Best-Sounding Wireless Earbuds for 2023

You should expect a lot from earbuds that cost $300 -- and yes, that's still a lot to pay for headphones, even if plenty of people seem to be willing to pay upwards of $450 for the likes of Apple's AirPods Max headphones. Overall, Panasonic has done a nice job of creating an all-around top-performing set of buds that offer an improved fit with terrific sound, very good noise canceling and a robust feature set.

Voice-calling capabilities are decent but don't quite live up to their billing (yet). Hopefully we'll see some firmware upgrades that improve the voice-calling experience in noisier environments. Despite that caveat, as long as they fit your ears well, the Technics EAH-AZ80 are right up there with the best wireless earbuds on the market right now.

While the QC Ultra Earbuds aren't a major upgrade over Bose's excellent QC Earbuds 2 that were released in 2002, they're definitely a little better. They should fit most ears very well, and they feature superb noise canceling, arguably the best out there. And a natural-sounding transparency mode with a new ActiveSense feature kicks in some ANC should the sound get too loud around you (it's sort of similar to the AirPods Pro's Adaptive Audio feature). They also sound slightly better overall, with a touch more clarity, and their new Immersive Audio feature opens up the sound a bit.

The AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are powered by Apple's new H2 chip, which delivers more processing power while being more energy efficient, according to Apple. The new chip, combined with new low-distortion drivers, allows for improved sound that offers better clarity and depth. The noise canceling is also improved -- Apple says the new AirPods have "double" the noise canceling of the original AirPods Pro. Additionally, the new AirPods add an extra hour of battery life, up from five to six hours with noise canceling on. Plus, a speaker in the case that emits a sound that helps locate your buds via Find My should they decide to hide from you.

Yes, the Elite 10s have some potential drawbacks: Their noise canceling is lighter compared with competitors, they're pricey at $249 and they'll probably have to come down a bit to better compete with the AirPods Pro 2 -- at least for Apple users. Still, they're really good earbuds that are not only comfortable to wear for long periods but also sound excellent. In fact, if their voice-calling performance is leveled up a bit with a firmware update, the Elite 10 buds may just be in Editors' Choice territory.

If you can't quite afford the AirPods Pro 2, the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 may be a good alternative. They aren't a huge upgrade over the original NeoBuds Pro, but their list price is around $50 less and they have a lightweight premium design, good sound for their price, effective noise cancellation and come with seven sets of ear tips to help you get a good fit. They also have ear-detection sensors and spatial audio with head tracking.

With support for the LDAC, LHDC, and AAC audio codecs, they're good for both iPhone and Android users (many Android devices support LDAC audio streaming). Equipped with four microphones in each bud, I also thought they worked well for voice calls, though not quite as well as the AirPods Pro 2, which are little better overall. While I was slightly disappointed with the limited touch control and thought the spatial audio and battery life could be a little better (they're rated for around 4 hours with noise canceling on and 5.5 hours with it off), the NeoBuds Pro 2 offer a good combination of mostly impressive performance in a nice design. You can tweak their sound in their companion app for iOS and Android.

Astell & Kern's original AK UW100MK buds offered excellent sound but were light on features for $300 earbuds. And while the second-gen AK UW100MKII are still light on features (there's no active noise canceling but they do have ear-detection sensors, multipoint Bluetooth pairing and an ambient awareness mode), they do sound impressive, with an upgraded acoustic architecture and premium 32-bit DAC technology.

The company says that the position of the Knowles balanced armature driver "has been moved toward the inside of the ear to better deliver audio details more directly, and the acoustic chamber structure and mesh size have been redesigned in accordance with the new BA position to deliver optimal sound output. This new design took numerous attempts to minimize sound diffusion to provide a more delicate and dynamic performance and richer high-frequency expression."

