Best headphones for dads from $50 to $400

Sarah Tew/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX7 rating — fully waterproof).

What’s most impressive about the EarFun Free is the features: Bluetooth 5.0, both USB-C and wireless charging, and full waterproofing (IPX7), according to the earbuds’ specs. Do they sound fantastic? No, but these Bluetooth headphones sound pretty good. They don’t have the clarity of higher-end true wireless earbuds that cost $150 or more, but they do have plump bass and enough detail to avoid sounding dull. They’re also pretty solid for making calls. An excellent value at less than $50.

Read our EarFun Free review.

David Carnoy/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IP65 rating — can withstand heavy sprays of water).

Back in 2017, I wrote about Fiil’s launch in the US and how company reps claimed that it was a top-selling premium headphone brand in China that’s as well-known as Beats. I hadn’t heard much about the company since then, though I reviewed a Fiil on-ear model that was decent but pricey. But it turns out its T1X TWS is a solid performer for its modest price of a little more than $50. (Fiil now appears to be connected to Acil Audio).  

It delivers good sound for the money (there’s a touch of presence boost in the treble to add clarity, which is both good and bad), fit my ears well and I was impressed by how quickly the buds paired with my phone.

These have an IP65 sweat- and water-resistance rating so they can take a sustained spray of water. Battery life is around 5 hours on a single charge (at higher volume levels) and there’s a quick charge feature that gives you 2 hours of juice from a 10-minute charge (the simple, compact charging case charges via USB-C). The buds have touch controls and there’s a companion app that allows you to tweak the sound with EQ settings. I left it on the default setting.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX7 rating — can withstand heavy sprays of water).

Half the price of Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Air 2 with similar features, the Soundcore Life P2 earbuds are an excellent-value option. The buds charge horizontally in their case rather than vertically, and there’s a cheaper feel to both the case and the buds compared with the Liberty Air 2. They don’t have the presence boost in the treble that the Liberty Air 2 buds have, so they’re not as clear-sounding with well-recorded tracks and the bass isn’t quite as well defined. But they’re warmer and more forgiving, which I appreciated, and they sound more like the originals. I’d buy them instead of the Liberty Air, which now cost $80.

It’s also worth noting that instead of controls they feature physical buttons, which some people may prefer. Like the Liberty Air 2, they have four microphones, two of which are supposed to help with noise reduction when making calls in louder environments. They do a decent job of reducing background noise when making calls, but my voice didn’t sound as clear to callers as it did with the Liberty Air 2.

While there’s no wireless charging, you do get USB-C charging. Battery life is rated at 7 hours and they have an IPX7 water-resistance rating, which means they can be fully submerged in water to a depth of three feet and survive. They’re arguably the best value in the Anker true wireless line right now. An almost identical version of these earbuds is sold at Target under the name Soundcore Life Note.

Read our Anker Soundcore Life P2 review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

I’m not a fan of cheap noise-canceling headphones. I’ve actually been struggling to put together a list of models for a best noise-canceling headphones roundup because there are so few that I’d recommend buying. But Anker’s Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are an exception. They’re quite decent for their regular list price of $60 and they’re frequently on sale for $10 less.

No, the Life Q20 doesn’t sound as good as premium models such as the Sony WH-1000XM3, but it sounds pretty good, which is all you can ask for at this price. It’s fairly well balanced with a reasonable amount of clarity and plump bass that’s not bloated or muddy (there’s a bass boost or BassUp mode if you want an extra helping of bass). It’s also comfortable to wear, the noise-canceling function is acceptable, it’s solid as a headset for making calls and battery life is good at 40 hours. A simple carrying pouch is included.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splashproof).

Anker is known more for its value headphones, but it’s trying to step into premium territory with its Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro earbuds, which carry a list price of $150 but often sell for less. From a design standpoint, they have some similarities with Sony’s WF-1000XM3, although this model doesn’t have active noise cancellation. Anker says the earbuds have large 11mm drivers combined with Knowles Balanced Armature, with up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge (32 total hours of playtime with the case) and noise-cancellation microphones to help reduce ambient sound so callers can hear you better. They charge via USB-C and also support wireless charging.

They don’t sound quite as good as the Sony WF-1000XM3, but they certainly sound like premium true wireless earphones, with rich sound that includes powerful bass performance and lots of detail. Some people may have some quibbles over the fit — I had to supply my own XL tips to get a tight seal and found the Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Air 2 a little more comfortable — but the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro are a good value. Whether you want to use them as travel headphones or workout headphones, they’ll do the job. They’re also good for making calls as they do a good job reducing background sound.

They use Bluetooth 5.0 with support for AAC and aptX.

Angela Lang/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splash-proof).

