I Tried Them All — Best Headphones of 2025!

Holiday season is officially here

[music] and if you're thinking

headphones, you're in the right place.

I've got the best of 2025 lined up by

category, build [music] quality, sound,

comfort, features, so you can find the

perfect match in a matter of minutes.

Let's get into it. To start things off,

let's talk about the best lifestyle

headphones. I'm going with the Sony

WH100XM6. [music]

Sony took everything that made the XM5

great [music] and made it just a little

bit better. You've got a more

comfortable fit thanks to a [music]

wider headband, a sturdier hinge that

actually collapses, which makes them

more portable, a smaller magnetic

closure case that's secure and way

easier to use, and a faster processor

with extra microphones for cleaner phone

calls. The sound is richer and also a

little bit more detailed straight out

the box. Plus, you get a 10band EQ to

make [music] any changes you want. These

are perfect for travel. Again, very

comfortable. The ear cups are spacious.

[music] Not to mention, they have some

of the best noise cancellation you can

get, and I absolutely love the sound on

these. They're actually my second

favorite in terms of strictly sound.

I've got a separate pick for the best

sounding headphones, [music] so make

sure you stay tuned for that. But these

are literally right there. Amazing bass.

The sound is open. It's controlled. It's

balanced. It's so easy to just put these

on and get lost [music] in your favorite

playlist. Plus, they've added some

convenience features like the option to

listen to the headphones while they

charge. [music] Also, voice commands

that allow you to control the headphones

by saying things like, "Hey, headphones,

pause music." [music] Or, "Hey,

headphones, play music." There's also

multi-point connection for the power

users out there. And when it comes to a

pair of headphones [music] that just

work in every phase of life, these are

it. Next up, let's talk about the

headphones with the best design. If you

want headphones with personality, the

Marshall Monitor 3 [music] have you

covered. These have that classic rock

aesthetic that Marshall was known for.

They're covered [music] in a pebbled

leather texture with brass accents.

They've got a compact collapsible build

that [music] drops into my favorite

headphone case of all time. The shape of

the case is pretty unique, but on the

inside, you've got this red velvet

interior that contrasts beautifully

[music] with the black and brass.

They're also practical. They're

extremely lightweight. They're easy to

wear for long stretches. They've got

multi-point connection and up to 70

hours of battery life with noise

cancellation turned on. And then there's

the sound. When it comes to detail and

clarity, these are incredible. They

articulate voices and instruments

[music] extremely well with a certain

sparkle and shine that not too many

headphones have. These also have my

favorite version of spatial audio of any

headphones. It's called sound stage

[music] and it lets you make adjustments

to dial it in just right. The active

noise cancellation could be a little

stronger, but other than that, I like

these a lot. From there, let's get into

the headphones with the best sound. I'm

going with the Sennheiser Momentum 4.

These days, headphones have a lot of

bells and whistles to consider, but

sometimes you just want to focus on what

matters most, and that's [music] sound.

If that's the case for you, I think the

Momentum 4 is the safest pick. They've

got 42 mm drivers that deliver deep,

[music] rich, impactful bass. You get

clarity to go along with the bass, so

vocals pop extremely well, and

Sennheiser's sound personalization

feature [music] takes things to the next

level. When it comes to dynamic range,

these definitely lead the pack. And for

the technical folks, you also get AEX

[music] and AEX adaptive for high- res

streaming. The noise cancellation is

solid. They've got multi-point. And you

can get up to 60 hours of battery

without noise cancellation. [music] At

the end of the day, it's all about the

sound. It's lively, it's full, and in my

opinion, it's the best you can get

without going past the $4 to $500 price

range. Next up, let's talk most

comfortable headphones, and that goes to

the Bose Quiet Comfort. I mean, they

literally have comfort in the name.

There's something about these headphones

that just feels effortless when they're

on your head. They're lightweight.

They've got soft padding. The noise

cancellation is [music] excellent. It's

not quite as strong as the Quiet Comfort

Ultra, but it's very, very close. The

multi-point is solid. The controls are

easy to use and the sound is very full

and spacious with that classic low-end

warmth. Battery life is around 24 hours,

which is okay. You can get more if you

go with the second gen Quiet Comfort

Ultra. You also get slightly better

sound and a few more bells and whistles,

but if comfort is the main priority,

these are the ones I recommend. Next up,

let's talk best Bose alternative. If you

want that classic smooth Bose tuning,

the Basus Inspire XH1 bring that same

vibe at a lower cost. The sound on these

is literally tuned by Bose. The two

companies partnered together, and while

the headphones themselves aren't made by

Bose, they did have a hand in tuning the

sound. So, you get clean mids and highs,

excellent bass, [music] especially once

you activate noise cancellation along

with the bass boost option. They've got

LDAC for high-res streaming and up to 60

hours of battery life with noise

cancellation turned on. On top of that,

you get multi-point, a sleep mode with

ambient sounds to help you relax, a

volume limiter to help protect your

hearing, and solid microphones for

calls. You won't get Bose level noise

cancellation, but for sound and value,

these are an excellent pick. Next up,

let's talk best build quality, which

also happens to have the best noise

cancellation in my opinion, and that's

the AirPods Max. You've got aluminum ear

cups and a stainless steel frame, which

gives these a very premium feel. Now, on

the flip side, these are the heaviest

headphones out of this entire lineup.

So, probably not the first choice for

things like long commutes. The extra

weight from those premium materials is

definitely noticeable over time. Now,

with that premium build, you also get

Apple's excellent transparency. Whether

you like Apple or don't like Apple,

there's no denying that they are the

kings of transparency mode. And when it

comes to noise cancellation, I actually

think these are the best you can get

along with the Sony XM6 and the Bose

Quiet Comfort Ultra. But for me though,

it does seem like the AirPods Max have a

slight edge as far as overall noise

cancelling strength. The controls are

super simple. The digital crown lets you

easily adjust your music. And as far as

sound quality, these are actually really

impressive. I've never really looked at

Apple as a go-to when I'm looking for

top tier sound, but I was pretty

surprised at how well these stack up

against the competition. Now, one thing

to keep in mind, if you're not an iOS

user, [music] then it doesn't really

make sense to go for these. If you want

to get the most out of these, you

definitely want to use them with an iOS

device. premium build quality, top tier

noise cancellation, and really good

sound. From there, let's get into the

best headphones for bass. And that goes

to the Sony Altar. If bass is your

thing, these are the ones to get. They

have this dedicated alt button, which

lets you switch between two EQ settings,

Alt 1 and Alt 2. Both of which transform