Best headphones for every budget

Skullcandy Hesh headphones

Want a healthy dose of bass every time you listen to your favourite tunes? These over-ear Bluetooth headphones feature a sound signature that leans toward the rumbling boom a bass-heavy pair should have. With active noise cancellation (ANC) on board, plus up to 22 hours of battery life, you can immerse in your favourite content all-day long. They also fold up so it’s easy travel with, though they don’t come with a case.

Sony WF-C510 earbuds

If you’re having trouble finding comfort in a pair of earbuds, the Sony WF-C510 might do the trick. You won’t get ANC here, though a better fit will give you decent noise isolation. The earbuds sound surprisingly good for their price, with a customizable five-band equalizer in the app to enhance their audio performance.

They also support multipoint pairing, Google Fast Pair, and Swift Pair (for Windows PCs) for seamless connectivity with multiple devices. Battery life can reach up to 11 hours with power-saving settings. But, it drops to around 6-7 hours with features like DSEE and Ambient Sound enabled.

Soundcore Space One

Anker’s Soundcore brand is all about value—and the Space One delivers that in more ways than one. These headphones have a solid sound signature that gives you a nice balance out of the box. And, you can also tune it yourself by going through the equalizer in the Soundcore app. Whether you want more bass, more treble, or something ideal for podcasts, you’ll find it there.

ANC helps drown out some of the background noise you’re likely to encounter, and while not the best in its class, it does the job just fine. With up to 40 hours of playback with ANC on, the battery won’t be dying on you very quickly.

Sennheiser Accentum Plus

These headphones offer several upgrades over the regular Accentum model. It offers hi-res audio and personalized sound through Sennheiser’s Smart Control app. They’re not particularly flashy, but they do make up for that with a comfortable fit, balanced sound, excellent clarity, and a noticeable bass response. ANC works well in most situations, while Transparency mode does the same when you want to hear ambient noise. The excellent battery life lasts up to 50 hours on a full charge.

Jabra Elite 8 Active

The Jabra Elite 8 Active are one of the most durable pairs of wireless earbuds you’ll come across. With their IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, they’re perfect for workouts or even swimming in the pool. Designed for comfort and familiarity, they have solid ANC to block out background noise, as well as an effective HearThrough mode to hear the sounds around you.

General sound quality is balanced with custom EQ options for varied musical preferences, while multipoint support lets you stay connected with two devices simultaneously. With battery life lasting up to eight hours, they’ll get through a commute or workout with ease.

Samsung Galaxy Buds3

If earbuds with a one-size-fits-all approach suit your taste and comfort preference, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 are an interesting option. They feature a slim, lightweight design that can fit comfortably inside your ear. Another advantage is how they integrate with other devices. They can work with Samsung TVs, switch between phones and tablets, and utilize Samsung’s real-time translator feature on compatible devices.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The Sony WH-1000XM5 are made for those who take the full gamut of features and performance seriously. These headphones has some of the best ANC you’ll find in any pair of headphones. Sound quality is superb and even better when you use the equalizer in the Sony Sound Connect app.

Sony made some design changes to these over-ear headphones compared to the previous (and still excellent) WH-1000XM4. Leather ear cushions ensure a comfortable fit and its over-the-ear coverage allows for great passive noise isolation.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones

For outstanding ANC—possibly the best in the business—consider the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones. ANC is simply incredible, providing serenity in noisy environments like airplanes and subways. Plus, their new drivers help deliver vibrant, dynamic sound for balanced tuning that you can tweak further on the Bose Music app, though it doesn’t let you create custom EQ presets.

A newer Immersive Audio feature (spatial audio by another name) varies in its effectiveness depending on the content. The headphones also feature multipoint connectivity, allowing simultaneous pairing with two devices.

Sony WF-1000XM5

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the previous Sony WF-1000XM4, making them a better fit for smaller ears. You’re more likely to find a good fit through the variety of foam ear tips in the box and the fit test via the Sound Connect app.

Despite slimming the earbuds down, Sony manages to deliver advanced ANC, enhanced ambient sound and voice pickup. Not to mention, it has features like adaptive sound control, EQ adjustments, and spatial audio. While the sound profile is more neutral, with less emphasis on bass, you can always ramp that up with the EQ.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds build on the design of the previous QuietComfort Earbuds II. These earbuds offer improved comfort and stability, making them less likely to fall out. They feature a customizable fit through Bose’s app and incorporate CustomTune software to optimize noise-cancellation and sound quality. While they retain the same drivers, they now support Snapdragon Sound, hi-res audio, and lower latency to make them more reliable for media playback. ANC blocks out most background noise effectively, though Aware mode isn’t quite as effective as Sony’s WF-1000XM5.