Best Wireless Earbuds of 2025
Noble Fokus Amadeus: Noble, the maker of “artisanal” monitors and in-ear headphones, is moving into the more mainstream headphone market with its most affordable headphones yet, after releasing its Fokus Mystiq ($359), Rex 5 ($449) and Prestige ($599) models in recent years. Although the Fokus Amadeus Earbuds ($320) are on the large side, they fit a little more comfortably than the company’s previous earbuds and feature active noise cancellation. While their noise-canceling capabilities are just okay (the ANC is definitely a step below what you get with flagship models from Bose and Sony), their sound quality is exceptionally good. The headphones feature custom 8.3mm triple-layer drivers, and the sound is open and well-detailed, and the well-defined bass is deep and visceral without sounding loud. Instruments seemed distinctly and correctly placed in the soundstage, and I appreciated that the natural-sounding midrange, where the vocals live, was slightly forward and not overshadowed by the highs and lows. Noble’s higher-end Prestige heads are considered more analytical, which may be what some audiophiles are looking for. But the Amadeus headphones have a slightly warmer sound profile and aren’t so revealing that they overly accentuate the flaws in less well-recorded tracks. These are headphones that you can use for long periods of time without any listening fatigue, and they work well for a variety of music genres.
Sony LinkBuds Fit: Truth be told, in some ways I like Sony’s LinkBuds Fit better than its flagship WF-1000XM5 noise-cancelling earbuds. While they don’t sound as good or have quite comparable noise cancellation as these headphones, they are lightweight (4.9 grams) and fit comfortably and securely in my ears. This is partly due to Sony’s new Air Fitting mounts, but it has also redesigned its tips and included a wide range of sizes, including XL tips that fit my ears well. While this is a slight drop in performance compared to the WF-1000XM5s, their sound quality, noise cancellation, and call quality performance are all very good. They also have built-in voice commands.
Earfun Air Pro 4: Earfun now offers the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus (see above), which has a dual-driver design and better sound for about $20 more. The Earfun Air Pro 4s are still great value, but I prefer the Plus model.
Shokz Open Fit 2: Shokz released the improved OpenFit 2 Plus with a slightly improved design and other small improvements, so the original OpenFit 2 headphones went on sale. This model fits my ears more comfortably than the originals and offers superior sound quality with more bass and better clarity. They sound great for open-back headphones, at least in quieter environments.
Beyerdynamic Amiron 300: While Beyerdynamic’s original Free Byrd impressed with its sound quality, its new Amiron 300 headphones for 2024 address previous design flaws with a compact, lightweight form factor that fits my ears well. The sound quality is exceptional: rich, detailed and quite open with a very pleasant tonal balance from the start. There’s impressive instrument separation that lets you hear every element clearly in complex tracks. The bass response is particularly remarkable – articulate and punchy without overwhelming the mix – while the mids offer lovely clarity and precision, which benefits vocal reproduction. Voice call performance is solid thanks to three microphones in each earbud, with callers reporting that they could hear me well even in noisy environments, with only minimal distracting background noise.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: Bose announced that it would ship its improved model QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) during “summer” 2025 in the US, which means you’ll be able to find discounts on the original QC Ultra earbuds, which deliver great sound and previously best-in-class noise-canceling performance.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC: Anker released the new Liberty 5 headphones in 2025, but this 2023 model is still a decent value at around $90. It offers decent noise cancellation and a similar level of sound quality to the Liberty 5 (it’s pretty good but not great). However, the Liberty 5 has improved noise cancellation and voice call performance.
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2: Once included on this list, Jabra has discontinued the 2024 Elite 8 Active Gen 2 after announcing its decision to phase out the Jabra Elite product line. Still, we appreciated their incredible durability (they survived several drops without a scratch) and their enhanced spatial sound powered by Dolby Audio. These are great sports headphones if you can get your hands on them. I have a full review of the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 if you’re still interested in the discontinued earbuds.