I thought they sounded clean and clear, and while they don't deliver massive bass (as you'd expect from earbuds tuned for audiophiles who want a more neutral sound profile), the bass does go deep and is tight. The voice-calling performance is supposed to be improved, but it's still not great (callers had a hard time hearing me on the noisy streets of New York). Also, the buds, while comfortable to wear, are on the larger side. I did think they did a good job of passively sealing out a good amount of ambient sound, so the lack of active noise canceling was less of a factor than I thought it would be.

Battery life is strong -- the buds are rated for up to 9.5 hours at moderate volume levels -- and the case does offer wireless charging. Powered by a higher-end Qualcomm 5141 chip, the buds support SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive audio codecs. They do not appear to have a water-resistance.

We awarded the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds an Editors' Choice award back in 2021. While the new-for-2023 WF-1000XM5 buds offer some real upgrades and are superior, the XM4s are still very good earbuds with excellent sound quality. They remain worthy of your consideration but only if they're significantly discounted. 

Status Audio's earbuds aren't exactly the sleekest or most attractive earbuds you can buy, but if you don't mind their utilitarian look and giant stems, you are getting an excellent sounding set of earbuds. The Between 3ANC, the company's first noise-canceling earbuds, also do a good job muffling ambient sound, though they aren't up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort 2 earbuds for noise-canceling prowess. They did perform very well in my voice-calling test, reducing much of the background noise around me in the streets of New York while picking up my voice clearly, or so callers told me.

While they have multipoint Bluetooth pairing -- you can pair them to two devices simultaneously -- they are missing a few features, including ear-detection sensors, and they only support the AAC audio codec (they're equipped with Bluetooth 5.2), not LDAC or aptX. Some people with Android devices that support those codecs may not be thrilled with that, but, as I said, they sound quite good using AAC, offering clean sound with punchy bass and good clarity. That's in part due to their driver design, and why the buds are on the larger side -- they feature two balanced armature drivers, plus one 10mm dynamic driver in each earbud. 

Despite being heavier than earbuds like Apple's AirPods Pro 2, they fit my ears comfortably and securely. Their case charges wirelessly and battery life is very good at up to 8.5 hours with ANC on. There's also a transparency mode that sounds only OK, not great (a physical button on the earbuds activates it) and they have an IPX5 water-resistance rating, which means they can withstand a sustained spray of water. The companion app for iOS is fairly basic, but you can upgrade the firmware and tweak the sound profile with a customizable EQ option.

Beyerdynamic may be late to the game, but last year it finally introduced its first true-wireless earbuds, which feature active noise canceling, up to 11 hours of battery life (with noise canceling off) and impressive sound quality.

Beyerdynamic is known for its over-ear wired studio headphones, including the newish DT 700 Pro X ($259). The Free Byrd earbuds, which support the AAC and aptX Adaptive audio codecs, exhibit many of that model's sonic traits, including clean, accurate sound and an airy open quality (aka a wide soundstage).

If you can get the proper fit and a tight seal, these are excellent-sounding earbuds that are right at the top of their price class in terms of sound quality. The Free Byrd are closer to the middle of the road in other areas, particularly their noise-canceling performance. But Beyerdynamic has said it made sound quality its highest priority and that definitely shows.

Pros:

• Excellent sound quality
  
• Good noise canceling and call quality
  
• Lots of ear tips included 
• Great battery life

Cons:

• Noise canceling isn't top-notch
• Design may be a challenge for some ears

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise canceling along with very good sound and voice-calling performance, plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you're a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. That said, their biggest upgrade may their new design and smaller size, which make them a better fit for more ears. Aside from their somewhat high price tag, their only drawback is that some of their key features only work with Samsung Galaxy devices.

Featuring excellent sound, improved noise canceling and voice-calling performance as well a smaller, more refined design that includes stabilizing fins (so the earbuds stay in your ears more securely), the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 were among the best new true-wireless earbuds of 2022. They remain one of the best true-wireless earbuds overall, although the newer AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5 buds are arguably superior, so only look to buy the Momentum True Wireless 3 when they are significantly discounted.

