Articles by Ted Kritsonis

If you’re looking to take things up a notch to drown out ambient sounds, Bose gave the QuietComfort Earbuds II the goods to do it better than ever.
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When it comes to spatial audio, it’s not just over-ear headphones that get to have all the fun. Even among the best wireless earbuds, you’ll find pairs that support a virtual audio holographic effect, emulating 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound to make content feel like it’s coming to your ears from every direction. But not all of them are on that list, and the ones included here may use different terms to describe spatial audio. Either way, when you want to hear more than just stereo, these earbuds have the goods.

Top dog

Sony WF-1000XM4

Staff Pick

These earbuds routinely make it to lists, counting it among the best you can place in your ears, and one of their coolest features is Sony’s own 360 Reality Audio, which can work with most Android devices. Subscribe to Tidal HiFi, Deezer HiFi, or Amazon Music HD, and you can hear tunes mastered for surround sound.

$248 at Amazon $248 at Best Buy $248 at B&H

Samsung’s best

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

Samsung ventured into spatial audio…

While manufacturers are making sure to cut off all cords as part of their increased focus on the best wireless earbuds, it doesn’t mean wired connections aren’t an option. Bluetooth headphones are great, but if you’d rather do without the latency and charging process, some of the best USB-C headphones are a great alternative to both. Just plug and play — and that’s it.

Go bold

PALOVUE SoundFlow USB Type C Headphones

Staff Pick

These earbuds already stand out with the all-white finish, but they also have booming sound that may come as a big surprise for earbuds coming at this price. They also come with different ear tip sizes to get the comfy fit you’d want while wearing them for longer periods.

$22 at Amazon

Wireless first with USB-C audio

Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones

While the Momentum 3 Wireless are Bluetooth first, they work just like a pair of USB-C wired headphones. Even better, you can charge them at the same time you’re listening to m…

If your budget for a pair of headphones allows, then something under $100 is within reach. They range from over-ear headphones to true wireless earbuds, giving you some variety to select from. For the best of the bunch, you’d have to start with the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 because of their excellent sound quality, comfort, and consistency.

Best overall: Anker Soundcore Life Q30

Need long battery life? With the Anker Soundcore Life Q30, you get up to 40 hours of playback while ANC is enabled, with that number going up to a ridiculous 60 hours when ANC is off. That’s an impressive figure for a pair of budget headphones, and adding USB-C now makes fast charging possible. Plug in for five minutes and get four hours of play time.

That kind of long battery life makes comfort a more significant factor, and thankfully, Anker delivers there. It improved the design and materials from the previous iteration, with a nice headband with deep and wide ear cups to accommodate even the biggest e…

Smart assistants like Amazon Alexa are becoming more popular than ever, and headphone makers are jumping on board to offer it as a built-in signature feature. They’re growing in number and variance, but the Sony WH-1000XM4 stand out because of the combination of comfort, sound quality, and versatility in bringing Alexa into the fold. We have plenty of options for all ranges, so here are our picks for the best headphones with Alexa.

Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM4

It’s a challenge for any company to follow up on a great product with something better, but in this case, Sony has fixed some key pieces to make the WH-1000XM4 one of the best pairs of headphones available. There was no need to reinvent the wheel when so much of the previous model worked so well, though good changes are always welcome.

Whether the WH-1000XM4 sound any better is highly subjective. There is aptX HD and LDAC codec support, plus 360 Reality Audio for those who can actually hear it on Tidal. Sony also tinkered…

The ‘Plus’ is all in the couple of features Sennheiser added.

For a company that took its time getting into the true wireless earbuds space, Sennheiser has been busy lately. The CX Plus True Wireless are the third pair of earbuds the company has released in just 12 months. First came the CX 400BT True Wireless, which brought the company closer to the rest of the field on price. Then, only months ago, came the CX True Wireless, the company’s first foray into budget territory.

