It’s always interesting in the world of tech when one brand acquires another. The first questions to enter my head are usually “why did they do it”, “what is there to gain” and, perhaps more importantly, “what is there to lose” from any new arrangement?

Well, last week those questions were firmly on my mind following the news that Bose had dipped into the market to buy headphone manufacturer Skullcandy.

It’s an interesting move, but in recent years Bose has proved it isn’t afraid of raising an eyebrow or two. It was only a couple of years ago that it made a statement in hi-fi circles by acquiring the McIntosh Group and its brands (McIntosh, Sonus Faber and Sumiko) in one fell swoop. Bose’s move into luxury audio was huge news, and one nobody really saw coming.

But now the company has been making moves in the opposite direction: more affordable audio. And when I think about it, I can completely understand why Bose would be interested in a brand like Skullcandy.

Head over to the Skullcandy website, and you’ll see some crossover with products and pricing, but its products are aimed at a younger demographic, with more splashes of colour and more variety when it comes to styles. Skullcandy’s range ends near where Bose’s QuietComfort offerings start, which gives a neat spread of products for prospective buyers to look at.

Not only that, but Skullcandy also has gaming headsets and budget wireless speakers in its product line-up, which are products you don’t tend to see from Bose.

What you might not know is that the two brands already had a relationship before this recent deal. It was a multi-year partnership which allowed Skullcandy to license some of its processing and ANC technology and stamp a ‘Sound By Bose’ label on some of its wireless headphones and earbuds.

I’m really intrigued to see where this goes next. The press release sent out at the time of the deal said Skullcandy “will remain a separate brand within Bose’s Premium Consumer Audio business”, and I do hope this is the case.

Bose’s most recent headphones haven’t fared quite as well with our test team as previous generations, and I’ve been wondering out loud if its crown might even be starting to slip.

What I wouldn’t want is for Bose to take its eye off the ball and be distracted by its latest acquisition. We shall see…

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We’re living in a golden age of headphones. More specifically, we’re very much in the halcyon days of wireless headphones and earbuds. Despite talk of how Gen Z are turning their backs on Bluetooth in favour of traditional wired in-ears, the wire-free train continues to roll on at breakneck speed.

Not only are wire-free headphones more popular than they’ve ever been, but they’re also improving in terms of their sheer quality.

That self-evident truth was thrown into sharp relief following our 2026 What Hi-Fi? Awards testing, during which the bar was once again nudged ever-upwards by a diverse spread of class-leading options from the likes of Sony, Focal and Sennheiser.

Rising standards

Standards continue to climb across the board. The Sony WH-CH720N felt like unbeatable value at their £100 / $100 price tag, yet the follow-up WH-CH730N proved that canny sonic tuning – plus a few new features – could elevate excellence to new heights.

The Sennheiser HDB 630, meanwhile, might be the best pair of wireless headphones we’ve yet heard at the £400 / $500 / AU$1000 mark, while the Focal Bathys MG are stretching the limits of wire-free performance for those lucky enough to be able to afford them. £999 / $1299 / AU$2300 isn't exactly pocket change.

Those are just the 2026 Award-winners. There’s a pair of headphones or wireless earbuds to suit every need and niche, from outstanding all-rounders (the Sony WH-1000XM6) to noise-cancelling heavyweights from Bose and funky, feature-laden offerings courtesy of JBL.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), for instance, aren’t quite the last word in sound quality, but their excellent fit and well-rounded feature set give them an appeal that could tempt some away from the Award-winning (but fussy fitting) Sony WF-1000XM6.

The list of competing brands really could go on for as long as there’s space on our site to write it. When you consider the fact that, just in the past year or so, we’ve tested samples from Focal, Sennheiser, Sony, Technics, Bose, Noble, Apple, Sonos, Soundcore, Earfun, JBL, Philips, Samsung, Shokz, Nothing, and Huawei, you begin to realise just how much stock companies are placing in the wireless market.

More competition, better performance

That competition is clearly driving innovation and development. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but what’s been remarkable over the past few years is just how much better some of the 'also-ran ’ brands have become as they bid to knock the likes of Sony from its perch.

At last year’s Awards, pretty much every set of wireless in-ears and over-ears was made by Sony. This year, things look rather different thanks to winners from Sennheiser, Bose and Focal.

If manufacturers aren’t quite winning Awards, they’re doggedly improving their respective star ratings year on year. The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 4 earbuds, for instance, were a serious statement of intent from a brand that, in the past, didn’t have the talent to compete with its cost-comparable rivals.

Those latest flagships, however, are by far the best buds the Korean brand has ever made, and as we concluded in our review: “Samsung is taking sound seriously, and it shows.

"The flagship Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are Samsung's best-sounding wireless earbuds yet, offering a clear, agile performance that’s backed by a whole host of slick features.” Samsung used to scrape three-star reviews. For its next pair of flagships, we’re expecting the full five-star haul.

Then there’s Sennheiser, which has always been there or thereabouts in terms of sonic performance, finally retaking its seat at the top table with the peerless HDB 630. That was no fluke – the slightly less premium Momentum 5 True Wireless earbuds and Momentum 5 Wireless over-ears provided the German brand’s deeply competitive nature with two glowing five-star reviews.

Sennheiser is back, and its rivals should be taking note.

This is before we even start to consider the vast array of features to which we’re all becoming accustomed. A few years ago, not a single pair of headphones had Auracast sharing or Bluetooth Multipoint – now it’s par for the course.

Wired listening via USB-C is becoming de rigueur, as is fast charging for granting hours of extra playtime from mere minutes of juice. Fail to include such features in your spec sheet, and you’ll simply be left behind by the competition.

Where do we go from here?

The logical question, of course, is where do we go from here?

Competition is only going to grow stronger as rivals compete to carve out a slice of territory from Apple and the other major players in this space, with the appetite for wire-free headphones only growing stronger in the face of the rather niche wired revival. Trust us, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

Sound quality, naturally, should define who takes the ultimate crown. It’s never quite that simple – Apple’s colossal market share is based as much on style, cultural cachet, marketing and convenience as it is on pure sonic talent – but with so much choice, customers should be in the strongest position yet to get the most outstanding sound their budget allows. Provided they do their research, of course.

Opinions are somewhat split on exactly how and where wireless headphones will improve, with speculation ranging from personalised AI-powered tuning algorithms to more efficient Bluetooth codecs and a greater focus on sustainability.

Wi-fi headphones have been mooted as the future – the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi are already on the market – but they’re yet to fully take hold as companies grapple with the practicalities of maintaining a steady connection outside a home network.

Either way, expect this current golden age to be the mere tip of the iceberg. If all goes well, we’ll look back at 2026 as little more than a stepping stone to true wireless audio Nirvana.

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These are the best headphones you can buy

Écoute Audio raised quite a few eyebrows – including our own – when it launched its TH1 over-ears in the UK earlier this year.

The TH1's bank-busting price was one thing, but what really stood out was their claim to be the first headphones in the world featuring a valve-based preamp stage, a DAC and dual-mono amplification. That's half a hi-fi system crammed into a pair of over-ears.

Écoute is now back with a sequel, refining the original design in a bid to improve sound quality, comfort and noise cancelling, all while introducing a few new colourways and material options in the process.

The TH2 refine the dual-mono amplification and valve preamp stage of their predecessors. Central to this is the Nutube 6P1 dual-triode valve, which then hands over to two solid-state amps that maintain channel isolation through to the 40mm titanium-coated Mylar drivers.

The headphones' dual-mono configuration keeps left and right channels separate to reduce crosstalk and better preserve stereo imaging.

The TH2 employs a new resonance chamber design from that found in the TH1, aiming to produce "deeper, punchier bass and a more sharply defined treble. Improved shielding around the Nutube valve further aims to reduce the noise floor, offering better isolation from interference to aid greater clarity and expression".

The sophomore headphones pack standard active noise cancellation alongside a transparency mode to let in outside sounds. Battery life clocks in at around 20 hours, the same approximate lifespan as the original TH1.

As well as Bluetooth 5.3 with support for Sony's higher-quality LDAC codec, you can listen wired via USB-C or standard 3.5mm. If using the latter, you can select 'active mode' to use the TH1's built-in valve preamp and dual-mono power amp, or 'passive mode' to power them with an external amp like normal wired headphones.

The TH2 have also been tweaked in pursuit of better long-term comfort. A redesigned headband uses a hybrid suspension system with three points of articulation, built to remove pressure points for a more tailored-feeling fit.

