$399 at Best Buy Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2 Best-sounding wireless earbuds with small updates for 2023 $300 at Amazon The Technics EAH-AZ80 earbuds offer all-around great performance Technics EAH-AZ80 Great-sounding Technics wireless earbuds $249 at Bose The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 have a smaller design and stellar noise canceling Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 Best noise canceling with top-notch sound $50 at Amazon The Earfun Pro 3 include a wireless charging case Earfun Air Pro 3 Best-sounding budget noise-canceling earbuds $199 at Amazon airpods-pro-2-green-background-2 Apple AirPods Pro 2 Even better Apple noise-canceling wireless earbuds $200 at Amazon The Status Between 3ANC are the company’s first noise canceling earbuds Status Between 3ANC Wireless earbuds with triple drivers $189 at Amazon The white Beyerdynamic Free Byrd earbuds and their charging case Beyerdynamic Free Byrd Best-sounding midrange wireless earbuds $167 at Amazon sennheiser-momentum-true-wireless-3-blue-background1 Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 Best Sennheiser true-wireless earbuds $333 at Amazon bang-and-olufsen-beoplay-ex-buds Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX Top-notch wireless earbuds with stems $244 at Amazon The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 earbuds offer premium sound Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 Best true-wireless earbuds from Audio-Technica $419 at Walmart Master & Dynamic MW08 Master & Dynamic MW08 Best earbuds outside of the well-known brands Show more (14 items) Which are the best-sounding wireless earbuds? Sound is subjective and everybody’s ears are different, so it’s hard to declare one set of earbuds the best-sounding over all the rest. But there are some standouts, including the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2, the new-for-2023 Sony WF-1000XM5 and even Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, which deliver very impressive sound considering how lightweight and small they are. Size and fit also play into sound quality, which suffers if you can’t get a good fit. Not all, but many of the best-sounding earbuds tend to be on the bigger side and may not fit some ears. To get optimal sound quality — and bass performance, in particular — it’s crucial to get a tight seal, so finding a set of buds that really fit your ears well is an important part of the sound quality equation. The included ear tips often play a big role in how well a set of earbuds fit, and sometimes you may have to buy third-party ear tips to get the right fit. Not everybody wants to bother with that, so make sure you buy your earbuds from a retailer that allows you to return your purchase without penalty. We’ve fully tested all the earbuds on this list and will update our picks as new great-sounding earbuds hit the market. The Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 have different endcaps David Carnoy/CNET Bowers & Wilkins has upgraded its fantastic-sounding PI7 noise-canceling earbuds. The new S2 model has better battery life and Bluetooth range, now up to 25 meters (double the previous range). Additionally, the buds now integrate into the new Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS and Android and have a much improved setup experience. Read more You’re receiving price alerts for Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2 The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds come in silver and black David Carno/CNET When Sony’s WF-1000XM4 earbuds came out in 2021, we awarded them a CNET Editors’ Choice. And while they’re excellent, we had some quibbles — they’re on the large side and aren’t a good match for certain ears. Clearly, Sony took those gripes to heart when it set out to design its next-generation WF-1000XM5 flagship noise-canceling earbuds. Not only are the XM5s smaller, but they also offer improved performance pretty much across the board, with better noise canceling, sound and voice calling. Are the XM5s perfect? Not quite. And at $300 — $20 more than their predecessor — they’re costly, too. But overall they’re really impressive — easily among the very top earbuds on the market. Read more The Technics EAH-AZ80 earbuds offer all-around great performance David Carno/CNET You should expect a lot from earbuds that cost $300 — and yes, that’s still a lot to pay for headphones, even if plenty of people seem to be willing to pay upwards of $450 for the likes of Apple’s Air Pods Max headphones. Overall, Panasonic has done a nice job of creating an all-around top-performing set of buds that offer an improved fit with terrific sound, very good noise canceling and a robust feature set. Read more The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 have a smaller design and stellar noise canceling David Carney/CNET Battery Life Rated Up to 6 Hours Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint No Headphone Type Wireless Earbuds Water-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — Splash-Proof) Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are not only about 30% smaller than their predecessors, but their case is about 40% smaller and truly pocketable. They feature best-in-class noise canceling and improved sound, thanks to Bose’s new Custom Tune sound calibration system that customizes the sound for your ears. Voice-calling