The best on-ear headphones we tested
Best on-ear wireless headphones: Beats Solo 4
Best on-ear wired headphones: Grado SR325x
Best wired on-ear headphones for musicians, streamers and podcasters: Audio-Technica ATH-M60x
Best on-ear headphones for battery life: Marshall Major V
Best open-back on-ear wireless headphones for audiophiles: Grado GW100x
Best budget on-ear headphones: Sony WH-CH520
On-ear headphones — small, lightweight models that sit on your earlobes rather than enveloping them — have come a long way from the flimsy, foam-padded headsets that came with your old Sony Walkman. Nowadays, the best on-ear headphones resemble smaller, more portable versions of the designs used on the best over-ear headphones, complete with modern features such as active noise cancellation, Bluetooth and apps with customizable sound settings.
We’ve tested numerous on-ear headphones over the past several years, both wired and wireless, to determine the best selections based on performance, practicality, price and purpose. Here’s what’s worth picking up.
The latest entry in Beats’ on-ear series acquires many flagship features, including 3D audio, hi-res sound and multiplatform support. Previous standouts like the chic and collapsible design, multifunctional B button and instantaneous connectivity with Apple devices remain intact.
The crown pick of the Grado's mid-priced range, the SR325x shine with treble-forward sound and superb stereo imaging thanks to an open-back design, ideal for audiophiles watching movies or listening on high-res streaming services.
Best on-ear wireless headphones: Beats Solo 4
The Solo 4 have overthrown their predecessor as the category’s top dog while also earning a spot among the best Beats headphones. Beats introduced newer specs to give these mega-popular cans stronger performance across the board.
Most consumers buy Beats headphones for their robust bass, and the Solo 4 bring plenty of it, along with crisp mids and transparent highs for solid frequency range. The low end knocks hard and leaves room for other sonic elements to shine. Music sounds terrific right out of the box, though you have the option for lossless playback via USB-C cable to hear more details in recordings. Personalized Spatial Audio gives you full surround sound with Dolby Atmos content.
Call quality is up there with some of the market’s best. FaceTime conversations and voice calls are loud and clear. The mics suppress background noise surprisingly well, and that’s with zero noise cancellation.
Functionality operates smoothly thanks to a proprietary chip for Apple and Android optimization. You can easily switch between your iPhone and an Android phone or pair the Solo 4 to two Android devices simultaneously. Several big features are interchangeable like Find My/Find My Device, one-tap pairing and voice activation (“Hey Google/Hey Siri”). Apple users can access perks like audio sharing and Headphone Accommodations to adjust balance, range or brightness.
The biggest upgrade comes in battery life. A full charge gets you up to 50 hours of listening time, which is up from the already strong 40 hours that the Beats Solo 3 are rated for. Certain features, such as spatial audio, decrease playtime by about five hours. Fast Fuel technology generates five hours of playtime on a 10-minute charge. Plugging in the bundled 3.5mm aux cable or USB-C cable lets you use the headphones in wired mode.
Lastly, Beats polished up its iconic design with faux leather and three stylish colorways: Cloud Pink, Matte Black and Slate Blue.
Best on-ear wired headphones: Grado SR325x
The Grado SR325x headphones, the top of the storied audiophile brand’s mid-priced Prestige lineup, feature the company’s signature precise, treble-forward sound. Their handsome leather-and-metal look is also a testament to Grado’s hand-building tradition; the 325x are assembled in Brooklyn.
The SR325x’s open-back design provides a lovely sense of space and superb stereo imaging, enlivening orchestral recordings by positioning instruments and musicians in their rightful spots. The wonderful treble extension presents vocals and melody instruments in sharp detail, but doesn’t compromise bass levels, resulting in crisp, deep-sounding lows and percussion that make contemporary tracks more immersive. They’re also a great headphone for video, with the wide stereo presentation and great detail making movie listening more intense — the spaciousness made horror movies even scarier.
Wired headphones are perfect for serious listening. Even the best Bluetooth connection means some compromise in audio quality, so if you’re into high-resolution music streaming services such as Tidal, the SR325x are a great choice.
Every Grado headphone features outstanding build quality. This model is no different. The aluminum ear cups and leather headband look and feel premium. The thick cable with woven sleeve should allow usage for years to come; it terminates in a 1/8-inch (3.5mm plug) and a high-quality 1/4-inch (6.35mm) adapter is supplied to connect the SR325x to professional audio gear.