The Écoute Audio TH2 are available in three colourways – Charcoal, Gunmetal and Nickel – priced at £999 with a fabric trim or £1099 with leather.

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If you were to anthropomorphise wireless headphones, they would probably look a bit like Lady Gaga – possibly Harry Styles, if you’re Gen Z.

Why? Because they are constantly reinventing themselves to meet today’s tastes.

A new chipset here, reworked drivers there, the occasional complete reinvention (think the current rise of open earbud designs) – there’s always something new.

Earlier this year that continued with the launch of the Audio-Technica ATH-AL5NC, the firm’s first open-back wireless headphones.

Exciting? 100 per cent.

What Hi-Fi? has long championed the, at first glance, contradictory category, since New York-based Grado made it a thing in the early 2020s.

But as the team and I started to think about which rivals to compare with the new Audio-Technicas, it struck me: have there actually been any new open-back wireless headphones launched since the second-generation Grado GW100x we reviewed all the way back in 2022?

Dear readers, please correct me if I’m wrong, but among mainstream audio firms, I don't think there have been any. Even if there have, they haven’t been reviewed by What Hi-Fi?.

Which led me to another key question: why aren’t there more of them?

After revisiting the Grado GW100x and using them as my primary home headphones for a while, truthfully, I still don’t have an answer. For a specific type of listener, they still make complete sense.

Yes, there are some annoyances inherent to the form factor for people sharing your space, as we mentioned before. I listened to Gunship while my wife tried to read in the same room, and she did complain about the sound leakage.

But open-backs make up for this in multiple ways, chief of which is their audio.

Four years on from their launch, the GW100x still sound great – especially considering their sub-£250 price.

Clean, open and enthusiastic, the Grado’s rapidly became my go-to pair of home headphones after getting my feet tapping along to Peter Gabriel’s One by One (Darkside Mix) within seconds of connecting them to my phone.

Then they delighted me with their more natural soundstage when I switched gears to Eddie Vedder’s stellar track Hard Sun, giving it room to breathe, as good music deserves.

More than anything, though, it was the fact that a few weeks in, I realised I was wearing them for whole work days at a time without fatigue. No pinch, no distractions, just music throughout the day, uninterrupted and joyous to hear coming from the GW100x.

I couldn’t sum it up any better than our senior staff writer, Harry McKerrell, who said in our review, four years ago:

“The idea of a pair of Bluetooth-ready, and therefore supposedly portable, headphones that don’t fold away, leak sound and feature no noise-cancelling puts them in a strange, somewhat contradictory position compared with the market leaders from Bose, Sennheiser and Sony. But if it’s simply great untethered sound you’re after for quiet spaces, such as your garden, you’ll struggle to find better than these brilliant-sounding Grado on-ears.”

As I continued using them, however, I did come to wish for one thing to be added to the mix that would make them even better…

Better connectivity

Former What Hi-Fi? magazine editor Jez Ford, our current global technical editor, Ketan Bharadia, and I have all talked about the limitations of Bluetooth for some time.

It’s a format that is lossy, unreliable, heavily compressed, and often poor quality. There is a reason that serious music fans prefer wired headphones over wireless – even wireless cans that support hi-res aptX codecs.

In the past, we accepted Bluetooth as a limitation you had to put up with if you wanted to enjoy the freedom and convenience wireless headphones offer. If you’re out and about, it’s a fair trade.

But in 2026 and for the purposes of this article specifically, things are a little more complex.

Wireless open-backs make sense primarily for home use. And there’s no denying that, as good as the Grados sound compared with other wireless sets, you can get a much better experience if you remove Bluetooth from the equation.

Putting aside how they compare to my standard home desktop setup – which features a Chord Mojo 2, Hifiman HE400se and my laptop or phone streaming Tidal – just plugging the GW100x in using the included 3.5mm cable leads to palpable audio improvements, adding another level of sharpness and weight to the sound.

The groove of Funkadelic’s Good to Your Earhole became remarkably more infectious and fun the moment I added the cable, and it felt like a compromise removing it.

When the GW100x first came out, this was fine as Bluetooth or cabled were the only options available. The chips used by most headphone providers didn’t support wi-fi and even if they did, the connectivity is a power hog, so you definitely wouldn’t get a day’s full listening wirelessly that way.

So if you wanted wireless playback, that was the sacrifice you had to make. There was no middle ground.

A few weeks ago, though, Qualcomm unveiled some new technology that could fix, or at least alleviate the problem, in the shape of its Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 platform. This is a new platform of advanced chipsets that have the XPAN tech we have talked about many times before.

The technology is designed to let headphones scale the quality they are streaming responsively, depending on network conditions.

So, in theory, if I had my GW100x in my lounge, next to the router, it could deliver 24-bit/96 kHz lossless audio over wi-fi; but then it could intelligently scale down when I move away and the connection becomes less stable, forcing it to switch back to Bluetooth – kind of how the SCL6, or Airia as it’s now called, tech from MQA works.

The tech is new, and we’re yet to test any headphones with it, and yes, it probably won’t bring the wireless performance in line with wired, but it could help close the gap between the two, making the switch less jarring. And that makes it a compelling idea, especially for wireless open-backs.

For me, this feels like an ideal launchpad for headphone makers thinking about dipping their toe in the open-back wireless headphone market – one I really hope they take advantage of given how much I have loved my month revisiting the Grado GW100x.

The idea just makes sense, at least for me.

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Audio giant Bose has bought fellow US company Skullcandy, a headphone maker known for its brash, youth-oriented designs.

It might seem an odd fit, but their respective differences might well complement each other. The two will combine Bose’s “audio expertise, technology, and global reach with Skullcandy’s design, understanding of its consumers, and authentic community connections to create new products and experiences and accelerate growth,” says Bose.

The two have collaborated previously during a multi-year partnership. Over the summer, they released the Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC (pictured), which feature Bose’s active noise cancellation (ANC) tech.

Skullcandy will remain a separate brand within Bose’s portfolio, much as Beats has since being acquired by Apple in 2014.

Indeed, the acquisition has echoes of the Apple/Beats deal, with an established market leader snapping up a youth-oriented upstart with a strong reputation in sports and plenty of athletes as ambassadors. Skullcandy is big in board sports, gaming and fitness.

Bose says the deal will allow it to reach previously untapped markets.

“For more than 60 years, Bose has been committed to delivering incredible audio experiences however and wherever people choose to listen. As we work to reach even more people, we’re expanding how we do that, not only through Bose products, but through technology partnerships and a growing portfolio of brands,” Lila Snyder, chief executive officer of Bose Corporation, said in a statement.

Skullcandy’s CEO said the deal was “a win for Skullcandy and our fans”, allowing it to bring Bose’s “audio expertise and technology to our products”.

As well as giving Skullcandy access to its technology, Bose will share resources, global distribution, and commercial relationships while allowing it to “continue evolving in ways that are authentic to its identity and consumers”, Bose said.

Skullcandy will continue to be based in Park City, Utah. Financial details of the deal haven’t been disclosed.

The deal was announced just a week or so before Halloween, which is a time for both skulls and candy. But will it end up being a trick or treat for the two brands? Skullcandy products don’t have a particularly great reputation in terms of sound quality, so hopefully some Bose tech will improve both its audio and ANC capabilities.

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Check out our Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) review

We’ve said it before, but there is no shortage of noise-cancelling headphones on the market these days. If you are willing to part with a three-figure sum for a pair of over-ear headphones with solid active noise cancellation, you’re likely to find yourself spoiled for choice.

The Bose QuietComfort range has a storied history when it comes to noise cancelling technology – in fact, the company was among the first to release ANC headphones, after its owner got frustrated with the sound of an aeroplane engine during a flight.

Recently, Bose has released the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), which put in a smooth sonic performance with expectedly refined noise-cancelling. But these cans have been born into tough circumstances, with the five-star Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 5 already waiting in the ring.

The Sennheisers earned a glowing review from the What Hi-Fi? review team for their sonic talent, impressive battery life and comfortable design. So, with two solid options in the same price bracket, which should you go for?

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless: price

The Bose Quietcomfort Headphones (2nd Gen) launched at a price of £300 / $359 / AU$550. Given they were only released in August 2026, we haven’t yet seen them selling at a reduced price just yet.

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless are also a fairly new pair of headphones, released just two months prior to the Bose. They launched at a price of £330 / $400 / AU$750 and, similarly, we haven’t yet seen any significant reductions in price.

So, without sale prices adding an element of flux to this comparison, the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) take the lead for being the more affordable set.

