Best headphones for 2023: Sony, Bose, Apple, and more

The champion headphones for you tin beryllium highly personal. Things for illustration fit, style, portability, and moreover colour are important factors because if you're going to walk your hard-earned money, they'd amended suit your lifestyle. But that's conscionable nan extremity of nan headphone iceberg. All headphones connection a assortment of useful and precocious features, specified arsenic progressive sound canceling (ANC), transparency mode for proceeding nan world astir you, and companion apps that unlock a near-infinite level of customization. Oh, and, of course, they request to fresh your budget.

A awesome brace of headphones — and by headphones, we typically mean nan over-ear assortment — should do what you request them to do for nevertheless you scheme to usage them. If you're looking for earbuds, we person a roundup of nan champion of those, too

We've tested hundreds of pairs of headphones, and arsenic acold arsenic we're concerned, nan Sony WH-1000XM5 are still nan champion headphones for astir people. With a comfortable creation and slick appearance, positive continued improvements successful noise-canceling, telephone quality, sound quality, and charging speed, Sony leaves almost nary container unchecked successful its pursuit of headphone perfection.

If you're looking for immoderate alternatives, though, we person you covered there, too. We've picked retired a number of different fantabulous headphone models, each pinch its ain circumstantial strengths, that equilibrium value pinch features circumstantial to your needs. We besides person roundups of nan best noise-canceling headphones, nan best noise-canceling earbuds, and nan best earbuds for making telephone calls.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends / Digital Trends

Sony WH-1000XM5

The champion headphones, period

Sony's technologically precocious WH-1000XM5 are nan 5th procreation of Sony's flagship wireless headphones. Like Sony's erstwhile models, they connection top-tier sound canceling, fantabulous value wireless audio, and plush comfort. This enticing operation earned nan exemplary a uncommon five-star standing successful our review and — acknowledgment to a bid of continued improvements — maintains nan WH-1000 series' position arsenic nan champion headphones you tin buy.

At nan bosom of nan WH-1000XM5 is outstanding wireless sound. Though they usage smaller drivers than their predecessors, they negociate to nutrient a much refined and much elaborate capacity that trades big, in-your-face bass, pinch subtlety and nuance.

But nan existent stars of nan show are nan XM5's progressive sound cancellation (ANC) and telephone quality, some of which are class-leading. In an era wherever folks are spending almost arsenic overmuch clip connected Zoom calls arsenic listening to music, these features matter, and Sony knows it. Comfort matters too. The XM5 are some lighter and amended balanced than nan already-cushy XM4, and you'll person nary problem wearing them for hours astatine a clip without fatigue.

The XM3 and XM4 models compared good to Bose's Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, but now that we person nan XM5, it's nary contest. Sony's top-of-the-line cans outclass nan Bose successful each meaningful way.

Nick Woodard/Digital Trends

Adidas RPT-01

The champion for workouts

Adidas’ fabric-covered headphones whitethorn look a small overseas astatine first, but it quickly becomes evident why: They’re built for fittingness usage from nan crushed up, and that includes easily-washable cloth that’s other durable while besides helping to woody pinch immoderate sweat. The headphones besides travel pinch an IPX4 standing truthful you don’t person to interest overmuch astir sweat aliases rainfall damage, ever an important characteristic successful headphones utilized for exercise. The wide creation is besides ray capable – and pinch a tight capable fresh – to springiness joggers and different cardio fans a comfortable, reliable experience.

Then there’s nan fantabulous artillery life, rated astatine up to 40 hours, and headphones don’t get overmuch higher than this – particularly workout-oriented models. And we besides appreciated nan effective Adidas app, an fantabulous complement to nan onboard controls for playback, switching tracks, and calling up sound assistants for illustration Siri, Alexa, aliases Google Assistant.

Audio is tuned chiefly toward workout-friendly bass, which is an advantage successful nan gym but makes these headphones a spot little useful for listening to euphony casually. The equalizer action helps, but don’t expect these headphones to rather scope nan sound value of immoderate of our different apical picks.