So, what does that make the CX Plus True Wireless? These earbuds are now the head of Sennheiser’s CX lineup and mainly focus on delivering features that the other two never had. Comparing all three and seeing how they perform, it’s clear these new earbuds are taking the lead.

Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless review:

Price and availability
What’s good
What’s not good
The competition
Should you buy?

At a glance

Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless

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Nicely done

Jabra Elite 3

$80 at Amazon $80 at Best Buy

Pros

Good sound quality
Solid bass with crisp highs
Lightweight build and comfy fit
Decent durability
OK battery life
Nice colors

Cons

No noise cancelation
No access to Sound+ EQ

Jabra made a name for itself by making quality earbuds for years, and the Elite 3 are an affordable pair influenced by the premium ones the company continues to produce. You have to accept not getting all the bells and whistles, but at least you can trust the quality you get out of them every time.

Back again

Creative Outlier Air V3

$60 at Creative

Pros

Great audio quality
Ambient mode works well
Excellent battery life
Comfortable fit
Improved touch controls
Wireless charging support

Cons

Super X-Fi too limited
Not fully noise-canceling
Bulky case

Creative often delivers more for every buck spent, and the Outlier V3 are among the best earbuds in their price range. It’s not just the sound quality. It’s also newer feature…

The best cheap true wireless earbuds have become great over the past several years. The ones you typically hear about are super expensive. Still, there are some great budget options out there, such as the Creative Outlier Air V3, which offer fantastic battery life, exceptional comfort, and superb sound quality.

Best overall: Creative Outlier Air V3

It’s hard to beat the Outlier Air V3 on battery life. Even compared to the best wireless earbuds, they outperform most of them with up to 10 hours of audio playback per charge at default volume. Add another three charges in the case, and you’ve got about 40 hours of total listening time. Creative also finally added wireless charging, making it easier to charge it when you don’t want to plug in.

Creative largely based the design on the previous Outlier Air V2, which are a little bigger, though used the same ear tips for improved fit and comfort. It also gives you a better seal to trap in more of the bass and preserve as much of the sou…

Doing it again

Google Pixel Buds A-Series

$100 at Best Buy $99 at B&H

Pros

Same sound quality for less
Integration with Android and Google Assistant
Lightweight build and comfy fit
Same size case
Fast charging

Cons

No swipe gestures
No wireless charging case
No change in battery life
Still no active noise cancelation

For an encore, Google didn’t overhaul its Pixel Buds. It just tweaked them, gave them new coats of paint, and made them more affordable. To get there, the A-Series cut out a few things, but so much of the originals stay where they are, and that’s why they’re an intriguing choice among other earbuds.

Back again

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

$150 at Amazon $150 at Best Buy $150 at B&H

Pros

Bolder sound
Effective ANC
Very comfortable fit
Good battery life
Nice color options

Cons

IPX2 rating isn’t very durable
Microphones are so-so
Finicky controls

Samsung gave the Galaxy Buds 2 a slimmer profile, making them even more comfortable to wear tha…

Not all audio sounds exactly the same, and it’s not just because of the disparities between headphones. The Bluetooth codec also matters, and when you’re talking high-res codecs, like aptX HD and LDAC, you start to see that earbuds are already on board in supporting them. Even some of the best wireless earbuds don’t go this far, but the group down here certainly does.

Overall best

Sony WF-1000XM4

Staff Pick

Given LDAC is a Sony-made codec, it’s hardly surprising the WF-1000XM4 would support them. These earbuds are already among the best available for audio quality and active noise cancelation (ANC). Still, with LDAC, you can also get better fidelity when playing audio content from a device that supports it.

$278 at Amazon $280 at Best Buy $278 at B&H

Dependable buds

Bowers & Wilkins PI7

Bowers and Wilkins know how to make good audio products, and wisely, the company made the PI7 compatible with aptX Adaptive, a newer codec that includes both aptX HD and aptX Low L…