**Winner: Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)**

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless: build & comfort

The updated QuietComfort Headphones have seen several design updates from their first generation, including a new headband, improved clamping force for a more secure fit, and new oval-shaped earcups with plusher cushioning. The headphones are available in five colourways: Black, White Smoke, Eucalyptus Green, Dewdrop Mint and Rosewood Mauve.

We thought the 2nd-gen QC headphones were a very comfortable pair of headphones, but most significantly, they remained so across a range of head sizes. In our review, we said "these headphones fit firmly, without becoming constrictive, even on the very largest and smallest of What Hi-Fi? reviewers’ heads.”

Thanks to their roomy earcups, which are angled so your ears won’t touch the grille cloth, our ears didn’t ache over longer listening sessions, either.

The headphones sacrifice a more premium feel for lighter weight (just 230g) and foldability. There is no capacitive touch strip built into the earcups, so all controls are done via built-in buttons on the earcup or by using the Bose app. The right earcup also features a USB-C input for charging and audio playback up to 24-bit/48kHz, alongside an LED indicator showing Bluetooth and battery status.

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless have shaken off the slightly-too-functional look of the previous Momentum models by including “little touches, such as the headband’s attractive fabric exterior” and metallic badges which we think “go a long way to making the Momentum 5 Wireless feel more premium”.

The earcups are plenty large enough, but feel a little looser on our heads than the Bose headphones. This is, no doubt helped by the Momentum 5’s weight of 290g, which isn’t particularly light by class standards. With less internal space inside the earcup than the Bose, we also find that our ears begin to heat up slightly and ache during longer listening sessions.

The Sennheiser’s earcups swivel but don’t fold down completely like the QC headphones. Their larger surfaces do, however, come in handy when using the responsive, built-in capacitive touch controls for volume, playback and ANC. Like the Bose, these headphones can use a wired connection, allowing playback up to a slightly higher resolution of 24-bit/96kHz.

It’s a close match for these headphones when it comes to their design, as each seems to fill in the other’s gaps. So, here, we call it a draw.

**Winner: Draw**

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless: features

In terms of battery life, the QC Headphones can provide a fairly standard 24 hours with ANC switched on, which falls to 18 hours once the immersive modes are enabled via the Bose companion app.

Immersive Audio is Bose’s take on spatial audio, and these headphones feature three main immersive modes: ‘Still’, which keeps audio in place relative to the listener’s head; ‘Motion’, which tracks head movements and reconfigures the soundfield accordingly; and ‘Cinema’, which is similar to the Still mode, but with dialogue optimisation and a ‘wider’ soundstage.

We found the ‘Still’ and ‘Cinema’ modes interesting, despite a slightly more “processed” sound, but due to a lagging response to movement, ‘Motion’ mode left us feeling disoriented, and we prefer keeping these modes turned off.

From the Bose app, users can also make tonal adjustments using a three-band equaliser and configure their own ‘modes’, combining ANC, equalisation and immersive settings.

When it comes to wireless connectivity, the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) feature Bluetooth multipoint for connecting two devices simultaneously, and support Bluetooth 5.4 for standard AAC and SBC codecs. There are no high-quality codecs available here.

In our review of the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless, we said that battery life was “a nice feather in Sennheiser’s cap”, boasting an impressive 57 hours with ANC switched on – a figure which towers over most price rivals, let alone the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen).

Sennheiser’s companion app gives users access to Dolby Atmos-optimised immersive listening options with optional head-tracking, adjustable ANC and an eight-band equaliser. We find Sennheiser’s immersive audio somewhat less enveloping than the Bose equivalent, but it certainly sounds more natural and is less distracting.

Unlike the Bose, however, the Momentum 5 Wireless also feature optional ‘on head detection’, which enables smart pause, holding calls and power-saving mode when the headphones are taken off. Handy.

The headphones also offer a wider range of Bluetooth codec support, with standard SBC and AAC codecs alongside higher-quality aptX HD, aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive options. The headphones currently support Bluetooth 5.4, but a firmware update scheduled for later this year promises to bump this up to Bluetooth 6.0 with LE audio for reduced latency, improved battery life and potentially better sound quality.

We were pleased to see higher-quality Bluetooth codecs included in the Sennheiser headphones. At this price, we think it’s a shame that Bose didn’t include these options at their price.

For the cherry on top of their fully-loaded feature set, the Momentum 5 Wireless also support Bluetooth Multipoint for simultaneous connection to two devices.

**Winner: Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless**

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless: ANC & call quality

In an ever busier world, solid ANC performance has become a vital characteristic of a good pair of wireless headphones. Bose has quite the reputation when it comes to ANC, so we were pleased to hear that the company wasn’t resting on its laurels and had made “subtle upgrades” to the ANC of the new QC Headphones, especially to account for any gaps in the earcups' seal for listeners with glasses.

Like the flagship QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen), the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) feature ‘Quiet’ and ‘Aware’ modes, as well as the option to adjust the amount of ANC to your taste, or turn it off completely.

‘Quiet’ mode provides full-fat noise cancellation, while ‘Aware’ mode lets environmental sounds in, so you can remain aware of your surroundings. The headphones also feature ActiveSense technology, which smoothes sudden spikes in environmental sound while using ‘Aware’ mode.

In our review, we said that the ANC performance of the QC headphones (2nd Gen) did a “sterling job, effectively countering the low-frequency rumble of trains, as well as the hubbub of traffic and ambient chatter”. We also found that ‘Aware’ mode worked well, letting a touch more external noise in than the Sennheiser’s ‘Transparency’ mode.

But how did the Momentum 5 Wireless perform?

We said that the Sennheisers' ANC put in a “good performance”, keeping “most noises – traffic, wind, the hum of air conditioners – at bay”. We did note, however, that the overall effect was “more like a softening of sounds rather than a complete exclusion – something which the Sony and Bose manage more effectively”.

Taking the Sennheisers to the gym, we said: “The ANC results in a softening of the hubbub of a busy public space, even if harsher noises, such as clanking weights, can penetrate through.”

‘Transparency’ mode, which is Sennheiser's version of ‘Aware’ mode, is highly effective, but doesn’t quite bring the same level of clarity to environmental sounds as Bose managed.

In terms of call quality, however, the Sennheisers do a better job of blocking out surrounding sounds than the Bose headphones and leave voices sounding slightly more natural on the other end of the line.

**Winner: Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)**

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless: sound

Sonically speaking, these two headphones are of fairly different characters, but they do have some things in common.

Both headphones offer rich, smooth performances, with ample detail and texture in the middle and high frequencies. We described the Bose’s midrange as “tightly controlled but nonetheless expressive”, while the Sennheisers impressed us with “naturalness and insight that gives even more premium alternatives a run for their money”.

In both cases, using a wired connection provided a palpable uplift in dynamics and midrange sweetness.

Both headphones handle high frequencies responsibly, too, providing ample shine and sparkle without overwhelming the sonic balance. Even during the most raucous punk rock tracks in our music library, both of these headphones kept their cool, delivering our music with maturity and a satisfying degree of detail.

These headphones begin to diverge when it comes to bass performance. During testing, we found that the Momentum 5 Wireless sounded a little too rich, and noted that “some listeners might prefer a tauter reproduction at the lower end”, which we think the Bose provide.

Both headphones struggled somewhat to “clip along” during songs with propulsive central rhythms, but we found this to a lesser degree with the Sennheisers. During driving, rhythmic tracks, the Bose left us “feeling somewhat left behind”, while the Sennheisers simply favoured a “more relaxed presentation”.

The most notable difference, however, is in the way that these headphones handle dynamics.

Listening to the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), we found ourselves craving “a greater degree of dynamic subtlety and nuance”. Large jumps in volume were convincingly rendered, but “finer dynamic details felt less explicit than we would expect” at the price.

The Sennheisers, on the other hand, teased out dynamics ably, with a performance that was subtle and delicate, “bringing out small-scale dynamic shifts superbly”. Overall, we simply enjoyed listening to the Sennheisers' peformance more at this level.

**Winner: Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless**

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless: Verdict

With virtues in slightly different places, both of these wireless over-ear headphones put in a respectable performance, with each having its specific advantages and designs that will suit many prospective buyers.

While the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) are slightly cheaper, weigh less, feature a foldable design and have stronger ANC performance, sound quality plays a vital part in our assessment, and the Sennheisers prevail in this regard.

With more nuanced dynamics and a greater sense of fun, plus the fact that they feel more premium and have almost twice the battery life, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless are our preferred pick at this price.