And if you’re looking for headphones pinch an moreover amended artillery option, cheque retired nan Adidas RPT-02 SOL. These headphones person immoderate akin capabilities but see a star headband that tin thief recharge nan already-excellent battery. They’re a bully prime for outdoor runs successful sunnier places.

Zeke Jones/Digital Trends / Digital Trends

Sennheiser Momentum 4

Best for audio purists

Sennheiser has ever been a reliable marque for a high-quality audio experience, but its outdone its past activity pinch nan Momentum 4, a brace of wireless headphones that don’t skimp an inch erstwhile it comes to unthinkable sound supported by the aptX Adaptive codec. Our reappraisal moreover recovered that nan audio was preferable to our apical Sony headphones pick, nan XM5s, contempt nan value really being astir $50 lower.

That whitethorn already beryllium capable to person nan audiophiles retired there, but let’s spell on: The upgraded Momentum 4 includes an unthinkable 60-hour battery, and a lightweight yet highly effective creation pinch awesome passive sound cancellation. Don’t worry, nan headphones travel pinch Active Noise Cancellation arsenic good for canceling retired inheritance noises (at nan disbursal of immoderate artillery life). Four beamforming mics besides guarantee you tin return clear calls connected these headphones if necessary.

If you really attraction astir sound, you whitethorn besides want to tweak audio settings to lucifer your favourite genre aliases instruments. The Momentum 4 offers customization options, including basal presets arsenic good arsenic an integrated equalizer you tin play pinch to create a sound floor plan that’s conscionable right. They whitethorn not person each characteristic successful nan book – touch controls and auto-off modes are lacking, and nan three-band equalizer is simply a small elemental – but those focused connected axenic audio will find that these headphones are made for them.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Bowers & Wilkins Px8

Best money-is-no-object pick

At nan precocious end, headphone prices tin agelong to hundreds of dollars aliases more, but there’s typically a limit wherever audio conscionable doesn’t get overmuch amended nary matter really overmuch you are paying (in which case, it’s clip to adhd a DAC and commencement utilizing amended audio files). But if you want nan absolute champion sound you tin get without heeding nan price, nan Px8 genuinely delivers. Not only is nan sound acquisition phenomenal, but nan creation is perfectly luxurious, sporting supple leather, polished aluminum, and an expertly comfortable design.

The creation and audio are backed up by nan ANC, and while it isn’t arsenic effective arsenic nan cancellation offered by thing for illustration nan AirPods Max, it’s still capable to heighten nan audio successful noisy places, and nan transparency mode useful conscionable fine. They are besides compatible pinch nan Bluetooth AptX modular for listening to higher-quality wireless music, though this characteristic is sadly not compatible pinch iPhones. Battery life is serviceable astatine astir 30 hours, too.

These are nan champion existent headphones for an fantabulous operation of audio and comfortable, pinch nan correct compatibility features for superior listeners. But if you want to comparison different high-end options, we propose taking a look astatine nan Master & Dynamic MW75, which offers galore akin advantages (at a likewise sky-high price).

Riley Young/Digital Trends

Apple AirPods Max

The champion for iPhone

At $550, nan AirPods Max are expensive. But nan design, materials, and build value unsocial are almost worthy nan value of admission. The aluminum earcups and stainless alloy headband sliders consciousness awesome successful your hands, and each of nan parts move together pinch invisible, clockwork-like precision. The mesh cloth connected nan unusually-shaped headband each but eliminates unit points and nan receptor cushions supply ample comfort.

The integer crown, which Apple repurposed from nan Apple Watch, is amazingly effective arsenic a combo power that lets you set measurement pinch overmuch amended precision than a group of buttons. The dedicated ANC/transparency mode fastener is arsenic intuitive and easy to use.

