Muddy bass, tinny percussion and a lackluster companion app really let these cans down.

To find out if they deserve a spot among the best cheap headphones, read my full Tribit QuietPlus 81 review.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Specs

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A very cheap pair of headphones with ANC
• Who is it for? Anyone who’s on a tight budget and doesn’t mind a few compromises
• How much does it cost? $49 / £49
• What do we like? The low price tag, long battery life, decent ANC, and decent sound quality for the price
• What don’t we like? The muddy bass, tinny percussion, and lackluster companion app

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Price & availability

If you’re on the hunt for cheap headphones, then the Tribit QuietPlus 81 should be right up your street. They retail for just $49 / £49 at Amazon, making them some of the cheapest headphones or earbuds I’ve used so far. However, you aren’t exactly spoiled for choice when it comes to colors, as the headphones come in just black.

Since they’re so inexpensive, do they even face any competition? They do indeed. The EarFun Wave Life ($59) cost $10 more, but honestly, I wouldn’t recommend them to even my worst enemy. I would, however, recommend the 1More SonoFlow SE ($54), which boast a robust sound profile. There’s also the JLab JBuds Lux ANC ($79), which are some of the best-sounding budget cans out there.

All of this is to say that I’d happily spend a little more on either the 1More or the JLab over the QuietPlus 81. These headphones aren’t bad per se, but they won’t impress any hardcore music lovers.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Design & comfort

• Soft protein leather earcups
• Hit-or-miss wear detection
• Foldable design for easy transport

I’ll be honest: when it comes to design, the Tribit QuietPlus 81 aren’t winning any awards at Paris Fashion Week. As run-of-the-mill headphones, they look like practically any other pair out there. In fact, if I asked you to draw a photo of headphones — any headphones — I’m fairly certain you’d end up drawing the QuietPlus 81. They come in all-black, with their body made of ABS plastic.

The QuietPlus 81 weigh 10 ounces, which is fairly light. They’re a little heavier than the JLab JBuds Lux ANC (8.2 ounces) and the 1More SonoFlow SE (8.4 ounces), but the difference is barely noticeable. Their headband is fitted with protein, artificial leather cushioning, which helps lighten the pressure you’d otherwise feel on the top of your head.

My favorite design feature on the QuietPlus 81 are the soft ear cushions, which are super comfortable to wear for long periods. Having worn them for six consecutive hours, I didn’t experience much discomfort, and my ears didn’t get too hot, as they had previously done when testing. The earcups also fold inwards, making it easy to carry the headphones in a small bag.

Though Tribit doesn’t mention this on the product page, I noticed that the headphones feature wear detection — but it’s very hit-or-miss. It worked sometimes when I removed the cans, but most of the time, it didn’t. Even my coworker, Erin, noticed this glaring flaw, so I know it wasn’t just me gaslighting myself.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Connectivity

• Bluetooth 6.0 with SBC
• Can connect to two devices at once
• 3.5mm for wired playback

The Tribit QuietPlus 81 boast Bluetooth 6.0, and this is the first time I’ve tried a set of cans with the latest version. This means that the headphones maintain a stable connection to your smartphone even when they’re 50 meters / 164 feet away from the source. I tested this out by walking the entire length of our testing lab, and not once did the connection drop.

As for codecs, the only codec the QuietPlus 81 support is SBC, which means you don’t get access to hi-res codecs, such as AAC, LDAC or aptX Lossless. Keep in mind that these cans cost under $50, so it isn’t surprising that these have been left out. This is also the case with the pricier JLab JBuds Lux ANC, so not unheard of in this price range.

Thanks to multipoint connectivity, you can pair the QuietPlus 81 with two smart devices at once, and swap between input sources as and when needed. I tried this by connecting the headphones to my Google Pixel 10 Pro XL and MacBook Air M2 simultaneously, and it worked like a charm.

If you fancy wired playback, you can do that too, as the headphones feature a 3.5mm jack on the right earcup, and an aux cable is included in the box. Overall, this is a fairly solid feature set for a pair of budget headphones.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Controls & app

• Easy-to-use physical buttons
• Touch controls too!
• Lackluster companion app

The Tribit QuietPlus 81 utilize a combination of touch and physical buttons. The buttons located on the right earcup let you toggle ANC on and off, and change the volume, so they’re fairly straightforward. Tapping the earcups lets you activate a smart assistant, as well as activate the XBass EQ, which, in all honesty, doesn’t make much of a difference.

To customize the touch controls, you first need to update the QuietPlus 81’s firmware via the Tribit smartphone app. Easily done, yes, but customization is very limited. I was unable to assign any playback controls to the earcups, such as increase/decrease volume, as that’s bound to the physical buttons. I wish Tribit had settled for one or the other: either give me full touch controls or a full set of physical ones. It feels convoluted for no reason.

This also brings me to my next point: the Tribit app. The app is… fine, and there’s nothing special about it. It lets you update the firmware, customize controls, choose an EQ preset, and customize the 10-band equalizer. What I dislike, though, is that the app feels very clunky. There are three sub-menus when there only need to be two: one for hardware settings (like controls) and EQ. This app could have definitely been more polished.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Sound quality

• Vocals are probably the best part
• Muddy bass and tinny percussion
• Static noise when nothing is playing

As a senior reviews writer at Tom’s Guide, I’ve tested my fair share of headphones: the good, the bad and the ugly. I feel like the Tribit QuietPlus 81 fall somewhere between the first two categories. I wouldn’t recommend them to hardcore music enthusiasts or audiophiles as the bass is muddy, percussion lacks character and vibrance and the best part is probably the vocals.

To test the headphones, I put on a few tracks I’m intimately familiar with on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for hi-res audio. I’ll talk about the good thing first: the vocals. The folksy vocals in First Aid Kit’s ‘My Silver Lining’ sounded warm and smooth. The duo’s vocals sounded harmonious, and the transition between low notes to high ones towards the end didn’t feel abrupt.

Similarly, in ‘Hayloft II’ by Mother Mother, the male and female voices and pitches were well-balanced. Their screams never sounded too shrill or distant.

The QuietPlus 81 are equipped with 40mm dynamic drivers, which, Tribit claims, deliver “an incredible boost to bass performance.” I don’t fully agree with that because, to me, the bass just sounds loud. Not detailed. Not nuanced. Loud.

This was most apparent while listening to ‘Longview’ by Green Day, a track in which Mike Dirnt’s bassline feels like the protagonist, driving the song. The bass notes here are usually bouncy with a slight growl in the mid-range. The QuietPlus 81 negate that completely, making the bass sound muddy and muffled, and it loses all nuance.

I gave the bass another shot by listening to Linkin Park’s ‘Casualty,’ a post-hardcore track featuring multiple guitars and drums. The bass sounded a little better here with better low-end impact, but I immediately noticed the drums and percussion sounding tinny. The heavy snare hits ended up sounding shrill and unpleasant. It felt like the QuietPlus 81 got overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do with themselves.

It’s also worth noting that when nothing is playing through the headphones, there’s a strange static noise that stops once music plays. It sort of sounds like you’re underwater, but thankfully, it doesn’t intrude on the actual listening experience.

Listen along to my review with the Tribit QuietPlus 81 testing playlist:

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Call quality

• Decent microphone
• Works fine in busy environments, too

When you look at the Tribit QuietPlus 81’s box, you’ll notice that it says “SMOOTH TALKING.” It’s hard to miss, really, because it’s in all caps, bold letters. You’d think that the headphones are smooth-talkers, like they’ve got rizz, as the youths say. I can’t attest to whether they have rizz or not, but it basically implies that they have a decent microphone, as proven in my testing.

I spoke with my partner on the phone and through the headphones, and she said that my voice was loud and clear, and that she could hear the construction workers behind me, but only slightly. This is because the QuietPlus 81’s mic features five noise-canceling mics, and clearly, these work well.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: ANC

• ANC for very, very cheap
• Okay at best, indoors and outdoors

Before I purchase headphones or earbuds, I always check that they feature active noise cancelation (ANC). It’s a non-negotiable for me, as I like to fully immerse myself in the music I’m listening to, and I don’t want to be bothered on my commute. The Tribit QuietPlus 81 certainly check that box as they feature ANC — at such a low price too. Whether that ANC is good or not is another story. I’d describe it as "okay" at best.

In my testing, I found the ANC worked decently indoors. The clickity-clackity sounds emitting from my Keychron Q12 HE were minimized, but I could still hear my coworkers speaking with each other, as well as the coffee machine whirring to life. Outdoors, I could hear cars honking in the distance. All of this took place while I was listening to music at 60% volume.

If you want better, more effective ANC, I’d recommend the JLab JBuds Lux ANC instead.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Battery life

• Whopping 110-hour battery life
• 70 hours with ANC on

If there’s one thing the Tribit QuietPlus 81 excel at, it’s battery life. After all, the box clearly reads “ULTRA LONG BATT” in all caps. With ANC off, these headphones can last up to 110 hours, and this drops to 70 hours when ANC is active. I still had 100% battery, according to my phone, after having used the headphones for six hours. Mind you, this is even longer than the headphones I use every day: the Marshall Monitor III ($349) can last up to 100 hours with ANC off, and 70 hours with ANC on.

They also blow their competition out of the water in the battery department. With ANC off, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC and the 1More SonoFlow SE can both last 70 hours each, while the EarFun Wave Life are rated at just 60 hours between charges. The QuietPlus 81 are bested only by the EarFun Tune Pro ($69) with their 120-hour battery life.

Tribit QuietPlus 81 review: Verdict

As sub-$50 headphones go, the Tribit QuietPlus 81 aren’t the worst ones I’ve tested so far. For the price, you get fairly decent ANC and up to 110 hours of juice packed into a comfortable, foldable design. Sound quality is where the headphones, unfortunately, suffer the most. While vocals are clear, bass and percussion are not, and you struggle to appreciate the finer details.

But say you’re at an airport and your headphones just broke, and you need a pair to get you through a long-haul flight, and you spot these cans at a shop, you’d buy them. You’d be satisfied for the duration of your flight, yes, but once you’re off the plane, you’ll want to get your broken cans fixed as soon as possible.

The QuietPlus 81 are good in a pinch, but for serious listening, look elsewhere.

There's a whole bunch of reasons to pick up the Sony WH-1000XM6. They sound great, feature some of the best ANC that money can buy, and pack in loads of features that rank them amongst the best headphones.

Now there's one more reason to grab yourself a pair — a $60 discount. The WH-1000XM6 are now just $398 at Amazon, making them their lowest price of the year.

Sony's latest pair of headphones are more expensive than the old model, the XM5, but there's enough new stuff on offer to justify the price. But enough of that — let me tell you why I started using them more than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2, which would otherwise be my favorite noise-cancelling headphones.

As much as the ANC of the Bose headphones is scarily impressive, the sound leaves a lot to be desired. The three-band EQ can only go so far in making them more usable, with more sound customization restrictions than I'd usually like.

Strangely, the 10-band EQ found in Sony's headphones has made the most important difference. The sound is still not to my taste out of the box. There's too much over-dominating low-end to the sound. So I dip into the extensive EQ settings and dial in the sound to my preferred profile. Much better.

Toss in the excellent ANC and decent battery life, and the XM6 earn a permanent place in my backpack alongside similar cans from Bowers & Wilkins. They do the lion's share of my ANC work now — something I wasn't expecting during my testing.