Samsung’s Buds Plus look essentially the same as the original Galaxy Buds, but their battery life is rated at 11 hours for music playback (up from 6), and they pack dual drivers for better sound and an additional microphone in each bud to help with external noise reduction while making calls.

I was impressed with the sound. The audio quality is detailed and smooth, with deep, well-defined bass. The sound is richer and more spacious than that of the original Galaxy Buds. Well-respected Austrian audio company AKG, which Samsung acquired when it bought Harman, is behind the audio. While the original Buds were also “tuned” by AKG, these are a nice upgrade over the originals — and right there with what you get with the Jabra Elite 75t, if not even a touch better. They use Bluetooth 5.0 and support AAC (there’s now an app for iOS users) and Samsung’s scalable codec, which is similar to aptX but is proprietary to Samsung Galaxy phones.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus review.

David Carnoy/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splashproof).

Google’s Pixel Buds 2 are worthy contenders in the premium true wireless earbuds arena, particularly for Android phones. Featuring hands-free Google Assistant (for Android), they offer a comfortable, secure fit and excellent sound quality for true wireless. Additionally, they’re good for making calls and their touch controls work quite well. 

At 5 hours, their battery life isn’t as good as some new models that are hitting the market, but it’s on par with the AirPods Pro’s battery life and the well-designed wireless charging case gives you an additional 19 hours (there is a quick-charge feature). The Pixel Buds 2 will eventually be available in four color options (white, black, mint and orange), but at launch you can only get them in white.

This true wireless earbud option uses Bluetooth 5.0 with support for the AAC codec but not aptX. 

Read our Google Pixel Buds 2 (2020) review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — sweat-resistant and splashproof).

The Libratone Track Air Plus has been out for several months in Europe, but only recently went on sale in the US (it lists for $200 but it’s currently selling on Amazon for $190 with a discount coupon for $10 off). It doesn’t sound quite as open to the ear as the AirPods Pro, but the audio is clearer and it has well-defined bass. You can choose between neutral, bass boost and treble settings in the companion app. The noise-canceling is also decent — maybe not quite on par with the AirPods Pro, but close. I liked the fit of these — the in-ear buds stayed in my ear well (I was able to run with them) and the case is only a little bigger than the AirPods Pro’s case.

The Track Air Plus works well as a headset for making calls, and a firmware upgrade did improve headset performance. That said, the noise reduction on these in-ear headphones isn’t quite as good as that of the AirPods Pro. People said they could hear me clearly and loudly, but the earphones didn’t muffle background noise quite as well as the AirPods Pro. 

These use Bluetooth 5.0 and have support for AAC and aptX. 

Note that Libratone also makes the Track Air, which is $150 and doesn’t have noise-canceling features but is otherwise similar.

Water-resistant: Yes (IP55 rating — can withstand heavy sprays of water).

At first glance, the Elite 75t seemed more like an evolutionary upgrade from the Elite 65t. It was originally supposed to cost $200 but now sells for $180 (£170 or AU$299). But the updates turned out to be a little more substantial than I first thought. 

The Elite 75t’s smaller size (the pair of earbuds and case are 20% smaller than the Elite 65t’s), its boosted battery life and USB-C charging are significant upgrades. And then there are the smaller changes, like the new charging case design with magnets inside it that make it easier to open and close and to keep the buds inside. While the Elite 75t isn’t quite as comfortable as the AirPods Pro and doesn’t have active noise cancellation, it does make your music sound better, with clearer overall sound and better bass definition, so long as you get a tight seal. Just note that the Jabra Elite Active 75t adds slightly better water resistance for $20 more.

Read our Jabra Elite 75t review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX7 — fully waterproof and sweat-proof).

Jaybird got off to a bumpy start in the world of true wireless — that’s “AirPod-style headphones” — when it released its Jaybird Run workout headphones back in October 2017. Updated to the wireless in-ear Jaybird Run XT earlier this year, the Jaybird Run earbuds were well designed but had some small performance issues that held them back from being great. But this wireless successor model, the Jaybird Vista (cue the Windows Vista jokes), includes design, battery life and performance improvements that make these earbuds the quality product I’d hoped the Jaybird Run would be — and simply the best for runners.

At $180 (£160, AU$280), these sweat-proof earbuds are a little more expensive than they should be, but they’re among the better true wireless earbuds to hit the market last year. They’ll appeal to those looking for a more discreet set of totally wireless sports earbuds that feature full waterproofing.

Read our Jaybird Vista review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IP55 splashproof).

Sony’s WF-1000XM3 is considered one of the best set of true wireless noise-canceling earbuds. But to the dismay of some people, it lacked any sort of water-resistance, making it unsuitable for sports. It took a while, but now we finally have a new true wireless noise-canceling sports model from Sony: The WF-SP800N.

