Headphones have come a long way in the past few years. If you haven’t upgraded in a while, now might be the best time to do so. If getting out to the audiophile shops in your area isn’t an option, there’s no doubt that Amazon alternative to shop for your next pair.
The problem is there are a million pairs of headphones to choose from, and it can become overwhelming to sort through. So, if you’re considering refreshing your ears—be it wired or wireless—you’ve wandered onto the right website.
So gear up, crank the volume, and push play on the rest of this article!
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How To Choose The Best Headphones
Here are some of the main factors that you should consider when you hit the market for some new headphones:
- Comfort
- Noise cancellation
- Sound quality
- Bluetooth
- Frequency response
- Battery Life
- Replaceable cords
- Budget
Our Top Picks
Best For Noise Cancellation – Bowers & Wilkins PX7
Best For Comfort – AKG N60NC Wireless
Best Budget Option – Anker Soundcore Life Q20
Best Earbuds – Apple Airpods Max
Best Overall Sound Quality – Beyerdynamic Amiron
Best For Kids – Puro BT2200
Best for Gaming – SteelSeries Arctis Pro
Best Smart Headphone – Bose QuietComfort 35 II
Best Magnetic Headphones – Monoprice Monolith M1060
Best Studio Headphones – Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Best For Noise Cancellation
Bowers & Wilkins PX7
Bluetooth: Yes | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 30hr | Charging: USB-C | Built-in mic and controls: Yes | Weight: 303g
While adaptive noise-cancellation may be included with more and more headphones these days, the PX7 stands apart with their sophisticated styling, quality of build, and superior sound clarity.
These bad boys also have the newly developed aptX Adaptive Bluetooth tech, which significantly reduces latency and improves data rates. The evils of planned obsolescence won’t be coming to claim these headphones any time soon.
Best For Comfort
AKG N60NC Wireless
Bluetooth: Yes | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 15hr | Charging: USB-C |Built-in mic and controls: No | Weight: 199g
If you want a pair of headphones that is comfortable to wear for hours on end, the AKG N60NC are definitely the right choice. These battery-powered headphones weigh in at only 199g, quite a bit less than most of the others on this list. It has a super-efficient battery that delivers top-quality sound and ANS noise cancellation for up to 15 hours on a single charge. Wireless headphones are often criticized for poor noise cancellation, but that’s where these excels. Little wonder these have quickly become one of the most popular picks for customers on Amazon.
Best Budget Option
Anker Soundcore Life Q20
Bluetooth: Yes | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 40hr | Charging: Micro USB | Built-in mic and controls: Yes | Weight: 270g
One of the biggest dilemmas when shopping on Amazon is finding the perfect balance between affordability and quality. The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 bridges that gap seamlessly.
Although it doesn’t have the slick look of other premium options, it boasts some great features and functionality. These headphones are lightweight and comfortable, and you get on-ear controls for power, track control and volume at all your fingertips. All of this in addition to 15 hours of playback on single full-charge!
Top Pick
Apple Airpods Max
Bluetooth: Yes | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 20hr | Charging: USB-C | Built-in mic and controls: Yes
There’s no denying that Apple products typically cost an arm and a leg. There’s also no denying that they usually live up to the hype.
If you’ve got a few extra bucks to spare, look no further than the Airpod Pro Max. They look and sound great, and they come with the same one year of AppleCare as all other Apple products. When you add together unique features like cinematic spatial audio tracking and the proprietary Apple H1 processing chip, the price issue is quickly forgotten.
Although the Apple Airpod Max will work with non-Apple products, you will want an Apple device or computer to really get the most out of them.
Best Sound Quality
Beyerdynamic Amiron
Bluetooth: No | Noise-cancelling: No | Connector: 3.5mm/6.3mm | Built-in mic and controls: Yes
Beyerdynamic has struck gold with the Amiron model. Not only do they sound amazing, but they’re super comfortable. The ear cups and headband are made out of micro-velour and microfibers, which has a feeling similar to suede. And despite the high-quality materials, these bad boys only weigh half a pound. The design and build of these headphones, however, are just as luxurious as the sound quality.
