Headphone reviews
Detailed reviews of all the latest models, from earbuds to over-ears.
Latest
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 review: Pricey and impressive
Sennheiser debuted its first true wireless earbuds in 2019. And while the Momentum True Wireless had that stellar sound profile the company is known for, there were a number of things that made them frustrating to use. Now the company is back with the Momentum True Wireless 2 ($299.95). It added active noise cancellation (ANC) and improved battery life, but the earbuds are still just as pricey.
Billy Steele03.20.2020
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 true wireless earbuds review
If it ain't broke, make small tweaks to improve it anyway. That's not quite how the old saying goes, but that's the approach Bang & Olufsen took with its third-generation E8 true wireless earbuds ($350). The best aspects of last year's E8 2.0 are back alongside small improvements to size and battery life. Despite great sound and handy features, there's one glaring omission. And at this price, I expect all bases covered.
Billy Steele03.11.2020
Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW review: Decent, affordable true wireless earbuds
There's no denying the ATH-CK3TW was Audio-Technica's most interesting announcement at IFA. The prospect of $99 true wireless earbuds from a company you could trust to deliver decent sound could have a huge impact on the competition. And even though the company increased the price to $119 before they went on sale, the point stands. Audio-Technica already has premium and mid-range options. Now it's trying to bring its true wireless formula to a budget device. And as you might expect, a cheaper price comes with a few sacrifices.
Billy Steele01.29.2020
Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus review: Improved, but still pricey
In 2018, Master & Dynamic joined the true wireless fray. The company had been making headphones for years, including a number of wireless models, but it had yet to jump on the latest earbud bandwagon. With the MW07, M&D was able to bring its trademark sound to a new niche, but that model had some key issues. Battery life was abysmal compared to the competition, and the Bluetooth range wasn't great. The company fixed both of those problems with the MW07 Plus, and added active noise cancellation (ANC) and increased water resistance to meet IPX5 standards. And it did all of that while keeping the price at $299.
Billy Steele12.10.2019
Jabra Elite 75t review: The leap from good to great
Jabra's Elite 65t have been some of the best true wireless earbuds you could buy since their introduction last year. They don't have the best sound quality, but overall, the company assembled a compelling package that costs significantly less than a lot of the competition's. Now Jabra is hoping lightning strikes twice. In September, it debuted the follow-up: the Elite 75t ($180). The new model is smaller, lasts longer and adds a lot of handy features, but is it better than last year's surprise superstar?
Billy Steele11.23.2019
Beats Solo Pro review
Both Apple and Beats have benefited greatly from their relationship over the last five years. Since Apple bought the headphone company in 2014, Beats has improved its gear on all fronts, from design to audio quality and even adding useful features. There's no doubting the Apple influence, especially since the latest Beats headphones pack the same chip that powers AirPods. With the Solo Pro ($299.95), we get the best intersection of the two companies yet, in a set of headphones that look good, sound great and pack in powerful features.
Billy Steele11.08.2019
AirPods Pro review: Apple’s latest earbuds can hang with the best
As true wireless earbuds continue to evolve, companies are making them smaller and adding powerful features like active noise cancellation (ANC). They're more reliable and offer better battery life than when they first burst on to the scene, and they're becoming increasingly popular. Apple clearly knows all of this. The company's AirPods have been the most popular true wireless earbuds for a while now, despite their polarizing design. And even though the company just debuted version 2.0 back in the spring, it held something back for the holidays. The AirPods Pro were hardly a surprise. We'd heard rumors about a refined design and ANC for months. Perhaps the only real surprise is that they weren't announced at the big iPhone event in September, but instead, they quietly revealed in a press release on a Monday afternoon. The Pro model introduces a host of new features, but that comes at a cost. And the question is: Are the AirPods Pro ($249) worth the extra $50?
Billy Steele11.06.2019
Echo Buds review: Alexa smarts packed into a mediocre AirPods rival
By the time Amazon got around to announcing its Alexa-powered earbuds in September, the rumors had already been swirling for months. They were hardly a surprise. The online retail giant has a solid track record of keeping upcoming products under lock and key, but word of these voice-controlled true wireless earbuds first surfaced way back in April. Now that they're here, the Echo Buds ($129.99) are poised to take on Apple's AirPods with hands-free Alexa, touch controls, Bose's active noise reduction and more.
Billy Steele10.29.2019
Sennheiser Momentum Wireless review
Sennheiser's Momentum line has been a popular headphone choice for years now. It first debuted in 2012, then went wireless in 2015. Despite stumbling out of the gate with some connectivity issues, the Momentum Wireless is still a solid choice. At IFA 2019, the company debuted the third generation of the headphones. And while this new $399.95 over-ear model is improved, there are still some headaches that could've been avoided.
Billy Steele09.12.2019
Bose 700 headphones review: The pursuit of perfection
Bose once dominated the world of noise-canceling headphones. For years, the company's QuietComfort line was the industry standard, mostly due to it's best-in-class ANC (active noise cancellation). At the time, it was a game-changer for frequent fliers and people trying to block out noisy work environments. Enter Sony's WH-1000X line. Now in its third iteration, the WH-1000XM3 has taken over the top spot with a stellar blend of sound, features and the ability to block out the world. Bose is playing second fiddle, but its 700 headphones pack in a lot of features for $399 in a bid to retake the crown.
