Headphones come in different shapes, forms and sizes. Some are wireless Bluetooth earbuds and some are not. In any case, when it comes to choosing headsets of the year, there is quite the fuss about trying to find the ones that were people’s favorites.
This award is given to the headphones that people loved and that were affordable. There are different categories of awards, and let’s get through them. The awards have their winners and the ones that were their runner-ups.
Best wireless earbuds of the year: Bose QuietComfort earbuds II
These are the second generation wireless earbuds from Bose QuietComfort, and they are quite comfortable pieces as compared to the first Bose earbuds. The company is well known for creating noise-cancellation headphones, and when they introduced the first QuietComfort, customers were excited. However, the pieces were deemed a bit big and uncomfortable even if they did a good job of canceling the noise. Worse still, the charging case didn’t do a good job.
But Bose redeemed itself with the award winner for this category, which is much sleeker, lighter, and overall very comfortable for its wearer. The charging case issues are also non-existent on this one.
To be honest, other earbuds have done better than Bose and lasted longer than them, but as a whole package, they deserve this award, and here is why.
The earbuds have shown sonic strength on every kind of frequency range a user chose to listen to and their ANC is borderline flawless. That is rare for any kind of earbuds and only these QuietComfort came close to perfection.
Runner-up earbuds: Apple Airpods pro
Apple struck gold with the AirPods Pro, which is possibly why we had to wait a bit longer than we anticipated for a suited sequel. But it eventually arrived this year, searching very comparable to the original model however boasting punchier sound and extended noise-canceling.
Battery life has increased too. The cease result is headphones that earn the “2” at the give up of their name, and even if you don’t love the spatial audio aspects that Apple is now absolutely pushing on its headphones, they’re at the very least worth turning on when you’re watching a movie.
Fitness headphones of the year: Beats Fit Pro
Twelve months ago a review was done on these beats, and Beats Fit Pro still is the go-to headphones you can use while working out with fewer problems. In the twelve months that have passed, other fitness headphones have come into the scene but Beats hold the first position, and here is why.
When you put them in your ears while working out, they will not slide out. Not even once, as some fitness headphones will do. Beats have had an amazing change to the wingtip design and they are comfortable for a long workout session or even a run.
Beats Fit Pro is powered by the same Apple chip that is in Airpods pro. That is why they pair well with an iPhone and have spectacular transparency and noise-canceling modes. They are designed to suit the environment you are in, thanks to Apple’s adaptive EQ. But that is not the only reason they won this category. Beats Fit Pro won this category because there are no other headphones that fit perfectly during workouts.
Runner-up fitness headphones: JBL Reflect Pro
It’s not that they’re bad at performing during a workout session. JBL is very good too. They were designed for sweaty gym people and the headphones hold their own in every department of fitness headphones. But they’re here because they lacked good looks and elegance. If you don’t mind looks, these might be the kind of headphones you can go for during a workout.
Over-ear headphones of the year: Sony WH-1000XM5
These headphones replaced Sony HM-1000 XM4, which had previously replaced Sony HM-1000XM3. The main concern with the XM5 was the flagship that Sony had announced that they changed. But the concern was for naught because these headphones are comfortable and lightweight, just as the former Sony’s were designed. So naturally, the concern shifted to the fact that they’re not foldable. But they still win this category, hands down.
The headphones have a noise cancellation feature like their predecessors, but unlike them, this one is better. Its sound quality is also exceptional and they even added a handy assistant feature, where you can activate Alexa or Google Assistant.
Runner-up over-ear headphones: Bower’s and Wilkins PX7 S2
The upgrade for these headphones has been long awaited. These headphones have amazing noise cancellation and their 40mm drive units are very impressive. If they are being a little overbearing, all you have to do is change a few things in the EQ and you’ll be set. There’s not much of a difference with the Sony XM5 so whatever headphones you buy will do you good and will not disappoint.
Budget headphones of the year: Sony Linkbuds S
The original Sony Linkbuds were designed to go in a different direction than most of the headphones on this list. They are not noise-cancellation headphones, they’re designed to let the noise in. However, these new Linkbuds S’s have had an added feature of noise cancellation. You get to choose the range you want on a related app. The audio delivery is not so bad for budget headphones either. They are comfortable and if you get them, you’ll see that they’re a hit.
Runner-up budget headphones of the year: 1More Sonoflow
If you are not careful enough during headphones shopping, you might end up with these headphones if you were planning on getting Sony designs. Unfortunately, that would just mean disappointment, because while they have the body and looks of the Sony XM4s, they don’t sound like them. Not even close, which is a shame because they could pass for the same in the looks department.
Considering they are very cheap, most wouldn’t complain too much about them. Especially if they know that the headphones are packing amazing functional ANC that can not be overlooked. They were very cheap but they are a great bargain. For less than €100, they have noise cancellation features that do not work great, but they are there and that is why they make for a great runner-up in the budget headphones award.