Bang & Olufsen's Beoplay EX buds are the company's best true-wireless earbuds yet. They feature a comfortable, secure fit (except perhaps for those with really smaller ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, good noise canceling and improved voice-calling performance over B&O's EQ buds, with three microphones in each earbud they help with reducing background noise while picking up your voice. While they're out of most people's price range, they're arguably the best earbuds out there with stems and offer superior sound to the AirPods Pro (1st gen) with better clarity, deeper more powerful bass and richer, more accurate sound. 

Battery life is rated at 6 hours at moderate volume levels with noise canceling on and there's an extra 14 hours of juice in the brushed aluminum charging case (wireless charging is supported). The buds have an IP57 water-resistance rating, which makes them waterproof and dust-resistant. They feature Bluetooth 5.2 and multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to two devices at the same time, such as a computer and smartphone. You can use a single bud independently and the earbuds have ear-detection sensors so your music pauses when you remove them from your ears. 

The buds support AptX Adaptive for devices like Android smartphones that support Bluetooth streaming with the AptX HD audio codec. (AAC is also supported.) They're available in the gold tone pictured as well as a graphite color.

Audio-Technica has put out several true-wireless earbuds over the last few years, but none of them have been terribly good. That changes with the ATH-TWX9, which sports a premium design plus premium sound and a pretty robust feature set, including strong active noise canceling, Multipoint Bluetooth pairing and a case equipped with wireless charging and UV LED sterilization. In the box you'll also find a plethora of ear tip options and I was able to tight seal and comfortable fit. These buds are IPX4 splash-proof and are rated for 6 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels.

Audio-Technica says the ATH-TWX9 have high-resolution 5.8mm drivers and the buds support Qualcomm's aptX Adaptive audio codec and Sony's 360 Reality Audio. I tested them with an iPhone 14 Pro and a few different Android phones that support aptX streaming. In terms of sound, these buds do sound better -- and reach their full sonic potential -- with an Android phone that supports aptX Adaptive and is paired with a higher-resolution audio streaming service like Qobuz, Tidal or Amazon Music HD. While you can tweak the sound profile in the companion app, the buds have a more balanced default sound signature (I did bump the bass a bit) and offer good treble detail, tight bass and natural sounding mids. 

I thought the noise-canceling performance was good (you can calibrate it for your surroundings) though not at the same level as what flagship earbuds from Bose, Sony and Apple offer. There's also a transparency mode and voice-calling performance was good with decent noise reduction. I don't know if the ATH-TWX9 necessarily beats out other earbuds in this price range, but Audio-Technica has finally produced a set of high-quality wireless earbuds that can compete with other premium true-wireless earbuds.

Unlike the "open" LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S are traditional noise-isolating earbuds with tips you jam in your ears. They're more compact and lighter than Sony's former flagship WF-1000XM4 and also feature Sony's V1 processor (Sony has since released the more compact WF-1000XM5). While their sound and noise canceling don't quite measure up to either XM4's or XM5's, they're still quite good. They're the Sony buds for people who can't afford Sony's flagship earbuds but want 80% of those buds' features and performance for significantly less.

Known for delivering good bang for the buck, 1More has released a more premium set of buds that are equipped with a 10mm dynamic driver paired with a balanced armature. They have support for Sony's LDAC codec for high-resolution wireless streaming over Bluetooth with music services like Qobuz or Tidal that offer high-resolution music files.

The Evo buds sound better than the company's other earbuds, offering better clarity and bass definition as well as a relatively wide soundstage. They also feature solid noise canceling, multipoint Bluetooth pairing, wireless charging, a transparency mode and an IPX4 splashproof rating. Battery life is rated at 5.5 hours with ANC on and 8 hours without it off. A 15-minute quick charge gives you 4 hours of juice.

While the earbuds have three microphones in each and tout excellent voice-calling performance, I'd rate it as decent but not great. The noise reduction isn't quite as good as what you get with some buds but that may improve with firmware upgrades (the 1More companion app is serviceable but could also be improved).

These are worth trying if you don't want to spend over $200 for some of the more expensive models on this list but still get excellent sound.