The only downside? Grado’s ear cup pads provide minimal cushioning compared to plusher competitors, and the stiff headband makes the SR325x a tighter fit than our other recommendations. But overall the great sound means that those compromises are worth dealing with, and despite the relatively high price, the Grados give you great sound for the money.
Other on-ear headphones we recommend
The first on-ear headphones in Audio Technica’s popular professional audio ATH-M lineup are a fantastic addition to any studio setup. Their 45mm large-aperture drivers reward you with well-balanced, detailed sound. Bass is beefy and the clear upper mids give you stellar vocal reproduction. Multiple cables — a 1.2-meter cable for mobile listening and two 3-meter cables, coiled and straight — give you plenty of flexibility to connect to all of your devices.
Marshall’s update to one of our favorite tested products receives a notable boost in battery life, maxing out at 100 hours, which is nearly triple the playtime of most luxury noise-canceling headphones. Audio has more depth than before, and the excellent multidirectional knob controls and wireless charging make a return.
Grado’s latest on-ear wireless model is among the few — if not the only — open-back on-ear wireless headphones. They have the brand’s signature detailed sound, along with great comfort and a nostalgically appealing design. The spacious, airy sound stage properly positions instruments and performers for impressive three-dimensional audio. The long battery life (up to 46 hours) and modern connectivity (Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint pairing) add to the GW100x’s value.
It wasn’t enough for Sony to give these comfy headphones well-rounded sound with punchy bass and up to 50 hours of playtime, so the company went the extra mile and loaded them up with an expansive feature set that consists of 360 Reality Audio support, customizable sound settings, DSEE upscaling technology, Google Fast Pair and multipoint pairing. That’s a tremendous deal for as low as $36.
What to look for in on-ear headphones
On-ear headphones are designed for compactness and portability, and are great for those who don’t want to wear in-ear headphones on the go. They do make a few compromises in sound quality and features compared to over-ear models, but since they reset directly on your ear rather than enveloping it, they provide a side benefit of keeping your ears open to ambient noise around you. This style of headphone is good for the commute, at-home listening, work environments where you want to stay aware of what’s around you and — of course — calm environments.
You can purchase on-ear headphones in either wired or wireless form. Traditionalists can listen passively by connecting their headphones to the headphone or aux jack of their favorite media source, whether that’s a mobile device, piece of hi-fi gear, DAC or whatever else. Cord-cutters can pair their headphones to most devices supporting Bluetooth 4.2 or higher.
Isolation is a weakness with on-ear headphones. The slightest slippage can let in too much noise and affect sound quality. However, any on-ear model that provides a snug fit can help reduce incidental sounds to a reasonable level. Seek out a model that is comfortable for lengthy listening sessions and remains stable on the head — some people don’t like the feel of on-ear headphones on their earlobes.
Given that you need isolation for active noise cancellation to work effectively, very few on-ear headphones support the technology, but the ones that do can effectively reduce background interference, albeit not as well as their over-ear and in-ear cousins.
How we tested
All on-ear headphones are put through a thorough battery of tests. Our reviewers test overall performance in different listening environments and through multiple audio setups, including desktops/laptops, home entertainment systems, MP3 players, smartphones and TVs.
We assess comfort over time, gain familiarity with companion apps, learn every control, monitor battery life and observe wired and wireless performance. Most importantly, we listen to various music genres and test active noise cancellation where available.
From there, our team compares each headphone carefully with their competitors, new models and previous favorites to get the best sense of where they rank in the product category.
Sound quality
Several factors were accounted for when analyzing sound quality. We played tracks across numerous music genres to hear how detailed and realistic the sound stage sounded and paid attention to clarity, depth, frequency range, reverberation and separation. Noise-canceling and transparency modes were also taken into consideration, since both features tend to change bass response, for better or worse.
Design
All materials are examined, from the ear cups to the headband to the stitching around each component. We take notes on the comfort, flexibility, portability, sturdiness and style of each model.
Usability
We tested each physical control to find out whether the user interface of each model was easy to understand and how responsive it was to calls, playback, volume and assigned features like ANC or Bluetooth pairing. Headphones with touch controls and wear detection are given similar testing treatment for accuracy and responsiveness.
Connectivity
Wired models are tested on devices that support an aux jack or adapter. We looked for any audio inconsistencies and analog signal issues that kept these headphones from delivering full resolution. Wireless headphones were paired with multiple Apple, Android and Windows devices to assess compatibility and ease of pairing, along with latency, range and reconnection.
