The best headphones and earbuds offer balanced performance, great features, and phenomenal value.
Headphones are not only a great way to enjoy your favorite tunes wherever you are; they’re also a relatively inexpensive way of enjoying music in decent sound quality. So long as you buy the right ones, of course.
These ‘right ones’ span many styles: in-ears, on-ears, over-ears; wired, wireless or true wireless; studio or sporty. So which type should you invest in? This is where we come in. Below is a quick checklist of what you should consider when shopping for a new pair, naturally followed by our top recommendations of the best headphones across the board and the cheapest prices on the internet.
And there is something for everyone…
How to choose the best headphones for you?
If you want a pair for home use, to plug into your hi-fi system or music player, then a pair of wired over-ear headphones is probably best. You’ll then have to choose whether you want an open-back design (which leaks sound but offers sonic advantages) or the more traditional and common closed-back form (which isn’t leaky).
For a pair to use with your phone on the go, though, you might want something more portable. And if that’s the case, you’ll have to decide whether you want the uber-portability of in-ear earbuds or the less intrusive fit of on-ear headphones – and both styles vary in terms of budget and features.
Your next decision is between wired and wireless. Wireless headphones and wireless earbuds are great for their cable-free convenience, but it’s a technology that generally attracts a higher price tag compared to wired counterparts of similar sonic quality.
Then there are noise-canceling headphones, which may be high on your hit list if you’re looking for a pair to silence the outside sounds of everyday life. Noise-canceling helps isolate you from the world by actively blocking ambient noise, and these days the feature is becoming more and more popular on premium wireless pairs. These days, wired noise-canceling headphones are a rare breed.
Lastly, if you’re a fitness fiend who wants to prioritize a secure fit and waterproofing, you’re better off going for a pair of sports headphones.
If you’re still not sure which way to go, take a look at our guide on how to choose the right pair of headphones. You might then want to delve into one of our specific buying guides, or perhaps take a glance at our very favorite pairs across all styles, feature offerings, and price points… which is where this page comes in.
Sony’s WH-1000XM5- ₹29,990
DESIGN
- Complete revamp with new “noiseless design”
- New 30mm carbon fiber driver
- Feel less premium than WH-1000XM4, Bose 700
NOISE CANCELLING
- Powered by the same Integrated Processor V1 as used on WF-1000XM4
- Automatic noise-canceling optimization for the first time
- Still up there with the class leaders at the money
FEATURES
- DSEE Extreme engine upscales compressed music
- ‘Speak to Chat’ tech for quick conversations
- Improved ‘Wearing Detection’
SOUND QUALITY
- Hugely musical, and entertaining sound
- More detailed than the WH-1000XM4
- Excellent sense of rhythm
CALL QUALITY
- Noise reduction and wind-noise reduction tech included
- The best call quality we’ve experienced from wireless Sony over-ears
BATTERY LIFE
- 30 hours with Bluetooth and ANC, 40 hours with Bluetooth
- Ten-minute charge adds five hours of playback
Bose 700 Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones- ₹34,500
The brilliant Bose 700 Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones are a boon for those who imagine their life in and around music. If you are one of those who expect their music to be an unvarying companion to you then this is the ideal product for you to heighten your music experience by providing you with surround sound quality that you can never move on from. How long will you be spending time plugging the aux cable in your phone and denying yourself the freedom of movement to groove and sway in the tune? Enjoy perfect flexibility and mobility with amazing musical quality with these Bluetooth Headphones giving you a truly awesome wireless stereo audio experience.
Crisp and Fine Tuned Sound
No matter whether you like your music loud and buzzing or love them soft and melodious in your ear, these headphones give you the best of both. Bose Signature Active EQ gives you optimum precision and clarity at every volume to give you an immersive listening experience. With the Bose Music App, you can customize your headphones to better suit your needs like controlling the Noise Cancellation level, setup options, etc.
Perfect Wireless Experience
The Bose 700 Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones not only allow you to enjoy music but give you the ultimate wireless experience with responsive capacitive touch controls so that you remain connected without fumbling for your phone. There are programmable buttons to give you easy access to what you think is important. There are available Voice Prompts and audio tones for informative feedback. Personalized hotkeys allow you to reserve touch gestures that can be configured in the app.
