A few years back, the best bang-for-your-buck wired earphones were the 1MORE Triple Driver Headphones. I absolutely loved them. However it's been some years, and hundreds of new earphones have been made. Are there any more wired earphones between 0$-$200 that sound absolutely amazing?

Looking for the best earbuds. I currently have the Sony WF-XM5, and I have to say I’m pretty disappointed. The ANC is average, and without perfect passive seal, background noise leaks in quite easily. Sound quality isn’t bad.

The worst part is that during many work calls—even in a quiet room—the other side says I sound muffled, like I’m in a tunnel or an aquarium.

I’m looking for earbuds that deliver top-tier sound quality with excellent noise canceling and call performance.

Budget isn’t an issue, but I honestly don’t know what to choose anymore.

I was considering the Technics AZ100 or the JBL Tour Pro 3.

Will I actually notice an improvement over the Sonys? Is there something else that’s more recommended? I’m totally confused at this point.

After testing a variety of in-ear earbuds this year, three really stood out to me. Each one earned its spot for different reasons, and I’m curious about your thoughts too!

Sony WF-1000XM5 have been my most well-rounded pair. The sound is rich and detailed, ANC is top-tier, and they’re super comfortable. Sony really nailed the fit this time and added reliable multipoint, making these perfect for everyday use. How do you feel about Sony’s noise cancellation and overall sound quality? Have you tried these yet?

Jabra Elite 7 Pro replaced my usual Apple earbuds. The thing that won me over was the incredible call quality and their secure, lightweight fit—they’re perfect for both work calls and workouts. Plus, the customizable EQ is a nice touch for fine-tuning the sound. If you’re not tied to the Apple ecosystem, would you give these a shot? How do you prioritize call quality in your earbuds?

Bose QuietComfort II are still my top pick for pure noise cancellation. The ANC is absolutely unmatched, and they stay comfy even during long listening sessions. They’re a bit bulkier, but totally worth it when I want to completely block everything out. If you’re all about noise isolation, how do these compare to your go-to earbuds?

Each of these serves a different need—Sony for overall performance, Jabra for calls and versatility, and Bose for unbeatable quiet. What’s your top pick for the year?

I've got a couple of old iPods that I've restored and I enjoy the novelty of having a comparatively low-tech experience (can't believe we're here already). No phone, no infinite availability of music, and no pairing. Just a few select albums and a set of earbuds. My ancient (but much loved) Sennheiser wired earbuds are perished, unfortunately. Are there any new models you would recommend?

I am currently using Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds. I used to be, but I am no longer, a fan, because: 1) my ears hurt after a couple of hours, and 2) the battery now wears out very quickly - after about 1 hour of usage. On the plus side, at least my ears don't hurt anymore because they die quickly 😂

I am in the market for new ones. I checked out Sony's XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. I've read that Sony's still suffer from the same battery and comfort issues (WTF), and Bose's have connectivity issues (more WTF). These are deal breakers for me, especially when considering the price.

What would be considered the best earbuds pick in 2025? I don't care about the price if it's justified. My use case is open office work and cycling (so wind noise suppression matters). Oh also, I am rocking an Android phone, so AirPods won't work for me. I welcome your suggestions.

P.S. Sony and Bose seem to be considered top picks in general. Since I am not so keen on those for the reasons explained, I also checked out Soundcore A40 as a budget alternative and am curious to learn how you feel about those. Thanks y'all!

Apparently wired headphones are back in fashion now? My daughter is 17 and she wants a pair for her birthday so shes expecting like the good quality kind. I know of bose and audionic but not sure if those are still the best you can get. Are there any newer n better brands now that do wired ones well?

Dont think those can get expensive but lmk the price range of your recs tho. Need to get her the best wired earbuds for her 18th birthday.

Hello everybody,

I am currently looking to buy some wireless earbuds. I've read like 20ish articles online about what the best pair would be, but it is mainly about the open market and famous brands : Sony, Bose, Apple...

I am a musician and listen to tons of music a day, and I want to treat myself with what could come close to the best audio quality available on the market. So I want an unbiased opinion on what could do the trick for me !

As I plan to have only this pair on a daily basis, a good call quality (or at least correct) is important, as well as an ANC that doesn't completely transform the sound and still works fine.

I have no budget limitations whatsoever, I really want to treat myself with the best !