Battery life
Any headphone with a built-in battery was fully charged to monitor playtimes when enabling special features and listening at high volume. Most testing was done with media played at normal listening level (75% volume) throughout the day. Once they were depleted of power, we double-checked charging times and quick-charge functionality to see if these models lived up to their battery life claims.
Active noise cancellation
We came up with noisy conditions for testing ANC: sitting near an active washing machine and listening to a soundtrack of a busy restaurant crowd from some loudspeakers. These aimed to test how well headphones could mute and eliminate deep, bassy sounds as well as how well they reduced overall volume. Something else we checked out was how much control the user has over the level of ANC. Some headphones allow you to toggle the feature on and off, while others give you the option to adjust the strength of ANC.
Warranty
Our team researched the warranty for each device, what period it covered and whether extended warranties or service plans were available through the manufacturer or online retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy.
Other on-ear headphones we tested
Despite their discontinuation, the Solo 3 remains a hot item that gets you a satisfying listening experience at a lower price.
Powerful sound mixed with flawless iOS/macOS integration and stylish colorways best summarizes this longtime fan favorite. Not having the latest Apple features (e.g., adaptive ANC, spatial audio) can be a turnoff to current iPhone owners, but at least the older W1 chipset keeps these cans operating at a high level.
The H30i are a suitably inexpensive substitute for any of our top picks, offering long battery life and a useful companion app.
These headphones from Anker offer ridiculously long battery life (up to 70 hours), wide sound and app support for personalized use. You won’t find this on any other sub-$30 headphones. Those who prefer better comfort and convenient controls will want to look elsewhere, however.
These are our favorite budget wired headphones but their lack of features ultimately holds them back from a top spot in this guide.
We currently have the SR60x ranked as the best wired budget headphones, and for many good reasons. They maintain the core performance of the Prestige X range and welcome new drivers to the equation that dish out wide, accurate sound. Compatibility with portable DACs and Tidal’s proprietary desktop modes elevates audio performance. The retro design looks cool, though the build quality isn’t as fancy as Grado’s pricier selections. A lack of features may also convince you to seek out another audiophile-grade headphone.
Adidas’s solar-charging headphones appeal to outdoor exercisers who want boomy sound and massive battery life (80 hours per charge) in a lightweight, sporty design.
These headphones from Adidas offer stunning battery life as we’ve used them for a month and they still have 50% juice left. They use solar-powered technology for recharging that can be monitored in the Adidas Headphones app, which also carries features like a customizable EQ and one-tap Spotify integration to access playlists. Our biggest complaint, and it’s a big one, is that the band’s tight clamping force — which keeps the headphones secure while you move — suffocates your ears and skull.
The H8i from Bang & Olufsen has a long battery life, impressive noise-cancellation and excellent audio quality. They even perform well when taking phone calls.
If you want premium performance with a fancy design, the H8i are for you. These luxury cans feature long battery life, noteworthy ANC, sublime audio performance, terrific call quality and companion app support for sound customization via a “mood wheel” equalizer.
This pair from JBL lacks app control or other special features and we found them uncomfortable to wear for more than two hours of use.
These inexpensive cans utilize JBL’s Pure Bass Sound technology to pump out deep lows. Battery life is long at 40 hours, with a 5-minute quick charge generating two hours of playtime. Bluetooth 5.0 delivers reliable connectivity and range (up to 50 feet for wireless listening).
Despite their appealing price, the JLab Studio ANC were mediocre overall, with flat sound and thin bass reproduction.
The Studio ANC from JLab doesn’t have the most impressive sound quality but they do sport ANC, which, though not very strong, is rare among on-ear models and more than many headphones we tested in this lower price range can boast. Even the battery life is quite good at over 34 hours of playback without ANC on.
One of our favorite under $25 scores, the Sony MDR-ZX110AP are bang-for-your-buck wired headphones with surprisingly good performance for under $20.
Somehow, this pair form Sony costs less than $20 as they perform well above their price tag. They pump out engaging sound, which is enhanced when paired with a portable DAC (our choice was the Questyle M15). Comfort is adequate and the built-in multifunction button allows for playback, call management and digital assistant activation. The flimsy construction and missing carrying bag are the MDR-ZX110AP’s only legitimate faults.