*Overall winner: Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless**

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Bose has something of a storied history when it comes to active noise cancelling headphones. Back in 1989, the company became one of the first to commercialise noise-cancelling headphone technology after its founder allegedly developed a mid-flight gripe with the noise of an aeroplane’s engine.

As such, Bose kicked things off with noise-cancelling headphones designed for pilots. It wasn’t until the year 2000, with the dawn of the QuietComfort series, that the technology made its way into the consumer market on terra firma.

The current flagship model from the series, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) were awarded four stars by our review team for a smart folding design, superb noise cancellation and effective spatial audio. The headphones missed out on a fifth star, beaten by sterner competition with better sound quality and battery life.

We now have the updated standard over-ear models, the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), in for testing. Can these deliver a more appealing performance at a more appealing price?

Price

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) are priced at £300 / $359 / AU$550, sitting under the flagship Ultra (2nd Gen) model that originally cost a more premium £450 / $450 / AU$700. Having been on the market a while longer, we have seen the Ultra (2nd Gen)’s price drop to around £320 / $399 / AU$494, which puts some pressure on the performance of the new standard model.

Turning up the heat yet further, the headphones’ closest price rival outside of the Bose family are the five-star Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless (£330 / $400 / AU$750), which we praised for their “comfortable design”, “impressive battery life” and “refined presentation”. At a slightly lower price point, Sony has also recently introduced the WH-1000XM4C, a reborn version of the Award-winning original WH-1000XM4, which have just gone on sale for £219 / $300 / AU$450.

These formidable rivals mean the QuietComfort headphones (2nd Gen) have their work cut out for them, if they wish to stand out from the crowd.

Build & comfort

There is good sense behind making a pair of wireless headphones light and compact. Whether they are being chucked into a tote-bag, worn around your neck, or packed into a rammed suitcase, generally the smaller and lighter a pair of headphones can be, the better. In this area, the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) excel, weighing just 230g in a neat, foldable design.

They are a comfortable pair of over-ear headphones to wear, with soft pleather lining the headband and earcups. Across our test team, we found these headphones fitted firmly, without becoming constrictive, even on the very largest and smallest of What Hi-Fi? reviewers’ heads.

Additionally, the earcups are satisfyingly roomy and make our ears feel nicely isolated from the outside world. The sloped interior of the earcup means our ears don’t rub up against the internal grille, as we find happens with the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless.

These headphones feel breathable compared to rivals, and we find that even on a hot summer’s day, we are quite comfortable wearing them for extended listening sessions.

Our test pair arrive in the Dewdrop Mint finish, with a satisfyingly colour-coordinated headband and earpads. But if a minty-fresh look isn’t your thing, there are four other finishes available: Black, White Smoke, Rosewood Mauve and Eucalyptus Green.

By price standards these wireless headphones look a little basic, and lack the visual flair of rivals like the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless. Details such as the Sennheisers’ fabric headband and metallic badges go a long way to give an impression of luxury, which is something that these Bose headphones lack.

Unlike the Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), the standard model doesn’t feature capacitive touch controls, but we enjoy the simplicity of the built-in buttons, as well as the fact that we don’t accidentally end up skipping songs while brushing our hair out of the way or readjusting the headphones.

The right earcup features three buttons: a central button for playback and call controls, flanked by buttons for increasing and decreasing the volume.

The left earcup has a button for controlling Bluetooth as well as a ‘shortcut’ button, which can be assigned to cycle through immersive modes, access voice assistant (on compatible devices) or control Spotify via the Bose control app. Buttons are responsive and easy to find, so after a while, we find ourselves using the controls instinctively.

The right earcup also has a USB-C input for charging and wired audio playback (up to 24-bit/48kHz), alongside a small LED indicator showing Bluetooth, charging, and battery status.

It is worth noting that because the USB-C connection is slightly inset on the side of the earcup, larger-fingered members of our review team find the provided USB-C cable somewhat challenging to unplug.

In terms of battery life, the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) can run for 24 hours with ANC enabled – less than half the 57-hour battery life of the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless. Switching on the QuietComfort’s immersive modes will reduce their runtime further to 18 hours. After which, a full charge will take three hours.

While 24 hours of battery life isn’t an insignificant figure, it is clear now that Bose lags well behind the best of the competition.

Features

The QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) support Bluetooth 5.4 for standard AAC and SBC codecs, as well as Bluetooth Low Energy, which uses significantly less power than regular Bluetooth for short-range connectivity.

At this price, we are a little disappointed to find that Bose hasn’t included support for hi-res codecs such as aptX HD or aptX Adaptive.

Bluetooth multipoint connectivity is supported, alongside Google Fast Pair for Android users, and we find that connecting to devices and switching between them is a breeze thanks to the Bose app.

What’s more, our connection to our smartphone remains stable throughout testing, and we experience no dropouts, even when passing through busy areas such as train stations and shopping centres.

Bose’s immersive audio settings have by now become something of a hallmark of the more up-to-date QuietComfort Headphones, offering access to the company’s take on spatial audio.

There are three immersive audio settings – ‘Still’, ‘Motion’ and ‘Cinema’ modes – that can be explored via the Bose control app.

‘Still’ and ‘Cinema’ fix audio in place, keeping your music in position even as you move your head (‘Cinema’ provides an extra boost for voices, clarifying dialogue in dense film soundscapes), while ‘Motion’ lets your music move with you, tracking head motions and reconfiguring the stereo field accordingly.

We find that ‘Still’ mode works well, adding a sense of depth to our music, despite a slightly more processed sound. ‘Motion’ mode, on the other hand, becomes distracting due to a slightly laggy response to movement, causing us to feel disorientated while listening to music on the go.

We end up switching all immersive modes off, as they ultimately distract us from enjoying our music.

Through the Bose app, which is intuitively laid out and easy to use, you can also create and save your own personalised ‘modes’, with modifiable features including the amount of ANC, enabling/disabling wind blocking and immersive settings.

A three-band equaliser is also accessible within the app, with +/- 10 points of treble, mid and bass control. The range of adjustment is subtle, but large enough to be practically useful. Even at the equaliser’s upper bounds, we find that tonal changes avoid becoming unpleasantly extreme.

ANC & call quality

Between the first and second generation of QuietComfort Headphones, Bose says it has made subtle active noise cancellation improvements, as well as including the option for ANC to be switched off.

With ANC switched on, users have access to two settings: ‘Quiet’ and ‘Aware’.

‘Quiet’ is the fully-fledged noise-cancelling option. Using a six-microphone array to detect and cancel unwanted external sound, the Bose do a sterling job, effectively countering the low-frequency rumble of trains, as well as the hubbub of traffic and ambient chatter.

Even in a bustling city centre, music takes centre stage, and podcasts, too, are delivered with only minimal interruption from the most shrill of nearby voices.

The engineers claim to have made improvements to the headphones’ noise-cancelling array in order to compensate for gaps in the earcup’s seal when wearing glasses. Bespectacled members of the What Hi-Fi? review team agree that the ANC remains highly effective with glasses on, and we notice no discernible difference in performance with or without glasses.

If the heavy hand of ‘Quiet’ mode isn’t your cup of tea, selecting ‘Noise Control’ lets you toggle how much ANC you want to apply. We find that dialling the noise cancellation back alleviates the suction-cup feeling that Bose’s intense noise-cancelling processing can cause.

The headphones’ ‘Aware’ mode does what it says on the tin, letting external sounds in, so you can remain aware of your surroundings. Nonetheless, Bose has taken pains to ensure that sudden environmental sounds won’t deafen us using their ActiveSense technology, which allows the ANC to kick in automatically to soften sharp spikes in ambient noise.

We find that the setting works well, and even the slam of a car door doesn’t overpower our music. Compared to the Momentum 5 Wireless’ version of Aware mode, the Bose headphones let more sound in, keeping us well aware of the wider world.

Testing the QuietComfort Headphones’ call quality, we find that the built-in microphones do an excellent job of filtering out environmental noise and wind sounds, even while standing near to a busy main road.

Compared with the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless, which deliver voices with a more full-bodied, natural sound, the Bose leave our voices sounding somewhat tinny on the other end of the line. But despite the slight tonal imbalance, our voices remain clear and comprehensible.

Sound

Like the premium QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), these wireless headphones sound a little uptight right out of the box. But given some time to warm up, they offer a smooth and well-balanced sound. Indeed, the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) handle even the very most extreme test tracks in our Tidal music library with a cool, mature hand.

