Officially, the 8 Best Headphones Money Can Buy

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How much does what you're listening to mean to you? Probably enough to account for how the noise cancelling headphone category has exploded over the past few years. We're not just wearing headphones during workouts anymore. These days, everyone is living life with studio-quality cans on. We're all vacuuming, making coffee, and massage gunning with better audio quality than most recorded musicians have ever experienced. Because of that, every brand is pushing Hi-Fi specs down your throat, and you can't understand any of them. (I barely do.)

But I understand them enough! And with Esquire's name behind me, I've got access to all these products. So for you dear reader, I set out to testing and finding the absolute best headphones on the market—from expensive luxury models to the perfect mid-tier noise-cancellers to futuristic light-powered headphones. The end result is this list of the eight best headphones money can buy. Buy from this list and I guarantee you'll be happy... with your headphones, not cosmically happy.

Px7 S2

When it comes to headphones, I will always fight the good fight in favor of the Bowers & Wilkins Px7. The high-spec headphones are made for real audiophiles, but at a competitive price point—$150 less than the AirPods Max—you get a pair of headphones more luxurious than anything else on the market. And when I'm wearing big pair, that luxury feel of high-quality leather and soft memory foam is just as important as performance.

As far as performance goes, they're also the best on the market. The custom-designed 40mm drivers give you better sound than just about anything on this list. The active noise cancelling is regulated by six different microphones. And in my experience, the Transparency Mode was the most natural sounding of any on this list. (It didn't pipe in too much ambient noise, so it felt... real.)

The only issue I have is that Bowers & Wilkins logo. Just doesn't look good. Since they posit themselves as a luxury tech brand, I'd love a minimal, debadged pair of headphones. But they gotta get their marketing in somehow. Give and take.

WH-1000XM4

Just below those Bowers & Wilkins in price is Sony's WH-1000XM4. (Bad product naming here.) The main seller for these is the noise-cancelling—which is the best out there. Of all the noise-cancelling headphones on this list, this is the pair that puts you in your own world. As such, I always recommend them to frequent flyers.

For people that want to get through TSA, Delta SkyClub, and a business flight to whereverthefuck as painlessly as possible, these are your headphones. The sound itself is fine, I found it to be about on par with AirPods Max, below the Bowers & Wilkins. But the noise-cancelling plus lightweight build makes these ideal block-out-the-world headphones. Nothing in, nothing out.

AirPods Max

Alright, yes OK. You can't really talk about headphones without mentioning the AirPods Max. Audiophiles will try ignore them, but truth is these are the headphones most people want. And though it may be controversial to say in some circles, they're good headphones.

Are they $550 good? No. But Apple users won't care because the Apple ecosystem just runs so well. If you've got an iPhone (you probably do) or a MacBook (maybe you do), nothing is going to be easier to use. Apple's in-house drivers are actually great, so the sound is up there with the best, and the noise-cancelling isn't half-bad either.

The main issue I always have is what you get for the price tag. For $550, I want some more premium materials. You feel the quality on those Bowers & Wilkins headphones. Here, not so much.

Px8

While we're talking about massive price tags, let me take you back to Bowers & Wilkins. The Px8 is the brand's flagship headphone, and these things are beautiful. The brand swaps out high-quality leather for premium Nappa leather on the earpads—then keeps it going with every piece of trim.

They're also a step above everything else technically. B&W uses a hi-res 24-bit Digital Signal Processor. Essentially, this is the thing that makes your music digital. Similar to a GPU in gaming, the more power you have here, the more things you can experience in greater detail. The end result is an incredible listening experience, which I haven't found on any other pair of headphones out there.

RPT-02 SOL

I've already talked about these headphones at length, but I legit think Adidas is currently sitting where the entire mobile industry will be going in the next few decades.

Using what's basically a solar panel tape called Powerfoyle from Exeger, a Swedish manufacturer, these headphones technically have an infinite battery life. They charge on sunlight or just ambient indoor lights. And the tech works shockingly well. I've had a pair for almost a year now, and only charged them twice—both times I had placed them in a totally dark drawer.

The headphones themselves are geared towards athletes—these are part of the Adidas performance line, after all. The cloth components are removable and can be washed with the rest of your laundry. For that reason I use them as workout headphones, but they also get some daily use as commuter headphones. The sound is good, and although the earpads are uncomfortable after long periods of use, they're a generally comfortable pair of headphones.

Solo3

Audiophiles don't get mad... but the best deal in headphones are the Beats Solo3. Most people—regular people—won't care that Beats tend to be bass heavy, some might even prefer it.

These have everything you want in a pair of headphones. The battery life is great. They don't look too bad. They're comfortable to wear. And they sound good. Also a pro tip, because I am a commerce editor/full-time tech shopper, you can find these things on sale all the time on Amazon.

Tune 510BT

But for something truly budget, these JBL Tune 510BT aren't that bad an option. The main draw is that you're getting good wireless headphones for $50. It doesn't need to be more complicated than that. As far as sound goes, they're not too bad—75 percent of consumers will be perfectly happy with the sound quality.

The place where you realize that these are budget headphones is the design touches. The JBL logo is big and ugly. The earpads feel a bit low-quality, same with the plastic build. But for $50, you can't expect much more than this.

MDR7506 Pro Headphones

We gain thousands of podcasters everyday. America's New Podcaster Rate has probably overtaken our Birth Rate. (Don't fact check me.) I used to work in public radio. For a quality pair of cans when you're not minutely concerned with full-range sound, these Sony MDR7506 are great. They're comfortable to wear for hours on end, and they come with a big pro audio plugin. If you're looking for the best pair of podcasting headphones, these are it.

That said! Since they are so comfortable, they make great work headphones. You don't need to hear every high and low when you're playing classical music and running through spreadsheets. These headphones won't hurt your head, and they'll keep you generally connected to the rest of the world.

How We Tested and Chose the Best Headphones

Looks - We always say it, but ugly shit isn't worth buying. Surround yourself with beautiful things as often as you can. See as evidence, our choice to name the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 "Best Overall." Those headphones are objectively beautiful, more than any others on the market. Because of that, I love them more. So will you.

Sound Quality -But at the end of the day, this is what we're here for. There are some hard specs we looked at to determine sound quality—frequency range, driver sizes, DSPs. But generally, we just listened to music. Good headphones give you clear sound at high and low volumes. Great headphones give you that, plus more complex sounds within your music. You hear everything. That's what I want. That's what we looked for.

Price - Duh... We consider the first two factors against how much a pair of headphones costs. It's a value for dollar, bang-for-your-buck type thing. Know that everything on this list is great in terms of value.

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