A cushty pair of headphones could make any long-haul flight, health club exercise, or train trip even higher. The fallacious pair? You’re in for poor battery life, tinny sound, and perhaps the worst half: ear aches and peculiar strain factors. To assist keep away from this, our staff examined 55 pairs of headphones over the previous six months to search out essentially the most comfy pairs of over-ear headphones and earbuds, evaluating our picks based mostly on ease of setup, ease of use, consolation, sound high quality, efficiency, and worth. We wore these throughout work commutes, in distracting workplace settings, on lengthy walks, and through sweaty exercises.
As somebody who can’t operate in loud locations with out some form of noise dampening, I’ve additionally examined quite a lot of headphones each on this checklist (just like the Ozlo Sleepbuds, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, and each Anker pairs) and a few that didn’t make the reduce (my favourite bone-conducting pair is the Raycon’s Open Earbuds). I’ve totally different headphones for the health club, my runs, bike rides, airplane rides, and distant work calls, and all have a time and place in my gym bag or carry-on.
The Bose QuietComfort Extremely Headphones took the highest spot this 12 months due to their cushioned ear pads, deceptively light-weight construct, and world-class noise cancelling. Learn on for the remainder of our prime picks.
Why We Love It
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With a straightforward setup, customizable choices, and long-term consolation, these are a worthwhile funding.
Touchdown in our prime slot for the second 12 months in a row are the Bose QuietComfort Extremely Headphones. They’ve an intuitive design, simply sufficient options to be handy with out complicated, and as much as 24 hours of battery life. Just like the basic QuietComfort, the Ultras are light-weight for his or her measurement, and don’t constrict our ears. We don’t really feel aches and strain factors after sporting them on long-haul flights, and the Bose app is pretty intuitive with loads of customizable settings.
The setup course of is fast and painless, and the “contact bar” is a singular characteristic that may both alter the amount or be set for custom-made shortcuts by way of the app. The plush leather-based ear cups match properly round our ears, and the sound high quality—from noise cancelling to voice calls—was clear and crisp. As anticipated, we did get a little bit sizzling sporting these in the course of the muggy summer time days, however that’s to be anticipated for a big set like this. Sure, you’ll pay extra for the Ultras than the usual, however if you happen to’re searching for a pair of do-it-all headphones that mix wonderful consolation, lengthy battery life, and premium sound high quality, they’re price it.
The Particulars: 8.96 ounces | As much as 24 hours of battery | As much as 30 ft Bluetooth vary | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
Apple’s AirPods have come a great distance since their preliminary launch, and the Professional 2 mannequin brings it up one other notch with efficient noise cancelling and higher in-ear consolation. The hear-through mode acts much like bone-conducting headphones in that it separates your music from the noises round you. The earbuds reply properly after we flip our heads to listen to from totally different instructions. The buttons are easy and intuitive, with one discreet button on both bud. The precise button activates noise cancellation and the left is for hear-through. “That is new to me from their earlier fashions, and I find it irresistible.” says T+L editor Taylor Fox.
We had been in a position to take cellphone calls on busy commutes and on loud streets, they usually stayed in place properly throughout check exercises, bouncy runs, and leaping jacks. These are a best choice for Mac customers, as they hook up with the Apple ecosystem and pair simply with our iPhone, although getting them to connect with our laptops was a little bit trickier. Lastly, these are a few of the most compact earbuds on our checklist, weighing lower than a quarter-ounce and excellent for stashing within the pocket of a personal item.
The Particulars: 0.19 ounces | As much as 6 hours of battery | As much as 30 ft Bluetooth vary | Earbuds | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
These premium headphones have been on our heads day by day since we obtained them, from taking calls whereas working errands to driving the prepare and after eight-hour workdays. They arrange like magic (maintain your cellphone close to the headphones and the app routinely downloads) and after a fast options tutorial, we had been all set. They’ve an automated on-off characteristic which helps preserve battery life, and every sound characteristic was as spectacular because the final. The glass ear cup base operates the entire instructions with swiping (which works with both hand), they usually have a singular dial on each ear cups that operates sound quantity and the extent of noise cancellation.
