Headphones

How to choose headphones

The best headphones are the ones that fit your main use: music on the bus, calls in the office, training, or gaming in the evening. Six things to choose by.

• Type. In-ear TWS earbuds are the smallest; over-ear headphones cover the ear, give fuller bass and better ANC; open-ear designs leave the ear free and are safe in town; gaming and office headsets add a boom microphone.
• Noise cancelling (ANC). Active ANC cuts low-frequency noise (bus, plane, ventilation) by 20–30 dB, transparency mode lets voices through.
• Battery. TWS: 6–10 hours in the buds and 24–40 hours with the case; over-ear: 30–70 hours (Redmi Headphones Neo promise 72 h).
• Sound and codecs. SBC and AAC are universal, AAC is best for an iPhone. LDAC (e.g. Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro) gives a higher bitrate on Android. Multipoint keeps you connected to a phone and laptop at once.
• Gaming. A 2.4 GHz USB dongle keeps latency under 20 ms; Bluetooth is noticeably slower in games. PS5 and Xbox have dedicated versions (Razer, HyperX, Trust).
• Wired or wireless. Wired headphones never need charging and sound better for the same money: 3.5 mm for a computer, USB-C for a phone without a jack. For studio cans impedance matters — 80 Ω runs from a phone, 250 Ω needs an amplifier.

Headphones in our range

Hundreds of models in stock. In-ear TWS earbuds: Apple AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3, Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro and Redmi Buds, Huawei FreeBuds 7i and Neo, Anker Soundcore Liberty 5, OPPO Enco Air5, Sony WF-C510, Beats Powerbeats. Over-ear headphones: Apple AirPods Max 2, Sony WH-CH720N, Anker Soundcore Space One Pro, Sudio K3, Skullcandy Hesh ANC, Koss Porta Pro and studio classics Beyerdynamic DT 770 and DT 990 PRO. Open-ear headphones: Huawei FreeClip 2, Sony LinkBuds Open, Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro, Lenovo X500. Gaming headsets: Logitech G PRO X 2 and G733, Razer BlackShark and Kraken, HyperX Cloud, Corsair. Office headsets Logitech Zone and Dell Pro; wired headphones Sony MDR, Koss KPH7, Sennheiser CX 80U USB-C, Shure SE215.

Brands

Apple AirPods are the smoothest with an iPhone — automatic pairing and switching. Sony delivers good ANC and long battery life for sensible money. Xiaomi and Huawei lead on value. Anker Soundcore offers ANC and long battery life cheaply. Logitech G, Razer and HyperX are the gamers' trio: light build, clear microphone, fast dongle. Koss and Beyerdynamic are timeless wired sound. Sudio is Scandinavian design from a few tens of euros.

Connection and delivery

Before buying, check what you will plug into: a new phone has no 3.5 mm jack, so a wired pair should be USB-C. For a laptop and PS5 a USB dongle is the safest bet. Headphones are a small parcel — an Omniva, DPD or Venipak locker in 1–2 working days.

Related products

Browse the focused selections: in-ear headphones, over-ear headphones, open-ear headphones and gaming headsets. For company there are portable speakers — the full range is in TV and audio.

Frequently asked questions

TWS earbuds or over-ear? Earbuds for commuting and training, over-ear for long listening, better bass and ANC.

Do I need noise cancelling? If you take public transport, fly or work in an open-plan office — yes. In a quiet room at home it makes no difference.

Do AirPods work with Android? Yes, as ordinary Bluetooth headphones — music and calls work, but the battery readout and automatic switching are Apple-only.

Which headphones for a PS5? A headset with a USB dongle (Razer BlackShark V3 PlayStation, HyperX Cloud Stinger 2, Trust GXT PS5) or a wired pair in the controller's 3.5 mm jack. The PS5 does not support ordinary Bluetooth audio.

Can I train in them? Pick IPX4 or higher (IP55 on Huawei FreeBuds Neo and Anker Liberty 5 Pro) — sweat and rain are no problem.