Do you have any tips on what I should consider ? I've found that the Denon Perl Pros, Devialet Gemini II and Technics AZ100 are often recommended, but are they overhyped ? Are they still relevant in October 2025 ? And we should also see the last Sony Earbuds out soon now, should I wait for this product ? I have the impression that we are juste before the next wave of earbuds as every product is like 1 and a half years old, and I would be disappointed to buy an expensive pair of earbuds just to have a newer, better and not so much pricier version coming out in 2 months lol

Thank you !

I originally posted this in r/Earbuds and they suggested I post here too.

This is part of my project to tinker with Reddit data and LLMs. Wanted to create something useful for the community while levelling up my coding chops.

The idea is to highlight which wireless earbuds got the most love. To be clear, most love =/= objectively best. But hopefully it’s a useful data point nonetheless, especially for those overwhelmed by the options.

Obviously this is a very general list. It gets way more interesting when you slice and dice the data.

If you want to dig into the data you can do so at the source / full interactive list

You can explore the data, read the comments, filter by price, subreddits, ANC, or filter for comments about sound quality, calls, using for gym, running, gaming etc. Disclaimer - the page has some affiliate links. You don’t have to use them, though they they help fund the analyses.

Methodology in the comments.

is it just me or are all “top rated” wireless earbuds either super overpriced or built to die right after the warranty expires?? like… i just want something that stays in during a walk, doesn’t stab my ears after 30 mins, and maybe — just maybe — doesn’t sound like static every time i talk to someone.

every best wireless earbuds 2025 list sounds exactly the same: “amazing comfort, long battery life, rich bass” blah blah. then you buy them and a week later, one side just gives up charging like it’s had enough of life.

idk man, maybe i’m cursed. or maybe my ears are just built weird 😂.

i seriously can’t stand the pair i have right now — about ready to toss them out the window lol.

I am hoping the Technics AZ100 are the clear winner for this year since the latter part of the last year was all about Technics. But there's fair game in competition with Sony and Sennheiser as well because both brands may introduce their models later in 2025 therefore I am skeptical about buying now. What should I do? found some threads that are helpful in the problem that update late in the year. Maybe I stay a little longer. Also I want best in terms of sound and ANC.

I posted a version in April. Some of you have been asking for an updated version so here’s one. This time I’ve also added the brand scores and a list specific to r/Earbuds to help contextualise the rankings better.

This is part of my project to tinker with Reddit data and LLMs. Wanted to create something useful for the community while levelling up my coding chops.

The idea is to highlight which wireless earbuds got the most love. To be clear, most love =/= objectively best. But hopefully it’s a useful data point nonetheless, especially for those overwhelmed by the flood of options.

Obviously this is a very general list. It gets way more interesting when you slice and dice the data.

If you want to dig into the data I have an interactive list on my project page.

You can explore the data, read the comments, filter by price, subreddits, ANC, or filter for comments about sound quality, calls, using for gym, running, gaming etc. Disclaimer - the page has some affiliate links. You don’t have to use them, though they they help fund the analyses.

Methodology in the comments.

A while back, I came across a post ranking earbuds by price range, which was super helpful for a lot of people. Since that one’s hard to find now, I decided to remake it using newer models and what I’ve personally tested or researched. This list considers : sound quality, comfort, battery life, features and especially value for money.

Budget ($20–$50)

SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro– $42 Surprisingly good sound for under $50. Adaptive ANC works nicely, has app EQ, and LDAC support for Android. Battery lasts 7–8 hours.

JBL Wave Beam – $39 Punchy bass, typical JBL tuning. No ANC, but passive isolation is great. Compact case and comfortable fit.

1MORE PistonBuds Pro $49 Balanced V‑shaped sound with clean highs and decent ANC. App support and customizable touch controls push them pretty high up in this list.

Hoco EQ16 – $38 Excellent value with nice sound and strong ANC and ENC. They’re the ones I’m using specifically because of the ENC part, it’s hard to find headphones that have decent mic quality. Audio wise I’d say they’re close to Ankers but the price makes it feel like a bargain.

Mid‑range ($50–$100)

Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC $79 Smart ANC, great fit, clear mids, and full‑bodied bass. Multipoint and LDAC make it future‑proof.

SoundPEATS Air4 Pro AN – $69 Lightweight fit with airy soundstage and responsive touch controls. Battery clocks in at 9 hours with ANC off. (I struggled with the name too)

High‑end ($100–$200)

Sony WF‑C700N $119 Lightweight version of the XM5, still with great ANC and comfort. Fantastic choice for travel or work.

