11 Best Wireless Headphones of 2024 — Audiophile ON (2024)

This article discusses the best wireless headphones you can buy in 2024. We offer suggestions and comparisons for every budget.

Since almost no flagship smartphones in 2024 come with headphone jacks, the rise in wireless headphones has consequently exploded. There are many options on the market, some good and some bad, and we wanted to put together this list of the best wireless headphones we have reviewed on this site.

This list will include options for all buyers at different price points and include Bluetooth wireless headphones. There will be many options for different use cases and a range of features and style options you might prefer. For a long time, these headphones just weren’t good enough to compete with wired options, but now, this year, I think we see a maturity in the design language.

Best Wireless Headphones 2024 List

Specification:

• Type: Over-Ear (Circumaural)

• Battery Life: 30-hour battery life plus Quickcharge

• High-Resolution Audio Codecs: SBC, AAC, and LDAC

Review

Sony made their first radical design change to their top-of-the-line wireless headphone in many years with the release of the WH-1000XM5. Its new flagship looked radically different from the outside, but internally, things were more an evolution of a product than a revolution.

That’s a good thing because the XM4 (also on this list of the best wireless headphones) is still generally considered one of the best.

With the XM5 available in two colors, you get Sony’s class-leading ANC noise cancelation technology, which is great for use when traveling or in areas with a lot of noise pollution.

The fit is fantastic, with the new design matched with new ergonomics, making it easy to wear for long hours. Despite being low profile, the earcups are wide and spacious, and the headband has a lot of generous padding.

The sound quality is excellent, the best we have heard on ANC headphones, with good clarity and bass performance. Its slightly warm tone makes it work well with many genres, making it a versatile headphone to listen to. We also like that the listening experience can be refined further using the Sony headphone app.

Only two negatives exist: firstly, the price is relatively high but trending in line with the rest of the market. Secondly, the headphone only folds flat and doesn’t have a hinge at the earcups, so the packed footprint is slightly larger than the previous model.

Click here to read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 Review.

Specification:

• Class Leading Noise Canceling technology

• 30-hour battery life with quick-charge technology

• Discounted online since XM5 release makes it better value than ever

Review

Sony seems to be trying to dominate every tech area in recent years, and when they got a series with wireless headphones, people started to take notice. Just a few short years later, we have the outstanding WH-1000XM4, which, in my mind, is the best wireless headphone by a long way.

Despite the release of the WH-1000XM5, the XM4 is still so popular that Sony has continued to sell them, which looks to continue through 2024 and beyond. It’s a testament to how good a headphone was on release and its outstanding value with the new lower pricing.

The WH1000XM4 is the third generation of the XM headphone line, and they improve with each model. They are packed with all the features you could ever want, from headphones with class-leading ANC, Outstanding battery life, and built-in touch controls.

If you want to learn more about the XM3, read our review. They are excellent, and even though they are not the cheapest wireless headphones on this list, they are worth every penny.

Click here to read our full review of the Sony WH-100XM4.

Specification:

• Type: Over-Ear (Circumaural)

• Battery Life: 30-hour battery life plus 7 hours from Quickcharge

• Driver Technology: Carbon coated diaphram

Review

Gone are the days when Bower & Wilkins headphones fell short of their asking price. The PX8 is a luxurious and well-crafted audio gear that delivers on the sound quality front and style.

The sound is a step above the Sony XM5, with crystalline highs, excellent separation, and imaging on display in the midrange. The bass impressed me most with the way it delivers good depth levels in the sub-bass region, yet it remains fast and controlled to portray the mid-bass correctly.

It’s also incredibly well-built. It uses a combination of crafted aluminum and genuine Nappa leather to give you a wireless headphone that looks great on the head and feels premium in hand.

The cherry on top of all this is that B&W has gone to work by creating new 40mm carbon drivers, especially for this headphone, and matched them with a well-polished app with custom EQ to further refine your music.

Negatives are few, but there is one glaring one: the price won’t be for everyone. Still, when you have them in front of you, you realize they are on a different level to the consumer-focused Sony and Bose products.

It’s luxury, but it backs it up with performance.

Specification:

• Update to the most popular wireless headphone of all time Bose QC35

• Controls: Physical Buttons

• Battery: 24 hours plus 3 hours via quickcharge

Review

You can no longer buy the QC35 in 2024, but Bose has done a tasteful refresh for fans of the original design. When the 700 series was released, it was quite divisive, and many people moved over to Sony, so to counter that, Bose made some changes to the 35 and improved the sound and noise cancelation.

