The microphones reduce background noise very well when you take a call. These true wireless earbuds have stabilizing wings that help to keep them in place, each earbud works independently, and the charging case is easy to fit in a jeans pocket. The battery life ranges from hours per charge, depending on volume levels, if you have the active noise cancellation on, and whether you take frequent calls.
The IPX5 rating means you can get caught in a drizzle and not worry about your earbuds getting ruined. On the downside, the active noise cancelling is only average, bass notes sound formless and too loud, and the touch controls can be fussy.
We liked the large amount of included color-coded tips, which make getting a proper fit a breeze. The case has a Kitt from KnightRider vibe, with a ping-ponging red light. The microphones are clear on calls, but in windy conditions the signal processing makes your voice bizarrely bass-like. And we were sad to see that you can choose only two controls per earbud, which really limits what you can adjust.
But we did appreciate that you can adjust the touch-control sensitivity in the Edifier app. The sound is boosted in the low frequencies in a way that can muddy male voices, but it has lovely mids and highs on less bass-heavy songs.
Our voices sounded clear over phone calls, though the right earbud picked up wind noise in blustery conditions. Also, the textured coating means the stem that extends from the earbuds can transfer some noise if you have long or thick hair that brushes against them, and this can be especially pronounced in hear-through mode.
Listening time extends to five hours when ANC is deactivated. We were impressed with the number of features included on this pair for the price, but the performance was less exciting. The hear-through mode sounded muffled, the controls are limited, and these lack the ability to power down without the case. EnacFire A9 : The included tips run small, so folks with larger ear canals may struggle to get a seal. The sonic tuning is bloated in the upper lows, so acoustic guitar sounds like it has reverb on it, yet songs with a deep bassline lose their oomph.
The tap-based controls require an uncomfortable amount of force to activate, and they respond inconsistently. Additionally, in our tests the active noise cancellation was extremely minimal, and the overall sound quality was muffled. Jabra Elite 85t : There is a lot to like about these earbuds. If the tips were a standard shape, we might not call this a dealbreaker, but the sound tube and tips are an unusual oblong shape that may make it difficult to find larger replacement tips.
However, in other ways these are good true wireless earbuds. Our panelists found the earbuds to be lightweight and comfortable. The tap-based controls lack volume toggling, which is a bummer. Five pairs of included tips and two stabilizing winglets also help hold the buds in place. This pair performs excellently all around.
The tap-based controls are less prone to fussiness and less likely to be inadvertently bumped. JLab Epic Air ANC : This pair fits pretty comfortably and comes with six pairs of ear tips, which should help most folks get a good seal. We were also impressed with the hour battery life. The noise cancellation is successful enough to be useful in reducing air-conditioner or airplane noise, but otherwise the Epic Air ANCs offer a middle-of-the-road experience. The ambient awareness feature is louder in the left ear, which is distracting during a conversation.
Though the EQ can be adjusted in the app, the adjustments are tricky—and the sound quality still has a coarse quality to high frequencies, even after making EQ adjustments.
JLab Epic Executive : We got pretty good noise cancelling from this set, but the sound was a little too soft for our taste, and the microphone sounded quiet and muffled over phone calls. The active noise cancellation is mild, but it cuts down the sound of low hums like that of an air conditioner. The sound quality on the primary EQ setting is bass heavy, but not terribly so. You can still hear male vocals clearly enough on bass-intense songs. The app has EQ that can balance out the lows if you take the time to adjust it.
The claimed 11 to 15 hours of battery life is quite impressive. The only real issue we had was with the tap-based controls, which are rather fussy. For example, when we meant to adjust the volume, we instead paused the music. In the middle of a workout, this type of thing could be very frustrating. The fit is comfortable for all but the most diminutive ears, with small, smooth earbuds that fit securely.
The single-button controls are intuitive to use, and they handle playback, track-forward, volume, calls, and digital assistant. But the noise cancellation is mild.
Koss QZ Buds : Although the noise cancelling was good, turning it on brought the midrange down too much for our taste. The battery life of 10 hours per charge is impressive, as is the fast-charge feature that powers both the earbuds and case from 0 to 50 percent capacity after just 15 minutes plugged in.
The earbuds are IPX5 rated, so they can handle some rain or sweat. The physical buttons are easy to understand and activate, though folks with large fingers may struggle a bit with the teeny volume toggle.
While the microphones handle calls clearly and reduce background noise and wind noise well, we prefer some side-tone to avoid the urge to speak too loudly. Panasonic RZ-SW : These true wireless noise cancellers are decently effective at reducing background noise, and we liked that they came with five pairs of tips in various sizes to get a good fit.
Though this set paired to our phones easily, we experienced more than the usual stutters in the connection. The ANC is mildly effective, the volume buttons are a bit tricky to find by feel, and the microphone is quiet so your caller may struggle to hear you without turning up their volume. The sound quality has indistinct lows, and the highs have a coarse edge.
Raycon The Work Earbuds : These are middle-of-the-road. The touch controls can be a little fussy, and it requires four presses to call up your digital assistant, which can feel a tad excessive. If that bothers you, Raycon includes three pairs of foam tips, which are more effective.
