A few years ago, identifying the best wireless headphones came with a caveat. You could have great sound, great ANC, or a great price; perhaps two at best, but never three. That's now all changed. These days, you really can have it all.
At the top of the market, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 has become my default recommendation for most people: A headphone that sounds excellent, cancels noise brilliantly, and – thanks to a user-replaceable battery – is built to actually last. But at the bottom of the market, there's a lot to like too. The FiiO EH13 costs just $49.99 and it has active noise cancellation, LDAC support, a wired fallback and battery life measured in days rather than hours. Five years ago that spec sheet would have belonged to a $300 headphone.
So whether your budget is $50 or $500, there are some excellent wireless options waiting for you below. However, if you're looking for a wired fix, you need to check out my guide to the best budget audiophile headphones guide, and my growing list of the best-sounding wired headphones.
Sennheiser Momentum 5
Comfort: A well-judged design with earcups that, for me at least, feel just the right size. When I tested this headphone, I wore it for several days straight and never felt a need to take a break or give myself some relief.
Build: The padded headband on top with a textured fabric finish, the smoothly rotating earcups, the suite of on-headphone controls – all present and correct. But most exciting to me is the user-replaceable battery! Such a great addition for longevity and sustainability. I also like that the case has been adapted with an indented handle. Some may prefer a folding design, but otherwise, no complaints.
Stock/EQ sound: A lovely sound straight out of the box. If this is your first premium headphone (and I suspect it will be for a fair few users) you'll be instantly impressed. Sound is bright and detailed, with a clear separation of tones. If I'm being picky, you might want to rein in the sub-bass and the trebles just a tad – and that's where the intuitive app-based EQ comes in handy. With simple adjustments, you can create a sound that's even warmer and richer.
ANC: The system has been completely upgraded from the Momentum 4, with a new microphone array for noise-cancelling and transparency modes. The end result is a headphone that effectively shuts out the noise of traffic, trains, planes, co-workers and whatever else you want to cancel. ANC class-leaders like the Sony WH-1000XM6 still have a slight edge – but there's very little in it.
Cost: With an RRP of $399 / £329, this headphone is more expensive than the Momentum 4 – but I think features like that replaceable battery add real value. Honestly, in terms of performance for the price, I think this is the best value for money on the headphone market right now – hence it being my top choice.
FiiO EH13
Comfort: The FiiO EH13 boasts a foldable, circum-aural design with cushioned earcups and a well-judged clamping force. It's comfortable enough for most listening sessions, though a few reviewers have found the ear openings a touch narrow, with pressure building up on longer two-hour-plus stretches; something to bear in mind if you have larger ears or wear glasses.
Build: Yet these headphones are plastic, as you'd expect at this price, but they're assembled with real care. The folding hinges click firmly into place, the headband adjustment glides smoothly, and there's a smart silver-ring faceplate accent that stops it looking bland and basic.There's no case included, though
Stock/EQ sound: Sound is warm, full-bodied and immersive out of the box, with a well-controlled bass and a natural midrange that doesn't recess vocals. Treble is clean and extends further than you'd expect for the money, without sibilance. Switch from SBC to LDAC via a compatible source and the whole presentation tightens up noticeably. It's never going to sound as good as the pricier models on this list, but for $49.99 it's impressive nonetheless, and the parametric EQ in the FiiO Control app lets you tailor it further.
ANC: These headphones come with hybrid feedforward/feedback ANC rated at up to -42dB. This does a solid job at blocking out the low-frequency drone of planes and trains, though it won't fully silence a busy café and struggles a bit with wind outdoors. Cranking ANC to its highest setting adds some unwanted bass bloat, so Medium is your best everyday setting. Again, ANC is a level below the class-leading Sony and Bose, but still remarkable for the price.
Cost: At $49.99, the EH13 undercuts every other headphone on this list considerably, while still offering ANC, LDAC, Bluetooth 6.0, a wired fallback, dual-device pairing and excellent battery life.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2
Comfort: Putting 'Comfort' in the name of your headphone is a staking a pretty big claim – but the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 makes good on the promise. It's one of the most comfortable pairs of headphones I've ever used, with soft earcups, a padded headband and a well-judged clamping force.
Build: Bearing a hinged design that allows it to fold up neatly into its compact case, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 is an excellent option for anyone who travels and has one eye on luggage space.
