Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3: The PX7 S3 may not be the company’s flagship headphones (the new PX8 S2 are), but they’re arguably the better value as the PX8 S2 cost a whopping $799. While that step-up model does have a little swankier finish, as well as upgraded drivers that make the headphones sound better (the PX8 S2 do sound superb), the two headphones are quite similar looking. Like the PX8 S2, the PX7 S3 offer improved sound quality and superior noise canceling in a trimmer design (300 grams) that fit my head more comfortably. As I said, the drivers aren’t the same as the PX8 S2’s carbon cone drivers, but the redesigned 40mm biocellulose drive units have an improved chassis, voice coil, suspension and magnet that, according to B&W, deliver “lower coloration and distortion, improved resolution and superior dynamics.” Read my review.
CMF Headphone Pro: Nothing started out with a few different wireless earbuds but has now branched into the over-ear headphones market with its eye-catching Nothing Headphone (1) and the budget-oriented CMF Headphone Pro, which also have a pretty unique look and feature interchangeable ear pads in a few different color options. I was expecting all that much from these headphones, but after using them for a week, they check a lot of boxes for a top value headphone, including a comfortable fit (they pretty lightweight at 283 grams), decent build quality and good sound quality that’s highlighted by powerful bass that can be dialed up or down with a slider control on the left ear cup (you can also tweak the sound in the companion app). The Skullcandy Crusher 2 headphones have a similar slider, but the CMF’s bass doesn’t get to head-rattling levels (the Crusher 2’s bass literally makes the headphones vibrate).
Earfun Wave Pro: Earfun has made some very solid budget earbuds, and now it’s entered the full-size ANC headphone space with a few different over-ear models, including the Wave Pro (add the code EWPROCNET at checkout on Amazon to receive an additional 10% off). While they may not sound as good as premium noise-canceling headphones from Bose or Sony, they’re comfortable to wear, feature decent sound with punchy bass (they’re a bit lacking in clarity and bass definition compared to more expensive models), and they offer respectable noise canceling (you can toggle between two levels of ANC) and voice-calling performance. The headphones do come with a cable for wired listening — you can plug into an inflight entertainment system — but the noise canceling cuts off when you’re in wired mode, which is unfortunate.
Edifier W830NB: The Edifier W830NB remain a good value noise-canceling headphone pick. They look slightly more premium than their predecessor, W820NB Plus, and and are fairly lightweight (265 grams) and comfortable, with cushy memory foam ear pads. They also sound very good for their price, offering decent clarity and fairly well-defined bass with an amply wide sound stage (they lack the refinement and depth of higher-end headphones, but you can’t expect the world from sub-$80 headphones). You can tweak the sound profile in Edifier’s companion app for iOS and Android.
QCY H3 Pro: QCY is another Chinese brand like Tribit, Earfun and plenty of others that make budget-priced headphones that sound better than you’d think they would for their relatively low price (the company says the Q stands for quality, C stands for creative and Y stands for youth). Its new-for-2024 H3 Pro headphones are similar to models in this price range from 1More, Tribit and Edifier, but they arguably sound a touch better and I found them relatively comfortable to wear, as they feature a lightweight design and memory foam ear pads
Noble Fokus Apollo: Noble is an audiophile brand known more for its in-ear monitor headphones, but it’s released a wireless noise-canceling headphone called the Fokus Apollo that sounds terrific and features a special dual-driver design that combines a 40mm dynamic driver with a 14.5mm planar-magnetic driver. The result is rich, open sound, with tight bass and excellent treble detail and clarity, especially for a wireless headphone (it sounds a tad better in wired mode but it’s not a huge difference). It’s more dynamic than many monitor headphones that have a flatter, more neutral sound profile, but it still leans toward being an accurate, well-balanced headphone.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: When they’re in your ears, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 look a lot like the original Pixel Buds Pro and retain the stabilizer fins that help lock the buds in your ears. But they’re smaller than their predecessor and Google equipped them with its new Tensor A1 chip, which offers more processing power and boosts their performance across the board. How you ultimately feel about them will largely depend on how well they fit your ears. That’s the case for most noise-canceling earbuds, but with the Pixel Buds Pro 2, if you don’t get a tight seal from the included ear tips, there’s a massive dip in both sound quality and noise-canceling performance. If you do get a tight seal, these buds deliver excellent sound, strong noise-muffling capabilities and a robust feature set, particularly for Android and Google Pixel phone users. Read my Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3: The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro stand out with their excellent fit, impressive sound quality and top-notch voice-calling performance. Though Samsung has added stems (it calls them “blades” and they have integrated LEDs) to these flagship earbuds, this new design works better for more people — I found the buds lightweight and comfortable to wear. The sound quality is noticeably improved from the previous Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, with superior treble clarity and bass definition, producing a cleaner, more accurate sound.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones: When Bose released its new flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in late 2023, it also replaced the QuietComfort 45s with a slightly updated model simply called the QuietComfort Headphones. Like the QC 45s, this model carries on the comfortable tried-and-true legacy QuietComfort design that’s been around for a few generations that a lot of people continue to love. The QC Ultra Headphones add Bose’s new Immersive Audio feature and have a more refined design with some metal parts (they also have Bluetooth 5.3 instead of Bluetooth 5.1). But the QuietComfort Headphones still have good sound (the Ultras offer a small step up in sound quality), excellent noise canceling and strong voice-calling performance.