Billy Steele08.16.2019
Klipsch T5 True Wireless review: Great-sounding, but flawed earbuds
Klipsch has been making high quality audio gear since 1946, mostly catering to the audiophile and HiFi crowd. It makes plenty of speakers, soundbars and headphones for casual listeners too, and back at CES, the company debuted its first true wireless earbuds. At $199, the T5 True Wireless offer most of what you need in a pair of true wireless earbuds -- including a pretty cool Zippo-like charging case. But,they're far from perfect, and a few of their flaws could be deal breakers for you, even if they do cost $100 less than much of the competition.
Billy Steele08.06.2019
Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Simply the best true wireless earbuds
Sony is no stranger to the true wireless-earbud craze. The company introduced the WF-1000X almost two years ago and followed with the WF-SP700N in 2018. However, even with that experience, Sony hasn't really seemed to hit its stride. There are always issues holding the products back from making the leap. Sony has perfected its over-ear noise-canceling headphones, the WH-1000XM3, and now it's leveraging some of that technology to improve its true wireless buds. Enter the $230 WF-1000XM3, Sony's best true-wireless product and a new contender for the top spot overall.
Billy Steele07.31.2019
Sony XB900N review: Solid noise cancellation for under $300
Since the debut of its 1000X line, Sony has given Bose a run for its money when it comes to noise-canceling headphones. In fact, the 1000XM2 and 1000XM3 are arguably better than the QuietComfort 35 II Bose introduced in 2017. Now Sony wants to offer a worthy alternative to Bose in its more affordable Extra Bass line with the WH-XB900N. While this new model doesn't have the same level of noise-canceling power as the 1000XM3, there's a lot to like for $250.
Billy Steele06.25.2019
Jabra Elite 85h review: Noise cancellation to rival Bose and Sony
Jabra shocked the world (OK, maybe just me) in 2018 when it unveiled the Elite 65t true-wireless earbuds. Those headphones quickly shot to the top of a lot of "best of" lists, including a couple of Engadget Buyers Guides. The Elite 65t have dependable controls, solid audio and cost less than much of the competition. For 2019, Jabra is tackling over-ear noise-canceling headphones with the Elite 85h. However, no matter how good they are, they're not as good of a deal at $300.
Billy Steele06.13.2019
Master & Dynamic MW65 review: Almost the perfect headphones
Master & Dynamic has been making some of the world's best-looking headphones since 2014. The company uses premium materials like leather and anodized aluminum for its high-end products, while the competition settles for cheaper plastic even on flagship models. Despite a lineup that boasts on-ear, over-ear, in-ear, wired, wireless and true-wireless options, M&D still hadn't entered a key category: active noise-cancellation. With the $499 MW65 introduced earlier this month, the company is making a belated debut, all while maintaining its premium style -- and premium price.
Billy Steele05.22.2019
Powerbeats Pro review: The best-sounding Beats headphones yet
Despite being a hugely popular headphone brand, Beats has had one glaring hole in its wireless headphone lineup: true wireless earbuds. Thanks to a hint in iOS code, the Powerbeats Pro weren't exactly a well-kept secret, and as expected, they carry the latest Apple tech that's also found inside version 2.0 of the AirPods. At $249.95, the Powerbeats Pro is near the top end of the true wireless spectrum price-wise, and its over-the-ear hook design isn't for everyone. However, the combination of features and sound quality makes quite the impression.
Billy Steele05.16.2019
Grado Labs GW100 review: A blessing and a curse
Grado Labs was late to the wireless game. The company knows it, and it has good reasons for not jumping in sooner. "Wireless technology has never been very good, so just like closed-back, we could make them, but people would expect them to sound like our wired headphones," John Grado told me in 2017. "And they won't." Grado did say that the technology was improving and that the company planned to dabble in wireless soon. Fast forward to October 2018. Grado Labs announced its first wireless model: the GW100. The $249 headphones look similar to the company's Prestige Series, with a mostly black design and silver accents. What's most intriguing about the GW100, though, is not only the trademark Grado sound, but that these are supposedly the first open-back wireless headphones which can deliver great audio quality, but has its drawbacks.
Billy Steele03.20.2019
Samsung Galaxy Buds review: A waste of good design
Apple has the AirPods for the iPhone, and now Samsung has a true wireless headphone made specifically for its Galaxy lineup. The Galaxy Buds offer a lot of the same features as most other true wireless earbuds: charging case, on-board controls, audio transparency, easy access to virtual assistants and more. There's one major caveat though: Unless you own one of Samsung's recent Galaxy handsets or an Android device, key features on the $130 Galaxy Buds won't be available to you.
Billy Steele03.14.2019
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless review
Not every audio company was quick to jump on the true wireless bandwagon. Some of the big names in headphones took their time crafting a set of earbuds before making a debut. Sennheiser was one of those, and its Momentum True Wireless model didn't arrive until late 2018. Thankfully, the wait was mostly worth it. They have some of the best audio quality I've heard on a set of earbuds like these. But there are a few complaints, and given the nearly $300 price tag, those caveats become major issues.
Billy Steele02.15.2019
Bose Frames review: These might be smart sunglasses, one day
If a pair of shades had intercourse with a set of headphones, you'd get the Bose Frames. However, they're more like sunglasses that are pregnant with baby speakers rather than a proper blend of the two. The idea behind the Bose Frames is to offer wireless audio without completely obscuring your ears while providing your eyes some sun protection. Because these days, it's no longer enough for gadgets to just be one thing, I guess. The Bose Frames are already available for $200, but whether you should drop that money on them depends how badly you need to hear your surroundings and your music at the same time.
Cherlynn Low02.02.2019