This discount brings them back down to their lowest price, something we've only just seen this year. This price hasn't stuck around long in the past — so it's well worth dipping in quickly to avoid disapoinment.

The Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro headphones have seriously changed the way I listen to music and practice guitar. Headphones that are comfortable and great at their job are pretty hard to come by, but these studio cans tick all of my boxes.

As studio headphones, the Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro are specifically designed for detailed listening and production. They are great for music listening too, as the balanced sound profile complements pretty much every genre. Lightweight but sturdy, they’re perfect for taking with you anywhere and creating a portable setup.

To find out more about the headphones, keep reading this Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro review.

Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? Compact studio headphones for detailed listening
• Who is it for? Semi-professional musicians who want to hear every detail in their music
• What does it cost? The Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro headphones are available for $159/£89
• What do we like? They are comfortable to wear for longer periods, and are lightweight and compact for travel. They provide detailed sound that suits a wide variety of genres, making them ideal for musicians.
• What don’t we like? Virtually nothing.

Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro review: Specs

Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro review: Price & availability

The Beyerdynamics DT 270 Pro headphones are available in the U.S. from Beyerdynamic direct for $159. In the U.K., they can be purchased on Amazon for £89. Since these are studio headphones, they can’t be compared to typical consumer headphones.

Other studio headphones include the Rode NTH-50s, which cost $109/£99 — a little cheaper in the U.S. than in the U.K. However, in my opinion, these don’t look as good as the Beyerdynamics, which are also far more comfortable as they have an over-ear instead of an on-ear design.

Sony MDR-7506 are beloved studio cans in the audio world and are a little cheaper at $109, but they’re not designed to be taken with you on the go like the DT 270s. The Sennheiser HD25 headphones are well-suited to metal if that’s your bag, but will cost you a little more at $199.

These headphones are a part of the compact collection from Beyerdynamic, making them pretty basic. But if you’re looking to splurge, for $199 you could get the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro headphones, which might be better for you if you have a fixed professional setup. They still feature a closed back design, but these headphones are a pretty big step up from the 270 Pros as they offer a far more durable build, and a fixed aux input.

Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro review: Design & features

• Comfortable to wear for long periods
• Lightweight and compact
• Wired adapters included

Beyerdynamic is known for its studio headphones, and the DT 270 Pro headphones are a compact version of the DT 240 Pros. They are professional headphones for anyone who needs a space-saving solution for on-the-go, detailed listening. They are super lightweight at only 6.8 ounces, so you can take them with you wherever you go.

The all-black design with gray velour ear cups makes them look very sleek while remaining minimal. The padding on the headband makes them incredibly comfortable, and the headband slides to make them bigger or smaller, depending on your desired fit.

They are over-ear headphones, but only just. What does that mean? While they entirely encapsulate my ear, it’s a snug fit. So if you have bigger ears, you may find the cups sit on top of them slightly. This is all in the interest of staying compact. We’ve got an upgrade from the Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro headphones, then, which had smaller earpads. The extra padding means extra comfort in the DT 270 Pros.

This is a welcome change from other studio headphones we’ve tested at Tom’s Guide, like the Rode NTH-50s. When my colleague Erin was testing the Rode NTH-50 headphones, I got to try them on and listen to a couple of songs. One thing that struck me about them was how uncomfortable they were, but they are on-ear headphones. Because of the ultra-padded over-ear cups, the DT 270 Pro headphones are a total no-brainer when it comes to comfort.

Another perk is that these headphones are a lot lighter than the Beyerdynamic DT 770, which are more robust and designed to be left in the studio, rather than taken with you anywhere. Both sets of headphones are closed back, which means that the sealed design will provide great noise isolation, but for more serious studio time, the DT 770s are the better option.

The DT 270 Pros are analog headphones and come with a 3.5mm coiled cable, which I found useful when using the headphones with instruments, as I was able to position the cable out of the way easily. But if you’re looking for Bluetooth, wireless, rechargeable cans, these aren’t for you. But you could look at something like the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 headphones, which come with epic battery life and impressive ANC capabilities.

On top of the 3.5mm coiled cable, the DT 270 Pro headphones ship with a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter and a 1/4" jack included with the headphones. The USB-C adapter allows me to plug into my computer or phone, and I can use the 1/4" jack to plug into my amplifier and listen to my guitar through the headphones. Everything stores away neatly in the included drawstring bag, and the earcups fold in for a better fit when storing them.

Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro review: Audio quality

• Incredible detail
• Can cope with a variety of genres
• Great for instrument practice

Getting to test the Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro headphones has been so much fun, and I would recommend them to any music geeks who want something for detailed listening.

Whether I was just listening to my regular playlist or plugged into my amp or piano, the DT270 headphones gave me accurate and faithful sound replication. These headphones are designed with recording and monitoring in mind, but the balanced sound profile allowed me to hear all of the details in my regular music listening.

To test out the headphones with music, I listened to a variety of genres with different tempos to see how much detail I could hear in the songs. I tested using 24-bit/192KHz tracks on Qobuz, our recommended best streaming service for audiophiles, so I was hearing the least compressed version of the track possible. The headphones showed off how much detail they can really capture.

I started by listening to Delete Ya by Djo, a song that blurs the lines between psychedelic punk and synth pop. There was far more detail in the song with the Beyerdynamics (which comes as a shock to nobody) than my Beats Studio3, which are my go-to consumer headphones for daily listening while I commute. The drums sounded far more detailed and accentuated sibilant, high-frequency sounds on the hi-hats. The pronunciation of the vocals in the mids also sounded enhanced, and I could hear every breath taken by the singer; the treble was well-balanced. The bassline was also prominent — no aspect of the song was left behind.

Next, I listened to Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire (with The Emotions). This is a classic, but the powerful disco funk can sometimes be a lot for headphones since there is so much going on and a lot of layers to digest. After a little boogie-ing of my own, it was clear that despite the challenge, the DT 270 Pros presented every instrument perfectly with impressive instrument separation. I could hear the frequency of the wind instruments clearly, along with the vocal harmonies and prominent bassline.

Finally, I listened to In My Room by Julia Wolf. This is one of my favorite songs as it starts very melodic and calm before bursting into a gothic explosion from acoustic to electric guitar. These headphones make this song shine, thanks to their excellent sound separation. In the delicate finger-picked acoustic guitar at the start, I felt I could hear every string clearly. Even when it dipped into distortion-heavy electric guitar and powerful drums, there was no issue with balance, and I could still hear Julia’s vocals prominently above the fuzz.

So, in short, these headphones can do it all. They can cope with the delicate whistles of wind instruments stacked up with heavy drums, all the while separating vocals to give the best detailed listening experience.

I also tested the Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pros with my music gear. I plugged the headphones into my amplifier using the jack adapter and connected them to the amp up to my guitar. I ended up trying the headphones out with four of my guitars and was totally impressed by their ability to replicate the timbre of each instrument. Each note I played was clear and sonorous, and I could hear every dynamic movement. They’re a great choice for anyone who wants to get detailed feedback when practicing with an instrument.

Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro review: Verdict

The Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro headphones are virtually perfect. They do exactly what they are designed for and do it well. Since they are compact and lightweight, they’re the perfect addition for any musicians or audiophiles who need a solution for detailed listening on the go.

They offer detailed sound and allow me to hear every layer of the songs I listen to. This is perfect for my eclectic taste, as they work well with pretty much any genre because of the incredible instrument separation. The cherry on top is how comfortable they are to wear all day long, so they're great for intense production sessions. These headphones are a must-have for anyone who wants detailed listening on the go.

The Sony WH-1000XM6 are some top-quality headphones, featuring excellent ANC and good sound quality. But did you know that all of the best headphones can benefit from some settings tweaks in their applications?

All it takes is some time and some helpful tips, and you can push your great headphones up to barnstorming headphones. I've managed to dial my WH-1000XM6 in exactly as I like them, to the point that they replaced my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2 as my ANC cans of choice. Here's how I did it.

1. Activate DSEE

DSEE is very cool indeed, especially if you use an iPhone. It's a clever AI upscaler, like those that take DVD quality movies and brings them up to modern standards in your fancy TV, only it works for music.

It takes previously lower-quality MP3s from sources like Spotify and then enhances their sound quality. For iPhone users who don't have access to higher-quality codecs like LDAC and AptX, this is an audio game-changer.

To activate the setting, open the Sony Sound Connect app and navigate to the Headphone settings menu. From there, find the Sound Quality/Volume menu, and select DSEE Extreme. Set it to Auto, and you're away!

Bare in mind that it uses more battery, so be prepared to offer up the staying power of your headphones on the alter of sound quality. It's a sacrifice worth making.

2. Change the EQ

Out of the box, the WH-1000XM6 sound very good. They're very focussed on the vocals, and still suffer from "flagship headphone-itis" — they're obsessed with low-end to an almost pathalogical degree. It's no great problem, but I find that dialling things in to compensate can make a really big difference to their sound.

You'll want to find the EQ menu first. It's located on the Homepage of the Sony Sound Connect app. Hit the big button, and now you've got a couple of options. There's a good few EQ presets you can use to dial the sound, so that you don't have to get your hands dirty. I like Clear as a good baseline — it raises the highs for a more up top. Cymbals, etc.

For those who want even more granular control, hit the edit button. This will give you a full 10 levels of adjustment. I like to bring the sub and mid-bass down a little to take out some of the rumble.

3. Setup spatial audio

If you're going to be sampling the spatial audio talents of Amazon Music Unlimited, then you're going to need to dial in the 360 reality audio and spatial audio settings of the WH-1000XM6. It's super simple to do, thankfully, and makes your Dolby Atmos experience a whole lot more engaging.

Head to the Settings menu in the Sound Connect app, and look for the Sound Quality/Volume tab. From here, you'll need to initialize the Spatial Sound Optimization. Follow the on-screen instructions, and you're away!

Then there's the 360 Reality Audio Setup. This only works with a few different Sony applications, but it's worth doing to make sure you're all squared away for spatial audio systems.

4. Make sure you're using LDAC

Sad news for iPhone folks — this one is only going to work for Android users. LDAC is a higher quality codec, pumping much higher-findelity music over Bluetooth directly to your earholes. So that you can hear them.

Much like DSEE above, this also dents the battery life of your headphones and can make the Bluetooth connection spottier, but it's well worth it.

Find the setting in the Sound Connect app. It's hidden away in the Settings menu, and then the Sound Quality/Volume section. Find the LDAC setting, and toggle it to Auto. Some Android phones don't support the higher quality audio standard, so make sure your device does by checking its specs.

5. Turn off ANC

OK, so this one is going to take some explaining. Part of ANC uses the frequencies of the music that you're listening to to counteract the noise of the outside world. It's designed to be as unobtrusive as possible, but the algorithm is so strong to make the ANC better that some sonic differences are noticeable.

I've found that it makes your music slightly bassier to compensate for sounds outside. In order to make sure that the audio has as much of a chance of sounding great as possible, I turn the ANC off when I don't need it. Now the sound has more of a chance to breathe.

It's super simple and makes a surprising difference. Bonus — extra battery life! You can turn the ANC off by heading to the Sound Connect app, selecting the Ambient Sound Control tab, and picking the Off setting.

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Straight out of the box, Bose headphones are great. Their ANC ranks amongst the very best noise canceling headphones available, blocking out more sound than just about anything else. But they can get even better thanks to some slight tweaks in their settings menu.