The microphone is not wind resistant and is not as clear as your phone handset, but it works well enough in a quiet room. But the earbuds themselves are so thick that only those who have the largest of ears will find them to be comfortable. Two of our panelists found their ears aching after only a brief listening session. Additionally the touch controls are sensitive, so adjusting the fit will often cause you to play or pause your music. There are EQ settings available through the app, but all of them were too extreme to be pleasant.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live : These unsealed earbuds with active noise cancelling are designed for use with Samsung phones. The microphone quality is impressively clear, even in wind. The sound quality is enjoyable, though a touch on the bass-heavy side. The ambient awareness mode can be triggered by speaking, but if you stop talking to listen to your conversation partner, it shuts off after 15 seconds, which is mildly annoying. Both the case and earbuds are very small, but the included tips run on the smaller size, so folks with large ear canals may have to buy third-party tips to get a seal.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 : These earbuds feature the signature Sennheiser sound, producing mildly boosted bass with more intense and slightly sibilant highs that over emphasize consonants. Music will sound very bass forward, even if you do the app-based hearing test that adjusts the EQ for you. The noise cancellation is effective enough to be helpful but is outshined by the performance of our top picks.
Sony WFX : These true wireless earbuds offered very little noise cancelling. We found the pieces large and fatiguing to wear, and the active noise cancellation was barely effective. Sony WF-SPN : The 9-hour battery life is impressive, but the earbud size is large and can feel a bit unstable, especially if you plan to wear them for their intended use: while working out.
The sound out of the box is quite good and the noise cancelling is useful for reducing loud fan-like noises, but the interface and fit were enough to give us pause in making this pair a pick. Sony WIX : These collar-style earbuds are expensive, yet they offer subpar noise cancelling. Soundcore Life P3 : This pair is a mix of pros and cons. Out of the box, the highs are sibilant, but that can be adjusted using the equalizer tool in the Soundcore app.
However, the limited controls are a bummer. The microphones handle wind noise relatively well, but your voice will sound compressed to your conversation partner. Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro : These are fantastic if the earbuds fit you properly, which can be a challenge for folks with larger or deeper ear canals. The fit issues are not because of the sizes of tips included which is an impressive eight pairs but because the stem and short sound tube design make it impossible to push the earbuds deeper into your ear to get more stability or an improved seal.
If you do get a good fit, the Air 2 Pro offers up a lot of bells and whistles for a competitive price: a hearing test that adjusts the EQ, an audio-based fit test, multiple noise-cancelling modes, and a background-noise-reducing microphone for calls. The sound quality is quite good and can be adjusted manually. Overall, folks looking for an alternative to the AirPods Pro will be happy with these earbuds TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 : The sound tubes go deeper than most into your ear canal, which may feel invasive to some folks.
Though the noise cancellation is decent, the sound quality is dull, with smeared bass notes. At a very low price, we may be able to get past the sound quality, but the controls are incredibly finicky. Our testers quickly became frustrated as attempts to pause the music changed the volume levels, or vice versa.
We liked the sound, which has a little extra emphasis in the low and high notes, but not in a heavy-handed way. The S pair is very enjoyable to use. The most annoying attribute of the S is that there is no reset button on the case. Instead, to reset the earbuds, you leave the case open with the earbuds inside for 10 seconds. We can imagine many situations that could lead to the case inadvertently being left open and earbuds that will require re-pairing.
We liked that the ANC is useful for lower frequencies and is adjustable, and that there are five sizes of silicone tips included. The tap controls are fussy, and the sound quality is dull and muffled, as though someone threw a blanket over a speaker.
Lauren Dragan is a senior staff writer and has tested over 1, headphones for Wirecutter. She has a BA from Ithaca College in music performance and audio production. Our pick. Budget pick. Also great. Everything we recommend. Security and privacy Other good noise-cancelling headphones What to look forward to The competition Sources. Why you should trust us. How noise-cancelling headphones work.
Who should get these. How we picked. The four main things to consider in a set of noise-cancelling headphones are:. How we tested. You can see the results from our picks and other notable competitors in the charts below. The best wireless noise-cancelling headphones: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones Over-ear pick: Flaws but not dealbreakers.
Earbuds pick: Flaws but not dealbreakers. Why does active noise cancellation give some people a headache? Security and privacy. What user data does the app collect? Bose: We reached out to Bose multiple times but have yet to receive a response. Technical data: such as mobile device ID including operating system and version , IP address, internet service provider, browser type, and domain name. Usage data: such as whether and when you update the app and your connected Bose products, date and time of use, time spent in different portions of the app, content accessed or downloaded including stations played, playlists, artists, albums, songs, or podcasts , and list of systems and software applications.
If you're really tight on space, say you want to shove them in a carry-on bag for a flight, then you're still going to be okay. The plastic headband is tough but has enough give that it won't snap at the least bit of pressure. Combine this with the folding design that reduces their profile and you're much less likely to snap them during travel.
Color choices include gold, white and metallic with slick looking light-up ear pieces. They're very comfortable and not heavy on your head with a well-cushioned headband. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. The Soul Electronics SLs are the flagship model of a line of headphones designed and curated by hip-hop artist Ludacris. With their active noise cancellation, fold-up design, and sexy features, these headphones are undoubtedly in direct competition with the Monster Beats by Dr.
Dre Studio , but with an important difference: you can still listen to music through the Soul headphones even if you don't engage the powered isolation switch. The emphasis on style extends to the argyle pattern stitched into the leather. They also have status-symbol aspirations, evidenced by the small tactile button on the inside of the headphones that toggles a glowing white LED around the Soul branding on the outside of the earcups.
In terms of their actual fit, the headphones have minimal contact points on your head aside from the leather padding underneath the headband and on the earcups. We found them more comfortable to wear over long listening sessions than the Beats. You know what they say -- if you can't Beat 'em, undercut 'em.
Signeo's Soul by Ludacris headphone series -- which made its debut a couple of months ago at CES -- has just been priced, and sure enough, each pair is cheaper than what Dr.
Dre and co. Specifics on each one are hosted up after the break, and Americans can expect to see the whole crew this May.
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