Stock/EQ sound: Out of the box, the stock sound is generally quite good – warm and rich, with plenty of detail. The bass is a touch too bloated by default, but you can easily correct for it with Bose's simple but intuitive and effective EQ options, available in the companion app.
ANC: Very, very good. Somehow, even better than the Bose QC Ultra Gen 1. Technologies like ActiveSense – which reacts to unexpected loud sounds – have been fine-tuned for improved effectiveness, and the app allows you to tune the ANC precisely to your preferred level. At maximum efficacy, it basically makes the outside world disappear.
Cost: At an asking of $399 / £399, this is a fairly pricey headphone in a market crowded with more affordable alternatives – not least of which is Bose's own Gen 1 version of the QuietComfort Ultra.
Sennheiser HDB 630
Comfort: The earpads of these cans have been thoroughly cushioned, making long listening sessions a joy. The clamping pressure is well-judged, providing a secure fit without exerting too much pressure.
Build: While they're not the lightest headphones, they're sturdy and solidly made, with a premium feel to the materials. The touch controls are reasonably intuitive, and Sennheiser has gone big on battery life, with 60 hours playtime!
Stock/EQ sound: Out of the box, you get that classically neutral Sennheiser sound. The bass punches through without being overbearing, and mids and trebles are clear and distinct. Hi-res 24-bit/96kHz audio meets a wide selection of Bluetooth codecs. The EQ is where things get interesting; new Parametric EQ allows for incredibly precise fine-tuning of your sound, allowing you to customise it completely to your tastes using the app. For audiophiles, it doesn't get better.
ANC: Sennheiser’s Adaptive Noise Cancellation system generally works very well, monitoring background noise levels and adjusting accordingly. There's also a transparency mode if you need to retain some awareness of your surroundings.
Cost: At an asking price of around $500, these are the most expensive cans on my list. Having tested them, I do think they're worth it, but there are other options if your budget won't stretch.
Sony WH-1000XM6
Comfort: Perfectly fine to wear for long periods, the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones exert a solid but not overwhelming level of pressure. The cups are a nice size, and very soft.
Build: Newly foldable, unlike the XM5s, the headphones make use of an unusual asymmetrical design, making it easy to tell left from right at a glance.
Stock/EQ sound: The stock sound gives big bass that is a little undefined for my taste. It's not overly clear, and the mids get drowned out. Happily, a 10-band EQ makes this eminently correctable, and you can get these things sounding really damn good. The newly developed 30mm drivers deliver exceptional detail retrieval and dynamic range that's simply sensational.
ANC: Outstanding. The best of any cans here. If you want to sink into a completely isolated bubble with your music and brook absolutely no intrusion from the outside world – here you go.
Cost: At around $390, they're on about the same pricing level as the Bose QuietComfort headphones. Pricey, but not outrageous.
Focal Bathys MG
Comfort: The Focal Bathys MG feature the same high-quality leather and microfiber cups as their predecessor, the Focal Bathys. At 350g, they sit at the heavier end of the Bluetooth headphone scale, but they’re engineered to feel a lot lighter. They shift on your head if you’re moving around, which can affect listening, so these are better suited to stationary listening than walking/running/pogoing.
Build: The "MG" in the product name stands for magnesium and for this unit, Focal has shifted away from an aluminium-magnesium alloy dome to pure magnesium. The build is impeccable, with a deep black finish that’s more wear-resistant than its non-MG ancestor.
Stock/EQ sound: The move to pure magnesium drivers and domes has done wonders for the midrange timbral accuracy, removing the metallic twang of aluminium and replacing it with a more natural sound. Plug it in via USB, and you can take advantage of a 24-bit/192kHz DAC, which is the best wired implementation in the industry.
ANC: Focal’s updated noise-cancelling algorithms perform better than before, especially when it comes to human speech, which is universally recognised as the most annoying of all sounds. However, the cans are still a half-step behind Sony’s newest QN3 chip.
Cost: Those magnesium drivers have also added to the price tag, bringing them up to £999/$1,299 and shifting them into the very-expensive price bracket. Yes, the luxurious design is matched by the sumptuous sound, but as long as the HBD 630 exists, this price tag for this headphone is a hard sell.
Audeze Maxwell 2
Comfort: Audeze has addressed the Maxwell 1's comfort issues with a wider, more breathable headband that distributes the weight more evenly. They are heavier (560g vs the 490g of their predecessors), but the comfort outweighs the heft.