We can improve their sound quality with a quick dip into a sub-menu, extend their sound stage with an extra feature and even improve their useability. There's only one thing that you need (well, two, including the headphones): The Bose app. It's available for Android and iOS, so you have no excuse.

1. Improve the sound quality

Bose headphones sound good. They've got plenty of detail and a powerful low end. But they can sound even better. With a just a quick trip to the EQ section in the Bose app, we can dial in the Quietcomfort lines sound to something even more sonically pleasing.

They all suffer from the same problem — over reliance on the low end. Well, lets take some of that crutch away from them by dialling down the bass slider a couple of notches. I like to leave it around -2. We leave the mids alone, and then we turn our attention to the highs. I like to bring it up around +2, to bring some extra dimension to the sound.

You'd be surprised how much of a difference it makes. It's one of the first things I do to Bose headphones when they arrive on my desk, once I've had a try with the out-of-box sound.

2. Add a multipoint device

If you've ever become irritated endlessly connecting and reconnecting your headphones to different devices, then the multiconnect built into certain Bose models is going to be a lifesaver. Pause your media on your phone, and then instantly connect to your laptop for a work call.

To initialize the system, head to the "multipoint" tab in the app. From there, initiate a connection and find the headphones in the Bluetooth menu of the second source device. Et voilà — done!

You can only connect to two or three things at once, mind you. This works with most Bose headphones and earbuds. Check the Bose app how many devices your headphones support.

3. Change the shortcut

This feature is only compatible with the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones line. Using the touch-sensitive panel on the right earcup, you can activate various features in your headphones. Press and hold to activate.

Find the Shortcut menu in the Bose app, and then choose one of four different options. You can hear the battery level, change the Immersive Audio mode, Access your voice assistant, or start a Spotify listening session.

Or, you can turn it off completely.

4. Create some modes

This feature is unique to the QuietComfort Ultra line of headphones and earbuds. Changing both the ANC and the Immersive Audio settings of your headphones separately can be annoying, so Bose has allowed you to make different "modes" that change both simultaneously.

Perhaps you want max ANC when you're out and about, but the static Immersive Audio mode so that it doesn't sound strange when you're walking around. You can make a mode that instantly sets both to your desired settings. Perhaps you want slightly less ANC and head-tracked spatial audio. You can make a mode that does that too.

Head to the modes tab of the Bose app, and press the "+" button. From there, you can add and change modes.

5. Change how much of yourself you can hear on a call

When you take a call with your Bose headphones, there's a certain amount of your voice that the headphones feed you so that it doesn't sound unnatural. To some people it's either too much or not enough, so you'll want to change the level.

Head to the Bose app, and select the little settings wheel in the top right hand corner of the screen. Scroll down until you see the "Self Voice" setting. From here, choose your preferred level, and back out of the menu.

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The Nothing Headphone (1) are weird. They look weird, they sound weird, and they're filled with weird features. I say that with affection — I actually really like the Nothing Headphone (1) now, thanks to some big improvements that Nothing has made since their initial release.

Now, you can get your hands on a pair of Headphone (1)s for a whole lot less. The Headphone (1) are just $239 at Amazon, after a $60 discount. That returns them to their lowest price. The perfect way to start the year off.

Nothing doesn't make 'normal' things. It wants to undercut rivals' prices with fully featured, well-made and specced devices that have their own unique look. The Headphone (1) are filled with that personality in spades, down to their see-through cassette-like shells and flat, felty protective case.

Once they're on your head, the uniqueness continues. The control method, a series of buttons, switches, and scroll wheels, is unlike anything else on a pair of headphones. It's very intuitive, too, and you'll be skipping, playing and pausing without a moment's thought soon enough.

While the sound at launch wasn't my absolute favorite thing about the headphones, it's since been improved by some useful software updates. Audiodo audio tuning is now on board, changing the sound to the frequencies that you can hear so that they sound good for everyone. The EQ sharing feature means there are plenty of options, should you want to see how everyone else is tuning their headphones as well.

Battery life is very solid, with 80 hours of ANC off time. Weirdly, that drops to 35 hours when you turn the ANC back on. Still good, but not as good. ANC does a great job of keeping unwanted distractions at bay, and there's even spatial audio should you want to dip your toes into the surround sound pool. I'm not a huge fan, but your mileage may vary.

Crucially, they're now much cheaper than the best headphones they're aiming to undercut. This price makes them half the price of the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphone Gen 2, and even cheaper than the WH-1000XM5. There's a lot to like here — particularly that reduced price. So snap them up quickly because it looks like there are only limited quantities!

I get why the best wireless headphones are so popular. They're convenient, there's no wires to tangle, and you don't have to worry about source quality or wired dongles. You turn them on, connect them to your phone, and you play your music.

Now, as everything around us becomes ever-more convenient, the allure of wired headphones and their juxtaposing simplicity in use and complexity in choice and sound becomes ever more tempting.

We have now been many, many years without a headphone jack in the iPhone line. Many of us think back to wired headphones and remember tangled cables and wrapping wires around phones for continued life.

But times are different, technology has moved on, and wired headphones are better than ever. And, perhaps controversially, a better choice in 2026 when buying some new headphones.

No battery life to worry about

I can't think of many things more annoying (except, perhaps, a rash) than picking up your headphones ready for a day of music only to discover that you forgot to charge them. Instant devastation, day ruined, where on earth did I leave my charging cable?

That's not the case with wired headphones. After all, they're powered by the device you're listening to as opposed to a built-in battery, so you don't need to worry about charging them. Pick them up, put them in your bag, and connect the cable when you want to use them. Simple. Reason one to choose some wired headphones.

Better sound

Generally, to achieve the best sound possible with a pair of wireless headphones, you'll need to spend hundreds of dollars. While some cheaper options sound fine, they pale in comparison to something with a wire that costs the same.

Cheaper options, like the Fiio FT13 (pictured above), cost less than the Sony WH-1000XM6, and sound much better. They don't have to worry about doing double or even triple duty with ANC and other features — all they have to do is play your music. And they do it very well indeed.

Generally, the price-to-sound performance ratio is drastically weighted towards wired headphones. Perfect if you want the best sound possible.

Often better comfort

Ok, so this isn't true for every pair of wired headphones (some of them are very uncomfortable indeed), but it's often much easier to find comfortable wired headphones than it is wireless ones.

It comes by virtue of them not having as many things in them. Instead, they're often very light and covered with snazzy leather (or leather-alike) padding. There are wired models that I've worn for hours and hours and completely forgotten about — even when not listening to music.

Generally, look for something with a leather suspension band and shaped earcups. Even better, try them out before you buy. Then you'll know just how comfortable they might be.

They work with just about anything

While most modern devices support Bluetooth, not all legacy ones do. Even then, some devices that you use now don't want you to use Bluetooth headphones — Xbox Series X, I'm looking at you. What they all will work with, however, is wired headphones.

Phones? Grab a cheapo dongle and get listening. Your game consoles? There are 3.5mm jacks on the controller, or the system itself (a la Nintendo Switch 2). If your laptop doesn't have a headphone jack, then I'll eat my slippers.

So grab that old iPod out of the drawer, and get listening.

There are some sacrifices

There are a few things you're going to have to give up if you opt for some wired headphones. First and foremost is ANC, the technology that separates you from the world around you.

That could be a deal-breaker if you're frequently found on airplanes and other noisy transport. For everyone else, there's something freeing about listening and still being able to hear what's going on around you.

You're also going to lose all those fancy features built into applications, so that means no spatial audio and no EQ adjustment. So there are sacrifices.

Ultimately, though, I think it's worth it. Or, perhaps, you could just buy both.

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I’ve finally reached the level of parenthood where my kids watch, listen to or play their own media. And honestly? I don’t always want to hear it — but I also don’t want to share my headphones with them.

I’ve started exploring kid-friendly headphones with a couple of goals in mind. They need to be durable, they have to have hearing protection audio levels, and they need to be comfortable to wear.

TikTok moms and parenting blogs have recommended the iClever Auraa headphones because they’re colorful, feature active noise cancelling, and Bluetooth connectivity. Let’s check out these kid-forward headphones with my first impressions, plus some thoughts from an actual kid — not just a big one.

Cartoon Looks

Compared to the average black, white, or matte colorways of most adult headphones, the iClever Auraa is cartoonishly colorful, which is great.

The “boy” version comes in red and blue with pops of yellow and art that looks mechanical or more Gundam-inspired. The “girl” version is colored like a muted purple rainbow with art made up of stars and swirls. I think of these as the My Little Pony headphones.

Even with an adult head, the Auraa rests pretty comfortably on my head without needing full extension. The cups mostly covered my ears — kids are going to have no problem at all.

There is one pain point that I could see getting very uncomfortable over an extended listening session, and that is the headband.

There is a thin, cushy bit of foam that sits on your head. Underneath is a ridge of plastic that you can feel through the foam. At first, it’s not annoying, but you can feel the band the longer you wear the Auraa.

I have a pair of older BeyerDynamic Custom One Pro over-ear headphones that I use as my daily drivers. I’ve replaced the headband a few times through wear and tear over the years, but I’ve never felt that something was on my head in the same way.

For kids, if you’re limiting their headphone and screen usage, this may not matter as much. However, my son likes to wear the headphones around the house even if he’s not listening to music or using a tablet. Longer sessions with the Auraa are eventually going to become uncomfortable, even for little heads

Durability and battery life

For the most part, the Auraa headphones seem durable. They’re mostly made of plastic, apart from their foam headband and ear cushions.. I’ve noticed that the ear cushions are already showing signs of wrinkling, which has me concerned long-term.

Additionally, on the red and blue set, my son managed to pop off the little circular decal area, exposing the battery and wires. Note that the ‘Gundam’ Auraa’s have a blue detail that can be pulled off by roving fingers or catch stray clothing threads. The My Little Pony cans don’t have anything similar.

Lastly, the headphones can fold up for travel. I (carefully) tested the Pony headphones while letting my son go wild with the Gundam set. After a month or so, the hinges on the Gundam cans are a little loose, though nothing appears to be falling apart. Still, it’s something I’m keeping an eye on.

Battery life for the Auraa is listed at 47 hours, and without rigorous lab testing, it seemed to last about that long before needing a charge. The Bluetooth 6.0 connection worked well, and I never noticed any connectivity issues.

Sound quality

I wasn’t expecting great sound out of the Auraa headphones; what I was intrigued by was the 80dB noise level cap. That level is a constant loudness level recommended by OSHA and the World Health Organization over an eight-hour period. Anything louder or longer and you risk permanent hearing damage.

I didn’t go a full eight hours, but I did listen to various podcasts and a couple of albums at nearly full volume and never felt like I was pushing it. That said, kids’ ears are more sensitive than my nu-metal destroyed flesh tabs. Still, even at 75% or 50% it felt pretty comfortable.

Surprisingly, the Auraa had a decent soundscape. One song I use to test headphones is Tiesto & Sevenn’s Boom, which has a surprising depth of sound and, for my purposes, a gratuitous amount of bass. DJ Magic Mike, this isn’t, but it’ll get you there. For treble, I like anything from Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All album, which brings the treble.

The bass has a lot of depth on the Auraa headphones. Treble was all over the map. Metallica’s ‘Motorbreath’ sounded like I’d put a blanket over the speakers, while the solo in ‘Phantom Lord’ was nearly perfect.

