How We Test Headphones At Zdnet In 2026

7 hours ago

Bose QC Ultra (left); Bose QC Ultra 2 (right)

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

Over nan years, your favourite brace of headphones aliases earbuds tin go conscionable arsenic basal to your regular life arsenic your smartphone. If you're for illustration me, forgetting your AirPods astatine location tin ruin your day. It's important to see each your headphone and earbud options, arsenic nan correct ones for 1 personification whitethorn not activity for another.

Also: The champion headphones and earbuds of 2026

That's why, astatine ZDNET, we reappraisal plentifulness of headphones and earbuds for each purposes and budgets. Different headphones and earbuds person different usage cases, and our testing methods align pinch those usage cases. We often people semipermanent reviews and revisit a headphone's capacity aft continuous usage to find which features excel and which ones autumn flat.

How we trial headphones and earbuds successful 2026

Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 successful Driftwood Sand

Our experts sleep, work, run, swim, hike, watch movies, and perceive to euphony to trial headphones and earbuds. During testing, we spot our regular drivers successful their carrying cases and usage nan reappraisal portion successful our mundane lives to spot really nan devices execute successful real-world situations.

Usually, we person reappraisal units from manufacturers earlier they are disposable to nan public. We usage nan play betwixt receiving nan merchandise and publishing our reappraisal to walk arsenic overmuch clip arsenic imaginable putting nan reappraisal portion done regular usage and wear-and-tear. We besides trial nan product's package features and travel up pinch manufacturers if needed.

Here's a wide overview of our headphones and earbuds testing methodology, truthful you tin amended understand really a brace of headphones aliases earbuds makes it to 1 of our lists of recommendations.

How we determine which brace to recommend

A brace of headphones aliases earbuds is ZDNET Recommended erstwhile our testing concludes that nan instrumentality is supra mean successful astatine slightest 1 of our testing categories. Once we've made that determination, we adhd headphones aliases earbuds to 1 of our buying guides, which are tailored to those looking for headphones serving a circumstantial purpose.

We understand that everyone has different uses, wants, and needs erstwhile looking for headphones and earbuds. Our ngo is to urge a scope of products that champion service everyone's individual preferences.

Some headphones whitethorn excel successful creation and comfortableness but autumn short successful sound cancellation. Despite that product's shortcomings, we understand that immoderate group don't want headphones pinch beardown sound cancellation and for illustration ones that connection greater comfort. We dainty each metrics arsenic during testing, but we make a constituent of letting our readers cognize erstwhile a merchandise won't service their champion interests. Here are nan apical factors we see erstwhile testing headphones and earbuds.

Comfort and creation

Your headphones and earbuds should connection hours of comfort, particularly if you scheme to deterioration them while working, studying, aliases traveling. Like galore headphone and earbud benchmarks, comfortableness tin beryllium subjective because everyone has different caput and receptor shapes.

To stay arsenic nonsubjective arsenic possible, we deterioration headphones and earbuds for hours connected extremity and statement successful our reviews erstwhile they go uncomfortable.

Headphones and earbuds travel successful various worldly finishes. Some are mostly made of plastic, while others are made from much durable materials, for illustration aluminum and stainless steel. Because headphones and earbuds travel you passim your regular activities, we deterioration them for extended periods to measure their durability.

We measure whether headphone earpads tear, rip, aliases crack, find really good a brace of headphones aliases earbuds tin withstand drops, and crook and fold headphones to perceive for immoderate creaking aliases unnatural noises.

Noise cancellation

Noise-canceling properties are little subjective, arsenic nan number of decibels a brace of headphones aliases earbuds cancels tin beryllium measured connected a noise-level chart. However, immoderate of our readers whitethorn beryllium little willing successful a floor plan and much concerned pinch really headphones aliases earbuds execute successful circumstantial environments.

Also: The champion noise-canceling earbuds of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

To springiness you nan champion thought of really good a instrumentality cancels noise, we deterioration noise-canceling headphones and earbuds successful environments pinch varying sound levels, including market stores, offices, trains, planes, gyms, and java shops. We grounds which noises we tin perceive and which are masked aliases importantly dampened to show you which noise-canceling headphones aliases earbuds will execute champion successful your regular life.

Sound value

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 successful Anthracite Black

Sound value is nan astir subjective metric erstwhile testing and reviewing headphones and earbuds. Everyone's ears comprehend sound differently, and proceeding is simply a spectrum. Additionally, headphones and earbuds tin sound different depending connected whether sound canceling is enabled, your preferred euphony streaming service, your listening device's operating system, and which Bluetooth codec your headphones aliases earbuds whitethorn use.

To spot this subjectivity successful action, publication 1 of our headphone reviews, comparison our master opinions pinch our contemporaries' views, and observe nan differences successful sentiment. We picture really we perceive nan sound travel done a brace of headphones aliases earbuds and explicate which factors whitethorn lend to our conclusions.

Also: Best AirPods 2026: I've utilized each brace of Apple headphones and earbuds - these are nan winners

Our experts trial sound by listening pinch transparency and noise-canceling modes, which alteration america to statement immoderate differences successful sound. We besides perceive connected iPhones, Android phones, laptops, TVs, and tablets to archive noticeable sound distinctions. There tin beryllium noticeable differences successful sound value erstwhile listening to Apple Music versus Spotify, truthful we trial for that, too.

Additionally, we trial wireless headphones pinch their included wires to find whether a brace tin beryllium listened to actively aliases passively.

Battery life

Battery life is an nonsubjective benchmark erstwhile testing headphones and earbuds, but it tin beryllium affected by respective factors. Battery life tin disagree from nan manufacturer's claims depending connected really large you perceive to headphones aliases earbuds, whether sound canceling aliases spatial audio is enabled, nan magnitude and wave of telephone calls taken while wearing nan headphones, and nan settings of your listening device.

We way artillery life by utilizing each of nan headphones' features to gauge really good they lucifer nan advertised number of hours of continuous use.

Unique usage cases

Some headphones and earbuds are amended suited for circumstantial usage cases than others, and it's our occupation to fto our readers cognize which brace will champion suit them. To do so, we watch movies, perceive to music, travel, work, and workout while wearing nan headphones and earbuds we trial to spot which activities they execute champion in.

We see package limitations and unsocial features to guarantee you cognize really good a brace of headphones aliases earbuds integrates pinch your individual instrumentality ecosystem.

We reappraisal galore headphones and earbuds for each usage cases and budgets to show you your options. However, buying a brace of headphones aliases earbuds is simply a highly personalized decision, and you should see your wants and needs earlier purchasing. Here are a fewer things to see earlier making a purchase.

Assess really often you'll deterioration headphones to find really overmuch continuous artillery life you need. If you scheme to deterioration headphones often successful public, put successful ones pinch beardown sound cancellation. Consider really overmuch you're consenting to walk connected headphones, arsenic we've reviewed and recommended headphones ranging from $60 to $1,000+.