Build: These are built for pro gamers, so they’re designed to survive the remorselessly hostile world of e-sports arenas. Reinforced with spring steel and aluminium, this is a set of cans that’s nigh-on indestructible, but new magnetic “ReSkin” side plates allow for customisation.
Stock/EQ sound: Spatial imaging can be the difference between life and death in a pro Counter-Strike match, but thankfully, Audeze has nailed this tech in the Maxwell 2s. The new SLAM technology preserves clarity at high volumes, so you can accurately pinpoint your opponent’s footsteps. If you do want to tweak the sound, Audeze’s HQ app has 10-band equalisation.
ANC: There is now an ANC version of the Maxwell, but be warned, this has a different sound profile to the Maxwell 2 (which we reviewed). For me, the Maxwell 2 proves this headphone doesn't have to have ANC, and it offers great passive isolation with its big earcups. They do, however, feature incredible AI-powered background noise removal for the microphone.
Cost: While Audeze Maxwell 2 has gamers in their sights, the sound here will please audiophiles and help professional creators produce great results. Genuine planar magnetic technology is a rarity on headphones under £350, and they outperform music-oriented headphones that cost twice as much.
Apple AirPods Max
Comfort: Not everyone agrees, but I find the AirPods Max (Gen 1 and Gen 2) to lag behind other headphones in comfort stakes. The huge earcups can feel a little draggy, and after a while I get a hotspot on my head which makes them not ideal for long listening sessions.
Build: Nicely made, as you'd expect from Apple. The anodised aluminium earcups feel a significant cut above the likes of Sony and Bose, as does the steel headband. At 384g they're noticeably heavy, and their inability to properly turn off in their weirdly designed nappy case (they only enter low-power mode) means battery management requires attention. It's a real mixed bag.
Stock/EQ sound: The stock sound of the USB-C, Gen 2 model is excellent, with good sub and mid bass, and lovely clear mids with bags of detail. But of course, there's no option for app-based EQ, which is going to limit their appeal for serious audio-heads.
ANC: Fantastic. Rivals the Sony and Bose cans for its ability to keep out the world beyond your sound. It also has the best transparency modes in the business – hugely effective.
Cost: $549 for a headphone that's had one solitary change in 6 years is simply too much. Especially when you factor in there's no EQ, and they aren't comfortable for everybody, and that nappy case! The AirPods Max remain baffling to me in 2026. Apple – do better!
FAQs
What are the best wireless headphones for sound quality
The pair that impresses me most on the list above for sound quality is the Sennheiser HDB 630. It wins in two categories. First, its out-of-the-box stock sound, which is sublime: punchy bass, clearly distinct mids, sparkly trebles. Then there's its class-leading parametric EQ, offering a level of granularity that leaves the simple sliders offered by most rivals in the dust. But it's worth noting that none of the headphones on this list sound bad, even the budget FiiO EH13. The premium headphone market is, frankly, an embarrassment of riches.
What are the best wireless headphones noise cancelling?
For a long time, Sony ruled the roost here, with its WH-1000XM6 leveraging the tech giant's enormous R&D budget to deliver the best noise-cancelling I'd ever experienced. This headphone is able to completely isolate you, masking basically any noise from jet engines to cafe chatter.
But the competition is catching up. Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 offers similarly world-shunning ANC, and I'd say there's an argument for it as the new top dog – especially given its superior comfort. And while the Sennheiser Momentum 5 doesn't quite match these two in terms of its ANC, it's very close. Even the budget FiiO EH13 does a useful job with everyday rumble like planes and trains, though it struggles more with wind and won't match the flagships.
Does weight matter for long-term use?
Absolutely. While luxury sets like the AirPods Max (384g) or Maxwell 2 (560g) offer superior build quality, the keys to long-term comfort are weight and clamp force. For all-day wear, a lighter set is usually preferable to avoid pressure hot spots on the crown of your head. However, how a headphone is designed is also crucial, as weight is distributed more efficiently with some designs (Maxwell 2) over others (Apple AirPods Pro)
It is also worth noting that battery life is a major contributor to a headphone's heft. To achieve the massive 60-hour runtimes seen in modern Sennheiser sets, manufacturers must use larger, denser battery cells. If you prioritise a featherlight feel for long editing sessions, you may have to sacrifice some of that week-long battery life in favour of a smaller, lighter internal power source.
