Headphone Reviews

PRICE $399

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent noise cancellation
Clever environmental awareness modes
Sony’s LDAC streams hi-res audio over Bluetooth with compatible source
Minus
Sound lacks sparkle in the highs and presence in low mids
Muddy sound in passive mode
Heavy build can get fatiguing over long periods

THE VERDICT
With some fancy new technology, the Sony MDR-100X are pretty fantastic at noise-cancelling, but the overall sound quality is disappointing.

For several years, Bose has reigned supreme in the world of active noise cancellation. Sony is hoping to change that with the MDR1000X, their most advanced active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones to date. If the quality of noise cancelling is all that matters to you, I’ll save you time skimming: The ANC on these is rather impressive. Looking to cancel frequencies above the low rumble of an airplane, say, office voices and traffic noise? The 1000X are one of your best bets. However, if you’re also concerned with audio performance and features that extend beyond the ability to block out the world around you, read on.

One of the most mortifying moments of my life came when I realized I’d lost my Sony MDR-NC10 noise-canceling earbuds. Well, I didn’t exactly lose them—what I lost was one of the rubber earpieces. I was ransacking the front pockets of my Levis in the men’s room of the Dallas airport and the friction of dragging out the earbuds must have dislodged the precious morsel of rubber. That effectively exiled the MDR-NC10 to my useless-gear drawer. Living without them was so impossible that I broke down and bought the successor model, the MDR-NC11.

PRICE $2,300

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Remarkably transparent
Fine, handmade build quality
Very, very comfortable
Minus
New-gen balanced cable may not fit current headphone amps/sources

THE VERDICT
$2,300

Sony has a long history of making reference-quality headphones, starting with the limited-edition MDR-R10. That was in 1989—and at $2,500, it was the most expensive headphone in the world. A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with an MDR-R10, and it was the most beautiful-sounding headphone I’d ever heard. No wonder the cognoscenti dubbed it the Stradivarius of headphones and scooped them all up years ago. MDR-R10s rarely come up for sale, but when they do, they go for at least $6,000!

PRICE $149

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Detailed sound
Low latency
Good voice pickup
Long battery life
Wired option
Minus
No noise canceling
Lacks deep bass

THE VERDICT
A versatile and comfortable headset option for PlayStation owners, the Pulse Elite combines the detailed sound of planar-magnetic drivers with a high-quality microphone, which makes it great for gaming.

As much as I love playing video games on my main system, I recognize that, unlike music, a soundtrack filled with effects is not one that a non-gamer will enjoy. So when I dive into a Grand Theft Auto Online session, unless I'm alone, I rely on headphones.

PRICE $299

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Refined sound quality
Exceptional comfort
Top tier noise canceling
Small and discrete Long battery life
Minus
Cost more than AirPods Pro

THE VERDICT
Sony’s latest earbuds are state-of-the-art listening devices that deliver unparalleled comfort and noise-canceling capability in a truly wireless earbud style.

The new WF-1000XM5 ($299 MSRP) is the successor to the popular and highly regarded WF-1000XM4, true wireless earbuds that already had a reputation for some of the best noise canceling in the business. With the WF-1000XM5 Sony focused on improving performance while shrinking their size.

While there are seemingly an endless number of headphone Brands and models, Sony’s WF-1000 series stands as one of the most popular premium options. This is especially the case for Android users who are feature-limited when using AirPods Pro.

PRICE $129

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Good overall sound quality
Dirac Virtuo improves and expands the sound
Super comfortable for long listening
Minus
App is glitchy

THE VERDICT
Dirac’s Virtuo processing makes the affordable and already good sounding Sudio E2 earbuds sound even better.

We get pitched on new "true wireless earbuds" every few days from brands we know and don't know. In a sea of sameness, or at least perceived sameness, it's a category that begs for differentiation so our ears perked up when Dirac, the Swedish company known for its high level of expertise in audio processing, reached out with an offer to review earbuds from Sudio, a Swedish brand we never heard of. Turns out the Sudio E2 earphones are among the first to include Dirac Virtuo, a new type of spatial processing that aims to create "an immersive sound experience with enhanced sound quality."