While not the most exciting design on the planet, the new QuietComfort retains what made the 35 so famous, and that’s the comfort. It’s a light headphone that sits on the head with beautiful ergonomics. The earpads are wide and deep, so ears can breathe and be free from surface contact.

The sound is more refined, with better-quality bass and extension into the treble, allowing for more air and soundstage presence. It also lessens the sucked-out feel often associated with wireless ANC headphones.

They fold down small and include a carry case in the box, making them one of the better-traveling headphones on the list.

Bose has increased functionality on the software side with most of their headphones. The QC45 also gets the treatment and can use excellent adaptive ANC control and EQ to customize the listening experience.

Battery life is only 24 hours per charge, which puts them on the lower end of performance scales, and the quick charge was the worst on our test, with only three hours of playback achieved from a 15-minute charge from flat.

Available in 2 different colors, the white picks up fewer stains than the Sony XM5, and general durability is excellent.

Having trouble deciding? Read our comparison of the Bose QC45 and Bose 700 models.

Specification:

• Wireless headphones for TV and Movies

• Driver: Dynamic with Tesla Driver technology

• Battery: Lithium Polymer

Review

If we are talking about true audiophile wireless headphones, we must mention the Beyerdynamic Amiron.

Beyerdynamic is a legendary headphone company, and its products have been used in music production for years. They have a robust lineup of professional and consumer headphones, and the Amiron straddles that line with top-grade sound in professional-style housing.

The good thing is that Beyerdynamic has taken what has made their wired headphones so popular and put them into a wireless model with almost no compromise on sound quality.

They are a full-size set of circumaural headphones, so the Amiron is best suited for home use connected to a Hifi system. Of course, you could also get away with taking them to work, but most will find them too bulky to travel with.

They support high-resolution codecs like APTX HD for better sound quality and do so with a meager latency response time. The sound is very accurate and lifelike, and they pick up a lot of micro details in your music when paired with correctly mastered tracks. They are fairly balanced, but they have a huge soundstage and a presence that will leave you wanting more.

The only downside of the Amiron is the price, which, with an RRP of well over $500, makes them the most expensive headphones on this list. However, these are a step above the headphones on this list as they are the best sounding and most suited to people who care about fidelity.

Specification:

• Drivers: Magnesium Dynamic

• Noise Cancelling (ANC): Yes

• Battery: 30 hours plus 5 from Quickcharge

Review

Focal is widely considered to be one of the best headphone brands when it comes to forward-thinking design and sound quality. So what if that brand was to take on the segment for wireless headphones? We knew it wouldn’t be cheap, but it would probably be good. Focal released the Bathys to much acclaim, and now competitors have to try and play catch up.

A wireless headphone with a focus on quality and performance. The Bathys look stunning in our hands and even better on our heads. I had thought it would be too big and bulky for traveling, but I was wrong; they impose no more than the new designs from Sony and Bose.

Sound is class-leading; it’s a real audiophile-grade experience that competes with wired headphones around the 5-600 dollar mark. The Bathys has all this extra tech crammed in, such as ANC that is on Sony’s level, 30 hours of battery life, and real physical button and switch controls.

There’s a lot to like, and given how it performs and looks, it can be worth the price. It really is a large jump in sound quality over the already very good Sony XM5 and even so over the Bower and Wilkins PX8 listed above.

Specification:

• Simple Sync Enabled: Yes

• Noise Cancelling (ANC): Yes

• Battery: 20 hours (worst on test)

Review

Bose had the best wireless headphones for years in the minds of the average consumer.

Audiophiles and purists weren’t always as impressed, but the QC35ii was their best headphones to date, and if it weren’t for the release of the Sony WH-1000XM3, it would likely be sat at the top of this list.

Most people know the Bose flagships, so we won’t bore you with the details, but you are essentially getting a good-sounding set of headphones with state-of-the-art noise cancelation and excellent battery life.

There is one area where Bose has yet to be beaten, so I still use a set of headphones. They are without a doubt the comfiest headphones I have ever used. This is thanks to the lightweight body and generous, airy pad that clamps your head with the right pressure.

Sony has them beat on features right now, but the Bose is still the headphone you will most likely see on travelers' heads in airports worldwide.

Specification:

• Weight: 315 grams

• High Resolution Wireless Audio: Yes (Aptx-HD and AAC)

• Foldable: Yes via ClickFold

Review

V-Moda is another company that has evolved an existing popular headphone for wireless use. The Crossfade 3 Wireless is one of V-Moda’s flagship headphones because it sounds good, has fantastic build quality, and has some of the best looks on the market.

