Best Wireless Headphones: Our top-rated Bluetooth headphones

The Sony WH-1000XM5 remain one of the most impressive all-round wireless headphones at any price, offering great noise-cancellation, sound, features and call quality performance.

Since its launch in 2022, they’ve fallen to below £299 / $299, making them great value against newer options such Cambridge Audio Melomania P100. They feature a modern look than the still available WH-1000XM4, and are comfortable to wear although the redesigned earcups can’t be folded in. That’ll be inconvnient for those who like to place their headphones in a bag when travelling. The change has been done to offer better noise cancelling performance, and in testing we found it did reduced wind noise for a quieter ANC experience.

The WH-1000XM5’s noise cancelling tackles higher frequency sounds with more confidence than the XM4, although we did feel the XM4 model suppressed voices better. The Ambient Mode does offer an improvement over the older model with its clearer and more natural sound.

The XM5 copes with other noises well, with everything from big crowds to commuting on transport reduced to a hush. However, when it comes to the best ANC performance, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are better.

They’re laden with features For features the Quick Attention mode filters through outside sound at a moment’s notice, and Speak To Chat (which pauses music when you’re speaking) remain; while there’s support for Alexa and Google Assistant voice control. Call quality is top tier.

Battery life remains 30 hours of runtime, and we managed to get around a week’s use from these headphones. However, if you want even longer battery life, the Technics EAH-A800 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless offer 50 and 60 hours respectively.

As far as the sound goes, the WH-1000XM5 have rich but detailed audio quality. The mid-range sounds slightly richer and more detailed than before, with increased definition and clarity given to instruments and voices. The soundstage is wider and bass has more texture and clarity. They’re a great listen across all genres, but for the best-sounding wireless headphones, we’d recommend the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e.

Overall, the Sony WH-1000XM5 remain an excellent option, perhaps not the best in all areas anymore, but a tremendous pair of headphones at an excellent price.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WH-1000XM5

The Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2e are a superb pair of over-ears and B&W’s successor to the Px7 S2, bringing the headphones closer to the top-tier Px8. 

The headphones share the same lovely looks as their predecessor, including the oval earcups and wider headband. Even so, we found the headphones fit better on the head, improving the noise isolation which in turn helps the noise-cancellation performance. 

The headphones come in a wide range of colours, from black and white to red, green and blue options and the physical buttons offer a very tactile experience. When not in use, the headphones fold flat to fit into the carry case. 

These headphones feature noise cancelling and a transparency mode and while both work well, the performance is (deliberately) not as strong as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. The Bowers & Wilkins Music app offers the means to customise bass and treble, among other settings but these headphones aren’t as ‘smart’ or as feature-laded as the Sony WH-1000XM5 but the app does feature built-in streaming from the likes of Qobuz, Deezer, and Tidal. 

The battery life is 30 hours of listening from one charge, though in our tests we found it could go longer with an Android smartphone. Bluetooth support includes aptX Adaptive, which helps with the battery life and also improves the wireless connection (which is excellent).

The sound quality here is both expressive and natural, the updated DSP improves the headphones’ level detail, dynamism and sense of spaciousness. Low frequencies have more depth and power, the midrange is detailed and the high frequencies clear. If there is a problem it’s that at default volumes the Px7 S2e lack some excitement.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e

Sony’s WF-1000XM5 knocks the previous holder of best true wireless (the WF-1000XM4), with a terrific, across the board performance.

The audio performance is an improvement on its predecessor in terms of detail and sharpness, the new Dynamic Driver X ushers in a more balanced performance across the frequency range. Low end depth does take a hit, but to our ears the WF-1000XM5 sound more detailed and clearer with its bass performance even though it loses a sense of fun.. The midrange is also better, much better at showcasing fine detail in music, while there have been gains with the high frequencies, which are sharper, clearer and more detailed.

Elsewhere, noise-cancelling performance is better, able to suppress voices and environmental noise better than than before, though the QuietComfort Earbuds II suppress sounds slightly better noise-cancelling performance, though in the Sony’s favour is that it cancels noises with a more natural tone. The transparency mode is clear and detailed, although the WF-1000XM4 sounds slightly clearer and more open to our ears.

Battery life is the same with 8 hours per earbuds and 24 in total with the charging case. Wireless performance is good in both AAC and LDAC playback modes, though it is less prone to stutter when streaming audio in AAC. There are too many features to list in this paragraph, but in terms of customisation, breadth, and convenience, no other true wireless is as comprehensive as the WF-1000XM5 in our mind.

Call quality is decent but has a tendency to leak in background noise whenever we spoke. We wouldn’t rate as being as good as the AirPods Pro 2 for call performance.

Finally, the design is smaller and lighter for a more favourable and comfortable fit, something that users felt was an issue with the XM4 model. The introduction of an extra small ear-tip size means more room to fit a wider range of ears.

Though it’s not perfect, and there are still areas where its rivals have a leg-up on them, in terms of overall performance, the Sony WF-1000XM5 still rank as our favourite true wireless.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WF-1000XM5

There’s a growing selection of headphones that offer a premium performance for a premium price, and if your budget allows you to go around the £500 mark, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 is an excellent choice at £599 / $699.

