The world is going wireless. While purists may still argue that wired headphones produce the best sound, and they’d be right, from a consumer perspective it’s hard to beat the convenience of wireless headphones, especially when you’re taking those headphones on the go with you.
We’ve spent the last year reviewing dozens of wireless headphones and coming up with the ones that we think are the best choice for everyone out there — even purists that want the best sound possible.
Here are the best wireless headphones we’ve tested so far.
Best wireless headphones
Sennheiser is a classic brand when it comes to headphones of all kinds, and it makes sense that it would come in top of the class in wireless headphones. While the company launched a few new premium on-ear headphones this year, our pick for the best wireless headphones remains the Sennheiser HD 1.
Read our full review of the Sennheiser HD 1 headphones here
There are plenty of reasons the Sennheiser HD 1 headphones are our top pick for wireless headphones. For starters, they’re super well-designed — it’s easy to control them when you’re wearing them, and they’re built from nice, premium materials. They’re also quite comfortable. There’s plenty of foam in the ear cups, and while a bit more padding under the headband would be welcome, they’re still easy to wear, even for long periods of time.
Of course, the most important thing about these headphones is their sound — and these sound awesome. There’s plenty of bass response, and beautifully tuned high-end clarity, which is always helpful. They even have noise cancellation, and while it’s not quite as good as the Bose QuietComfort 35, it’s still a handy feature to have.
Best on-ear wireless headphones
Master & Dynamic has been rising through the ranks in the past few years as a very serious player in the headphones business, and it makes sense that the company would win at least one category on this list. The Master & Dynamic MW50 headphones are beautifully designed, comfortable, and offer an awesome sound — making them the best choice for those looking for excellent on-ear wireless headphones.
Read our full review of the Master & Dynamic MW50 headphones here
While these headphones sound awesome, offering a ton of bass response and exciting high frequencies, perhaps the best thing about them is their design. The Master & Dynamic MW50 headphones are built with a solid metal frame and plenty of beautifully crafted leather, which is stitched to perfection. Safe to say, if a good design is important to you, then these headphones are definitely the ones to get.
Best in-ear wireless headphones
Another top-tier company that sometimes seem to be forgotten, V-Moda’s Forza Metallo Wireless headphones are, in our view, the best in-ear wireless headphones out there. The headphones have a neckband-style design, which may not suit everyone — but for those that don’t mind the neckband-style, these are certainly among the better options out there.
Read our full review of the V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless headphones here
The best thing about these headphones has nothing to do with their excellent design and above-par comfort level for a pair of in-ear headphones — it has to do with the fact that they sound awesome. The bass response is nice and powerful, but it’s the clear, crisp high-end that makes these headphones great. Of course, they’re well-designed too –we found it easy to control them thanks to the neckband-style controls, and they were comfortable thanks to their small in-ear units.
Best true wireless headphones
Master & Dynamic has launched a follow-up to the MW07 headphones in the form of the Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus headphones. The Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus headphones are well-designed — as you would expect from a pair of Master & Dynamic headphones, plus they sound absolutely awesome. Plus, with their true wireless form-factor, they’re extremely portable.
Read our full review of the Master & Dynamic MW07 headphones here
Of course, perhaps the best thing about the Master & Dynamic MW07 headphones is how great they sound. They feature the same overall sound signature that we’ve come to expect from Master & Dynamic headphones, including a nice, deep bass response, well-tuned mid range, and plenty of high end detail. The headphones have noise cancellation too — and while it’s not quite as good as Bose’s or Sony’s, it’s still not bad at all. Safe to say, if you want a pair of headphones that are portable and comfortable yet still sound great, the Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus headphones are the way to go.
Best noise cancelling headphones
Bose headphones are traditionally considered among the best noise cancelling headphones out there, but Sony recently launched a competitor — the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones. These headphones look good, sound great, and offer among the best noise cancellation out there.
Read our full review of the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones here
To further emphasize their use as great travel headphones, the Bose WH-1000XM3’s are super light — and while some argue that’s because there’s too much plastic used in their construction, they have a nice protective case that comes with them too. Oh, and they sound great too — the headphones offer a decent bass response along with a ton of detail in the high-end.