I’ve been told by kids' headphone manufacturers that active noise cancelling is an important selling point because having it on means kids won’t want to turn the headphone volume up more to drown out competing noise.

I tried listening to music and just wearing the Auraa cans with ANC on and off. I share an office with my partner, whose job requires her to be on a lot of Zoom calls. ANC keeps me distraction-free.

There was some strangeness during my ANC testing. When I had ANC on, my partner’s voice was much quieter. However, voices from her Zoom calls coming through the speakers sounded exactly the same as they would if I took the headphones off. I’m not sure if this is a frequency issue, where the speakers pump out sound in a dead spot for the ANC. In general, I think the ANC does the job, but it won’t match the best noise canceling headphones.

One great thing to note is that the Auraa features a 3.5mm jack, awesome for devices that still support that connection, which should be all of them, but that’s my hill to die on.

What the kids are saying

My son is six years old and chose the blue and red Auraa headphones when given the option. According to him, the headphones are comfortable, and he really liked the Gundam aesthetic. He wishes they could turn into a mechsuit. Me too, buddy, me too.

He really liked the ANC, especially when he wanted to focus on a game or a show on the tablet while his sister was making noise. Though he expressed worry that if he had it on, he would miss out on his parents telling him when he could have ice cream — a universal concern.

“You should tell parents to get these headphones for kids,” he said. “They would have a really good time using them. Goodbye.”

Here’s his true, rambling review (edited for clarity): “You should make the review a comic book that you sell in stores where the headphones turn into a mechsuit and then go 'BOOOOOM!!!!' with the sound. But at the end, the last couple of pages should say, ‘This is not what the headphones can do, but they’re great.’”

Verdict

Audio-wise, I’m not worried about the Auraa headphones. The sound is pretty good, the Bluetooth connection is decent, plus with the 80 dB cap, I’m not as worried about hearing damage.

I am concerned about durability, especially with the “boy” set. And the headband seems like it could get uncomfortable over long use. Once the foam starts to degrade, that will get worse.

With a starting price of $50 (and I’ve seen them sold for as low as $25), the iClever Auraa headphones are ones you can take a flyer on for your kid.

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Klipsch has made an appearance at CES 2026 this year, and amongst its announcements of some very snazzy-looking amps and speakers, there's something very exciting indeed. Returning to the best headphone space, Klipsch has brought three pairs of cans to Las Vegas to give us an idea of what the future holds.

It's been a while since the brand has given us any headphones, so these concepts are extremely exciting. There are two wired "audiophile" models, and then a wireless model. They're called the Atlus series — and I'm excited to see how they perform.

Wireless heroes

Information is thin on the ground, but we know that we'll get them around summertime in the U.S. These are the Atlus HP-1, and they're the wireless member of the family for listening on the go. Expect performance and features similar to the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.

There's plans for spatial audio and other features, but no news around battery life or other features. We'll learn more closer to the time — for now, know only that I think they look cool. I want a pair.

Wired for your listening pleasure

These are the two wired headphones announced by Klipsch, and they look particularly delectable. The cheaper of the two is called the HP-2, and it's a closed-back headphone that'll give you more bass. There's nothing about how much power you'll need to drive them, but I'd hope they'll sound plenty good out of a dongle attached to your phone.

The higher-end HP-3, on the other hand, might be a bit more demanding. They're an open-backed pair of headphones for a wider soundstage, and they feature more padding for a more 'luxurious' experience. Again, nothing about frequency response or their power requirements, but I am told that the packaging can double as a headphone stand.

Which is pretty cool.

All three headphone models are expected to land in the summer, although there's no news about the prices. Let's hope they're relatively affordable.

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I will be the first to admit that I wasn't very kind to the Nothing Headphone (1) when I reviewed them on launch. As much as I liked their standout design, premium materials and wicked controls, I simply didn't like the way that they sounded out of the box, especially when compared to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and the Sony WH-1000XM6.

Since their launch, however, Nothing has been piling software update after software update into the cans — and having had a play with them in 2026, I think they might have just shifted my perspective on the quirkiest headphones you can buy.

What was once a con...

... has since become a pro. The EQ was already very strong in the Nothing Headphone (1), with an incredible amount of adjustment to fix the underlying poor sound quality.

My issue was that it felt like you had to dip in and change the sound so that they were in any way listenable. Given you're spending triple figures on your new headphones, you should expect good sound out of the box.

When I picked them up again and checked the EQ menu, I was impressed by the custom EQ options available from the Nothing community. I'm used to these things being left by the wayside, forever sinking in a mire of forgotten headphone features.

Now, instead of presets straight from the factory, I can experience music the way others do. The creativity on display here is impressive — I've since had plenty of fun trying out other users' sound profiles. I still like mine the most (it's more subtle, more refined), but it might just be one of the biggest improvements to a pair of headphones I've ever seen.

It would be the biggest, but Nothing saw fit to add one of my favorite headphone things in, like, forever.

More custom audio options

Everyone's ears, and by extension, their ability to hear, are different. Perhaps you hear more bass than your mom, while she's able to hear more high-range frequencies. Maybe your dad needs more volume across the frequency range because he spent his youth at loud punk gigs.

Either way, to assume that headphones should be a "one size fits all" sound profile would be reductive. It's why reviewing headphones can be so contentious — someone else might like bass-heavy headphones because it means they can hear more of their music, while to others it can sound boomy.

Which is where audio customization engines like Audiodo are so helpful and, by extension, good. I love Audiodo. It's effectively a simple hearing test to see what frequencies you can hear and how well you can hear them.

From there, it changes the sound of your headphones, manipulating the core frequencies so that they sound their best for you.

You can then build on the Audiodo tuning with EQ to make them sound just the way you like. I've used Audiodo on more expensive options and cheaper ones alike, and every time it makes a big positive difference to the way headphones and earbuds sound.

So when I saw that Nothing had packed Audiodo tuning into the Headphone (1) with a software update, I was excited. No matter where I've seen Audiodo, it's been a massive improvement to sound, and thankfully, it's no different here.

It allows my slightly-less-useful left ear to hear everything, and improves clarity in the low end. For such a quick process, the improvement is immeasurable. I wouldn't say I no longer needed to dip into the EQ with the core sound, but the difference is still night and day.

Will I be changing the review score?

I gave the Nothing Headphone (1) a 3-star review thanks to the dark sound and other niggly bits. With the improvements to their software, I would be tempted to shift the review score — the core sound, thanks to Audiodo, has improved, and the incredible array of different user EQs to choose from is loads of fun.

That's not to say they'll be getting five stars. There are still issues here, like the lackluster call quality and horrible, grating clicking sounds when you use the controls.

But, after Nothing's Improvements in the software, they're now a viable alternative to the best headphones at a price that undercuts the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2.

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There were scant few things that surprised me like the PX7 S3 in 2025. They landed on my desk with little fanfare, and then wowed me with some of the best sound around — so much so that they unseated Sony, the wireless headphones kings in my estimation of the best headphones you can buy.

And now they're surprising me in 2026 as well. We're not even a couple of days into the new year, and there's already a massive saving on my favorite headphones of last year. The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 are down to $364 at Amazon, following a hefty $110 discount. That's their lowest price ever!

Pulling the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3's exemplary protective case out of the box when you get them home does enough to show you why they're our pick of the best headphones. It's a solid and supremely sturdy entry into what (I think at least) is one of the most important parts of the portable wireless headphone experience.

Then you slide them from their molded inserts and slot them onto your head. The smooth armatures adjust easily to accommodate large and small heads alike, and the welcoming padding ensures they're comfortable from day one. That's another box in the checklist ticked off.

The materials feel expensive, too. From their luxurious feeling (and vegan-friendly) faux-leather-covered headband and earcups to the sturdy feeling earcup outer panels and headband, they feel much better put together than any Sony or Bose alternatives.

The controls are physical, bucking the trend toward touch controls in recent years. They're easy to use (if a little small), and they won't let you down if your fingers get wet or if you're wearing thick gloves.

Press the play button, and you're treated to some of the best sound you'll find at this price point. They're warm without being too overly bassy, and feature plenty of detail to get really stuck into your tunes. The ANC is good enough that you'll not want for extra noise blocking, and the 30 hours of battery keep them chugging along for a few days of use.

I use my pair every day for listening to music — I can't imagine you'll be any different if you pick them up at this stellar deal price.

The AirPods Max are, despite Apple's best efforts, an old pair of headphones. We first saw the Lightning model over five years ago, and then the USB-C version only changed the colors and added a new charging port in 2024. We still await the AirPods Max 2.

So what do I think we'll see out of the AirPods Max, and why have we not seen them yet? And perhaps most importantly, what do we want from Apple's next pair of the best noise-canceling headphones?

AriPods Max 2: Where are they?

The AirPods Max 2 have long been rumored. Instead, all we got so far has been the USB-C version of the AirPods Max, launched to placate the EU and its need for a universal charging standard.

Sure, we also got the USB-C listening mode and some lovely new colors, but there was no way you could call them any kind of sequel. They were a stopgap, to keep us happy until the next version comes along.

So when can we expect them? Good question. Now that Apple has launched the USB-C version, I'm not sure we'll be seeing them any time soon. After all, there were 4 years between the Lightning and USB-C versions, so the timeline could well be that long again.

Having said that, I'd like to cast our minds back to the USB-C version of the AirPods Pro 2. They launched a mere year or so after the Lightning version, only to be replaced again another year later by the AirPods Pro 3. Perhaps, then, we could have a similar situation with the AirPods Max 2, and we're only a few months out from a new version.

One can hope.

Why hasn't Apple launched them?

This is a pertinent question. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg believes that it's because the AirPods Max have not been successful enough to warrant a new version, but they're selling well enough to justify leaving them on shelves. That suggests we may not see a new version at all.

There is some degree of "they're still great" that comes into play as well. Despite some points showing their age, like the 20 hour battery life, the current AirPods Max are still top performers. The ANC can hang with the best of them from Sony and Bose, and the sound is still some of the best around.

The true reason, however, remains a mystery.

What do I want from the AirPods Max 2?

As much as I like the AirPods Max (and despite my many criticisms of the headphones), there is some work to be done to make them even better. For one, while the headband is comfortable and extremely cool looking, it loses its elasticity with age.

My Lightning pair has become loose and saggy, and when I wear them, the two metal arms that support the fabric rest on the top of my head. My USB-C version has survived better so far, but it still leaves me worried for the future.

Strengthen that material, and we're onto a winner. When it's taught, there's little more comfortable atop your head — let's see it stay that way.

There are likely hundreds of thousands of words written about the abominable case that comes packed with the AirPods Max — some of them mine — so I won't labor the point too much. Only that it is bad, and I don't like it.

Some form of proper case with the next version would be very welcome, with a way to not only actually protect the headphones but store something like a cable. And make it out of something that doesn't gather dust and grease within a femtosecond.

Then there's the obvious: Battery life. 20 hours is just not enough, no matter how you slice it. The competition can last longer than the AirPods Max, sometimes over twice as long, so I'd like to see at least 30 hours of life in the next model.

There's one thing that really needs to stay, though. The incredible, tactile controls that are a joy to use. There are few control methods built into a pair of headphones that even come close to the dial and button combo on the AirPods Max. If that's gone from the AirPods Max 2, I'll riot.

You have been warned, Apple.

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I can't think of anything much more exciting than unboxing a brand new pair of Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. Releasing them from their cardboard prison and getting them in hand — glorious. You're the proud new owner of some of the best noise-canceling headphones in the world.