Technics EAH‑AZ60M2. $179 Premium soundstage with natural mids and crisp treble. Multipoint works seamlessly, battery edges out Sony’s buds.

Jabra Elite 10 ANC. $179 One of the best in comfort and mic quality. Spatial sound support for both Android and iPhone users.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 $189 You guys know about those already

Boss level ($200+)

Once you’re above the $200 mark, it’s really about preference since they’re all pretty good, and keep in mind most of these I haven’t tried (sorry I’m broke)

Sony WF‑1000XM5 -$229

The benchmark for noise cancelling and sound quality(I see this one everywhere i think yall agree) Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds for 279 Best‑in‑class comfort and ANC transparency. Sound is nice and clear, especially good for people who don’t take their headphones off their head.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 with ANC for 250$ Audiophile‑grade clarity, robust build, and customizable EQ. A dream for anyone who values balanced sound over extra bass.

That’s my 2025 lineup!
Let me know which ones you’re rocking, or if I missed some underrated picks — I’ll updateo the post based on what everyone recommends

I am looking for an overall best earbuds. I am willing to spend $400. I want to these earbuds for music, gym use and sometimes for gaming. So, which earbud do you think is the best right now? any advice? thanks in advance!

I did a quick google also and according to top sources these are the best wireless earbuds:

1. Sony WF-1000XM5

2. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)

3. Bose QuietComfort Ultra

4. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro

Not sure which one too choose. so, need help deciding.

I recently did one for wireless earbuds. A lot of you requested for me to do one for headphones so here it is.

Context: This is part of my project to tinker with Reddit data and LLMs. Wanted to create something useful for the community while levelling up my coding chops.

The idea is to highlight which headphones got the most love. To be clear, most love =/= objectively best. But hopefully it’s a useful data point nonetheless, especially for those overwhelmed by the options.

Obviously this is a very general list. It gets more interesting when you slice and dice the data.

I have 2 slides where I segmented it by reviews about music vs gaming. If you want to dig into the data further you can do so at the source / full interactive list

You can explore the data, read the comments, filter by price, subreddits, wired/wireless, or filter for comments about music, gaming, gym, running, calls etc. Disclaimer - the page has some affiliate links. You don’t have to use them, though they they help fund the analyses.

Methodology in the comments.

Long story:

I bought the 'mpow m30 plus wireless earbuds' on Amazon for £40 on December 2020. Which I have used daily for work, gym, and casual listening etc.

Three days ago, I went to put them in for work, and found I had the right earbud missing. I have spent three days looking for them everywhere, but have been unsuccessful.

I went on Amazon to reorder the same ones, but mpow is no longer on Amazon? What do I buy now, I am so lost and have no idea on which companies/brands are considered good...

Price is not necessarily an issue, so any price range is fine. Sound quality and battery life are priorities, so any advice would be greatly appreciated! (Also is there a reason mpow was taken off Amazon?)

Short story:

I lost one of my earbuds, which I had been using for 4+ years, spent the past 3 days looking for it. Need advice on which eaebuds are the best in 2025, with sound quality and battery life as the main priorities. Thanks!

*image taken from online, to show the ones I had been using.

I picked up the Marshall Mode EQ in my last trip to Tokyo from the LABI store in Shibuya. At this LABI on the 4th floor you can actually try on any of the headphones and earbuds before you buy. After trying on everything in the store I chose these Marshalls for their overall sound quality and the cool brass fittings. They even have an EQ switch that ads a bit more bass and I really cannot think of any reason not to use this because it sounds great.

Are you guys still using wired headphones or have you completely cut the wires? Most of my headphones are wireless, but it's nice to have a couple wired choices for backup.

i thought earbuds were supposed to be simple. turns out picking a pair feels like choosing a mortgage now lol. so here’s how I figured out how to choose wireless earbuds, after returning like… 3 sets (yes i’m that person).

1. figure out where you’ll actually use them. commute? calls? gym? lying in bed? the “best” pair changes completely.

2. anc isn’t always better. some light ANC models sound way cleaner than the heavy-ANC ones. trade-offs everywhere.

3. don’t trust battery numbers unless you enjoy disappointment. take off 20–30%.

4. check the app before buying. one brand’s app literally required an account just to tweak EQ. no thanks.

5. comfort over specs, always. if it hurts, you’ll never use it, no matter how many “premium drivers” they brag about.

idk, maybe I’m just picky, but earbuds feel like dating… looks great on paper, but vibes matter most.

any hidden gems I should try?