performance is also significantly better than that of the original QuietComfort Earbuds. Read more The Earfun Pro 3 include a wireless charging case Screenshot by David Carno/CNET Ear fun has put out a series of wireless earbuds over the last couple of years with one important commonality: They’re very good values, made more so by frequent discounts. The company’s new-for-2023 Ear fun Air Pro 3 earbuds feature the latest Qualcomm QCC3071 system-on-a-chip with Apt Adaptive for Android and other devices that support the new LE Audio standard and LC3 audio codec, which is superior to the SBC codec (they also support AAC for Apple devices). Read more You’re receiving price alerts for Earfun Air Pro 3 airpods-pro-2-green-background-2 David Carno/CNET Battery Life Rated up to 6 hours Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint No Headphone Type Wireless earbuds Water-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof) The Air Pods Pro (2nd generation) are powered by Apple’s new H2 chip, which delivers more processing power while being more energy efficient, according to Apple. The new chip, combined with new low-distortion drivers, allows for improved sound that offers better clarity and depth. The noise canceling is also improved — Apple says the new Air Pods have “double” the noise canceling of the original Air Pods Pro. Additionally, the new Air Pods add an extra hour of battery life, up from five to six hours with noise canceling on. Plus, a speaker in the case that emits a sound that helps locate your buds via Find My should they decide to hide from you. Read more sony-wf-1000xm4-2 David Carno/CNET Battery Life Rated up to 30 hours Noise Canceling Yes Multipoint Yes Headphone Type Over-ear wireless headphones Water-Resistant No IP rating We awarded the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds an Editors’ Choice award back in 2021. While the new-for-2023 WF-1000XM5 buds offer some real upgrades and are superior, the XM4s are still very good earbuds with excellent sound quality. They remain worthy of your consideration but only if they’re significantly discounted. Read more The Status Between 3ANC are the company’s first noise canceling earbuds Screenshot by David Carno/CNET Status Audio’s earbuds aren’t exactly the sleekest or most attractive earbuds you can buy, but if you don’t mind their utilitarian look and giant stems, you are getting an excellent sounding set of earbuds. The Between 3ANC, the company’s first noise-canceling earbuds, also do a good job muffling ambient sound, though they aren’t up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort 2 earbuds for noise-canceling prowess. They did perform very well in my voice-calling test, reducing much of the background noise around me in the streets of New York while picking up my voice clearly, or so callers told me. Read more You’re receiving price alerts for Status Between 3ANC The white Beyerdynamic Free Byrd earbuds and their charging case David Carno/CNET Battery Life Rated up to 11 hours Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint No Headphone Type Wireless earbuds Water-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof) Beyerdynamic may be late to the game, but last year it finally introduced its first true-wireless earbuds, which feature active noise canceling, up to 11 hours of battery life (with noise canceling off) and impressive sound quality. Read more You’re receiving price alerts for Beyerdynamic Free Byrd The Galaxy Buds Pro 2 in the Bora purple colour. David Carno/CNET The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise canceling along with very good sound and voice-calling performance, plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you’re a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. That said, their biggest upgrade may their new design and smaller size, which make them a better fit for more ears. Aside from their somewhat high price tag, their only drawback is that some of their key features only work with Samsung Galaxy devices. Read more Beats Fit Pro David Carno/CNET While the Beats Fit Pro technically aren’t Air Pods, they’re built on the same tech platform as the Air Pods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats’ earlier and less expensive Studio Buds and new-for-2023 Studio Buds Plus, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the Air Pods Pro’s features, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I’d venture to call them the sports Air Pods you’ve always wanted. Read more sennheiser-momentum-true-wireless-3-blue-background1 David Carno/CNET Featuring excellent sound, improved noise canceling and voice-calling performance as well a smaller, more refined design that includes stabilizing fins (so the earbuds stay in your ears more securely), the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 were among the best new true-wireless earbuds of 2022. They remain one of the best true-wireless earbuds overall, although the newer Air Pods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5 buds are arguably superior, so only look to buy the Momentum True Wireless 3 when they are significantly discounted. Read more You’re receiving price alerts for Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 bang-and-Olufsen-bioplay-ex-buds David Carno/CNET Bang & Olufsen’s Bioplay EX buds are the company’s best true-wireless earbuds yet. They feature a comfortable, secure fit (except perhaps for those with really smaller ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, good noise canceling and improved voice-calling performance over B&O’s EQ buds, with three microphones in each earbud they help with reducing background noise while picking up your voice. While they’re out of most people’s price range, they’re arguably the best earbuds out there with stems and offer superior sound to the Air Pods Pro (1st gen) with better clarity, deeper more powerful bass and richer, more accurate sound. Read more You’re receiving price alerts for Bang & Olufsen Bioplay EX The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 earbuds offer premium sound Screenshot by David Carno/CNET Audio-Technica has put out several true-wireless earbuds over the last few years but none of them have been terribly good. That changes with the ATH-TWX9, which sports a premium design plus premium sound and a pretty robust feature set, including strong active noise canceling, Multipoint Bluetooth pairing and a case equipped with wireless charging and UV LED sterilization. In the box you’ll also find a plethora of ear tip options and I was able to tight seal and comfortable fit. These buds are IPX4 splash-proof and are rated for 6 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels. Read more You’re receiving price alerts for Audio-Technica ATH-TWX9 sony-linkbuds-s-in-hand-green-1 David Carno/CNET Battery Life Rated up to 9 hours Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint No Headphone Type Wireless Earbuds Water-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof) Unlike the “open” Link Buds, the Link Buds S are traditional noise-isolating earbuds with tips you jam in your ears. They’re more compact and lighter than Sony’s former flagship WF-1000XM4 and also feature Sony’s V1 processor (Sony has since released the more compact WF-1000XM5). While their sound and noise canceling don’t quite measure up to either XM4’s or XM5’s, they’re still quite good. They’re the Sony buds for people who can’t afford Sony’s flagship earbuds but want 80% of those buds’ features and performance for significantly less. Read more Final Audio’s ZE8000 earbuds have a unique design Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET Japan-based Final Audio, which makes some high-end audiophile headphones, including the $4,299 D8000 Pro, has released its ZE8000 true-wireless earbuds that feature a unique stick design and excellent sound. The largest tips fit my ears comfortably and securely, though they do stick out a bit. Read more JBL Live Pro 2 earbuds and case David Carnoy/CNET Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That’s finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand’s new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds — the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 have a pill-shaped design — offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise canceling, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance, plus a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging. Read more Master & Dynamic MW08 David Carnoy/CNET Battery Life Rated up to 12 hours Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint Yes Headphone Type Wireless earbuds Water-Resistant Yes (IPX5 — protection against low-pressure water streams) Master & Dynamic’s MW08 buds may not fit everyone’s ears equally well, but they certainly have a distinct look, as well as excellent sound and a great listening experience if you can get a tight seal. (I was able to get a secure fit with the largest tip.) They deliver more of an audiophile sound profile, with smooth, well-balanced sound and well-defined bass. Released in 2021, they’re due for an upgrade, and we may see a new MW09 model before year’s end (the MW08s are being discounted now on Amazon). Read more You’re receiving price alerts for Master & Dynamic MW08 1more-evo David Carnoy/CNET Battery Life Rated up to 8 hours Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint Yes Headphone Type Wireless earbuds Water-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof) Known for delivering good bang for the buck, 1More has released a more premium set of buds that are equipped with a 10mm dynamic driver paired with a balanced armature. They have support for Sony’s LDAC codec for high-resolution wireless streaming over Bluetooth with music services like Qomuz or Tidal that offer high-resolution music files. Read more You’re receiving price alerts for 1More Evo How we test true-wireless earbuds We test true-wireless earbuds based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value. Design: We assess not only how comfortable the earbuds fit (ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. We also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings. Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment. Features: Some great-sounding earbuds aren’t loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from noise-canceling and transparency modes (ambient sound mode) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears. Voice-calling performance: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear your voice. Value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the earbuds against all these criteria and what the buds are able to deliver compared to other models in their price class. More wireless earbuds recommendations
Best-Sounding Wireless