Fits Comfortably
The Bose 700 Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones come in a seamless stainless steel headband with high-quality leather cushions alongside silicone gel headbands to give you the most amazing comfortable wearing. The soft angled cups make sure you get the perfect fitting. The headphone is powered by a long-lasting battery enabling you up to 20 hours of continuous music.
SONY WH1000XM4/BMIN Bluetooth Headset with Mic- ₹23,873
The Sony Over-Ear Wireless Headphone with Mic provides fabulous sound quality
- Active Noise Cancellation gives you the comfort of exceptional sound quality
- Bluetooth 5.0 offers easy usability and compatibility
- A Playback Time of Upto 30 Hours ensures you enjoy your music for a longer period of time
Buy the Sony Over-Ear Wireless Headphone with Mic which offers you with fabulous music experience by providing you with awesome sound quality that you can never move on from. Enjoy perfect flexibility and mobility with amazing musical quality with these headphones giving you a truly awesome audio experience. Use Sony Over-Ear Wireless Headphone with Mic which is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 support. It blends the active noise cancellation feature with exceptional sound quality and a range of smart features for an unrivaled listening experience. As soon as you speak to someone, Speak-to-Chat automatically stops the music and lets in ambient sound so you can conduct a conversation—handy if you want to keep your headphones on, or your hands are full. Based on Precise Voice Pickup Technology, this smart feature uses five microphones built into your headphones and advanced audio signal processing to recognize and react to your voice. And once your chat is over, your music starts playing again automatically.
When you get Sony Over-Ear Wireless Headphone with Mic online, you also get an awesome music companion along with its features. Dual noise sensor technology, featuring two microphones on each earcup, captures ambient noise and passes the data to the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1. Adjust ambient sound with the Sony Headphones Connect app to cancel noise while still allowing essential sounds, like transport announcements, through when you’re listening on the move. LDAC transmits approximately three times more data (at the maximum transfer rate of 990 kbps) than conventional Bluetooth audio, allowing you to enjoy High-Resolution Audio content in exceptional quality, as close as possible to that of a dedicated wired connection. It offers up to 30 hours of playtime. And if you need to top up in a hurry, you can get 5 hours’ worth of charge after just 10 minutes with the optional AC adaptor. Comes with voice assistant support – Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri enabled.
BEYERDYNAMIC – DT 900 PRO X- ₹ 19,990
ENGINEERED FROM THE GROUND UP TO DELIVER REFERENCE-GRADE AUDIO
Beyerdynamic presents the all-new and upgraded DT 900 PRO X open-back headphones. Featuring a circumaural design with upgraded drivers and a sound transducer, the DT 900 PRO X allows you to let your creativity run free. These headphones are developed and produced in Heilbronn, Germany, maintaining the high quality of the Beyerdynamic brand. The new DT 900 PRO X is suitable for flexible use in the studio for mixing, mastering, and monitoring music and can even be used on the go. The DT 900 PRO X is a must-have headphone for professionals who want to work on their music always and everywhere and experience the best sound in studio quality.
FEATURING A NEW TRANSDUCER, MAGNET, AND DIAPHRAGM TECHNOLOGY
The Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X features the newly developed STELLAR.45 sound transducer that delivers the trusted Beyerdynamic sound. This transducer works in harmony with a neodymium ring magnet as well as the copper-clad high-tech wire. With these implemented, the trade-off between electrical conductivity and the weight of the wire is unique and delivers revealing clarity. This redesign, in combination with the newly developed three-layer speaker diaphragm featuring an integrated damping layer, has created a highly efficient driver system that performs superbly on all playback devices.
REDESIGNED MEMBRANE STRUCTURE TO DELIVER PRISTINE AUDIO QUALITY
The innovative membrane structure of the new Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X controls the axial motion of the voice coil and ensures that it remains securely positioned in the magnet gap even during high oscillations. Another benefit of this is the vast and natural frequency response. The fast response of the transducer and the detailed transient response, produced by the low coil weight, create a sound that is always reliable and distortion-free even at high sound pressure levels.
OFFERING UNMATCHED FLEXIBILITY WITH A WIDE RANGE OF PLAYBACK DEVICES
The Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X has been engineered to offer unparalleled compatibility with various devices like audio interfaces, laptops, tablets, or mobile phones. This is made possible with the inclusion of the new high-performance STELLAR.45 driver, which offers an impedance of 48 ohms and reproduces sound at volume and power familiar to levels of studio quality on all playback devices. More flexibility is felt with the included detachable mini-XLR cable, which is thoughtful and allows for upgradability. The wide range of compatibility offered by the new DT 900 PRO X allows you to unleash your creativity anytime, anywhere.