They decided to build on the popularity of the Crossfade 2 and make them wireless; the result is one fantastic headphone. The build quality is excellent, and they are one headphone you are sure can take a beating. The sound is punchy and controlled, and the bass can hit hard when needed, making them an excellent choice for electronic, rap, and pop genres.

Battery life is greatly improved now, standing at 30 hours from a full charge, and we like that it includes USB-C charging with support for quick charging standards.

The Crossfade 3 Wireless is available to customize on the V-Moda website, so that’s great if you are looking for headphones with a personal touch.

They can also be used wired if you run out of battery, and they can connect to 2 devices at once, which is great if you switch between listening on phones, tablets, and laptops.

Sound quality was further boosted through V-Moda’s inclusion of APTX HD and AAC codecs.

However, if you are looking for wireless headphones with noise canceling, you will have to look elsewhere, as these are only standard Bluetooth headphones.

Specification:

• Noise Cancelling: Yes

• Digital Assistant: Google, Alexa, Siri

• Android App: Sony Headphone Connect

Review

The Sony WH-H900 are wireless headphones with many features you will find on the more expensive XM3 headphones, but they are far more affordable. Sony released them as a replacement for the Hear On 2, and they are already proving to be quite the hit amongst buyers.

I wasn’t expecting much, but was blown away during our review.

They are a beautiful set of headphones in a few different color options. They look so good because they have a tapered look, meaning they don’t sit too far from the head despite the large pads. The pads are fantastic, extremely comfortable for long listening sessions, and leave a lot of air inside the cup that helps dissipate heat build-up.

They use LDAC to transmit the music, which is said to give a higher level of fidelity, and DSEE HX can restore any sound lost during file compression to wireless.

Again, they have Sony’s excellent touch control system on the right ear cups, and you can fine-tune the headphones using the official Sony headphone app.

Did I mention they have amazing ANC tech, making them perfect for travel?

Specification:

• Noise Cancelling: Yes

• Type: Dynamic driver over ear

• Battery: 35 hours plus Quickcharge

Review

The iJoy Hypnotic is a cheap and cheerful option to put on this list. They are one of the few budget headphones that performed well in my testing. Even when I got them out of the box, I loved how they looked streamlined and sat close to the head.

The sound was what you would expect from a consumer-focused product, a little bassy and with some warmth, but overall, I was impressed as it displayed good clarity and relatively little distortion.

The headphone has noise cancelation that works, although, for the price, you shouldn’t expect them to be on Sony’s level. Still, it was good to have reduced noise levels on our commutes.

Finally, including touch controls, massive battery life, and Bluetooth 5.0 is welcome and makes them the cheap wireless headphones to beat this year.

Specification:

• Noise Cancelling: Yes

• Driver: Dynamic diaphram

• Touch Controls: No (Physical Buttons)

Review

The Status Core from Status Audio has an RRP of under $100, making it a good value. It looks a lot like the older Sony XM3, especially in the headband, and I think that’s a good thing.

It’s an understated headphone with no branding, so if you appreciate a clean aesthetic, this is for you.

The focus here is on sound quality. It’s great. They have a balanced and mature sound that works well with many genres and displays good detail retrieval.

The ANC performance was the best we tested under $100, and we like the inclusion of physical buttons on the earcups and a hinge folding mechanism to make them super portable.

Wireless Headphones Buyers Guide

Each headphone listed here has its distinct advantages. We have tried to include various options with different features and price points, but remember, there is no universally perfect headphone.

What is best for you might not be the best headphones for someone else, so before getting into the list, we want to give you some points to consider before your next purchase. Similarly, just because someone likes a headphone and recommends it to you, it might not necessarily be the best option for your lifestyle.

This list is designed to give you options, but you will still need to decide which is best for your needs.

Wireless Headphones vs. Wireless Earbuds

The big question for many people is whether to buy headphones or earphones. Again it simply comes down to how you intend to listen to music. Due to increased mobility, I can only imagine running or working out with earphones. Conversely, for long listening sessions at my office, I much prefer the comfort of a set of full-size headphones with nice soft earpads.

There will be scenarios where one works better, but battery life is my most significant factor in this category. Headphones are physically larger, so they can usually accommodate bigger batteries. The size of the battery in wired earphones and headphones will determine how long you can listen between charges.

This is one of the reasons I use the Sony-WH1000XM4 for long-haul flights. I want the headphones to be working for the duration of the flight. I could look at as little as 8 hours of playback if I used earphones.

For commuters, this could also be a factor when buying headphones. Most people commuting will spend 1-2 hours on public transport a day, so in theory, you could get away with using earphones, but you may have to charge them more than once a week, where some headphones could go as long as two weeks without requiring charging.