Sennheiser CX: If you can’t afford Sennheiser’s flagship Momentum True Wireless 3 earphones, the CX are a good alternative. They offer very good sound, as well as noise cancellation and decent voice call performance. The only problem is that they stick out a bit from your ears and may not fit some smaller ears. This model, which often sells for less than $100 on Amazon, does not offer active noise cancellation, unlike the intensive CX Plus (the CXPlus is also good value for money, especially when it goes on sale). Learn more about the business model in my review of the Sennheiser CX true wireless earbuds.
Beats Studio Buds: The Beats Studio Buds look a lot like the stemless AirPods that some people have been waiting for. Aimed at iOS and Android users, they’re missing a few key features on the Apple side (there’s no H1 or W1 chip), but they’re small and lightweight true wireless earbuds that are comfortable to wear and sound really good. Their noise cancellation isn’t as good as the AirPods Pro, but they have a transparency mode and they’re OK for making calls. Read more in my entiretyBeats Studio Buds review which includes a closer look at the features.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise cancellation as well as very good sound and voice call performance, as well as support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you own a Galaxy device with the right configuration. Their biggest improvement might be their new design and smaller size, making them better suited to more ears. Besides their somewhat high price, their only downside is that some of their key features only work with Samsung Galaxy devices. Read my full Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review to learn more about the Android-compatible earbuds.
JBL Tour Pro 2: JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds have received a lot of attention for bringing something new to true wireless earbuds: a color touchscreen built into the case that lets you access the earbuds’ main features and control playback as well as adjust volume levels. It’s a bit of a gimmick but also useful. While the earbuds may sound slightly better for their list price, overall the JBL Tour Pro 2 are very good earbuds that offer a good fit, a robust feature set, strong battery life, as well as solid noise cancellation and voice call performance. I took a closer look at the headphones in my full 2023 JBL Tour Pro 2 review.
Sony LinkBuds S: Unlike the “open” LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S are traditional noise-isolating true wireless earbuds with tips that fit into your ears. They’re more compact and lighter than Sony’s previous flagship, the WF-1000XM4, and also feature Sony’s V1 processor (Sony has since released the more compact WF-1000XM5). While their sound and noise cancellation isn’t quite on par with the XM4 or XM5, they’re still quite good. These are Sony headphones aimed at people who can’t afford Sony’s flagship headphones, but want 80% of the features and performance of these headphones for much less money. Learn more about them in my hands-on review of the Sony LinkBuds S.
Sony WF-1000XM4: Released in 2021, Sony’s WF-1000XM4 won a CNET Editors’ Choice Award. These are still great headphones, but now Sony has launched the next-generation WF-1000XM5. They can be a good option if you find them at a good price. If you’re interested in the model, I took a closer look in my full Sony WF-1000XM4 review.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3: The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 were among the best new truly wireless earbuds of 2022. They are still among the best truly wireless earbuds, but Sennheiser has released the improved Momentum True Wireless 4. Plus, the new AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are arguably superior, so only look to buy the Momentum True Wireless 3 when they’re significantly discounted. Learn more about the impressive buds in my full review of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3.
Beyerdynamic Free Byrd: Beyerdynamic may be late to the game, but it has finally introduced its first true wireless earbuds, featuring active noise cancellation, up to 11 hours of battery life (with noise cancellation turned off), and impressive sound quality. Read our Beyerdynamic Free Byrd review.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX: Bang & Olufsen’s $399 Beoplay EX earbuds are the company’s best true wireless earbuds. They offer a comfortable and secure fit (except perhaps for those with really smaller ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, good noise cancellation and improved voice call performance compared to B&O’s EQ earbuds, with three microphones in each earbud they help reduce background noise while still picking up your voice. They’re out of most people’s price range, but they’re arguably the best earbuds with buds and offer slightly better sound than the AirPods Pro 2 with better clarity, deeper, more powerful bass, and richer, tighter sound. Learn more about the high-end model in my full Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX review.
Sony LinkBuds: The LinkBuds are, in a sense, Sony’s answer to Apple’s standard AirPods. While they don’t sound as good as Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM4 or the LinkBuds S noise-isolating earbuds, they offer a discreet, innovative design and a more secure fit than the AirPods, as well as decent sound and very good voice call performance. Like the third-generation AirPods, their open design lets you hear the outside world – that’s what the Ring is for. Check out my Sony LinkBuds reviewto find out more.