“These are a few of the most intuitive headphones that I personal,” says T+L editor Morgan Ashley Parker. “Different pairs I really feel like I am tapping and toggling and swiping and easily hoping for the very best (or by accident doing the fallacious factor) however that hasn’t occurred as soon as with these.” Parker was additionally impressed with the consolation of those headphones, becoming properly over her ears with out urgent into her lobes or piercings. They stayed safe even when shifting and bending over, and the precise music high quality felt like “being in a recording studio.” A splurge? Sure. However when you have the funds and wish only one extremely top quality, comfy pair of headphones, we expect these are price it.
The Particulars: 13.2 ounces | As much as 32 hours of battery | As much as 40 ft Bluetooth vary | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
It is easy to overlook the place you might be whereas sporting this luxury set from Bowers & Wilkins—the noise cancellation is simply that good. Cellphone calls got here in clear, the layers of music had been clearly audible, and ambient noise from site visitors and public transport disappeared.
“I stored biking by way of the totally different noise-canceling modes whereas listening to music and the distinction was astounding. It was like I used to be transporting between a quiet room and a crowded prepare with the press of a button,” says T+L’s senior testing editor Jackie Cucco, who was shocked to listen to how loud the folks round her had been after turning off the noise cancellation.
The mixture of consolation and safety can be a dream, with a just-right match that feels safe across the heads and ears with out an excessive amount of strain. We watched films, listened to podcasts, all kinds of music, and took calls in these headphones and by no means observed staticky, distorted, or poorly combined sounds. The battery life can be spectacular, hitting the mark on the claimed 30 hours of listening time and saving the effort of useless headphones in the course of the noisiest a part of our commute.
The Particulars: 10.8 ounces | As much as 30 hours of battery | As much as 33 ft Bluetooth vary | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
Seamless to arrange and filled with options, these workout-friendly headphones mix over-ear and earbud designs with a curved ear band that tucked behind our ears and secured the headphones in place. We cherished the on-device controls that eradicated the necessity to maintain taking our cellphone out, and we might play, pause, and alter the amount proper from the in-ear models. Like equally high-end headphones, these have a power-charge setting the place you possibly can rise up to 90 minutes of playback with just some minutes within the charging case and as much as 10 hours per cost, with 45 hours saved within the case.
Except for the sweat -and-water resistance, the most important argument for tossing these headphones in your gym bag is their built-in coronary heart charge monitoring. Simply join the headphones to your health app, and the interior tech makes use of LED optical sensors that pulse over 100 instances per second to measure your blood flow. Lastly, the sound high quality was crisp and clear from the health club and again throughout noisy commutes. “The standard is nice, regardless of the content material I take heed to,” stated T+L author Rosie Marder. “It is clear and highly effective with no distortions.” Our primary challenge was with the mix design: the wrap-around stored the headphones safe, however we did really feel some discomfort throughout longer wears from the added strain factors.
The Particulars: .28 ounces | As much as 45 hours of battery | As much as 33 ft Bluetooth vary | Round-ear | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX earbuds are each comfy and transportable, making them a straightforward selection for tucking right into a jacket pocket or within the outdoors of our health club luggage. The audio can be clear and immersive, whether or not watching films or listening to multilayered songs in any style. The podcast conversations had been simple to listen to, and we didn’t have points with having to show the audio up or down relying on what was occurring within the episode. “These are nice for listening to music or watching films with intricate sound design,” famous T+L senior editor Lydia Price.
The headphones include 4 totally different silicone ear ideas, which made it simple to get a safe match for exercises. They’re additionally waterproof, which eradicated the stress of avoiding a wet run or damaging them throughout a sweaty exercise. We had no sore spots or strain factors from the in-ear parts, and cellphone audio was very clear no matter how the microphones had been positioned. These don’t have the very best battery life out of the headphones we examined, so that they’re greatest for shorter put on and would not be our first selection for a full workday or long-haul flight.
The Particulars: 0.21 ounces | As much as 8 hours of battery | As much as 33 ft Bluetooth vary | Earbuds | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
Why We Love It
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With spectacular updates in consolation, options, and sound high quality, these are price upgrading from the PB1 mannequin.
We’ve used each generations of the Pixel Buds Professional, and the two is a noticeable improve from the unique mannequin. The contact/gesture choices to regulate the headphones mirror the controls for the Pixel Buds 1, however the brand new model responds sooner and extra reliably. We additionally love that the two permits auto-pause when one earbud is eliminated, which was technically a characteristic on the 1 however suffered delays and glitches. We appreciated the reasonable quantity of options and menus (by way of the unit and the app) that provided loads of choices with out feeling overdone, and the noise cancellation was efficient throughout every little thing from driving the prepare to staying distraction-free at work.
