A good pair of headphones is nothing less than a necessity in this age. Whether you’re attending meetings on the go or jamming to music on the subway, you need headphones that sound good, look good, last long, and ideally silence the loud outside world around you.
While that’s very basic criteria for what you should look for in a regular pair of headphones, there’s a slightly different set of features to look out for if you’re on the hunt for a gaming headset. Gamers go after low latency, multiple connectivity options, a noise-canceling mic, and some extra frills like RGB lighting.
We’ve curated a list with multiple categories so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. If you need the absolute best overall headphones, Beats Studio Pro is our pick. We recommend the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro for the best gaming headphones. We’ve also included some options for the best earbuds and the best noise-canceling headphones.
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Best Overall Headphones — Beats Studio Pro
The ANC on the Beats Studio Pro is noticeably better than its predecessor and actually comes close to ANC champs like the Apple AirPods Max and the Sony WH-1000XM5. The headband on the Beats Studio Pro has a pair of hinges, allowing the headphones to fold quite small so they can squeeze into an included carrying case that’s not much bigger than a toiletries bag. If we ever see an update to the AirPods Max, let’s hope that Apple’s audio team is paying attention and includes a proper carrying case like this next time, and not the weird diaper the first-gen AirPods Max are forced to wear out in public.
Despite being a brand that’s owned by Apple, Beats’ headphones and earbuds don’t functionally cater to just iPhones, iPads, and Macs like AirPods do. In fact, the new Beats Studio Pro includes some features that are Android only. The headphones also do a very good job at gutting lower frequencies, like the deep rumbles you’ll hear while riding a bus or during a flight on a large commercial airliner. Read More — Andrew Liszewski
Best Earbuds — Master & Dynamic MW09
M&D’s latest true wireless earbuds offer adaptive ANC, and a battery lasts nearly two days. It is $349 for an aluminum case and $399 for a Kevlar fiber case. Pricing may not cater to everyone, but it ensures it’s worth the price tag. The MW09 is stunning, sports simple controls, and has tons of fit options. There’s also an excellent sound profile, powerful noise cancellation, and a battery that doesn’t give up on you.
The sapphire glass and aluminum earbud body is well-crafted and robust, offering excellent attention to detail. The MW09 offers two pairs of foam tips and five silicone ear tip pairs of varying sizes. There are just two intuitively-designed buttons controlling everything you need to control. The mic is the only thing on these buds that didn’t measure up. But otherwise, these check all the boxes you can think of for a killer pair of earbuds. Read More — Dua Rashid
Also Consider: Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
These buds feature an innovative, futuristic design that’s also comfortable with a splash of durability and a full, airy soundscape with great battery life. The only thing these buds lack is ANC. If you’re looking for a great pair of earbuds that serve clean, powerful audio and don’t need active noise canceling, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are for you. The buds offer slight durability with nearly 30 hours of battery life (with the charging case) and are incredibly comfortable even after hours of wear. And in terms of design, nothing on the market looks anything like the Ultra Open. Read More — Sherri L. Smith
Best Noise-Canceling Headphones — Shure Aonic 50 Gen 2
Shure’s Aonic 50 has insanely good ANC. Most ANC modes silence low-end sounds better than high-pitched ones. But these headphones do not care. High-pitched or low-pitched, it cancels everything. In fact, when you’re walking on the street, you probably shouldn’t have it turned on because it will literally mute every ambient sound. It’s that good.
Shure’s Aonic 50 shines in multiple areas, too. They offer intuitive controls, a clear mic, and a huge battery life. Comparing these to Sony’s and Apple’s flagship headphones, it’s worth noting that the WH-1000XM5 offers a 30-hour battery life while Apple gives you 20 hours. Both of these pale in comparison to Aonic’s massive 45-hour battery life. Read More — Dua Rashid
Best Gaming Headphones — Turtle Beach Stealth Pro
The Stealth Pro is the best gaming headset Turtle Beach has produced to date. It sports a sleek design and a unique two-battery feature (the Stealth Pro comes with two batteries in the package, so you can swap one in as the other loses charge), giving it a long battery life. It hosts an easy and intuitive control layout and an extremely comfortable fit. The treble and sound imaging are great, and so is the noise-canceling. It’s got pretty impressive dual connectivity and a very useful companion app.
At $330, it is admittedly a big investment, but it is going to be worth it. It checks all the boxes that a gaming headset should offer. I wish it featured RGB lighting and a less-tight adjustment slider. A little more noise reduction on the boom mic would have been great, too. Read More — Dua Rashid.
This list is updated regularly with new recommendations and product forecasts.
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