MINIMAL DESIGN AND HIGH-QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP FOR A COMFORTABLE FIT
The new Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X showcases a minimal and essential design. Thanks to their robust design and high-quality materials utilized, these headphones distinguish themselves by providing maximum durability. The metal headband, GRP components, robust mini-XLR connector, and resistant cables equip you for every professional application. The sturdy spring steel headband design assures a secure fit and ensures durability. The supple velour ear pads are soft to the touch and guarantee superior isolation. The headband ergonomically adapts to the shape of your head with the aid of memory foam and, like the ear pads, can be replaced if required.
Apple AirPods Max- ₹59,900
Comfort
While the styling may not be to everyone’s tastes, there is absolutely no denying the quality of the materials and build of the Apple AirPods Max. Hand someone a pair of them together with a pair of Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones and they will have no trouble believing there’s a significant price difference between them.
The premium materials make the AirPods Max significantly heavier than many alternative wireless headphones you might consider – at 385g, they weigh 135g more than the Sony XM5, for example, while the B&W Px8 is a smidge lighter at 320g. But, such is the effectiveness of the weight-distributing design, they really don’t feel heavy on the head and there are no pronounced pressure points. We’ve been living with the AirPods Max for almost two years now and regularly embark on long, uninterrupted listening sessions, and we never feel any discomfort or fatigue.
Build
The case is still useful, in that it prompts the AirPods Max to enter an ultra-low-power mode that will apparently preserve the charge for months, but anyone intending to take them out of the house even occasionally will want to seriously consider investing in a third-party case(opens in new tab) that will protect the headphones as well as support their sleep mode. That that is necessary is ridiculous, particularly given the price of the headphones. Thankfully, a new case design is rumored to accompany the highly anticipated (yet not confirmed) AirPods Max 2.
In terms of overall battery life, Apple quotes around 20 hours of use from a full charge. That’s significantly less than you get from the Sony XM5 and B&W Px8 (both offer 30 hours) and particularly the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4, which offers 60 hours. But we find it hard to imagine many people discovering it to be not long enough – particularly as our testing suggests it’s a fairly conservative figure.
Sound
It’s worth pointing out, though, that the AirPods Max sound their best with both the noise-canceling and Transparency modes switched off. There’s not a lot in it, but there’s definitely a slight flattening of dynamics and softening of punch, and the treble becomes a little more pronounced when noise-canceling is switched on. It’s not enough that you should avoid using the noise-canceling, but when you’re able to (which, thanks to the effective physical noise-isolation, should be fairly often) you should switch it off to hear the AirPods Max at their very best.
bose Quiet Comfort 45- ₹29,900
What is the Bose QuietComfort 45 like to use?
Bose’s ANC headphones are a bit of an archetype, and that’s for good reason: they’re very good at providing comfort and ease of use to most people. The Bose QuietComfort 45 is no different. If there’s one major positive about the QC 45 looking almost identical to its predecessors, it’s that you’re not in for any major surprises.
The ear cups are decently large, and the headset weighs a reasonable 240 grams and distributes its weight well enough to not cause much fatigue over long periods of time. The synthetic leather ear pads are dense enough to offer decent isolation, and the band also provides a bit of padding on the top.
The Bose QuietComfort 45 connects to your smartphone or source via the Bluetooth 5.1 hardware nestled inside the ear cups, or you can hardwire it via the 2.5-to-3.5mm TRS cable included in the packaging. When you go wireless, you can move up to nine meters away from your source device before connection hiccups occur.
If you were hoping for a higher-end Bluetooth codec on Bose’s latest, you’ll be disappointed: the QC 45 doesn’t support aptX or high-bitrate Bluetooth codecs. While this may be disappointing to some, the implementations of SBC and AAC have improved over the years.
With noise canceling on, the Bose QuietComfort 45 lasts 24 hours, and 49 minutes, surpassing Bose’s official 24-hour battery life for the headset. Our battery tests are performed by subjecting a headset to a constant output of music peaking at 75dB(SPL) until the batteries deplete.