But to get them working their best, there's a couple of things you'll want to do. Let me guide you through your new headphones and the first few hours that you'll be spending with your fresh audio companions.

1. Download the app

As with so many recent ANC headphones, the majority of the WH-1000XM6's features are housed within an app that you need to download and install onto your phone. In this case, it's called the "Sound Connect" app.

You'll find it on the Apple App Store or the Google Play store on your device. Get that downloaded, and then get ready to connect your phone to get everything working properly.

Go to the settings menu of your phone, and pair the headphones with your device. For Android users, you'll find a pop-up when the headphones are near your phone for easy connection. Then, head back to the Sound Connect app.

Follow the on-screen instructions to connect the headphones with the application — and you're done! Now you can change the settings of your headphones to make sure they're working their best.

2. Create your spatial audio profile

Spatial audio is all the rage right now, and Sony doesn't want to be left out of the party. There are two spatial audio options in the WH-1000XM6, and they're both relatively easy to set up.

The first is standard spatial audio, and you'll find it in Device settings > Sound Quality/Volume > Spatial Sound Optimization. Click that option, and then follow the on-screen instructions. This is a very niche option, working with only the background audio setting and select Bravia TVs.

The Sony 360 Reality Audio setting above is the more in-depth setup. You'll need to sit down and get comfy for this one, as it guides you through the process. It also doesn't work with many services, unfortunately, now that Tidal has removed it from the service.

Instead, you can use Spatial Audio upmix for movies, games and other content. You can use it for music, but I wouldn't. You can access it through the "Sound Modes" section and by selecting Cinema.

3. Dial in your sound with EQ

Not a fan of the way that the WH-1000XM6 sound? That's easily fixed by a quick visit to Sony's very in-depth EQ tuner. There are 10 different bands you can adjust in a custom EQ, so you can really dial the sound quality in to your taste.

There are also several presets to choose from if building your own feels a bit too much like hard work. There are plenty of options sound-wise here, so you're sure to find something that suits you.

Just a note, however, that those EQ settings do not carry over if you use the spatial audio modes.

4. Initiate high quality listening, no matter your device

iPhone users generally have to give up high-quality listening on non-Apple headphones thanks to codec limitations — you'll generally only get SBC and AAC with Apple devices, rather than the higher-quality AptX and LDAC codecs in Android devices.

Sony, not happy with this limitation, has built in upscaling called DSEE Extreme. Turning this setting on noticeably makes your headphones sound better, but be warned: the AI models used to make your music sound good do drain some extra battery life.

It works by filling in the gaps in your music left out by lossy compression — it's all very clever. It's also easy to turn on. Just head to the Sound Quality/Volume menu, select DSEE Extreme, and set it to "auto." Now your music will sound great no matter the source.

5. Dial in your ANC settings

The ANC found in the Sony WH-1000XM6 is excellent, and blocks out loads of noise. There are also different modes in the Sound Connect app so you can get it blocking out noise in different environments, depending on where you might be.

You'll find these in the "adaptive sound control" pane of the Sound Connect app. Here, you can allow the headphones to detect your actions (such as sitting down or moving around) and adjust the noise canceling accordingly.

You can also set them to change depending on what time you tend to things, so you don't have to worry about playing with settings. The headphones will learn your routine and react accordingly. It's well worth trying, but you might find — as I did — the accuracy is a little unnerving.

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So you've just opened your new pair of cans — a pair of Bose QuietComfort headphones, ready to block out all the worst noises of the world. But before you go out on a proper road test, there are a few things to make sure that they're working their best.

After all, they might be some of the best noise canceling headphones, but there are a few key things to do to make sure that you get the most out of them. So get your phone good to go, reset that App Store password so that you can get downloading and get those test tracks ready.

1. Download the Bose app

The first thing to do is download the Bose app — it might sound obvious, but its easy enough to forget. A friend of mine didn't even know that his earbuds had an application, and missed out on loads of features.

The app in question is simply called "Bose." You'll find it in the iOS App Store or the Google Play store. Download it, and you can start playing with the features of your new headphones.

Once installed, you'll need to create an account. It's not entirely necessary, but you do get helpful updates from Bose about new products and features. Once logged in, you'll need to connect your headphones.

Make sure your headphones are connected to your phone in the settings menu, and then head back to the app. The app will detect your headphones, et voila — connected!

Now you can play with more features than you'll ever know what to do with.

2. Adjust the EQ

Out of the box, the QuietComfort Headphones are quite bassy. If you enjoy loads of low-end you're in for a sonic treat, but I prefer some extra detail for a more engaging audio experience.

If you're like me, then you'll want to adjust the sound slightly to get just the right level. Find the EQ section in the Bose app — it's aptly named "eq" — and then get adjusting.

I like to bring the bass down a couple of segments. Around -1 or -2 will do it. That will rein in the low end. Then, for some extra dimension, I like to raise the highs. Again, not by much, around +2 or +3. There are only three adjustment bands here, so there's not much to get wrong. And if you do, there's the ever helpful reset button.

3. Familiarize yourself with the controls

The controls attached to the Bose QuietComfort headphones are very intuitive, but as with all headphones, you can't see them when you want to use them. Spending a little time to get used to where they are and what they do makes sure you won't be feeling around when you need to change the ANC mode in a pinch.

The left earcup houses the ANC button, and then the right earcup has the playback controls. The button towards the rear of the right earcup acts as volume up and skip with a double tap, while the bottom button lowers volume and rewinds with a double tap.

The middle button plays and pauses your music. Unlike other headphones, you can't change what these controls do, so it's worth sitting down for a while to make sure you know what they all do.

4. Get multipoint working

If you've got a couple of devices that you'd like to use with your new headphones, there's a great way to instantly switch between the two without dipping into a settings menu every time.

In the Bose app, find the "Multi-point" pane, and then follow the on-screen instructions to get your headphones connected to your devices. From there, you just need to play audio on whatever device you want to listen with, and the headphones will switch over with a quick beep!

If you're going to be listening to music on your phone and then need your cans for a work call on your laptop, multi-point is a game-changer. It only works with two devices, but it's still very useful.

5. Create some noise canceling modes

Straight out of the box, you have two ANC modes; On and transparency. There is no way of turning off the noise canceling system, unfortunately. However, you can create your own custom modes for different environments.

You can make your own modes in the "modes" panel. There you'll find the 'on' and 'aware' (transparency) modes, along with a custom option. Hit the custom option, and you can set ANC settings for different places.

You might want the highest level and wind-blocker for walking around, but only need light ANC for when you're working in an office. You can create these modes here, and then cycle through them with the ANC button.

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Nearly every brand right now has its own version of spatial audio. Apple has the imaginatively named "Spatial Audio," and arguably leads the Dolby Atmos pack. The Sonos Ace contain Dolby Atmos programming for music and movies, and then the Bose QuietComfort Ultra have "Immersive Audio," the brand's own take that works with existing stereo mixes.

Sony, too, has its own version. The WH-1000XM6 (and the XM5 that came before them) have "360 Reality Audio," and it used to be a viable option for spatial audio on the go. Now, though, it's all gotten a bit weird.

As Tidal removed the format from its service, the XM-series of headphones has been left without its primary source of spatial-mixed tunes. Instead, you're now left with a couple of services that play recorded concerts, and the so-called "Spatial Audio Upmix," which is better suited to movies and TV than it is music.

So what's going on — and how should Sony move on in the future?

I hope you like Japanese Jazz concerts

The Sony headphones feature one of the most involved spatial audio setups around. While most just kind of work, with minimal setup, the XM6 plays sounds from different directions so that it can determine where you are and how you perceive spatial sounds.

It's not quite as annoying as the old setup from previous headphones — those saw you taking pictures of your ears. It would also be less irritating if you got something good out of it.

But you just kind of don't. Once you've finished ticking boxes and selecting where sounds are coming from, you're asked to optimize some services. The list for me was as follows:

• Artist Connection
• Nugs
• 360 Reality Audio Live

Never heard of those three streaming services? Me neither, until Sony spat them out at me once I'd finished my 360 Reality Audio setup. Artist Connection is a streaming service for live concerts. So is Nugs. And so is 360 Reality Audio Live.

The former costs $15 a month, Nugs costs the same, leaving 360 Reality Audio as the only free option. It contains, as you might have already guessed, live recordings of concerts. Mostly Japanese Jazz concerts. So, I hope you like complex drum rhythms and scat — because that's about all you're going to get.

Tidal used to be on the list, but then it pulled its spatial audio offerings, leaving Sony users high and dry. If you really want to get some spatial audio, then you're going to have to head over to Amazon Music Unlimited — a music service I pay for only for work.

Upmix this

There remains another option if you want your music to sound more spacious. It's called "360 Upmix," and, much like Bose's Immersive Audio, it takes existing music mixes and makes them wider. There's a large hitch, though. It's designed for movies and TV, and it's called cinema.

Turn it on for your visual content, and it's pretty cool. You get a great surround bubble for your movies, and sounds feel like they're coming from all around you. It's fun. I like it.

Turn it on for music, however, and things aren't as rosy. Your listening is thinner, with some frequencies that seem to completely evaporate. Instruments come from bizarre places, and all of the impact is gone. Not good.

What can be done?

Amazon Music Unlimited is a few things: expensive, irritating and not particularly widely adopted. Apple Music is more widely used, and it features the (personally) superior Dolby Atmos mixes. The Sonos Ace headphones work with both versions of spatial audio, so why can't Sony's?

There's the first step to making the spatial audio inside the XM-series work better. Support more music services, including those from the arch enemy.

Improving 360 Upmix for music is the other part. At the moment, it works very well for movies, but Bose's feature works great for both. Perhaps we need two modes for 360 Upmix: a movie mode and a music mode.

Either way, spatial audio in Sony's best headphones is irritating at best and downright nonsense at worst. Thankfully, it's all software, so I don't see why Sony can't improve on the formula without releasing a new pair of headphones.

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When I know I'm in for a longer journey, be that on a train, in a car, or packed inside an airliner, there's only one pair of headphones that I turn to — the Sonos Ace. Not only do they sound great for music, they're my preferred way of watching movies on the go.

They're now back down to their lowest price, so you can get a pair for your lengthier traveling. The Sonos Ace are now just $279 at Amazon, $170 off their full price. The perfect last minute Holiday gift for a loved one (or yourself).

The Sonos Ace are one of the best pairs of wireless headphones if you're looking for a great spatial audio experience. Sonos, known more for surround sound soundbars and smart speakers, put every ounce of Dolby Atmos experience into the Sonos Ace, and we've ended up with the best pair of headphones for spatial listening.

They're a more convincingly natural-sounding spatial listen than the likes of even the AirPods Max, and they work way better for movies than just about anything else. That makes them great for travel.

After all, what better way to wear away the hours of a long-haul flight than to watch your favorite movies? The Sonos Ace are the final piece of the puzzle, bringing the surround sound and impactful bass for a cinema experience on the go. I love it — Transformers (don't judge me) never sounded better in the back of a car than with the Sonos Ace.

They're great at everything else, of course. The ANC makes blocks out for your fellow passengers, so you can enjoy your movies, and their comfortable fit ensures you can wear them for the whole trip.

30 hours of battery life is more than enough for even the longest flight, and it will also get you to your hotel when you arrive. Looking for a lovely Holiday gift for your movie buff family member? Forget that new 4K Blu-ray player — this is what they want.