We begin testing with Geese’s 100 Horses and find that overdriven bass and shambling drums are rendered with pleasing low-frequency weight, richness and a good degree of texture. Guitar parts and percussion, meanwhile, are appropriately detailed and capable of sparkle without overwhelming the sonic balance.

Further into the song, when Cameron Winter’s vocal harmonies fill the soundfield, the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) showcase their tightly controlled but nonetheless expressive midrange, and we feel every last drop of emotion in Winter’s warbling tone.

We know that these headphones will be used wirelessly most of the time, but we enjoy the uplift in dynamics and clarity that comes with using a wired connection to our source device.

These headphones also provide pleasing separation between instruments. In the dense, funky arrangement of Superman's Big Sister by Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Wilko Johnson’s jagged rhythm guitar remains sharply defined against a busy backdrop of saxophones, slapped bass and orchestral strings, which all occupy their respective places with clear-cut authority.

We feel that the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) could provide a greater degree of dynamic subtlety and nuance. Listening to Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 in D Major, large jumps in volume are convincingly rendered and arrive with impact, but the composition’s finer dynamic details feel less explicit than we would expect at this price.

In terms of rhythmic drive, we feel that the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) could do a little more, too, with a performance that is somewhat less propulsive and energetic than price competitors. In a piece such as 100 Horses, which should carry you along with its rhythm, we find ourselves feeling somewhat left behind.

Verdict

Bose has tackled its second generation of QuietComfort Headphones with an ambitious attitude that sees features of the flagship Ultra model trickle down to the standard model. In terms of functionality, this approach has expanded the QuietComfort Headphones' horizon, with a truly impressive feature set for the price.

Despite missing out on a class-leading sonic performance, these wireless headphones are nonetheless capable and articulate. Paired with their ergonomic, foldable design, they are worthy of consideration for music fans on the move.

Review published: 21st October 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 4

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Lord Byron once said, “Always laugh when you can; it is cheap medicine.” Nice though the Baron poet’s advice is, some circumstances simply aren’t fit for a giggle. In such cases, a cheap, top-notch pair of headphones might be a more suitable tonic to your ills.

Sony's five-star WH-CH520 headphones have been sitting pretty as our ‘best cheap’ pair of wireless headphones for a couple of years now. Recently, Sony has released a next-generation sequel in the form of the WH-CH530, which promise “a major sonic boost” on the previous model, for almost the same launch price.

The eagle-eyed among you will be sure to notice that these two budget headphones look almost identical. Their similarities aren’t just cosmetic, either; there is a significant amount of hardware shared between designs – as if choosing a pair of headphones wasn’t complex enough…

The new Sony WH-CH530 is another five-star success, but what are the differences between the two models, and is it worth the upgrade? We put the two in a side-by-side test to help make your decision.

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: price

The Sony WH-CH530 are yours for £50 / $70 / AU$100. As they are a new pair of headphones, we haven’t yet seen any notable price reductions on them.

A couple of years their senior, the predecessor WH-CH520 launched at £49 / $59 / AU$79, and we have seen sale prices as low as £25 / $34 / $58. For context, that’s about the cost of a new hardback book in all territories – not too shabby for a five-star pair of headphones.

**Winner: Sony WH-CH520**

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: design

Much has remained the same between these two Sony designs. Besides an inscribed, rather than printed, Sony logo on the headband, a smaller, central power on/off and Bluetooth button and L/R labelling inside the earcups (rather than on the headband), the new WH-CH530 look more or less identical to their predecessors.

The same materials have been used between designs (plastic and pleather), and even the drivers are the same 30mm full-range dynamic variety that we saw in the WH-CH520. In terms of colourways, both headphones come in standard Black, White and Pink options, but Sony has swapped out the Blue, Beige, and Yellow finishes of the older WH-CH520 for new Mint, Cobalt, and Coral finishes for the WH-CH530.

The new headphones weigh around three grams more than the previous model, bringing them to a total weight of approximately 150g, but we would be lying if we said they felt appreciably different on our heads. Both on-ear designs have a reassuringly snug fit that is made more comfortable by pleather ear-cushioning and headband lining.

Both sets of headphones also feature a three-button strip of built-in controls for powering on/off, Bluetooth pairing, skipping forwards and backwards, volume up/down, and answering, ending and rejecting calls. The central button on the WH-CH530 is slightly smaller, but remains easy to locate and makes little difference to the headphones’ easy operation.

So, with very little having changed between designs, we are going to have to call a draw.

**Winner: draw**

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: features

When it comes to features you can expect from a pair of wireless headphones at this price point, we have often found that beggars can’t be choosers. In the case of the WH-CH530, however, there’s a surprisingly ambitious feature set at your disposal.

Wireless connection is via Bluetooth 6.0, with support for Auracast sharing and Google Fast Pair for Android devices. The WH-CH530 also have Bluetooth multipoint connectivity for simultaneous connection to two devices, and are compatible with SBC, AAC and LC3 codecs. LC3 is the standard codec for Bluetooth Low Energy, which uses less power than regular Bluetooth for short-range connections.

Beyond the physical controls available on the right earcup, the WH-CH530 can also be used with Sony’s Connect app. The app features a 10-band equaliser with saveable presets so you can customise the sound, the option to set a maximum volume, a ‘Find Your Equalizer’ hearing test to identify your ideal EQ settings, access to Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) (which improves the quality of lower-res, compressed files), and support for immersive 360 Reality Audio tracks from compatible streaming services.

The WH-CH520 also do well in terms of features for their price, but don’t quite reach the heights of the newer model. The headphones support the older Bluetooth 5.2 version and multipoint connectivity, plus Fast Pair for Android Devices. Notably, though, they don’t support Auracast and they are compatible only with SBC and AAC codecs.

The older Sonys can also be used with the Sound Connect app. While this grants users access to DSEE, 360 Reality Audio and ‘Find Your Equalizer’ features, the available equaliser includes five, rather than 10 bands, and does not offer the option to limit the maximum volume.

When it comes to battery life, both headphones boast impressive figures, with the WH-CH530 pulling just ahead, at a maximum of 55 hours of music playback compared with the WH-CH520’s 50 hours. Both headphones charge via USB-C and can run for an hour and a half on a three-minute quick charge. Neither set accepts wired audio.

Of course, neither the CH520 nor the new CH530 feature active noise-cancellation; if you do want ANC powers, you'll have to pay extra for Sony's step-up CH-730N headphones.

For the longer battery life and the wider spread of features, the WH-CH530 takes the lead here.

**Winner: Sony WH-CH530**

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: sound

Given that these on-ear headphones are so similar in design, it comes as no surprise that they have a lot in common in terms of their sonic character.

Both Sony models deliver a balanced and engaging listening experience. The bass is deep and solid, while the midrange is highly detailed, with the WH-CH530 offering a touch of extra clarity and expression.

High frequencies are handled by both headphones with impressive control for this price point. Even the jangly, aggressive guitars of 1970s punk rock stay smooth and clear without sounding shrill, while retaining all of the raw power and energy we would hope for.

But there are crucial differences between these headphones. Namely, the digital signal-processing tweaks that Sony has made to the WH-CH530 have resulted in a marked improvement in dynamics and rhythmic drive.

In our review, we describe the WH-CH530 as “sensitive enough to convey subtle shifts in volume” while also sounding “animated and impactful” during pieces with a wider dynamic range. Compared with the WH-CH520, which we thought sounded “a little inhibited”, the improvement here is obvious.

Although both headphones lack somewhat in terms of headroom, which is not altogether unusual at the budget price, this is to a much lesser extent for the newer model.

Rhythmically, too, the WH-CH530 outperform their predecessor. While testing, we “find ourselves pulled into the songs we listen to, toes tapping and heads bobbing” thanks to an appropriately robust sense of rhythmic drive. Compared with their older sibling, the new headphones give songs a healthy dose of additional punch.

While both headphones feature the same drivers, advancements in digital signal-processing have meaningfully elevated the sonic performance of the WH-CH530 above their predecessor. Consequently, choosing a winner in this section is simple.

**Winner: Sony WH-CH530**

Sony WH-CH530 vs Sony WH-CH520: verdict

Looks can be deceiving, and, indeed, it would be tough to tell the Sony WH-CH530 and WH-CH520 apart from the outside, with their remarkably consistent designs. Inside the WH-CH530, however, the addition of extra features and the tweaks to digital signal-processing have provided a palpable sonic boost over their predecessors, improving dynamics, detail and balance – all without incurring a price hike.

