The 11 best headphones of 2025 — see the top contenders from Sony, Apple, Bose, and Beats
Choosing the best headphones can be a daunting task, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The market is flooded with a variety of options from elite audio brands, each offering different tiers of products that cater to diverse preferences and needs. Whether you’re an audiophile seeking the best sound quality or a casual listener looking for convenience, the ideal pair of headphones will ultimately depend on your personal preferences and intended usage. For instance, over-ear headphones are often favored for their superior sound quality and comfort, while earbuds appeal to those who prioritize portability and minimalism. Athletes might lean towards waterproof options that can withstand intense workouts, while frequent travelers might prioritize long battery life and comfort for extended use.
To help consumers navigate this vast landscape, the guide provides a comprehensive overview of the top headphones for 2025, focusing on categories like noise cancellation, music quality, price, and wired connections. Although the guide primarily emphasizes wireless headphones due to their convenience, it does acknowledge the merits of wired options, recommending the Marshall Mode earbuds as a top pick. Recent testing has included models like the JBL Tour One M3 and Skullcandy Method 360 ANC, with insights into their performance and features. For example, while the Marshall Major V headphones boasted an impressive 100+ hours of battery life, they fell short in comfort during extended use, and the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 headphones, despite their premium sound, lacked effective active noise cancellation. The guide aims to keep readers informed with regular updates, including recent additions such as the Sony WH-CH720N Noise-Canceling Headphones as a budget-friendly option and the Sony XM5 headphones as an honorable mention for their well-rounded performance.
As technology continues to evolve, the guide will also explore more budget-friendly noise-canceling options in future updates, ensuring that readers can make informed choices regardless of their budget. With a focus on personal preference and practical use cases, this guide serves as an essential resource for anyone looking to invest in a new pair of headphones, whether for casual listening, workouts, or immersive audio experiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5qootmFQx0
How to choose the best headphones
We won’t beat around the bush: There’s no definitive “best” product here. Sure, elite audio brands put out high-quality products across the board, but even within each of those brands, you’ll find different tiers of products. Some will deliver better value, and some will deliver better hardware and active noise cancellation.
All this to say, the
best pair of earbuds
or headphones largely comes down to personal preference and how you plan to use them. Some listeners swear by over-ear headphones, while others prefer the minimalism of earbuds — one is not necessarily better than the other. Athletes who like to use
headphones at the gym
will appreciate waterproof materials and the
best open earbuds
, while
frequent fliers
will prefer devices with long battery life, comfort, and portability. Finally, music lovers and audiophiles will want to invest in premium features like a custom equalizer, spatial audio, or best-in-class active noise cancellation.
To help you pick your pair, we tested all of the headphones in this guide (and a lot that didn’t make the cut). Here, you’ll find the top headphones of 2025
for noise cancellation
, music, price, and wired connections.
What about wired headphones?
We focused primarily on the best wireless headphones for this guide. While
wired headphones have their fans
, wireless headphones are just more convenient for most of us. If we had to pick, we’d recommend the Marshall Mode earbuds as our top wired pick. Some of us are also
fans of Apple’s EarPods
.
Other headphones we’ve tested
Most recently, we tested the
JBL Tour One M3 headphones
and the
Skullcandy Method 360 ANC
, and we may add them to this guide in a future update. We also tested the
Marshall Major V
headphones and
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2
headphones, both of which had excellent sound profiles and easy-to-navigate custom equalizers on their companion apps. Ultimately, they didn’t make the cut on our final list for a couple of reasons. With the
Major V headphones
, we love that their claim of 100+ hours of battery life held up under our testing, but we found them to get uncomfortable after a couple of hours. We also would have appreciated ANC at their $149 price point.
For the B&W headphones, we loved their design and premium feel in addition to their truly impressive sound, but we found that their ANC was only so-so. If you’re willing to spend $399, you can find a better balance of sound and ANC in the Sony XM5 headphones.
We’ve also tested the
Sonos Ace headphones
and
Dyson OnTrac headphones
. And while we loved them both for sound quality and noise cancellation, they fare in the way of AirPods Max — left out of our recommendations for their high price points.
In the testing pipeline
For our future updates, we’re testing out more budget noise-cancelling earbuds and headphones.
Recent updates to this guide
December 2025:
We replaced the
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2
earbuds, which are no longer available, with the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 sports earbuds.
December 2025:
We removed the
Marshall Mode wired earbuds
, as they’re frequently out of stock.
December 2025:
We added the
Sony WH-CH720N Noise-Canceling Headphones
as the best headphones under $100.
December 2025: We added the
Sony XM5 headphones
, originally released in 2022, as our new honorable mention pick.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Tech & AI news.