Sony and Sennheiser have battled hard in the ANC over-ear headphones market for years, with the Sony WH-1000XM and Sennheiser Momentum models consistently among the top-value performers in the premium space. I've compared each and every pair over the past decade, and while the most recent generations of Sonys have edged the head-to-head, Sennheiser's rivals haven't been far behind. Helping their case are typically bigger discounts, too.

That narrative somewhat changes with the new arrival of the Sennheiser HBD60, a non-Momentum model that marks the first wireless pair to enter the brand's 'Audiophile' 600 Series. They're the most ambitious and interesting wireless over-ears Sennheiser has produced in years, and challenge the current Sony WH-1000XM6 in ways no other competitor does.

I'll cut to the chase: at the close of 2025, the HDB60 and XM6 are the two best ANC headphones available below $500. But you'll find favour with one over the other depending on your priorities...

Price

Don’t expect to get too much change from $500, mind you. The Sennheiser HDB 630 launched in October 2025 for $499.95 and are, unsurprisingly, holding steady at that price as we enter 2026.

The Sony WH-1000XM6, meanwhile, launched a few months earlier (May 2025) at $449, and $50 discounts are now increasingly common. The $400 mark is also typically occupied by the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2, Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 and Apple AirPods Max.

Historically, Sennheiser wireless headphones have been quick to drop in price in the months following their arrival, and frequently pop up in Black Friday, Amazon Prime, holiday season and Labor Day sales. But for now, the Sonys are the cheaper of the two pairs.

• Winner: Sony WH-1000XM6

Design

If you’re after head-turners, neither the Sonys nor the Sennheisers will blow you away. Both opt for simple, discreet aesthetics that prioritise minimal ornamentation and muted colors over luxury materials and flashy looks.

The Sonys look somewhat 3D printed with their sleek, soft shape, matte plastic finish and lack of seams and edges, while the plain, ovular, black-and-silver Sennheisers could well resemble a kindergartener’s effort to draw a pair of headphones.

Such visual austerity isn’t the end of the world if you prefer headwear that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but both design languages do take their toll on the headphones’ perceived value.

The B&W Px7 S3 and AirPods Max both look and feel significantly dearer, the former with their woven fabric and rich colorways, the latter with their textured aluminium earcups and unique volume control.

Admittedly, I miss the distinct style of Sennheiser Momentum headphones of old, whose stitched leather headband and polished earcup finish oozed class. And while the XM6 are visually closer in DNA to their ancestors than the Sennheisers are to theirs, I do prefer the shallower profile of the pre-XM5 generations.

Still, it’s hard to argue with the quality of the two latest pairs’ construction and comfort levels. The Sonys’ are super lightweight – just 250g, compared to the Sennheisers’ 310g – and less cumbersome to wear, making them my pick for long-haul travel. The earcups also collapse inwards, allowing you to scrunch them into a ball and easily shove them into a coat pocket.

My only minor gripe is that the rubbery matte finish tarnishes easily, with marks showing up on the ‘Platinum Silver’ color (presumably this won’t be the case with the alternative Midnight Blue and Black colorways).

Both pairs offer responsive touch-capacitive pads on the right earcup for playback control, the Sennheisers offering a larger, more forgiving area.

The only accompanying button on the HDB 630 launches your phone’s voice assistant; I think it’s a shame you can’t change that shortcut to something more useful, such as ANC mode switching. The Sonys have a dedicated button for that, plus a circular recessed power/pairing button.

Both headphones offer analogue jacks – 3.5mm (Sony); 2.5mm (Sennheiser) – and USB-C sockets, though the latter cannot be used for wired audio with the Sonys, which in my mind gives the Sennheisers a notable practical advantage, as one cable can cover both charging and cabled listening.

Note that wired listening requires the Sennheisers to have battery life, but not the Sonys.

• Draw

Features

Speaking of which, the Sennheisers also pile on the points where battery is concerned, offering a liberal 60 hours of audio playback with ANC on compared to the Sonys’ 30 hours.

Caught short and in a hurry? With the XM6, a three-minute charge grants three hours of playback, while the HDB 630 generate seven hours in 10 minutes.

Which Bluetooth codecs your wireless headphones and phone (or other audio device) support can impact the quality of transmission and, therefore, the sound you hear.

The Sonys support the company’s high-quality LDAC codec, which is handy for LDAC-supporting Android devices. The Sennheisers, meanwhile, support aptX Adaptive, which in pure audio terms is technically inferior to LDAC (it cannot transfer as much signal data per second) albeit still one of the 'better sounding' codecs out there.

If your phone or laptop doesn’t support aptX (iPhones, for example, only support the lowly AAC and SBC codecs), the HDB 630 can actually upgrade their compatibility to aptX Adaptive via an ingenious included accessory – a thumbnail-sized dongle called the BTD 700.

Simply plug it into your iPhone or other device, and the Sennheisers connect to it rather than the device itself, transmitting music over aptX Adaptive. If your device’s Bluetooth skills are limited, this can truly enhance your wireless headphone listening. The dongle also brings the next-gen audio sharing Auracast feature to the table, which the Sonys also offer.

Unsurprisingly, both headphones have companion apps that unlock extra functionality and customisation, plus things like on-head detection and smart pause.

It’s worth calling out two of my all-time favorite practical headphone functions in the Sonys: the Speak-To-Chat feature, which reduces volume when you start talking, and the Quick Attention Mode, which lets you hear ambient sounds by positioning a hand over the right earcup.

The XM6 also offer a Cinema mode that uses Sony’s 360 Reality Audio Upmix technology to create a wider, taller and more dimensional ‘spatial’ soundfield. While I don’t rate it for music listening – the presentation naturally loses stereo focus and precision – with movies and TV shows it’s much more valuable.

Meanwhile, I can’t recall a more comprehensive parametric EQ than the one offered in the Sennheiser app.

• Draw

ANC

Finally, a round with a clear-cut winner – Sony. Physically, the Sennheiser design blocks out more external sound due to its chunkier earcup and tighter seal. Bring active noise cancellation technology into the equation, however, and the Sonys prove more adept at isolating you and your music from the outside world.

Both manage to take the sting out of common disruptive noise, such as general street noise, cafe background chatter and public transport engines. In their own right, the Sennheisers prove up to the task of limiting, if not completely banishing, interruption.

The Sonys put an extra sound-blocking layer in the way, however, and particularly have the edge when it comes to plugging mid to high frequency noise. It’s the difference between you noticing a car driving past while listening to piano music at a decent volume, and not.

Their ANC effect is similar to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2’s, only slightly subtler in execution, while the Sennheiser is clearly below them in the pecking order.

• Winner: Sony WH-1000XM6

Sound quality

But Sennheiser replies in a round Sony has dominated for years: sound quality. The HDB 630 naming actually reflects Sennheiser’s audio ambitions for its headphones – the ‘6’ and ‘0’ represent a ‘warm’ and ‘analytical’ flavour respectively (the ‘3’ indicates the closed-back ANC design).

I could’ve cracked that code within minutes of listening to them. These are indeed obsessively detailed headphones that present information with a ‘just right’ balance between easy listening smoothness and front-footed dynamism. Transparent enough to reveal the extra detail delivered through aptX Adaptive transmission as opposed to AAC? Absolutely.

It’s even-handed, too: no frequency particularly stands out above the other in terms of both quantity and quality.

There’s so much shape to the Sennheiser sound that dynamic variation (how apparent volume fluctuations are) seems ever present and instrument placement is precise and clear cut. And such is the Sennheisers’ talent to communicate texture, emotion and rhythms that the artist's intent is never concealed.

Don’t get me wrong, the XM6 could also be described in this manner. They too strike a rare balance between being just as informative as they are entertaining, communicate the intimacy of music, and impress equally across the frequency range. It’s a challenge to listen to upbeat music without tapping your feet or nodding your head along.

The Sennheisers may not sound quite as cohesive as the Sonys, but they are clearer, dig up an extra layer of subtlety and plot sounds with greater precision on a slightly more spacious and shapely soundstage. I know which pair I’d rather listen to.

• Winner: Sennheiser HDB 630

Which pair should you buy?

The Sennheisers are particularly attractive if you own an iPhone or other audio source that doesn’t support LDAC or one of the better aptX codecs. In that instance, by ‘upgrading’ its Bluetooth transmission capability via the supplied dongle, you’re getting more out of its pairing with wireless headphones than you would with another.

Regardless, the Sennheisers are sonically more sophisticated, have a longer battery life, offer a more extensive (parametric) EQ for those partial to such experimentation, and can be listened to over USB-C.

However, I personally prefer the Sonys’ aesthetic, foldable build and control, their ANC is objectively superior, and I like how you can listen wired (via 3.5mm) with a flat battery.

It's one of the most interesting noise-canceling headphone head-to-heads of 2025, and certainly in Sony vs Sennheiser history. My winner is the Sennheiser HDB 630, but yours will depend on your priorities, or perhaps even your budget.

Ratings scorecard

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It was about 3 months ago that I first left my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in my rucksack during a trip in London. Since then, I've not used a pair of ANC headphones at all while walking around outside, so that I can feel safer and more aware of my surroundings.

But there's been more to it, in the long run. It's opened me up to the wider world, the people that live alongside me, and the sounds of everyday life that I had missed for so, so many years.

Am I a better, more rounded person because of it? Perhaps not. But I now have a deeper understanding of my environment and how being more aware of it can make even life's noisier moments more engaging and enjoyable.

I am safer

One of the primary reasons I stopped wearing my ANC headphones while out and about was so that I could feel safer while walking around cities and other busy environments.

I immediately found that I was much safer while crossing the street, and I could more easily guess what the people around me were going to do. People no longer "appeared out of nowhere," and I noticed more in my peripheral vision as I was able to focus more on my surroundings and not my music.

I can hear cars better as they approach crosswalks and other pedestrian crossings. I can tell if a car is going to stop for me instead of guessing, based on the sound that its engine is making. I'm no longer taken by surprise by quiet electric cars as they stealthily approach.

I've heard people trying to get my attention as well. I dropped my wallet at a train station the other day, and I would never have heard the kind lady trying to get my attention with ANC headphones on. Neither would I have been able to help her find the platform that she needed for her speedy connection.

Without ANC, my vision feels more rounded, and my awareness has increased. It's also shown me just how blind we can be when locked into musical cocoons of our own making — the number of people I've seen buried into their headphones step out in front of cars is mind-boggling.

I'm more confident

When I wore my ANC headphones to keep out the outside world, I was hesitant in pretty much everything I did. I would hold myself back from getting involved with things on the street, and I hated talking with shop staff.

I think now it's because I had become so used to being in my own world that I didn't enjoy having to let other people into it, even for a moment. While I shared a physical space with these people, I was living in my head — somewhere I like to keep for myself.

Taking off my headphones — and I mean taking them off, not just activating transparency mode — allowed me to become not just a physical part of the world, but an engaged participant within it. Suddenly I had to take stock of the people around me, and how I might have to interact with them.

Sure, sometimes it's annoying. The people that hand out pamphlets on street corners, noisy sports fans.

But it makes it much easier for me to handle sudden social interactions. I can make more decisive decisions when I'm grabbing coffee at a cafe, and I don't stutter when ordering a sandwich. I have brief chats with the people making my lunch.