Consolation can be a noticeable improve from the earlier model. Our ears would begin to get a little bit sore from the scale and form of the earbuds on the older mannequin, however we had been in a position to put on the PB2 for hours with out feeling discomfort. These have a slimmer profile that reduces strain with out dropping safety, and we barely felt like we had something in, which was particularly good in “transparency” mode. General, the sound is balanced, the battery life is greater than enough, and these might need the very best improve between variations of something we’ve examined.
The Particulars: 0.14 ounces | As much as 30 hours of battery | As much as 33 ft Bluetooth vary | Earbuds | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
These extremely cushioned headphones paired simply and had been customizable by way of the JBL app, although we cherished how the app wasn’t required for pairing. These additionally include a nifty transmitter, which lets you be part of two headphones for listening to the identical supply, or to connect with an output supply with out Bluetooth (assume: sport system or airplane TV). We didn’t discover this tremendous intuitive, however “when you get the dangle of it, it is a nifty characteristic and all of the cords that you could use the transmitter are included,” reported T+L editor Jasmine Grant.
Together with excessive sound high quality, these had been a few of the most comfy headphones we examined. The ear cups had been plush and pillowy, however didn’t really feel cumbersome like different extremely cushioned fashions. They slip on and off with out pulling, and the scarf is springy and generously sized so it didn’t squeeze our heads and ears throughout all-day put on. The noise cancellation mode was greater than adequate for listening to audiobooks and podcasts, and the treble, bass, and even acoustic and lighter music felt full and wealthy. These give virtually a “encompass sound” really feel in noise cancellation mode, and we plan to take these on our upcoming flights this season.
The Particulars: 9.8 ounces | As much as 70 hours of battery | As much as 33 ft Bluetooth vary | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
In relation to noise cancellation, white noise, and luxury, the Ozlo Sleepbuds are my best choice for sleeping headphones. The T+L staff examined them as properly, and got here away impressed with the consolation, smooth design, and match choices. I’ve smaller ears, and these really feel steady after I sleep and are very efficient at blocking out noise. The ideas are delicate and squishy, and I’ve skilled no discomfort even after sporting all of them night time. These are essential for red-eye flights and noisy campsites, they usually blocked out the seven nights of fireworks over the Fourth of July week. The Ozlo app has a variety of white noise choices, and in contrast to different sleep headphones, it’s also possible to play your personal music by way of the connectivity to no matter music app you normally take heed to.
That stated, these aren’t good, and I’ve had some battery points with each units I’ve examined. My first set wouldn’t maintain a cost, and although the corporate changed them, my second set is kind of finicky and solely fees with the branded USB-C cable. Moreover, not like my different headphones, these die after I go away them stashed in a drawer. I’ve boarded a couple of flight solely to search out them utterly useless within the case, and whereas they cost shortly, it’s a irritating glitch. We additionally had some points getting these to attach by way of the app, they usually can take just a few tries to register by way of Bluetooth. The truth that we nonetheless love these regardless of their tech glitches is a testomony to how properly they carry out after they work. As soon as they’re charged, they make a red-eye bearable.
The Particulars: 0.12 ounces | As much as 12 hours of battery | As much as 33 ft Bluetooth vary | Earbuds | Noise cancellation
These headphones had been among the many most comfy T+L editor Amelia McBride has worn, and she or he additionally cherished the mix of plush foam and pretend leather-based that by no means felt compressive or heavy. McBride was particularly hyped about the place the scarf expands, “the place the audio system hook up with the scarf, slightly than on the center.” This growth features a brushed metallic metallic core that matches the colour of the brand and particulars on every speaker, which makes them look smooth and classy when absolutely expanded.
The headphones did slip a little bit throughout weight-lifting periods, however as soon as they had been tightened down, they stayed in place properly. They felt fairly mild for the scale, although the over-ear portion is a bit bulkier than others we’ve examined. The sound high quality was additionally spectacular, permitting clear layers of music whereas on busy streets, working errands, and even listening passively to podcasts. That stated, we respect a very good bass and reverb, and the resonance was considerably missing in that regard. We performed round with the EQ presets for considerably deeper sound, however general our complaints are minor for the consolation and options of those comparatively inexpensive headphones.