Other factors like mobility, storage, and style are worth weighing up before deciding.

For those who would prefer to buy earphones, we recommend the best true wireless earbuds for 2024.

Wireless vs. Wired - Are No Cables Better?

The biggest difference is obvious when choosing between these two types of headphones. One will have a cable, and the other will not. The advantage of going wireless is the freedom of not being directly tethered to your device. You can leave your phone on a desk or in a bag and listen to your music without getting in a tangled mess.

However, it would help if you considered how this affects the sound quality. Generally, wired headphones, dollar for dollar, sound far better than wireless headphones.

This is because the design complications open up different weaknesses in Fidelity. In wired headphones, the setup is usually just a cable to a driver. In a wireless headphone, you are introducing DACs, Amplifiers, and Bluetooth chipsets inside the headphone. If these are not optimized, you will have sound quality degradation.

The good news is that we have recently shifted away from standard wireless technology. Headphone companies are introducing better Bluetooth (5.0) and APTX lossless codecs, which make your music sound better.

If you want to buy a set of wireless headphones, look out for those features.

Battery Life and Wireless Headphones

Of course, going wireless means you'll have to charge your headphones. It’s an added hassle, but like the codec improvements mentioned above, battery technology has significantly advanced, meaning Bluetooth headphones last longer than ever.

Nowadays, it is not unreasonable to expect over 20 hours of playback from a single charge, and the run time each set provides should certainly be considered when making a purchase.

In addition to the battery life, maybe you want to consider headphones with a quick charge feature. Many headphones can give a substantial battery percentage in charges lasting just 10-30 minutes. This is extremely handy if you are traveling, and top them up if they run out of juice.

Types of Wireless Headphones

You will find wireless models in different styles and sizes, like traditional wired headphones. So again, think about how you are going to use them.

If you use them at home, in an office, or at a desk, you might be best with a set of large, comfy, well-padded over-the-ear headphones. If you use them for travel or commuting, you will probably want to consider smaller over-ear headphones or even on-ear headphones.

There are noise-canceling wireless headphones, headphones with touch controls, and headphones with built-in microphones for taking calls. The industry is getting crowded with options, and as a consumer, you can indeed find something on the market that will meet your needs or at least come close to some compromises.

If ultimate portability is your primary concern, you might want to look into wireless earbuds. We have listed our favorites below- there is something for every scenario.

High Resolution and Wireless Headphones!

Advancements in Codecs

High-resolution codecs are essential for transmitting detailed, uncompressed sound. The traditional Bluetooth codecs, such as SBC (Subband Coding) and AAC (Advanced Audio Codec), are now overshadowed by more advanced options. Qualcomm's aptX codec family is the most notable among these, including aptX HD and aptX Adaptive. These codecs are designed to deliver higher bit rates and lower latency, enhancing the listening experience significantly. Another prominent player is Sony's LDAC, which transmits at up to 990 kbps, offering a near-lossless audio quality over Bluetooth.

Integration with Wireless Headphones

Integrating these advanced codecs into wireless headphones has revolutionized the listening experience. Manufacturers are focusing on creating headphones that support these codecs and optimize their hardware for the best performance. This includes enhanced drivers, better signal processing, and improved battery life to handle the extra power required by high-resolution audio.

Challenges and Developments

Despite these advancements, there are challenges. The high-resolution audio delivery depends heavily on the source device's compatibility with these codecs. Not all smartphones or digital audio players support the latest codecs, which can limit the potential of high-res headphones.

Moreover, there is an ongoing development in wireless technology itself. Wi-Fi-based audio transmission is gaining traction, offering higher bandwidth compared to Bluetooth. This could potentially enable even higher-quality audio streaming wirelessly.

User Experience and Market Trends

From the user's perspective, there is a growing awareness and demand for high-quality audio. Consumers are more informed and willing to invest in headphones that provide superior sound quality. This trend influences market dynamics, pushing manufacturers to innovate and integrate the best possible codecs and technologies in their products.

Future Outlook

Looking ahead, the future of high-resolution codecs in wireless headphones is promising. We can expect continued improvements in codec efficiency, further reduction in latency, and perhaps new standards that could surpass the current offerings. The ultimate goal remains to provide wireless headphones that match or exceed the quality of wired audiophile-grade headphones, making high-fidelity audio accessible and convenient for everyone.

In summary, the state of high-resolution codecs in wireless headphones is at a dynamic and exciting juncture, with technology rapidly evolving to meet the ever-increasing expectations of audiophiles and casual listeners alike.