These headphones are wired, so they’re not the best choice for if Bluetooth is a selling point for you. These are much more at home in a studio and are the practical choice for someone serious about sound and music production.
Best For Kids
Puro BT2200
Bluetooth: Yes | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Battery life: 22hrs+ | Charging: USB | Built-in mic and controls: Yes |Colors: Blue, Pink, Red
If you’re looking for a great pair of headphones for your kids, the Puro BT220 might be the right choice. They have high-tech volume-limiting and noise cancellation features that help protect your kid’s fragile eardrums from damage. They come in various bright colors that will make their pals grow green with envy.
Although the price may seem high at around $100, when you consider the protective features for your kids’ hearing, there is no question the Puro BT220 headphones are worth it.
Best For Gaming
SteelSeries Arctis Pro
Bluetooth: No | Connectivity: Wired| Noise-cancelling: Yes | Built-in mic and controls: Yes |Colors: Black/Silver
When it comes to gaming headsets, the SteelSeries Arctis Pro is downright impressive. It features a flexible suspension band and super-soft padded ear cups that make it comfortable to wear for hours of marathon gaming.
If all that alone isn’t enough of a reason to buy such a pricey headset, wait till you experience the great sound quality, built-in mic, spatial audio, and smart controls. It also allows a significant level of customization that allows you to adjust the EQ without using any extra software.
Best Smart Headphones
Bose QuietComfort 35 Series II
Bluetooth: Yes (and wired)| Noise-cancelling: Yes (ANC) | Built-in mic and controls: Yes |Colors: Black | Smart Feature: Google Assistant, Smart touch controls
Bose established its status as THE top-quality home audio brand well before the modern concept of portable headphones. When it comes to their ability to revolutionize the way we listen to music, they went all out with the QuietComfort 35 II headphones.
They feature the new and improved active noise cancellation (ANC), for which Bose is well known. This cuts out a wide range of noises that other noice cancellation technology struggles with, such as train rumbling or loud A/C humming.
The Bose QC35 Series II headphones are also light and comfortable enough to be worn for many hours at a time. This, combined with the 20-hour battery life, means you’ll be enjoying your music to it’s fullest potential for an entire day without having to recharge.
Despite all these fancy features, what makes the QC 35 II really stand out is that they have smart controls enabled, so features like the Google Assistant are fully embedded. These are truly the whole package.
Best Magnetic Headphones
Monoprice Monolith M1060
Bluetooth: No | Connectivity: Wired| Noise-cancelling: Yes | Built-in mic and controls: Yes |Colors: Black/Brown | Design: Magnetic build
For the unfamiliar, planar magnetic headphones are known for producing richer and more detail-heavy soundscapes than any other pair of headphones. They use a different setup of magnets to convert the electronic pulses into an audio signal, resulting in a different sound a feel.
As far planar headphones go, the Monolith M1060s steals the show. They offer awesome sound delivery at a price that’s very affordable when compared to other options on the market.
If you’ve been considering diving into this new technology without shelling out too much money, then the Monolith M1060 headphones should certainly be on your radar.
Best Studio Headphones
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Bluetooth: No | Connectivity: Wired, Replaceable Cables | Noise-cancelling: Yes | Built-in mic and controls: Yes |Colors: Jet Black | Ear Cups: Soft-padded, 90 degrees swivel
Audio-Technica has built a solid reputation for offering high-fidelity and comfortable headphones. The ATH-M50X is intricately designed as a high-grade studio headphone. The heightened sound quality allows you to hear your music exactly as intended, with absolute clarity and zero alteration to even the finest details.
If you are a sound engineer, music producer, or artist, at some point you will want to transition from regular consumer headphones to studio headphones. The ATH-M50X should be your go-to option.
It comes with removable swivelling ear-cups and multiple replaceable cable options, making these headphones very portable and likely to last a lifetime.