It’s often said that good things don’t come cheap, but we count the Sony WH-CH530 as a marked exception to the rule. They are a fine budget buy.

*Overall winner: Sony WH-CH530**

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Wireless headphones have changed the way we listen, but not necessarily for the better. Because perhaps more than any other device category, they embody the shift to convenience over quality that's an unfortunate byproduct of some advances in personal listening.

True, the best wireless headphones sound very good indeed – almost as good as the best wired headphones, in fact. But to hear them at their best requires not only high quality sound files, but for both your headphones and digital music source to support a good quality wireless codec.

With so many competing codecs around – some of which are only supported by a tiny proportion of smartphones – this is easier said than done.

Surely there must be an easier way. And as of late 2025, there is, courtesy of the Sennheiser HDB 630.

These cans don’t just sound great, they include an ingenious solution to the codec clash problem plaguing so many wireless listening sessions. They come with a wireless dongle that's bursting with codecs. That way, even iPhone owners can enjoy the delights of the various flavours of aptX via their wireless headphones.

The HDB 630 quickly earned rave reviews, lodged themselves in our various lists of best headphones (including best over-ear headphones, best wireless headphones and best noise-cancelling headphones), and recently won a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award.

Here’s the story behind how they were made.

Research and you will find

The wireless headphone market is fiercely competitive, so making a pair that stands out and genuinely does something new is a very tall order. Rather than just offering the usual glut of minor upgrades and a tweaked design, the Sennheiser team went big on the research. And they discovered some interesting tidbits.

"Our research showed that, on average, audiophiles only listened to music for one, or maybe one-and-a-half hours a day. And we asked ourselves why that was – these people love music, so why aren't they listening to it for longer?" says Wee Hong Kuan, Sennheiser's Senior Product Manager.

They worked out it was due to what's involved in getting top quality sound.

"The best sound relies on being tied to a home system with an amplifier, so we asked ourselves: What can we do about this?" he says. "How can we cut loose this audiophile sound without losing the quality they demand? How can we get them listening not just for 90 minutes a day, but all day, wherever they are?"

Like other headphone makers, Sennheiser is obsessed with sound quality, so it was already hard at work on that front. But it realised this is only one side of the coin. Its research revealed another startling statistic: less than 16 per cent of phones are compatible with aptX Adaptive, and less than 1 per cent work with aptX Lossless. Having the best-sounding headphones in the world isn't much use if the sources feeding them audio aren't up to the task.

Which is where the dongle comes in.

An ingenious solution

The BTD 700 brings support for up to 24-bit/96kHz hi-res quality via the best wireless codecs (including aptX Lossless and Auracast). And it brings them to any Bluetooth headphones – just plug it into your music source and connect it to the headphones over Bluetooth. It went on sale a few months before the HDB 630 launched, but the decision to bundle the two together was a canny one.

To realise just how much of a gamechanger it is, it's worth considering the sheer number of Bluetooth codecs there are available: you’ve got SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LDAC, LHDC, L2HC, LC3, LC3+... It's an alphabet soup dumped on top of a word salad, followed by acronym crumble and initialism custard. Talk about making a meal out of it.

How many people know which codecs their phone or laptop supports? And whether their headphones support the same ones? Chances are, not many.

To make things more complicated, even the same model of certain Android phones will support different codecs depending on where they're sold – some Samsung Galaxy S handsets sold in the UK have Samsung Exynos processors instead of those made by Qualcomm, and so don't support Qualcomm's aptX codecs, for example.

Plug in the dongle, and all of this complexity disappears. Sennheiser estimates that it ups the percentage of phones able to support aptX Adaptive to over 80 per cent (that remaining 20 per cent accounts for all the Lightning port-based iPhones that are still in use, which don't work with the dongle's USB-C connection).

"That's the purpose of the BTD 700 – to erase these worries," says Kuan. "You don't have to worry about which codec your phone supports. You just need to make sure it has a compatible USB-C port." And that your headphones support the best codecs, of course.

This wasn't actually the first time Sennheiser bundled a dongle with a pair of headphones, though its previous offering was aimed more at business folk than audiophiles. The Accentum Special Edition (which are still on sale) come with a USB-A dongle for lower latency video calls on a PC. Though perhaps it could've done with a sound boost – the dongle-less version only scored three stars in our review.

Nevertheless, Sennheiser applied learnings from the Accentum model to the BTD 700.

A dongle isn't the most exciting product to look at – it's a dongle – but a lot of thought went into its design. Sennheiser added a groove near the USB-C connector to allow it to fit a phone that's wearing a case, and it had to be slim enough not to block vents or other ports on any phone, tablet or PC with which it's used.

The downside, of course, is that it's yet another thing to carry, and due to its compact size, it could be easily lost. Some users have taken to carrying it in a coin pouch when not in use, which isn't ideal. (Kuan recommends keeping it plugged into the HDB 630’s USB-C port when not in use.)

And of course, it's still limited by Bluetooth's bitrate, which posed a quandary for Sennheiser. "We had a decision to make," Kuan says. "Did we want high resolution but in a compressed format? Or to maintain a lower resolution, but lossless? That's the trade-off that we had to make. To achieve true hi-res lossless playback, a higher Bluetooth bandwidth will be needed to support that resolution. Which requires industry effort."

Even without the dongle, the HDB 630 fared very well in our review, thanks to their excellent sound quality and customisable features – like the parametric equaliser, which lets you not only input an exact number of Hz for your tuning preference rather than adjusting a slider, but also share your tuning via a QR code for anyone to scan and try out your preferences.

It's a compelling package that just goes to show, when you do your research, the rewards speak for themselves.

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Cambridge Audio has announced a special-edition twist on its affordable Melomania A100 wireless earbuds.

The new Melomania A100 SE offer a twist on the standard buds, bringing Dolby Audio and a new blue finish into the mix.

The special edition buds use the same Class A/B amplification found in Cambridge’s established CX and EX lines, paired with a set of 10mm neodymium drivers to deliver what the brand characterises as “deeper bass, richer mids, and crystal-clear highs” designed to “make music feel even more alive”.

The new earbuds also benefit from dedicated Qualcomm Kalimba digital signal processing for a more refined, less distorted sound, while Snapdragon Sound helps achieve a more stable low-latency connection. The Melomania A100 SE also support the higher-quality aptX Lossless and LDAC codecs for accepting files up to 24-bit/96kHz.

As before, adaptive hybrid noise cancelling is featured, with a standard setting sitting alongside a transparency mode for letting in more of the outside world. A six-microphone array, meanwhile, aims for “exceptional call clarity” on the go.

The new buds’ Dolby Audio spatial sound capabilities are accessible via the Melomania Connect app, delivering spatial audio with a “natural, lifelike presentation” for movies, music and games.

The special-edition buds grant more playtime than their standard counterparts, with 6.5 hours from the buds and up to 39 hours of total battery life available with noise cancelling switched off.

Cambridge’s latest wireless earbuds also come equipped with touch controls which can be customised via the accompanying app.

The Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 SE are available this October in black, white or blue finishes, priced at £129 / $149/ €149. For context, the standard edition of the A100 launched last year at £119 / €139.

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German tech brand Loewe has launched its latest Bluetooth speaker, the Leo, billed as a way of getting outstanding sonic performance in a premium portable design.

The Leo delivers 50 watts of total power and dual passive bass radiators, helping to ensure, says Loewe, that “compromising on acoustic fidelity is never a consequence of mobility”.

Adding to those mobile credentials are an IP67 water- and dust-proof certification, 12 hours of battery life, as well as a detachable leather carry-strap and a premium felt case. Auracast is on board, meaning you can connect the Neo to any number of other speakers capable of supporting the increasingly popular wireless sharing technology.

Externally, Loewe’s latest features built-in ambient lighting that can be adjusted manually using the on-unit light strip. The speaker uses a premium aluminium housing with interchangeable speaker grilles, meaning you can switch up your speaker’s look depending on your mood and desired aesthetic.

The speaker also houses top-mounted controls, including a power button, bass and treble boosters, and a light toggle.

The Neo is controllable via Loewe’s accompanying app, from which you can personalise the speaker’s on-unit lighting and tweak your sound via three sonic presets alongside individual bass and treble adjustments.

According to Aslan Khabliev, CEO of Loewe: “For decades, Loewe has been synonymous with design, innovation and individuality. Neo implements that philosophy out into the world, combining exceptional acoustic power, intelligent lighting, and unprecedented customisation in one beautifully crafted product.”