The Px8 exude class in terms of the appearance with the Black and Tan leather versions. The build quality is excellent, and we found they were comfortable to wear over long periods of time.

They support adaptive ANC and while the performance not as strong as the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort 45, they’re effective at suppressing noise on the Underground, as well as hushing voices and managing wind noise when you’re above ground. We found it to be a strong enough ANC performance to usher in a sense of calm wherever you are.

Call quality is among the best we’ve heard from any headphones recently. Voices coming across clearly and background noises are kept to a minimum. The wireless connection is another aspect of these headphones performance that is superb with barely any dips in the signal, and the battery is respectable at thirty hours, although the likes of the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 4 can offer more.

With angled 40mm dynamic full-range drivers, the Px8 offers a large and expansive soundstage, taking a neutral approach to the frequency range, giving low frequencies good definition and punch, with a sharp and clear midrange and the high frequencies are distinctive and bright. If you want high fidelity sound in a great looking package, look no further than the Bowers & Wilkins Px8.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Bowers & Wilkins Px8

The WH-1000XM4 are still going strong almost four years after its release and more often that not you can find them for less than £200.

If you can get them for under £200, they’d be our choice for the best headphones to get, even with competition from newer headphones such as the Sennheiser Accentum Wireless Plus.

Compred to the WH-1000XM3 that came before it, the improvements can be rather subtle, such as the design. But they reap dividends with cushier, more comfortable wearing experience. Unlike the WH-1000XM5, this model can be folded in when you’re travelling, taking up less space. Sony doesn’t mention an IP rating for its over-ear headphones, but we wouldn’t recommend wearing them in wet weather in case they do get damaged.

More obvious are the smart features in Speak-to-Chat that pauses music when you’re speaking and improvements to Ambient smart Control that helps to personalise your audio experience without getting in the way.

ANC is again terrific, suppressing noise for an even smoother and quieter noise-cancelling experience, and the sound is terrific, taking the performance of the previous over-ears and refining it in a way that makes the XM3 sound rather dated. When it comes to canceling voices, we actually find this pair to be slightly better than the WH-1000XM5.

The sound isn’t as good as the newer model but they’re still an excellent-sounding pair of headphones. The DSEE Extreme feature removes noise from tracks, which is especially useful if you listen to a lot of low-quality music on bit-starved services such as Spotify. The sound is rich and detailed, with lots of energy, deep bass and a smooth-sounding but detailed midrange. If you do want to pay more for the WH-1000XM5, the WH-1000XM4 are a brilliant alternative.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WF-1000XM5

The Mark Levinson No. 5909 hit the definition of a premium pair of headphones with their $999 / £999 price tag. That will buy you almost four pairs of Sony’s WH-1000XM4 over-ears.

They feel like a properly premium product with their anodized aluminium composition and supremely comfortable memory foam padding that allowed us to wear them for hours on end. From that perspective the build quality of the No. 5909s feel their asking price.

It’s on the front of audio where the No. 5909s where our reviewer found they offered began remarkable levels of detail, alongside a low end with plenty of extension. It’s in the midrange where these cans shined during testing, bringing crispness and clarity to vintage songs for an expressive sound; the soundstage is reasonably expansive with plenty of space for instruments to reside within in it.

In terms of their feature set, there’s not a huge amount of features compared to the WH-1000XM5, especially for the price tag. There’s a comprehensive set of Bluetooth codecs supported with SBC, AAC, LDAC and aptX Adaptive that opens the headphones to accepting higher quality tracks from the likes of Tidal and Qobuz. The battery life is strong, with 30 hours with ANC enabled and up to 34 with it off for a few days’ worth of charge. The ANC here won’t cancel every unwanted noise but deals with a good proportion well, although you can get better for much less.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Mark Levinson No. 5909

The WH-CH720N are Sony’s least expensive wireless over-ears, and in our opinion, they beat the competition with their audio performance.

The sound quality is a smooth, energetic and bassy performance. The levels of detail is better than it is with the Final UX300 in its ANC mode, as well as the Soundcore Space One. Bass is punchy, the midrange is clear and detailed, and the upper frequencies and bright and clear for the price, but it’s the level of energy and excitement that put the Sony above its peers

The noise-cancellation is fine for the price, which focuses on reducing the impact low frequency sounds and clearing away ambient noise. For daily commutes and journeys in cities, they’ll be fine, but if you’re looking for a quieter performance, you’ll need to up your budget.

Battery life can go as far as 40 hours from our tests with noise-cancelling on, and the Sony comes with a range of convenient features such as a transparency mode, Bluetooth multipoint, app support (which provides more customisation) and voice assistants in the form of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Build quality is decent with no noticeable creaks or groans when we bent the frame. The use of plastic also keeps the headphones lightweight at 192g making for a comfortable wearing experience. These aren’t a particulalry flashy pair of headphones, but they’re terrific value for money.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony WH-CH720N

While the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless didn’t manage to defeat the Sony WH-1000XM5, they have a lot to commend them, especially if you’re after a pair of headphones around the £300 mark

The Momentum 4 Wireless aren’t as flashy as the previous model, losing a sense of style and attractiveness in the process. However, we didn’t mind that change as there were gains in ergonomic terms with the headphones very comfortable to wear with no annoying obstructions and bulky earcups to deal with.

