Not just anybody can review a pair of headphones. You don’t need superhuman hearing to tell what’s good, but you do need to know what to listen out for.
Our headphone tests are done by some of the best and most prolific reviewers in the industry, with years of experience listening to everything from the plasticky freebie earbuds that come with your smartphone, to five-figure beasts of glass and marble. We love music and we want your tunes to sound good, too.
We listen to every pair of headphones we can get on or in our ears. We use a variety of sources, from basic MP3s playing on a laptop to high-quality tracks on dedicated hi-res audio players.
Our test tracks are wide-ranging to give headphones a thorough challenge. They’re also familiar, so we know every track backwards, and we know which bits might trouble the lesser performers.
We listen again and again, and we do that for weeks in case the sound changes – because it usually does. Then we’ll listen to similarly priced rivals and come up with a verdict that reflects the performance and features for the money.
The current earbuds market has no shortage of choice out there with great options from the likes of Sony and Bose, but as far as we’re concerned, those with iPhones should only be seeking out the best AirPods.
There’s a reason why Apple’s take on earbuds completely dominates the scene – they have unequivocally set the bar in terms of style (it doesn’t take long to see AirPod clones when out and about) and they have a level of functionality that few competitors can match. Okay, maybe that’s two reasons.
Part of their allure lies in just how well AirPods of any kind are able to interact with Apple’s wider ecosystem. They have been fine-tuned for Spatial Audio on Apple Music, which makes it feel as if you’re personally being serenaded from all angles by the artist in question, but they also seamlessly connect between iPhones, iPads and more. Just start using one device in your ecosystem and the buds will shift over automatically.
It’s a bit of technical wizardry that has yet to be matched by another company, which is exactly why AirPods are such an easy recommendation for Apple fans everywhere. If you are tempted to see what the competition offers however, then we’ve got you covered there too with our breakdown of the best wireless earbuds and the best cheap earbuds.
Before you part with part with any cash, it’s also worth evaluating whether or not you’d be better suited with a pair of headphones than earbuds. Because of their size, headphones offer longer playback over a single session, and noise cancelling tends to be more powerful too. If you travel a great deal then it might be worth reading through our best headphones guide first.
Still, for everyone invested in Apple’s product range, you’re in the right place. As a final note, AirPods (particularly the AirPods Pro 2) are expected to see sizeable price drops during Amazon’s Prime Day sale, so be sure to check out our coverage to see if there’s an opportunity to save