The Particulars: 10.3 ounces | As much as 60 hours of battery | As much as 33 ft Bluetooth vary | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Constructed-in microphone
These vibrant, enjoyable headphones have been good for highway journeys, audiobooks, and child’s music, with a easy AUX wire plug-in that works with any system with a headphone jack port. The wire comes with a safety-minded noise limiter, and we had been in a position to toggle between 85 and 95 decibels for max quantity. These had been comfy for our pint-size tester to put on for a number of hours at a time, with properly cushioned ear cups and a easy design that didn’t really feel too excessive tech or intimidating.
The supplies are light-weight however nonetheless sturdy, and although these took just a few falls in the course of the check interval, they suffered no dings or harm. Additionally they are available quite a lot of enjoyable colours that even the adults had been jealous of. Although the value is kind of cheap, there have been no wiring glitches and the sound was clear by way of each ears.
The Particulars: 6.7 ounces | Wired connectivity | On-ear | Quantity Restricted Listening to Safety
Our Testing Course of
To seek out essentially the most comfy pairs of headphones for work, commuting, journey, and sleeping, T+L staff members examined 55 pairs of headphones over the previous six months. This included over-the-ear units, earbuds, and crossover pairs good for high-energy actions. We evaluated every little thing from long-term consolation to noise cancellation, and famous sound high quality, customization choices, and battery life.
We additionally specified which headphones we’d advocate for which sort of traveler. Some are higher for exercises within the rain whereas others are good for getting you thru a red-eye flight in financial system. We rated every class and gave detailed insights, solely recommending the headphones that hit prime marks whereas noting the place every set fell brief. We’ll proceed testing these headphones and offering suggestions, and can replace this information after extra long-term testing.
Ideas for Shopping for Comfy Headphones
Determine if You Need On-ear Headphones or Earbuds
On-ear versus earbuds are the 2 primary types of headphones we advocate, and we regularly put on the totally different types for various functions. Earbuds are extra compact and simple to journey with, however some folks discover the strain inside their ears to create sore spots after extended use. Over-ear headphones could be extra comfy for longer put on like a long-haul flight, however they take up extra space in your bag. For working and exercises, some might discover that earbuds are extra light-weight whereas on-ear headphones are safer. Each types have wonderful sound high quality, name capabilities, and noise cancellation relying on mannequin and settings.
Search for Adjustable Options and Comfy Supplies
All headphones on our checklist have been examined for extended consolation, however you may make them even higher by searching for adjustable parts and essentially the most comfy supplies. We love adjustable headbands for various sized heads when purchasing for over-ear headphones, and we prioritize lighter fashions with cozy, premium padding on the ear cups and within the headband. For earbuds, search for a pair with a number of ear ideas for essentially the most comfy, safe match.
Take into account Your Utilization
Take into account whether or not you’ll use your headphones to nap on the airplane, take heed to music at work, make calls, watch films, or go for a hike. In case you’ll be utilizing your headphones outdoors, search for a sturdy pair with a excessive stage of water resistance. For sleeping, search for a sleep-specific pair that permits you to sleep in your facet. For long-haul flights, prioritize wonderful noise cancellation and battery life.
Incessantly Requested Questions
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What options ought to I search for in comfy headphones?
Discovering essentially the most comfy pair of headphones begins with an adjustable match by way of the padded headband, premium supplies within the ear cups and bud ideas, and a number of choices for in-ear sizing. In case your earbuds have stems, search for a pair that may sit in several positions with out disrupting sound high quality, and ensure your over-ear pair is giant sufficient that they don’t push straight onto your ears on the cartilage.
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How do I make headphones extra comfy throughout extended use?
One of the simplest ways to make your headphones comfy for extended use is to discover a pair with loads of adjustment choices. Regulate the scarf so it isn’t urgent down on the highest of your head, and ensure the padding sits straight in your head and isn’t pulling backwards. The ear cups for over-ear headphones ought to sit evenly over your ears, and never be urgent down in anybody specific spot. To make your earbuds extra comfy, search for units that include a number of silicone ideas and wings for essentially the most exact match.
Why Belief Journey + Leisure
For this story, author Maggie Slepian combed by way of insights from the T+L staff, who examined varied headphone fashions each of their New York Metropolis lab and through real-world journeys. She additionally leaned on her personal private expertise, as she’s traveled all around the nation along with her beloved Bose QuietComfort Headphones and budget-friendly Anker Soundcore earbuds. This text might be up to date because the T+L staff assessments much more comfy headphones within the months forward.
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