The noise cancellation is very good, though not quite as good as the Sony or Bose QuietComfort 45 are. They deal with crowd noises very well and hush voices with confidence but both the Sony and Bose eke out a more comprehensive noise cancelling performance. The Transparency mode is one we felt was very clear and detailed, sounding natural in tone when piping the outside world to our ears.

The battery life is a terrific 60 hours, it took a week of using the headphones heavily to get them down from 40% to zero. It could take a few weeks to use up all the battery, which means fewer charges over the course of the headphones’ lifetime. There are other less expensive options in the Cambridge Melomania P100 but we don’t think they sound as good as the Sennheiser

The wireless performance has been very good, with only one moment of instability during our week of using the headphones that caused us any worries.

The sound quality is not as energetic as the Momentum Wireless 3, taking a more refined and balanced approach to music. There is less emphasis to bass frequencies than we remember, but the soundstage is bigger in scope than it is on the Sony, filled with detail with instruments and vocals conveyed with lots of clarity. They aren’t quite as dynamic in sound as the Sony, losing a couple of points in terms of energy and vibrancy but their more neutral approach does aid them in producing a consistent performance across a range of music genres.

The Sennheisers are good all-rounders, perhaps not the best in any category, but among their close price rivals below the £300 mark, they are the best headphones we’ve come across.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

It’s been a while since we last heard from budget headphone specialists, SoundMagic, but we shouldn’t have worried as the P23BT are another pair of excellent value headphones from the company.

As usual, they’re affordable at just £49.99 and while they’re not big on features, SoundMagic has made some sensible choices as these headphones offer good level of convenience, too.

There’s no escaping the on-ear design, which may work better for some than it does for others. Issues include pinching around the ear and leaking noise for the outside world that could interrupt your music listening session. If you’re not too bothered by the latter, some may even prefer to be aware of what’s around them, and you’re not affected by the former issue, then the SoundMagic can be comfortable enough to wear thanks to their soft-padded earcups.

They integrate touch controls, which work surprisingly well in terms of how responsive they are, and their compact, lightweight and foldable design make them, in our opinion, easy to wear and even easier to store when not in use.

You won’t find features such as noise cancellation or transparency mode here. You get a battery life that’s estimated to be around 54-60 hours, which is nearly double that of the Status BT One on-ears, but lags behind the Marshall Major IV, which have 80+ hours in reserve. They also pack aptX-HD Bluetooth, which allows for Hi-res music playback from the likes of Tidal and Deezer music streaming services.

The sound quality is far more balanced and mature than we expected for the price, our reviewer found the headphones offered a subtle, well-balanced listen with its detailed midrange performance, sharp high frequency playback and bass that features a decent amount of depth. If you do prefer a bassier sound to your headphones, you may want to give the Marshall Major IV a try as an alternative.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: SoundMagic P23BT

The Apple AirPods Max represents the best wireless over-ears available if you have an iPhone, MacBook or iPad. A recent update has added USB-C, swapping over from Lightning port used for charging with the original pair.

Their design is typically Apple with a modern aesthetic that’s unlike any other pair of headphones we’ve tested. They borrow cues from both the Apple Watch and HomePod Mini to create a set of cans that look and feel excellent, with smooth rounded metal earcups and a mesh headband with memory foam earcups that made them immensely comfortable.

At 385g, they are quite heavy, and there’s no IP rating for use in the rain or exercising, if that’s of interest. The case isn’t the most thoughtful, as it offers zero protection, and causes irritation as it’s the only way for the AirPods Max to turn off.

The feature set here is great for Apple users. For instance, Spatial Audio offers a more immersive and 3D-like sound profile that’s only available on iOS devices, and while the feature is clever, it’s availability is limited to several apps such as Apple TV+, Netflix and Disney+.

During testing, we found the noise cancellation to be very good, similar in performance to the Sony WH-1000XM4, with its transparency mode that sounded perfectly natural. We also found the battery life to match Apple’s claimed 20 hours, and while it’s less than what the competition can offers, it’ll be more than enough for long haul flights or a few days of use.

The AirPods Max’s sound takes a balanced approach. It features plenty of bass and low end rumble, alongside clean vocals and sparkly highs that don’t sound harsh. The balanced profile lent itself to the fact Apple’s premium over-ear contenders worked well with a variety of music, and the presence of Spatial Audio is useful within Apple Music with a well-mastered track. These headphones don’t support Hi-Res Audio, which is disappointing for the price, but if you’re within the Apple ecosystem, these over-ears are you best bet for an excellent experience.

There’s competition from the likes of Dyson OnTrac and Sonos Ace, but the AirPods Max remain a very good pair of over-ear headphones, especially if you’re an iOS user.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: Apple AirPods Max