The Loewe Neo will be available for preorder from 20th November in Alu Silver, Alu Black or Champagne finishes, priced at £400 / €400, making it more expensive than the five-star JBL Xtreme 5 (£330 / €350). Note that the Champagne finish will run as a limited edition colourway.

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When Technics set about making plans for its new flagship wireless headphones, the EAH-A1000, it knew it couldn't just enlarge the 10mm Magnetic Fluid Driver used in the five-star, Award-winning EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds and call it a day.

The magnetic fluid technology – an oil-like substance with magnetic properties that reduces the rocking vertical movement of the diaphragm without adding mass – worked successfully in delivering a clear, detailed and low-distortion sound in the AZ100 buds. But the larger 40mm drivers required in an over-ear model proved a greater challenge.

As part of the pre-launch briefing of Technics' new EAH-A1000 over-ear wireless headphones, I got a chance to hear from Technics' headphones and acoustic departments in Tokyo about the trial-and-error process for developing the new flagship headphones' drivers, along with an extensive look at all the elements inside them – so here's a closer look at the new drivers of the A1000 headphones.

Magnetic fluid driver: the next chapter

Planning for the EAH-A1000 over-ears started pretty much after the AZ100 buds, with the question: "Can magnetic fluid work in a 40mm driver?"

A larger driver results in greater excursion, more possibility for flexing, and more scope for distortion. Simply using the same tech in a bigger driver "didn't deliver the sound we were aiming for," says Technics. The magnetic fluid sits between the voice coil and driver magnet, and is able to precisely support the driver's movement so it is more consistent, but too much damping could limit the natural expression of music.

While excited by the potential of the magnetic fluid technology, Technics' goal wasn't to simply build a larger driver, says Riku Takeda, acoustic engineer at Technics. It was to "create a new over-ear headphone driver that could go beyond hi-fi speaker performance."

The main aim for this new driver was to reduce distortion as much as possible for a clearer, cleaner sound, but without sacrificing the power, detail or natural resonances of music. And so the newly developed 40mm drivers in the A1000 feature a combination of technologies, all with the aim of delivering an immersive listening experience.

The first of these new technologies takes inspiration from the brand's own hi-fi speakers, with the modified magnetic fluid drivers enhanced with an SST (Symmetrical Surround Technology) Edge. This is a similar technology used in Technics' flagship SB-R1 speakers.

This surround's distinctive shape ensures that a symmetrical volume of air is displaced by the backward and forward movement of the driver. The cuts in the surround increase the flexibility of the edge, while also reducing distortion.

"No compromise on shape; no compromise on material"

Additionally, the diaphragm of the driver is made of a "pure carbon fibre" material, chosen for its lightweight and rigid properties that ensure fast, responsive performance. Technics further clarifies that this 'pure' carbon fibre material isn't composed exclusively of carbon fibre, but it refers to a "non-composite, non-laminated" diaphragm construction. A very thin but stiff layer, essentially.

As larger drivers naturally flex more as they move, Technics settled upon a complex shape consisting of a cone and a raised dome to further stabilise the movement of the driver.

This posed another challenge, as the mould for this complex geometry (in the relatively small dimensions of a headphone driver) was difficult to produce in mass quantities consistently without deformations.

The team experimented with alternative shapes and materials to get a more stable, consistent moulding, with a long trial-and-error process – but every 'solution' resulted in a less-than-ideal sound. A flatter cone geometry would make things simpler, but it resulted in a less powerful, muddier and less clear sound. A laminated structure would improve moulding stability, but it delivered a narrower soundstage compared with the pure carbon fibre material.

Ultimately, Technics decided that the compromises to the sound quality were simply "not acceptable to us", and ploughed ahead with these two necessary elements of the complex shape of the diaphragm, with some solutions, to achieve the desired sound that Technics wanted. This included strengthening the carbon fibre material itself by changing the direction of the fibres woven in, and adding a 'rib' to the dome to add stability.

Technics says it's a combination of all these different technologies, not just one element, of the new driver that is key to delivering accurate bass, clear highs, and a natural spatial expression from the A1000 headphones.

The development doesn't stop at the drivers themselves. The new 'baffle flat structure' minimises the uneven surfaces around the driver to reduce the effect of unwanted reflections, while an 'acoustic control chamber' behind the driver helps to manage airflow.

These combine to deliver a "natural sound field with clear imaging" and to ensure the sound is balanced without emphasising any specific frequency range.

Sound quality is just one aspect of the Technics EAH-A1000. Every product in Technics is guided by three philosophies: sound, technology and design.

The design of the headphones and all the necessary features (connectivity, ANC, call quality) need to be up to scratch, too, with Technics acknowledging that "personal audio" products such as headphones have huge demands from customer expectations these days. Over-ear headphones are more visible than earbuds, too, so achieving the design and style of the premium A1000 to a high level became even more important.

The design of the new over-ears – from the slender 'flow arm' structure, the headband's clamping pressure, and evenly distributed plush memory foam cushions – has been given as much care and attention by the Technics team.

We're shown various prototypes of different ear cushion shapes, arm structures and variations in the spun metal plate with the Technics logo adorned (check out the gallery above) – examples of more trial-and-error processes undergone by the design team to achieve the 'right' look and feel for the EAH-A1000 headphones.

The philosophy remains the same

Ultimately, though, anything that affects sound quality will need final approval by the acoustics team, as for Technics, the sound philosophy is most important.

"If sound quality isn't achieved to our high standard level, we don't bring it to the market," says Technics. Every audio product, including the EAH-A1000, is subject to the approval process by Technics' internal Sound Committee, which includes Yu Tanaka, who was responsible for the magnetic fluid driver in the A1000 and set the targets for the headphones' sound quality, and Technics' brand director Michiko Ogawa, who has the final say. If those sonic targets aren't met, they would simply postpone the launch until they were happy with the sound performance, I'm told.

Technics' head of headphone business, Kazunori Otsu, says that in the 60+ years of Technics' lifetime, "high quality music experiences" have progressed from in the home, with dedicated hi-fi separates, to almost anywhere in everyday life thanks to portable headphones.

He states that while the "way we listen to music has changed" over the years, "Technics' passion has not."

MORE:

Read our Technics EAH-A1000 review

Technics is celebrating 55 years of its legendary SL-1200 turntable with a limited-edition design

Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) might be over a year old now, but they are gaining new sonic powers. The bad news? Not all the features are available to all users.

The latest firmware update is called 10.12.12 and it brings four new features to play.

First up, Bluetooth LE Audio support. This next-gen version is more efficient than standard Bluetooth, and supports the LC3 codec which has better sound quality than the standard SBC you find with bog-standard Bluetooth. It’s worth noting, however, that some don’t think it delivers on this promise.

The greater efficiency could help prolong battery life too, though Bose hasn’t commented on this in the firmware update notes, so any gain is likely to be marginal. And LE Audio opens the door to Auracast, which lets devices broadcast to multiple headphones at once, so you could tune into a news channel in an airport lounge, for example.

The downside? Bluetooth LE Audio doesn’t work with Apple devices, so this is for Android and Windows users only.

The update also brings 5.1 spatial audio with head tracking to compatible Android devices, and higher-quality gaming and voice audio over a wired USB-C cable from a compatible PC or mobile device. It also brings improved USB compatibility with web conferencing applications, for when you’re taking care of business.

Other big headphone makers also support Bluetooth LE Audio on select models such as the Sony WH-1000XM6, though the recently unveiled Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 will get it only via a future firmware update.

Still, Bose’s move is proof that once you buy a pair of wireless headphones, they can keep getting better. If you’re not using an iPhone, that is.

Keep an eye on the Bose app to see when the update is available. It should download automatically, but you’ll need to keep your headphones connected to your device while it transfers, which can take up to 40 minutes. Then actually installing it can take another 15 minutes.

MORE:

Read our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) vs QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): what are the differences?

The best wireless headphones around

Technics might be a legendary name when it comes to turntables, but it has less household status when it comes to wireless headphones. The brand has been aiming to change that, and last year it came one step closer with the five-star EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds, which beat out established rivals from Sony, Bose, B&W, Apple and Sennheiser to nab a coveted What Hi-Fi? Best Buy Award in 2025.

To see if they can repeat that success in the tough premium over-ears category, Technics has imbued its new flagship wireless headphones – the EAH-A1000 – with a refined design and plenty of new driver technology inspired by its hi-fi speakers and five-star earbuds. Has it done the job?

