Wireless Headphone Review

Tom's Guide

Tom's Guide looks at the wireless headphone options available, from best overall to best ANC and best IOS.

Transcript

00:00If you're looking to find the best headphones, then you've come to the right place.

00:04My team and I have spent hundreds of hours testing dozens of over-ear headphone models

00:08to come up with a definitive list of which ones are most worth buying, all of which are

00:13linked down below.

00:14Let's get right into it.

00:16The best overall headphones are the Sony WH-1000XM5.

00:20These over-ear headphones deliver excellent sound quality in every respect, plus great

00:24noise cancellation, and we happen to think they look quite nice.

00:28The packaging is modern and minimal, and they're available in black or a color called

00:32accrue.

00:33They're also rather lightweight and are supplied with a usefully compact and collapsible carrying

00:37case.

00:38Get the XM5s if you want the best sound, meaning balanced and smooth sound from the bottom

00:43of the frequency range to the very top, with good rhythmic expression that gives music

00:47so much room to soar.

00:48You should similarly consider these if you want effective A&C, there's virtually no

00:52trace of external sound when you have your music going.

00:55Finally, get the XM5s if you're big on battery life.

00:59These are good for 30 hours between charges with A&C switched on, and that will rise to

01:03as much as 40 hours when you turn it off.

01:06Recharges take about 3.5 hours via the USB-C input on the right earcup.

01:10The only reasons to avoid the XM5s is if you care that these don't fold in on themselves

01:14and also if the MSRP of $399 is out of your budget.

01:19But if you want to talk about the best headphones that you can get for the same price, specifically

01:23in terms of sound quality, look no further than the Bowers & Wilkins PX7S2E.

01:30That's right, we found that these right here deliver the best wireless sound money can

01:34buy.

01:35These cans give you top-of-class bass energy with a high degree of detail levels, while

01:39treble sounds are bright but intentional.

01:42The Bowers & Wilkins generate a sizable soundstage that will blow pretty much any listener away.

01:47There is a bit of a tradeoff when it comes to active noise cancellation quality, which

01:51proves good rather than great.

01:53Needless to say, it will still be perfectly acceptable to anyone who doesn't insist on

01:57absolute silence.

01:59Otherwise, they feel great to wear, are beautifully constructed with a lot of luxurious sensibilities

02:04that make them look even more expensive than they actually are.

02:07I especially like the textured fabric and the memory foam-filled leather cups.

02:12Best case battery life runs to 30 hours, which is about average these days.

02:16A 15-minute charge is good for 7 hours of playback, which we'd say is a huge perk in

02:21terms of convenience.

02:23On the other hand, if you do care about the quality of noise cancellation more than anything

02:27else, check out the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.

02:31They have unrivaled ANC performance with adjustable ANC that will work equally well to neutralize

02:37noise across different frequencies, so that you can really make those refinements on just

02:41how much you want to be tuned into the world around you.

02:44They also have Bose's immersive audio feature, which gives a universal specialized audio

02:49experience with whatever music source or streaming platform you use.

02:53It's basically source-agnostic with Bose's software enabling the 360 effect.

02:58It sounds pretty spectacular as your music wraps around your head, with a few different

03:02movement modes to switch between in the companion Bose Music app.

03:06The appearance isn't anything too special, though they have a collapsible design that

03:10makes packing them up a breeze.

03:12It's worth noting that we're not huge fans of the call quality, and they're also not

03:15the longest-lasting headphones with just 24 hours of battery life or 18 hours with

03:20the immersive audio feature.

03:23Those three headphones are all competitively priced among one another, but if you're looking

03:27for the best headphones at the luxury level, we have here the Bowers & Wilkins PX8.

03:33With bespoke 40mm carbon cone drive units for a detailed sound across all parts of the

03:38frequency range and high-end materials to the utmost comfort, the Bowers & Wilkins PX8

03:43flagship are one of the most sophisticated models on the market with the kind of credentials

03:48that audiophiles look for.

03:50Bass sounds natural and rich, while it's easy to follow individual elements within the music

03:55and pick out different strands of the mix.

03:58Mid frequencies deliver an abundance of natural detail and mid-range clarity to make every

04:02syllable sound convincingly realistic, and it is those mid-ranges that are really what

04:07makes them a pair of $700 headphones.