Speaking of ANC and transparency, Apple has knocked these features retired of nan park. Our reviewer recovered that nan transparency was truthful good, it felt for illustration he wasn't wearing nan headphones astatine all. That's besides an apt explanation for nan head-tracking spatial audio that you tin do pinch these cans erstwhile they're paired to an iPhone aliases an Apple TV 4K — it's for illustration sitting successful afloat situation sound location theater, but without immoderate existent speakers.

Sound value can't rather lucifer what you'll get pinch nan Sony WH-1000XM5, but there's nary denying nan AirPods Max are a delight to perceive to.

The included transportation lawsuit is 1 of nan fewer weaknesses. It doesn't afloat protect nan headphones and it doesn't thief you battalion them successful a backpack aliases suitcase. You whitethorn want to see 1 from our best AirPods Max accessories post. There are moreover ones that push nan AirPods Max into its ultra-low-power mode.

Speaking of power, astatine 20 hours, nan AirPods Max won't triumph immoderate endurance prizes, but that's still capable juice for each but nan longest of flights.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Best sound canceling headphones

Bose has returned to shape pinch its new, redesigned flagship ANC headphones, nan QuietComfort Ultra, and they've not only landed connected our champion headphones database here, but they've besides managed to nonstop nan long-standing Sony WH-1000XM5s to return nan apical position successful our best sound canceling headphones roundup.

Successors to nan Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700, nan QC Ultra person an improved creation that harks backmost to nan much-loved double fold-up style that allows nan headphones to laic level successful their zip-up case, but besides fold again for further abstraction savings to make much room for nan USC-C and 2.5-to-3.5 mm headphone cables.

The prima of nan show, though, is Bose's signature ANC, which gets a large betterment successful nan QC Ultra, bringing a caller level of quiet that our reviewer says tops nan champion successful nan business, Apple AirPods Max and nan antecedently mentioned Sony WH-1000XM5. The summation of ANC "Modes" intends that you tin create your ain favourite presets that are fine-tuned for your needs and you tin toggle betwixt them pinch ease. Modes tin besides see nan QC Ultra's transparency modes — meaning you tin take to toggle betwixt your cleanable operation of ANC and transparency and past quickly move to your favourite axenic ANC mode for your noisy commute. The QC Ultra's transparency mode besides features a caller "Active Sense" mode that listens for overtly large noises and past adds nan due ANC to protect your ears.

Bose's well-known sound value hasn't gone anyplace either. They connection a well-balanced and dynamically rich | sound that tin beryllium afloat tweaked successful nan Bose Music app's EQ settings successful lawsuit you're not 100% connected committee pinch their sound signature retired of nan box. There's now moreover support for hi-res audio formats pinch nan summation of aptX Adaptive Bluetooth technology, which intends audiophiles pinch Tidal, Apple Music, Qobuz, aliases different hi-res streaming services tin return advantage (you request an Android telephone for this, though; sorry, Apple fans). Spatial audio pinch caput search is besides included connected nan Ultra, pinch support for not only Dolby Atmos Music tracks, but nan headphones will besides create their ain simulated 3D sound retired of normal stereo tracks pinch a characteristic called "Immersive Audio," which our reviewer Simon Cohen says is "the champion virtual spatial audio I’ve heard truthful far."

While location are headphones connected our database pinch much awesome artillery life than nan QC Ultra, you'll still get 24 hours from them connected a complaint (18 hours pinch immersive audio enabled), pinch 2.5 hours gained from conscionable a 15-minute speedy charge.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sennheiser HD 660S2

Best open-back headphones

Open-back headphones are a benignant of headphone that you don't spot popular onto our database very often, but our reviewer Simon Cohen was truthful impressed pinch nan Sennheiser HD 660S2s that he felt they should beryllium mentioned. What are open-back headphones, you ask? Loved by audiophiles for their expertise to let sound to travel towards your ears and distant from them done a perforated outer earcup, nan creation is expected to thief present a much earthy sound. The free-flowing aerial besides relieves immoderate unit buildup wrong nan earcup for a much comfortable feel. Cohen confirms successful his review, that each this is true.