This isn’t quite the WF-1000XM3 with a water-resistant body. It’s missing Sony’s QN1e processor, but there’s still a lot to like about it, including great sound, solid noise canceling and good call quality. It’s definitely a nice upgrade over the WF-SP700N, which came out in 2018. 

Read our Sony WF-SP800N review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splashproof).

Even if they don’t sound as magical as you’d hope a $249 model would, the Apple AirPods Pro still manage to be a great pair of true wireless earphones with noise cancellation. That’s largely due to their winning design and fit, improved bass performance and effective noise canceling. They’re an excellent choice when you want to make a call or listen to music during your workout. Yeah, they’re expensive at $250, but the good news is you’ll use them so much you’ll probably wear the battery down — it does degrade over time and isn’t replaceable — and have to buy a new pair in 18 to 24 months if you don’t lose them first.

Read our Apple AirPods Pro review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splashproof).

Yes, the Beats Powerbeats Pro’s jumbo charging case is a notable drawback. But the combination of incorporating all the features that make Apple’s AirPods great while delivering richer sound quality and better battery life in a wireless earbuds design that won’t fall out of your ear (ear hooks for the win!) ultimately is a winning proposition for earbuds for running. Just make sure you buy these running earbuds somewhere that has a good return policy in case you’re in the small minority that has ears that aren’t quite a match for the buds. Note that these headphones are frequently reduced from $250 to $200 — don’t pay more than that if you’re buying them.

Read our Beats Powerbeats Pro review.

David Carnoy/CNET

Water-resistant: Yes (IPX4 rating — splashproof).

The second-gen Momentum True Wireless 2 headphones aren’t cheap at $300, but they’re better all around than the originals, with a slightly smaller, more comfortable design, active noise cancellation that rivals that of the AirPod Pro, improved battery life (up to 7 hours versus the original’s 4) and better noise reduction during calls. And, if you don’t like them in black, a white version is slated to follow later this year. Most importantly, though, they have the same stellar sound — for true wireless earbuds, anyway — and offer superior sound quality to the AirPods Pro. That makes them arguably the best true wireless earbuds on the market today and earns them a CNET Editors’ Choice Award.

These use Bluetooth 5.1 with support for the AAC and aptX codecs for devices that have aptX, such as Samsung’s Galaxy phones.

Read our Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 review.

Juan Garzon/CNET

Sony’s WH-1000XM3, the third generation of Sony’s excellent wireless noise-canceling headphones, has a more comfortable fit and features even better performance than its predecessor, perfect sound quality for listening to music. With a strong battery life, these over-ear wireless headphones are currently our top-rated pick for noise canceling, edging out the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which are more expensive. While these list for $350, these over-ear headphones frequently get discounted for closer to $280. And it’s doubly important to seek out that discount: With a next-gen version of this pair of wireless headphones having already been spotted on Twitter, we expect the XM4 successor to arrive later this year.

Read our Sony WH-1000XM3 review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, the long-awaited successor to its Quiet Comfort 35 II, may not be a quantum leap forward but these wireless headphones offer slightly better sound quality, call and noise-canceling function. Alas, these over-ear headphones cost $400, but they’re strong all-around performers with up to 20 hours of battery life for listening to podcasts, music and more. I prefer the Sony WH-1000XM3’s design and fit (and lower price tag), and while you can argue about which pair of headphones sounds better, one thing is certain: This model works significantly better as a headset for making calls. For some people that may be worth the extra cost for the wireless earphones. (Note that these have been seeing some discounts, too.)

Read our Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

When it comes to premium noise-canceling headphones, Bose and Sony have been the dominant players over the last few years. But now Sennheiser has turned up with its new Momentum 3 Wireless and it deserves some attention, particularly from folks who are fans of the Momentum line. It’s available to buy now for $400 (£369) — the same price as Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.

Not only does it feature improved noise canceling features and excellent sound and audio, but it also performs well as headset for making calls. While its noise cancellation and comfort level doesn’t quite measure up to the noise cancellation and comfort of Sony WH-1000XM3’s, it has nicely padded ear cups covered with sheep leather and I had no trouble rocking it for a 2-hour music listening session, to say nothing of the battery life.

Read more.

Amazon

I liked Bowers & Wilkins’ original PX noise-canceling headphones, but they were slightly lacking in both the comfort and noise-canceling departments. The company’s new PX7, released in the fall of 2019, improves on both fronts, with excellent sound, four noise-canceling settings (Automatic, Low, High and Off) and well padded ear cups in a sturdy, eye-catching design. There’s also an adjustable ambient “transparency” mode that allows you to hear the outside world. 

The headphones are a tad heavy at 10.7 ounces (304 grams), but the build quality is top-notch — and it better be considering these are a little pricey at $400. Bowers & Wilkins also makes a more compact on-ear model, the PX5 ($300), which is also quite good. But this model does sound a little better.  

Read more.