04:10The noise cancellation quality might not fully live up to the price, and they don't

04:14have multiband EQ customization.

04:17At least the 30-hour battery life is right on par with category-leading models.

04:24On the other hand, the Sennheiser Accentum is our favorite value choice.

04:28They can be purchased for under $200.

04:30The 50-hour battery life is a real crowd-pleaser and makes these mid-range ANC headphones the

04:35ones to beat when it comes to longer listening with ANC enabled.

04:39We also like how despite being more affordable, they still look quite like the more premium

04:44Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless.

04:46There might not be as many bells and whistles with the Accentum, but they're as reliable

04:50as you'll find for the price in the headphones category.

04:54Price has been a point of contention for these next headphones, the AirPods Max, ever since

04:59they launched.

05:00These remain Apple's first and only over-ear AirPods headphones, aka ones that have nothing

05:05to do with beats.

05:07What's nice about them is that they're designed with as much convenience as possible for iPhone,

05:11iPad, and Mac users.

05:13Besides easy setup and handoff between all your Apple ecosystem devices, we've found

05:18that there's something to appreciate about the AirPods Max's soundstage across all kinds

05:22of musical genres, but our favorite aspect came from spatial audio.

05:27This game-changing listening feature is basically surround sound, and it uses built-in head

05:31tracking to make sound relative to how you're moving your head or what you're seeing on

05:35screen while watching a video.

05:37Looks-wise, the AirPods Max come in a fun color range that lends itself well to a retro

05:42aesthetic.

05:43And this mesh headband is good for distributing weight because, well, these are heavier than

05:47a lot of other headphones.

05:48No on-off button and the included and completely non-protective smart case are some of the

05:53other little quirks with the AirPods Max worth noting.

05:56The 20-hour battery life is also just alright when you consider some of the other top headphones

06:01that we've recommended.

06:03There are other headphones we recommend based on specific needs, such as whether you need

06:07headphones for working out or headphones that offer especially effective noise cancellation,

06:12but our procedures for testing headphones are always the same.

06:15From the design and comfort to the overall sound quality and value, we evaluate several

06:19areas when picking the best headphones.

06:22Our rigorous review process compares products with similar fit, features, and pricing.

06:27Each pair of headphones and earbuds are worn for many hours, and during this time, reviewers

06:31evaluate comfort and fit, ease of use, and audio.

06:35We test sound by listening to different tracks across music genres, including hip-hop, rock,

06:39jazz, classical, and pop.

06:41Volume, clarity, and fullness of sound are all taken into consideration for our readings.

06:45Movies, podcasts, and video games are considered when necessary.

06:49When it comes to features, we test the active noise cancellation, Bluetooth range, and battery

06:53for wireless and wired headphones.

06:56Additional features are also tested for app-enabled headphones, along with the ease of setup.

07:01Sound quality, controls, and fit are taken into consideration for all headphone types.

07:06Many factors come into play when shopping for the best headphones, but your decision

07:09should always come down to intended use.

07:12That being said, you'll want to take certain categories into account before settling on

07:16any pair.

07:17First, design.

07:18Do you want something that looks like luxury or more sporty?

07:21Since these headphones will be used for multiple occasions, you want something that best suits

07:24your lifestyle.

07:25Then, there's sound quality.

07:28Different models offer different sound, and since you're buying a pair to enjoy music

07:31individually, it's really important to find headphones that match your sound preferences,

07:35be it heavy bass or distinctively clear to where you can hear the littlest nuances in

07:40the recording.

07:41Battery life is a big one, too.

07:43How long do you want your headphones to last?

07:45If you're someone who's always on the go, it would be smart to get a pair that can keep up.

07:49Other things to consider are the included accessories and, of course, how much you're

07:52prepared to spend.

07:54You definitely don't need to break the bank to get a great pair of headphones, but you'll

07:57likely find trade-offs if you go down the price tiers.

08:00We generally like to look at headphones as an investment.

08:03With proper care, the same pair of headphones should last you several years to come.

08:07Again, all the headphones we've talked about today are linked down below, but let me know

08:11which you would go for.

08:12We have full reviews of all of these headphones on tomsguide.com, but you should keep it locked

08:17to this channel for more buying guides coming very soon.

08:21Thanks for watching.

08:22I'll catch you next time.

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