5 of the best Bluetooth headphones 2015

There may always be a slight pay-off in sound quality when you choose to go wireless but the convenience of not being tied to your laptop, smartphone or music player can make it worthwhile.

Bluetooth headphones give you anything up to 20 hours of wireless life to enjoy your music on the move, so are ideal for using at home, the office or on-the-go.

We've selected five of the best Bluetooth headphones that we've reviewed over the last 12 months or so, allowing you to pick your favourite based on sound quality, style and features. And you can find some serious bargains, too. Without further ado...

MORE: See all our wireless headphones

SD50 SoundWear

Four stars

Tested at £30 / Best price £30

When we first reviewed these headphones, they were called Slick Distributions SD50. The SD50 remains, but they now have a longer, slightly unwieldy name. Nonetheless, the price stays the same: £30 for an on-ear pair of headphones seems fairly unbelievable. Once you consider that the SD50 is a wireless Bluetooth headphone, then the proposition becomes even more staggering.

Neither vocals nor bass notes are crystal clear but considering the price these headphones are perfectly listenable.

MORE: Slick Distributions SD50 review / compare latest prices

Sennheiser MM 400-X

Five stars

Tested at £180 / Best price £154

A must-audition for owners of aptX-enabled phones and laptops. This Bluetooth headset has a very compact, lightweight and foldable design, a set of controls on the right-hand cup for navigating your music, and the option of connecting a cable for going wired when you’re on a plane or when the 10-hour battery runs out.

MORE: Sennheiser MM 400-X review / compare latest prices

MORE: Best on-ear/over-ear headphones 2015

Tested at £220 / Best price £195

Four stars

As you'd expect, these Bose Bluetooth headphones look the part, feel solidly put together and are comfortable to wear. They're compact and can be folded-up to make them nice and portable.

Set-up is easy thanks to a virtual assistant who talks you through the process, while the battery life is solid, offering around 15 hours of life. The headphones will charge fully in an hour and a half and a quick 15-minute blast of juice will give you around two hours of emergency wireless playback.

Sonically there's a good amount of bass, a decent level of detail and the overall tonal balance is just about perfect. Only the best on the market, the Philips M2BT, delivers a slightly bigger, more exciting sound.

MORE: Bose Soundlink On-ear review / compare latest prices

MORE: Best Buys: Headphones

Harman-Kardon BT

Five stars

Tested at £220 / Best price £192

The styling won't be for everyone (Cyberman, anyone?) but they’re comfortable to wear despite all that steel and not very heavy.

Sonically they offer good clarity, a neutral performance, and the all-important long-lasting battery life. Not only that, but aptX capability means your tunes will come across nice and clear. An excellent pair of headphones and now available for under £200.

MORE: Harman-Kardon BT review

Shop Harman-Kardon BT headphones on Amazon

Philips Fidelio M2BT

Five stars

Tested at £250 / Best price £175

It’s always exciting when an award-winner has a successor – even if that successor has only minor changes. That’s the case with the Philips Fidelio M2BTs, essentially the M1BTs with just the addition of near-field communication (NFC) and some cosmetic changes onboard.

You can imagine our excitement, therefore, when the M2BTs surpassed their predecessor's quality to be named 2014 Product of the Year. Take it as given, they're well worth the money and the best Bluetooth headphones to buy under £250 (and probably compared to a fair few more expensive options, too) - and they're now available even cheaper. Bargain.

MORE: Philips Fidelio M2BT review / compare latest prices

Shop Philips Fidelio M2BT headphones on Amazon

MORE: Best headphones 2015

Pete was content editor on What Hi-Fi?, overseeing production and publication of digital content. In creating and curating feature articles for web and print consumption, he provided digital and editorial expertise and support to help reposition What Hi-Fi? as a ‘digital-first’ title; reflecting the contemporary media trends. He is now a senior content strategist.