How we tested
Over the years, we’ve tested out a lot of headphones and wireless earbuds at Mashable. To determine the best of the best, and not just pick what’s trendy at the moment, we went back through our reviews from former and current tech reporters, editors, and shopping reporters. From JBL and Sony to Samsung and Anker Soundcore, we did our research to make sure we left no major headphone stone unturned, and the result is this guide — our favorite vetted and tested headphones of 2024.
All of the headphones in this guide were hands-on tested. In making our selections, we weighed:
Sound: Since headphones are first and foremost a way for you to listen to audio, if a pair of headphones didn’t sound good, they didn’t make the list — that goes for our budget pick, too.
Noise cancellation: These days, some form of noise cancellation is near-essential for any pair of headphones. We prioritized models that feature solid noise cancellation.
Comfort: What’s the point of a great pair of headphones if they’re too uncomfortable to wear?
Customization: Whether it be for ANC levels, transparency modes, or touch controls, headphones that allow you to adjust the settings will make them feel like they were made for you.
Battery life: Most wireless headphones on the market rely on Bluetooth connectivity, so having a battery you can rely on for at least a few hours of listening time is key.
Special features: When testing headphones and earbuds, we also take into consideration any other special features they offer. For headphones in the $200-plus price range, we expect at least a few special features.
You might notice that the Apple AirPods Max are missing from our top picks. It’s not that we don’t like them — in fact, we think they sound and look great. But when we reviewed them, we found that they didn’t have a practical storage option, they never really turn off (thus draining the otherwise long battery life), and are just too expensive to justify a wholehearted recommendation. We understand if you like them regardless, but personally, we think there are better options at lower price points.
Recent testing updates
As of Feb. 2024, two of our former recommendations, the Skullcandy Sesh Evo earbuds and Sennheiser IE 300 have been discontinued. We’re in the process of testing new headphones to take their place, and we chose the Marshall Mode earbuds as our new budget pick for earbuds. We also added in the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones as an upgrade recommendation in March 2024.
From April to May 2024, 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.
As of June 2024, we’ve removed the Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones as they’re officially discontinued and unavailable online. In Aug. 2024, the Bose 700 headphones met the same fate, so we’ve removed them as our pick for the best noise-cancelling headphones. In their place, we’re recommending the Bose QC Ultra headphones, which were formerly our top pick for best premium noise-cancelling headphones.
In September 2024, Apple announced the release of the AirPods 4. While they are a more affordable option than the AirPods Pro, we still prefer the Pros in terms of performance and value.
