Bose Sound Cancelling Ear Buds

How to choose the best Bose Sound Cancelling Ear Buds

Two important things to consider when you’re choosing new earbuds are what you want to listen to and where you want to listen to it. 

For example, if you like fairly quiet music and want to listen on the bus or train, you’ll need effective noise cancellation. 

If you’re looking for a pair of the best running headphones, you should look for IPX4 water-resistance so they can withstand sweat and rain. Some of the top waterproof earbuds can even be used for swimming. The best bone-conducting headphones are popular for fitness fans too, because they don’t block outside sounds.

If you’re going to be wearing your earbuds for long periods, then comfort and weight are a top priority.

We’ve included both wired and wireless earbuds on this list, but you don’t have to compromise on audio quality by going wire-free. Our current favorite true wireless earbuds, the Sony WF-1000XM4, combine class-leading sound with high-quality noise cancellation tech.

If you do opt for wireless or true wireless earbuds, make sure the battery life is up to scratch; otherwise, you may find yourself caught short without any music in the middle of your commute. 

The best earbuds for you should sound good to your ears. Which means if you’re a dedicated audiophile, look for buds that support Hi-Res Audio codecs, like LDAC and apt-X HD Bluetooth for stellar connectivity. 

We also recommend you consider your budget. If you want cheap earbuds, you may have to sacrifice features like ANC or a long battery life. It’s all about weighing up what’s more important to you. 

Finally, the brand you choose will depend on what you’re looking for, but we’re careful with our lists. That means all of the earbuds and in-ear headphones above come from brands we trust. Still, if you’re not sure where to start looking, respected brands like Sony, Apple, Cambridge Audio, Jabra, and Nora are good places to start.

HOW WE TEST THE BEST EARBUDS

We’ve tested each of the top earbuds in this guide to make sure they tick some key boxes, which are reflected in our full review.

One of these is the features—whether they compare well to other earbuds in the same price for elements such as connection options, smart app controls, active noise cancellation, and battery life. We test all these features in different ways. We try the active noise cancellation in different real-world environments, and we check battery life by running them down and tracking the timing.

Most importantly, we also want to be sure the sound is excellent, with clarity and a decent level of bass. We listen to music from a range of sources, from social apps and YouTube to lower-quality streams from the likes of Spotify to high-quality files from streamers such as Apple Music and Tidal. We’ll listen to a range of genres, and we’ll use a mix of new music and tracks we’ve known for years and in which we can hear all the subtle differences.

Next is comfort and affordability. You need to know you’ll be able to pop the best in-ear buds in your ears for hours at a time, so they have to feel secure and comfortable. Some seem naturally designed for a snug fit; others come with different silicone tip options to help you get the fit just right. In terms of design, we also look for compact buds, those that don’t stick out of your ear too much, and (in the case of true wireless designs) earbuds that come with a small charging case for slipping into a backpack, handbag, or even a pocket. 

And when we’ve tested all this, we judge them on their value, which essentially means how all of the above balances against their price and the price of other earbuds.

At the time of writing, we’re beginning a new testing procedure for earbuds to enable us to add more direct comparison between buds to make it easier for you to choose which one will suit you best. We’ll re-test our current favorite earbuds using the new system, and we’ll use it for reviews in the future. You can read the full information about how we test earbuds at TechRadar at that link, but the crucial part is that we’re adding certain specific and repeatable tests that all of our reviews can use, so we know we’re getting a fair and even comparison between earbuds.

The major part of this is a particular playlist that will be used for sound-quality testing from a specific source device and music service. Our reviewers will also test other songs and sound sources, but this playlist provides a baseline comparison, and you can copy the playlist to make your own comparisons, if you like.

We’ll also test the microphone quality for picking up speech by recording us talking, and we’ll make those recordings available to hear on the site, so you can compare them yourselves if you want. And we’ll detail exactly how long the battery lasts in real-world use and provide that information for easy comparison too, in tables. At the moment, we’re still working on gathering this information, so please bear with us—an even better buying guide is coming!