Sennheiser Accentum Plus: If you can’t afford Sennheiser’s flagship Momentum 4 Wireless and other premium models from Bose, Sony and Apple, the Sennheiser Accentum Plus is a good midrange alternative that doesn’t quite offer the same performance as those higher-end models but offers better build quality and sound than most budget noise canceling headphones.
Sony WH-1000XM5: Sony has released its new-for-2025 WH-1000XM6 headphones, but its former flagship model, the XM5 is still an excellent headphone that’s often on sale for closer to $300. Their noise-canceling, voice-calling and sound isn’t quite as good as what the XM6 offers (the XM6 sounds a little more detailed with improved bass performance) and the XM6 has a dual-hinge design that allows them to fold up, not just fold flat. As a result, the XM6’s case is a little smaller. Additionally, the XM6 is powered by a new QN3 chip that Sony says delivers 7 times the performance of the QN1 chip found in the XM5s. All that said, while the jump in performance from the XM5 to the XM6 is certainly noticeable, it isn’t huge; the XM5 still offers good sound, noise-canceling and voice-calling performance that should satisfy most people. Read my Sony WH-1000XM5 review.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds: Bose has released its improved QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen), which means you’ll be able to find discounts on the original QC Ultra Earbuds. They feature excellent sound and previously best-in-class noise-canceling performance.
Bowers & Wilkins PX8: The swanky Bowers & Wilkins PX8 headphones feature 40mm Carbon Cone drive units that are “inspired” by the Carbon Dome drive units used in the company’s iconic 700 Series loudspeaker line. They look great and feature excellent sound. However, B&W has released a next-gen “S2” version of the PX8 that offers some significant improvements, including a slimmer design and even better sound and improved noise-canceling. Alas, it does cost more, carrying a list price of $799.
Apple AirPods 4 with ANC: The AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation are simply special, but I still preferred the AirPods Pro 2, which are included on this list. They’re the first open buds I’ve tried to have active noise canceling that actually works, and they’re perfect for people who want ANC without having ear tips jammed in their ears. Want to check them out? Learn more about the model in my full AirPods 4 review.
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: Once included on this list, Jabra has discontinued the 2024 Elite 8 Active Gen 2 after announcing it decided to gradually wind down the Jabra Elite product line. Still, we liked their incredible durability (they survived several drops without a scratch) and enhanced spatial sound powered by Dolby Audio. They make for great sport earbuds if you can get your hands on them. I have a full Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 review if you’re still interested in the discontinued buds.
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds: The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have one of the most unusual designs of any earbuds I’ve tested over the last several years. They literally clip onto the side of your ears, kind of like earrings, and their open design has micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what’s happening around you. While great, I found they had relatively niche use cases, which kept them off this list. Learn more about the novel model in my full Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review.
Anker Soundcore Space One: The Soundcore Space One by Anker are a good value for around $100, offering a strong feature set along with good sound quality and performance; still, they can’t compete sound-wise with many of the premium models on this list. They lack a bit of that natural, refined quality you look for in a great set of cans, so we kept them off.
Beats Solo 4: The $200 Beats Solo 4 are a great pair of on-ear headphones with a strong battery life, USB-C audio, and improved sound and voice-calling performance. Would I pay $200 for them? No, I wouldn’t. So they’re off this list for now, but keep an eye out for great deals that come around events and holidays. Read more about them in my full Beats Solo 4 review and see if they’re right for you.