The HD 660S2s is simply a brace of wired headphones, but that's a bully point arsenic this intends that they tin present a overmuch higher sound value than Bluetooth allows, for illustration hi-res audio from services for illustration Tidal, Apple Music, aliases Amazon Unlimited, aliases from files connected your computer. "The sound is effortless," our reappraisal boasts. "It conscionable springs distant and mildly bathes you successful its detail, alternatively of pummeling you, which I now admit arsenic a imaginable broadside effect of closed-back headphones." Deep resonant bass, and an unfastened airy value is besides what you get, which is why galore audiophiles for illustration them.

That said, location is simply a spot of a caveat pinch these high-performing cans: they're champion listened to utilizing a digital-to-analog- converter (DAC). These are audiophile-level headphones, and they person a higher 300-ohm impedance, which intends while they will activity erstwhile plugged successful to your computer, they whitethorn beryllium quieter, arsenic they request much amplification. To adhd that other amplification, we urge utilizing a combo DAC/amp aliases a standalone headphone amplifier, which tin beryllium had for betwixt $100 and $300 aliases so. If you want to get moreover nerdier, nan HD 660S2s besides characteristic a abstracted near and correct cablegram system. They travel pinch an unbalanced 6.3mm cablegram and 3.5mm adapter, arsenic good arsenic a balanced 4.4mm cable, which intends that nan signals sent on balanced cables are little affected by interference, resulting successful a quieter sound. In short, these things person each kinds of different ways to sound amazing.

Lastly, these 260-gram headphones are really comfy, pinch plush-covered receptor cups and soft representation foam connected nan headband for agelong listening sessions. They look beautiful saccharine too.

Ted Kritsonis / Digital Trends

1More SonoFlow

Best fund headphones

Scanning nan astir celebrated headphones tin consciousness depressing connected a budget. Top picks for illustration nan AirPods Max aliases nan Sony WH1000XM5 (both of which won spots connected our list) costs hundreds of dollars to get each their fancy features and audio upgrades. But if you’re looking for a exemplary that’s $100 aliases less, you’ll beryllium amazed conscionable really small you person to springiness up pinch this affordable powerhouse from 1More.

The wireless SonoFlow person each nan features that you want, including ANC, support for high-res formats for illustration LDAC, an EQ pinch plentiful presets, and mostly awesome audio pinch their 40mm DLC move drivers. We besides for illustration nan comfortable, lightweight design, which makes wearing these headphones for hours astatine a clip a painless experience.

The artillery is besides incredible, pinch up to 70 hours of playback clip (without ANC) connected 1 charge, and 50 hours pinch ANC on. We’re earnestly impressed pinch conscionable really overmuch is packed into nan SonoFlow headphones astatine specified a reasonable price, making them nan apical action for buyers connected a budget.

Puro Sound Labs

PuroQuiet Active Noise Cancelling Headphones

The champion for kids

Noise cancelation for kids? Doesn't that mean they'll disregard their parents moreover much often than they already do? Perhaps, but it's a consequence worthy taking if it intends your kids' proceeding will beryllium protected complete nan agelong term. That's precisely nan premise down nan Puro PuroQuiet headphones.

Not only are they wireless and great-sounding, but they besides travel equipped pinch a package limiter that keeps nan measurement astatine aliases beneath 85dB, which is considered nan maximum measurement that anyone (but particularly children) should beryllium exposed to for prolonged periods. Above that period and kids consequence processing noise-induced proceeding loss (NIHL). The noise-canceling characteristic intends they'll really beryllium capable to perceive to little (therefore safer) volumes, truthful hopefully, erstwhile they get older they won't request to spell nan way of OTC proceeding aids.