I no longer live permanently cemented in my own personal bubble. I can take a more active role in what's going on around me. I am more approachable by people who need help, and I'm able to be more actively engaged in what's going on.

I made a new friend

I like to go to gigs. I go on my own sometimes, so that I can really get involved in the music. Previously, while walking to the gig and in the queue to go in, I'd wear ANC headphones so that I can immerse myself in the music before I get sweaty and half deaf.

But, as you might have guessed, when I ditched ANC while out and about, I had to ditch it when going to gigs. Now I had to interact with the people around me — turns out, the people you go to gigs with actually share a lot in common with you. Who'd have guessed?

I've even made a new friend. We met while I was waiting to go in for a death metal gig, and got chatting about our favorite pasta sauces. We continue to chat now, and go to gigs together. I'd have never met my new friend if not for my ANC experiment — and it goes to show why it's so important to be more aware of what's going on around you.

It's not for everyone

I understand that this is not for everyone. Some neurodiverse people value ANC and how it can isolate them from an otherwise overwhelming world. I'm not saying that everyone should go ANC-free at all — only that I've seen benefits in my experience.

I have had people question parts of my method, understandably. The most common is "why not just turn on transparency mode?" I've gone completely headphone free because it's not just the ANC that keeps me distracted while out and about, but music as well.

If nothing else, I want people to consider how they react to the world while they're wearing their headphones. As loneliness becomes a bigger issue, I can't help but wonder if part of the reason is down to how we lock ourselves away from our fellow humans. Perhaps it's time we untethered ourselves from our noise-canceling headphones.

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Look, the Sony and Bose entries into our best headphones guide are good cans. They're both very comfortable, sound good, and offer otherwise unrivalled ANC. But they're very... safe.

They don't do anything different, barely shaking up the design category, or taking their sound profiles to different and more interesting places. They're the headphones for the everyday person, and that means, in my eyes at least, that they're... kind of boring.

And here's the thing. There are headphones you can buy for a similar price (and even less) that do more interesting things with the medium. That focus on a particular facet — be that sound, style, or battery life — and stand out from the otherwise identikit sea of similar headphones.

So, which headphones would I buy instead of the WH-1000XM6 or the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2? Let me tell you in about 700 words and some pretty pictures.

My top pick: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3

This year has been a weird one for the previous class leaders. We gave both the WH-1000XM6 and the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2 four stars in their reviews, after years of 4.5 and 5 stars for their predecessors. Which headphones received a better score this year?

The Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3.

The competition has finally caught up with Sony and Bose, and the PX7 S3 merely highlight how difficult the job has become. While the noise canceling might not be quite as powerful, they put more focus on other parts of the formula – namely, sounding really, really good.

They're a wholly more musical and engaging listen than the Sony and Bose options. They bring more detail to the table, while going even lower into the frequency range. The sound is bigger in almost every direction, even if the soundstage is more intimate than expansive.

There are other spots where B&W has overtaken the competition. The build of the PX7 S3 is unlike anything at the same price, and they're more comfortable for long periods of time. The protective case is better too. It's sturdier and more protective. The physical controls are clicky and responsive, no matter what weather you're in — something that can't be said of the touch controls on the alternatives.

The sound focus makes them a far more compelling buy than either the Sony or Bose options in 2026 — and it makes me really excited to see what the future holds for Bowers & Wilkins.

Something a bit cheaper: Cambridge Melomania P100 SE

If you want really good headphones, you gotta spend a few more dollars than something super cheap. But you don't need to spend near $500 to get something that's epic. Case in point: Cambridge's Melomania P100 SE. They cost $299, a whole $150 less than the Sony and Bose cans.

And they beat them in some key areas.

They're not trying to be the kings of everything like the XM6 and QC Ultra 2, so they make some concessions. The case is big and bulky, their features not as extensive — but that's given Cambridge the opportunity to look at more important things. Like sound. And battery life.

The Melomania P100 SE last for 60 hours with the ANC turned on. That's double the battery of both the Sony and Bose options, and more than the Bowers & Wilkins above. Turn the ANC off and they'll last for 100 hours, making them some of the longest-lasting headphones you can buy today.

The sound is extremely clean, but also weighty and meaty. You can really get your teeth into a listening session, savoring each mouthful of delicious music-steak. They're engaging, fun, and revealing all at the same time. For the price, nothing sounds better.

If I had $300 to buy a new pair of headphones I'm pretty spoilt for choice — but I would go for these. They're different enough to stand out from the crowd physically, and their battery life and sound seal the deal.

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Plenty of the best headphones claim that they can be repaired, but very few can be taken apart and rebuilt at home so that you can replace broken bits. Most require a trip back to the manufacturer, so that experienced repairers can fix them, or you just get sent a new pair.

Not so with the Fairbuds XL, the latest version of Fairphones over-ear headphones. They're an upgraded version of the previous model, with improved sound, a more comfortable fit, and even a USB-C audio mode. They're also completely repairable, with their parts available from the Fairphone website. But none of that matters if they're not good headphones — and thankfully, they are.

Just how repairable are they?

Most headphones can be dismantled without damage to some degree. However, once you're inside, you'll typically find seals for water resistance and soldered batteries that can't be replaced. Once your headband material has given way to head grime and started to peel away, you're generally stuck, and forget about easy earpad changing. Even if you can get them off, good luck finding good replacements.

To that end, the Fairbuds XL are completely dismantlable. They're modular, held together by screws that can be removed with the same screwdriver. The headband can be replaced, the earcups swapped, and the hinges changed. Everything comes apart — even the cable carrying the audio from earcup to earcup is a USB-C cable, so you can even change it in a pinch.

They're not entirely modular, of course. You buy the earcup assembly as one piece, so you can change out individual circuit boards. But you can buy batteries in case the one in the headphones loses its charge. It's hidden behind a door that you can easily unclip.

While the parts aren't yet available to buy on the Fairphone webstore, they will be soon so that you can swap out the parts. Owners of the first model of FairBuds XL can swap bits of their headphones out for the upgraded ones from this new pair. The colors won't match, but you'll get all the benefits of the new model without paying new model prices.

Not that they're particularly expensive — they cost the same £219 as the older model in the U.K., and will cost $229 in the U.S. when they launch.

What about those environmental credentials?

Fairphone is well known for not just its repairable tech, but also its work with the environment. It claims that it uses 100% renewable energy during manufacture, for example, backed up with B Corp Certification.

The materials that have gone into the headphones are apparently recycled, including the rare earth elements in the magnets of the headphones. They're also Longtime Certified, so they're going to last a long time.

But how do they sound...

Being environmentally conscious is all well and good, but I want the headphones that I use to be good as well as repairable. Thankfully, the experience at the heart of the Fairbuds XL is a very good one.

They're a handsome pair of cans, for one. I like the fetching green or black color ways, and the patterned headband draws the eye. The control joystick is intuitive and useful, and feels great under the finger.

They're light and comfortable, and the material on the earcups and the headband is soft. The ANC works well, although it isn't quite as impressive as that which you'll find in the more expensive options from Sony and Bose. But those don't have replaceable batteries — and cost $200 more.

30 hours of battery is plenty, and you could even buy an extra battery for your pocket to hot swap them when the one in the headphones runs out of juice. That's cool — and something unique.

But then there's the final question — how do they sound? They sound pretty good. They're not a HiFi experience, designed to reveal all the detail and make Spotify Lossless sound amazing, but they feature a well-considered sound profile that most people are going to really like.

They sound their best connected to your audio source with a USB-C cable, but they sound fine over their Bluetooth 5.3 connection. They're quite bassy, as you might expect from people-pleasing headphones, but there's still enough detail that they don't feel muddy or unpleasant to listen to.

I really like the Fairphone XL, and I really like how serious they are about their environmnetally friendly mission without compromising on the things that make headphones great. For $229, there's some great competition from the likes of Sony, Bose or Soundcore — but only these ones are completely repairable.

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Contrary to popular belief, I don't spend all my time locked up in my office. Sometimes I venture into the outside world, be that to stay with a friend somewhere or to go on vacation somewhere filled with trees and birds. And vanilla ice cream.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to take my full Hi-Fi setup with me when I go. It's big, bulky, and will almost certainly annoy anyone who comes across it. So, when I want to listen to top-quality music while I'm not at home, I turn to some of the best wired headphones and a device called a portable DAC.

Not sure what that is? Allow me to explain and show you why you need one too.

What is a portable DAC?

When you listen to your music through one of the best music streaming services, or even downloaded files, you start with a digital feed of 1s and 0s. Listen to those straight from the source, and it's less "wow, delicious mountain water, fresh from the spring" and more "what on earth is this horrible noise, make it stop."

You need something to take that signal and make it something that you would recognise as "music." That's where a DAC comes in. It stands for Digital to Analog converter, and it takes those digital tracks and "converts" the digital 1s and 0s to something you actually want to listen to.

There's lots more to it, of course — I would suggest Black Magic, but I'm told it's a lot more scientific — but that's a DAC in its simplest terms.

You'll find DACs in basically anything that can make sound. Your iPhone 17 Pro Max has a DAC. Your TV has a DAC, and even your Nintendo Switch 2 has an internal DAC. But not all DACs are created equal. While the digital file that goes into the start of the chain is the same every time, the DAC's ability to translate that file depends on how good it is.

A cheap DAC, like the one in your phone, won't produce an analog signal that's as nice to listen to as something that costs a little more. That's why so many of us buy separate DACs. They bypass the DAC built into your device and make your music sound better.

A portable DAC is a compact DAC that you can fit into your pocket. Still with me? Good! Let me show you the DAC I use, and why you need one — but also that it doesn't need to cost loads of money.

My DAC

The portable DAC I use is called the Chord Mojo 2. It's a stunning little device, and its incredible conversion internals are considered some of the best in the biz. Without going to far into it, it really does make your music sound spectacular.

There's more detail, more bass weight, and a wider soundstage. The Mojo 2 takes the same digital track, sure, but then it's able to spit out a far better analog signal than the DAC that lives in my phone.

I love how old-school the Mojo 2 is as well. There are moving things inside it. It clunks and clicks when you turn it, like a massive amplifier in your pocket. It does help that it's also a fairly potent headphone amp as well, lending more power to drive even the most demanding headphones on the go.

It's been my portable musical companion for the last four years — although getting hold of one isn't cheap. The version I've got costs $639 from Amazon and other retailers. That's a lot of money.

You don't have to spend loads

You don't have to spend loads and loads of money to get a DAC that completely outperforms the one built into your phone, tablet, or laptop. The iFi Go Link Max is a portable DAC that connects into the USB-C port of your device, and looks like a particularly bulky headphone dongle.

It's not as powerful as the Chord Mojo 2, but it does a surprsingly good job with thirstier headphones. It also brings some of the extra sonic merit of the Chord device, although not quite as refined. On account of it being tiny.

It's the perfect portable audio companion that isn't going to break the bank. You'll thank me later, as you get lost in your favorite music all over again. Afterall, even wiring your Bluetooth headphones in is going to make a difference.

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The original Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are still some of my favorite headphones. While their battery life left a lot to be desired and their sound wasn’t quite as impressive as more sonically capable rivals, their ANC was the very best you could buy for a price that matched the competition. They were (and still are) excellent headphones.

The aptly named QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation are now here to carry on the torch. They’re pretty much up to the task — thanks to a very welcome increase in battery life, improved sound profile, and some new spatial audio modes —but they don't surpass the competition in every category.