These headphones battalion astir 35 hours of non-ANC playtime (23 hours pinch ANC) which is very bully moreover by big ANC headphone standards, but there’s besides nan action of utilizing an analog cablegram instead. An outer move lets you move nan sound cancellation connected and off. Make nary mistake, these mightiness beryllium aimed astatine kids, but nan value of construction, action of materials, and colour choices springiness them an quality that will still entreaty to your young charges agelong aft they've outgrown their Disney shape (some of america still haven't).

While not nan cheapest kids' headphones you tin buy, nan Puro PuroQuiet are very reasonably priced for what they offer. We deliberation your kids’ ears are worthy it.

Like nan thought of nan PuroQuiet but request thing much adult-sized? Check retired nan PuroPro. Want volume-limiting without progressive sound cancellation? Check retired nan Happy Plugs Play.

Read our PuroQuiet impressions

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Bose QuietComfort 45

The champion for predominant flyers

Travelers often person to woody pinch agelong flights and train aliases autobus rides — on pinch nan waits astatine airports aliases stations. If you’re acquainted pinch nan acquisition and for illustration to area retired arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable while waiting, these Bose headphones are for you. They connection nan perfect operation of high-quality ANC and a very comfortable fresh for agelong trips.

There’s besides nan transparent alert mode to fto successful biology sounds, which tin beryllium fantabulous if you’re waiting for your formation aliases extremity to beryllium called. No matter which mode you are in, nan sound doesn’t disappoint, pinch clear audio and an effective adjustable EQ via nan Bose app.

Battery life is rated astatine astir 24 hours, amended than galore Bose headphones, and capable to easy grip a time of walking without needing to recharge until you’re fresh to illness successful a edifice room. They’re a spot expensive, but predominant travelers will find them a valuable companion for uncovering a small tranquility.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro

The champion for gaming

SteelSeries makes immoderate of nan champion headphones and headsets for gaming around, pinch its Arctis marque having a prestigious lineage that has included nan wired Arctis Pro, and nan Arctis 7 earlier it. And arsenic nan gaming experts present astatine Digital Trends person opined, nan latest successful nan lineup, nan redesigned Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, has group a caller standard.

As you mightiness expect from a brace of headphones pinch gaming successful mind (and astatine this price), nan Nova Pro Wireless are packed pinch features for gamers. Our reviewer, Jacob Roach, praised their earthy sound arsenic "dynamic and lively crossed nan wave spectrum," pinch coagulated ANC and immersive 360-degree situation sound and configurable EQing that he said besides makes movies sound excellent, too.

But you're present for nan gaming stuff, aren't you? A cardinal constituent of nan Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is its GameDAC portion which has dual USB ports truthful you tin link to and seamlessly move betwixt 2 systems, specified arsenic a PC and a console aliases 2 consoles, astatine nan touch of a button. Additional connectivity pinch a 3.5mm line-in and line-out, harvester pinch nan headphones' wireless connectivity, intends that you tin besides person a group of powered speakers connected allowing you to besides move betwixt listening connected nan headphones aliases your speakers without rubbing a cable. And multi-system link intends you tin beryllium connected to nan GameDAC and a smartphone aliases instrumentality done Bluetooth truthful you tin besides return calls, perceive to Spotify, aliases entree Discord arsenic well. As we said, tons of features.

The Nova Pro Wireless' Sonar Audio package is besides beautiful crazy, allowing you to operation and fine-tune your gaming sound pinch a 10-band EQ, and respective presets for celebrated games that fto you set circumstantial elements for illustration footsteps, gunshots, and different captious sounds. You tin besides set chat measurement levels and moreover nan sound of nan Nova Pro's ain fully-retractable microphone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Editors' Recommendations

• The champion noise-canceling headphones of 2023: Bose, Sony, and more
• Dyson Zone air-purifying headphones are discounted today
• You won’t judge really inexpensive this 50-inch QLED TV is astatine Best Buy
• Can’t hold until Black Friday? The champion early headphone deals today
• The champion TV brands of 2023: from LG to TCL, which should you buy?