They are, without a doubt, the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy right now. But, if you’re looking beyond ANC ability, Sony and Bowers & Wilkins might have them beat. Find out why in my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2 review.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation: Specs

• Price £449/$449/AU$699
• Connectivity Bluetooth 5.4
• ANC Yes
• Battery 30 hours (ANC on)
• Weight 0.58 pounds
• Dimensions 7.68 x 5.47 x 2 inches
• Colors Black/ White Smoke/ Midnight Violet/ Driftwood sand/ Desert Gold
• Drivers 35mm
• Compatibility iOS, Android
• Frequency response 10Hz - 22kHz

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? An update to Bose’s flagship noise-canceling headphones
• Who is it for? Users who want to block out every single noise ever
• What does it cost? £449/$449/AU$699
• What do we like? Epic noise canceling, very comfortable fit, reliable and helpful app
• What don’t we like? Aging sound profile, identical design

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Price and availability

As with all things Bose, getting yourself a pair of QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2 is going to be a cinch. They’re available at pretty much any big box retailer like Best Buy, Walmart and Amazon. You can also pick up a pair directly from Bose, if that’s what you'd prefer. Either way, adding some to your backpack isn’t going to entail a lengthy search of store shelves or web pages.

What might make purchasing a pair slightly trickier is the price. The first model cost $429, and this newer model has received a not-insignificant price hike of $30. That makes them about $10 more than the Sony WH-1000XM6 and our current pick for the best headphones, the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3. It’s an unwelcome price hike, that’s for sure, especially as everyone tightens their belts in a particularly icy financial climate.

The price wouldn’t sting quite as much if they were a significant update over the previous pair, but they don’t feel like enough of an upgrade to justify the increase. It also makes them an unworthy upgrade for current QuietComfort Ultra Headphones users. My advice? Wait for the next model, you won’t get much extra here.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Build and design

• Slightly rattly
• There’s nothing new…
• But they’re still handsome

Look, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones were a good-looking pair of headphones. Those metal accents in the hinges looked lovely, and they match the pearlescent plastic earcups and headphones nicely.

They’re certainly more interesting-looking than the Sony XM6-flavored competition, but not quite as stylish or premium-looking as the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 headphones. I like the look of the QuietComfort Ultra, but they’re not the best around.

It’s good that the 1st gen looked so nice because the new model doesn’t look even one iota different from their forbears. It's the same metallic hinge pieces, the same plastic earcups, and identical cushioning on both headphones. There are new color options to keep things a little fresher, but at their core, no one is going to know that you’re rocking the new version.

I wasn’t entirely sure I was using the 2nd gen at one point, and had to check in the app to see what they were called. Which perhaps says a lot about just how iterative this update actually is.

Thankfully, that also means the incredible comfort of the old version carries into the second generation. They’re impressively lightweight, and when you combine that with their super soft leatherette pads and ample padding, you end up with one of the most comfortable fits in all of noise-canceling headphone-dom. I had no problem wearing them for hours and hours on end, and I’d wager that neither will you.

Their identikit build also carries one of the biggest disappointments of the older model with them; they don’t feel premium in the hand. They’re a bit rattly, and they don’t feel as put-together as their key rivals.

They don’t feel cheap, but neither do they feel like you’ve just dropped nearly half a grand on a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

The excellent protective case does make it easier to toss them in a busy backpack guilt-free, and my older QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have stood the test of time with no breakages (despite a difficult life). But you’d hope they’d feel more expensive, given that they are expensive.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Features

• Plenty of “immersive” spatial audio modes
• Fairly weak EQ
• AptX adaptive

When you’re looking at the spec sheet of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen, you have to talk about the “Immersive” Spatial Audio sound modes. There are technically three, and one of them is new. Well, there are four if you consider “off” a mode. I don’t, it’s the default; because I still don’t get why everyone raves about these immersive sound modes.

There are two Immersive modes for music. One is for when you’re sitting down, and tracks your head movements to sound like your music is in a static place in space, with you looking around in the middle.

It’s smooth enough, unlike the same feature in the Beats Studio Pro, but I just don’t get it. It thins out the sound, tanking bass response and detail in exchange for an artificially widened soundstage. I don’t even think it sounds that much bigger — I often found my music sounded wider when it was turned off.

The second is for when you’re walking around, centering the music around your head so that it no longer moves. It’s not as disconcerting, but no less uncomfortable-sounding.

To be clear, there are two problems here. The first is that it doesn’t use a Spatial Audio mix like Apple headphones do, and has to work with stereo recordings. They only have a certain amount of information to parse out into a 3D space, and what Bose has done is very impressive. The second is me. I simply don’t like it.

For home-grown musical spatial audio systems, Bose’s Immersive Audio is fine. It works. But the fact remains that standard stereo listening sounds better, and doesn’t use as much battery.

The third immersive mode is cinema — and it’s about the only immersive mode I like. It’s designed, as you might have guessed, for movies, and it does a good enough job of making your movies feel more like surround sound when you're on a train, a plane, or, indeed, an automobile.

TL;DR: Musical Immersive Modes, no thanks. Move Immersive Mode, yes please.

The “Bose” app at the core of the experience works well enough. It’s where you’ll find all those Immersive sound modes, as well as the other settings. There’s a fairly weak (although essential) 3-band EQ, the ANC ‘noise control’ settings, as well as a customizable control for the touch… thing found on the right earcup.

There are fewer features here than you’ll find on Sony’s headphones, but it’s about the same as those in the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3. About the only thing you’ll really miss out on are the fancy ANC modes that Sony has cooked up for the WH-1000XM6, and I’m not entirely sure they’re actually all that useful.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: ANC

• Just about the best around
• No notes.
• Nothing better.

Usually, I’d spend loads of time here waxing lyrical about the ANC of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation's ability to block noise. I’d use fancy words like “indomitable” and “unconquerable.” I might throw in an “indefatigable” or two, perhaps even an “unflinching.”

But I won’t, because I don’t really need to. The ANC that Bose has packed into the Ultra Headphones 2nd gen is somehow even better than the first gen. Press the button, and you’re whisked away into your little noiseless cocoon, your only companion the music or podcast you’re listening to.

It’s still remarkable, still impressive, and continues to set the benchmark for how much noise a pair of headphones can block.

Transparency mode is no less excellent. Your conversation partners (or the station announcer) will sound natural, and it avoids the often robotic sound of similar systems. Bose still sets the bar for noise canceling and transparency modes, outdoing similarly priced and more expensive headphones without breaking a sweat.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Call quality

• Solid mics
• Great sound quality
• Noise isolation is very good

Thanks to all the microphones that Bose has pumped into the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2, the call quality is excellent. But then the call quality of the previous model was also good — and you’re not going to get much of an upgrade here.

My call partners, whether I was sitting in my office seat, a train carriage, or walking down a busy street, all reported that I was clearly understandable. Little noise from my environment seemed to trouble the headphones.

On my end, things were similarly standout. My call partners all sounded good (depending on their source device, of course — the Bose did their best, but a friend's woeful headset still made it sound like he was talking to me from the other end of a massive concrete pipe), and I didn’t have any problem hearing what they had to say.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Controls

• The power button and noise control button are fine
• But the sliding volume touch thing?
• Woeful

My experience with the controls on the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2, much like that with the older model, have been a mixed bag. A mixed bag filled with nails.

While the physical controls for power and noise controls are very welcome indeed, the imprecise touch slider that Bose has placed in the right earcup is straight up bad.

It’s annoying to find, for one. It’s towards the back of the headset, and not quite pronounced enough to find without activating one of its features. While multi-pressing the ANC button changes playback (bad), the touch bar changes the volume (even worse).

It has a habit of wildly shifting volume no matter what you ask of it, whether you swipe up or down. I was really hoping that this version of the headphones would take this control and cast it into the fires of headphone Mount Doom. Alas, it did not.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Sound quality

• It’s fine
• Very bassy
• You’ll need to play with the EQ

Bose’s sound profile has generally been all about the bass, and making things sound warm and velvety. That’s no less true here with the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd gen, although there is a way to tweak them and it’s not all that tricky..

Head into the Bose App’s EQ menu, and set the treble to +2 or +3. That dials in some extra high range, allowing cymbals and other sounds to breathe a bit more. It’s not the perfect solution, but it makes them sound more listenable than they are straight out of the box.

The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are otherwise a solid-sounding pair of headphones, especially with the Immersive Sound modes turned off.

They’re reasonably spacious in their soundstage, and there’s some lovely, rich bass here to get things rumbling. The mids provide good vocal representation, although they’re not quite as focused or dialed in as the Sony WH-1000XM6.

The bass, while plentiful and warm, feels one-note. As a result, detail takes a hit, as do dynamics. It’s perfect for some background listening, but not quite as good if you want to sit down and get involved with your music. If that’s what you want, then you should opt for the Sennheiser HDB 630 or the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3.

Katatonia’s metallic melancholy Wind Of No Change allows the headphones to stretch their bassy legs, although I do wish for some more dynamism in that low end. The bass guitar hits nicely, but it feels very flat. With my EQ adjustments, the cymbals can sing more, and the vocals are right in the forefront.

The distorted guitars sound great, with plenty of bite. Instrument separation is fine, but when things get busy, it can be hard to pick out the choir in the background. That’s not a struggle in the Sony WH-1000XM6.

As you might expect, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen fare a whole lot better with Pop music. XG’s Gala brings the glam, and the headphones are more than happy to let the bass go off.

The flatness doesn’t feel like as much of a problem here as the group's vocals layer over the top, and the chirping synths bring some extra dimension. Nothing gets lost here, and the imaging is good. They’re headphones really dialed in for the genre, it feels.

Chvrches' Asking For a Friend feels similarly well defined in the QuietComfort Ultra, although I do miss some bass dynamism again. Mayberry’s vocals are clear and easy to listen to, and the drum beat drives with some gusto thanks to that warmer focus of the headphones. I’ve heard better — but it still sounds good.

• Listen along to the Tom's Guide Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation testing playlist

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Battery life

• Vast improvement over old model…
• But still not class-leading
• 30 hours

The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones only featured 24 hours of battery life. You couldn’t extend that battery life either, with the headphones only featuring “on” and “transparency” modes for the noise canceling. Both drank battery life like a thirsty dog, and turning on Immersive Audio brought the staying power down to 18 hours.

We’ve got some improvement here, although it only brings them up to par with the competition rather than bettering it. According to Bose, you’ll be able to pull 30 hours of battery life out of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2.

That’s 6 hours more than the old model, but if you’re after the most battery life possible, then you’re going to want to choose something like the Sennheiser HDB 630. They’re about $40 more again, but they last for 60 hours.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Verdict

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen are a great pair of headphones. The sound is good, they’re incredibly comfortable, and the ANC remains a spectacular example of noise-canceling technology. I can’t not give them 4 stars, and a recommendation. They’re good. Unfortunately, so is the competition.

Making matters trickier is that the old model, a pair you can still buy for often reduced prices, is close enough in performance and is still well worth picking up. Once the stock of the first gen has dried up, the story will be different, but we're still a few months away from that point.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2 are a good upgrade, and they’re now the best noise-canceling headphones by the sheer fact that their ANC is better than anything available right now.

However, when Bose ditches the useless touch control thing on the right earcup, improves the sound and brings us a new design, a higher score will be in order. But as it stands, they’re a solid four-star pair of headphones in a crowded, competitive market.