Price

The Technics EAH-A1000 launches at £399 / $449 / AU$699, which puts it right in the midst of some fiercely competitive territory. The class leaders in this bracket include the five-star Sennheiser HDB 630 at £400 / $500 / AU$1000, while the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM6 can be found for £349 / $450 / AU$699.

Bowers & Wilkins’ Px7 S3 and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) are also available at the same kind of money, so consumers aren’t short of high-quality choices at this premium end, where mainstream players mingle.

Design & comfort

These are a rather lovely pair of headphones. Where the predecessor EAH-A800 looked quite blocky, the EAH-A1000 has a much sleeker, more elegant look. The metal accents and refined contours on the headphones make them look and feel quite luxurious, as does the generous padding on both the headband and ear cups.

The headband is easy to adjust, and the inside of the ear cups is quite roomy, with plush memory foam ear cushions that hug your head quite snugly, but without any undue pressure. Technics has paid quite a lot of attention to the design and comfort of the A1000, with care taken over the metal ‘flow arm’ slider and hinges, and the angle of the ear cups so that there is an even pressure across the head when wearing them.

The headphones feel robust but also quite lightweight, and we find them to be a comfortable fit across the review team’s head sizes, even for those who wear glasses. Compared with the relatively slim profile of the Sony XM6 or Sonos Ace Ultra, the larger ear cups of the A1000 do stick out a fair bit, but overall they’re so nice and comfortable to wear that we don’t mind once they’re on our head.

The headphones fold up into a ball, too, which makes them easy to carry in a bag. They’re available in black or the nice silver/white colour of our review sample; Technics calls this colour ‘Platinum Greige’, but we’re going to ignore that.

Instead of any touch controls, Technics offers physical controls that are easy to use on the right ear cup. There are buttons for power and Bluetooth pairing, another one for changing the noise mode, and a multi-function slider control for changing volume, playing and pausing music, and summoning voice assistants.

They all work instantly with our commands, although we feel the slider control’s action could be more definite and feel more precise. It feels a little like a loose tooth on our sample, which mars the otherwise classy experience of using the A100.

Features

We must commend how swiftly the A1000 pairs with our source devices, with the connection remaining stable throughout our testing and reconnecting to our iPhone 16 without a hitch. Like their EAH-AZ100 earbuds counterparts, the A1000 over-ears feature three-way multi-point Bluetooth, which means you can be connected to three sources simultaneously and switch between them seamlessly – rivals are still limited to two devices only.

The A1000 supports the LDAC codec, allowing for higher-quality streams from compatible smartphones or portable music players such as the Sony NW-A306 and Astell & Kern SR35. Be warned that using the higher bandwidth LDAC disables certain features (such as the aforementioned three-way connection) and has a knock-on effect on battery life.

When listening using the standard AAC/SBC codecs, as we do for the majority of our testing with an iPhone 16, the battery life is an impressive 45 hours with ANC turned on. Turned off, this extends to a massive 90 hours. Those numbers are strong – they easily surpass the 30 hours offered by the Sony WH-1000XM6 and rivals from Bose and Bowers & Wilkins, although the Sennheiser HDB 630 still takes the lead at 60 hours with ANC turned on. We barely had to recharge the A1000 during our time with them, but a 15-minute charge does handily give you four hours of juice.

You can listen to the Technics EAH-A1000 using a wired USB-C connection, too – just note that the headphones need to be powered on to listen in this mode. You get two cables included in the hard carry case: a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable, and a USB-C to USB-C lead for audio and charging.

We must commend how swiftly the A1000 pairs with our source devices, with the connection remaining stable throughout our testing and reconnecting to our iPhone 16 without a hitch. Like their EAH-AZ100 earbuds counterparts, the A1000 over-ears feature three-way multi-point Bluetooth, which means you can be connected to three sources simultaneously and switch between them seamlessly – rivals are still limited to two devices only.

The A1000 supports the LDAC codec, allowing for higher-quality streams from compatible smartphones or portable music players such as the Sony NW-A306 and Astell & Kern SR35. Be warned that using the higher bandwidth LDAC disables certain features (such as the aforementioned three-way connection) and has a knock-on effect on battery life.

When listening using the standard AAC/SBC codecs, as we do for the majority of our testing with an iPhone 16, the battery life is an impressive 45 hours with ANC turned on. Turned off, this extends to a massive 90 hours. Those numbers are strong – they easily surpass the 30 hours offered by the Sony WH-1000XM6 and rivals from Bose and Bowers & Wilkins, although the Sennheiser HDB 630 still takes the lead at 60 hours with ANC turned on. We barely had to recharge the A1000 during our time with them, but a 15-minute charge does handily give you four hours of juice.

You can listen to the Technics EAH-A1000 using a wired USB-C connection, too – just note that the headphones need to be powered on to listen in this mode. You get two cables included in the hard carry case: a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable, and a USB-C to USB-C lead for audio and charging.

ANC & call quality

The EAH-A1000’s adaptive ANC performance uses four mics per side to adjust the noise levels according to your surrounding environment. In the app, you can choose the level of ANC on a scale of 0 to 100, or leave it in adaptive mode – curiously, we find that the adaptive mode does a better job of reducing rumbling traffic noise than full ANC.

The A1000’s noise-cancelling does a fine job of damping down surrounding noises – from train engines to traffic noises – enough that we can concentrate on our music. We spent a long-haul flight from Tokyo to London with the Technics headphones acting as a good buffer between our music and the plane’s engines (the plush cushioning helps here too), although frequent flyers might want even deeper, low-frequency rumbles to be silenced.

However, we are more aware of the sudden whoosh of passing cars and of background chatter here than on rivals, with the Sony XM6 dealing with such midrange and high-frequency noises more effectively. You can also feel the pressure of Technics’ ANC technology working hard when in adaptive ANC mode, which some may not like compared with Sony’s more natural, less-processed effect.

The customisable Ambient/transparency mode keeps you aware of your surroundings in a way that doesn’t feel too artificially amplified, while a further ‘attention’ mode enhances voices, so you never miss train announcements. The latter’s effect is more obviously processed, and we think the standard Ambient mode does the job well enough.

Call quality is a high point on the A1000, with our voices coming through clearly and with next-to-no background noise seeping through. We stand on a busy road during rush hour, and the caller on the other end can’t hear any traffic noise distracting from our voice. The Sony XM6 rival makes our voice sound fuller and more natural, but they also allow more background noise to cut through.

Sound

The biggest update Technics has made in its new flagship over-ear headphones is to do with the newly developed driver technologies. The Magnetic Fluid Driver technology worked so well for the AZ100 earbuds, it’s being used here again, albeit modified for the larger 40mm drivers in the A1000 over-ears. This aims to keep the movement of the driver consistent and reduce unwanted vibrations, without adding unnecessary mass.

The diaphragm is made of a lightweight yet rigid pure carbon fibre material, which, coupled with the driver’s cone shape and the SST (Symmetrical Surround Technology) Edge taken from Technics’ hi-fi speakers, aims to deliver a fast, accurate response with reduced distortion.

A redesigned acoustic control chamber further helps to manage airflow, with Technics promising a more natural soundfield for its “high precision music reproduction” to flourish.

Put it all together, and we’re met with a sound that is clear, spacious and very detailed.

Play Fallin’ by Alicia Keys, and her vocals soar in an open and roomy soundstage. The rough and raw edges of her singing come through with clarity and refinement, and the top notes have plenty of headroom to shine. Switch to Limit To Your Love by James Blake, and there is a satisfying amount of depth and solidity underpinning both his voice and the deep, plunging bass. The A1000’s presentation is full-bodied, with ample detail to voices and instruments giving them an immediacy that holds your attention.

Every instrument in The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Take Five is fairly easy to place, with the robust, tuneful saxophone appropriately taking the spotlight, while the sharper hi-hats and snares in the background hit with crispness but don’t intrude unduly upon the composition. The overall sound is clean and clear – Technics has done a fine job at keeping distortion levels low, which means we don’t mind listening at louder volumes, either.

There is a sweetness and smoothness to the sound. This characteristic doesn’t attempt to gloss over any cracks or try to smother any harder edges; it simply makes for a refined balance that is appealing to listen to from the get-go.

While not obviously lacking in energy, we do wish the A1000 had a bit more verve and attack when required. The rival Sony XM6 and Sennheiser HDB 630 headphones counter with a more propulsive, driven sense of rhythm that sounds more musically coherent, with low-level dynamics handled with a bit more agility. The start and stop of notes could be more precisely defined on the Technics, with bass notes, while deep and fulsome, sounding just a touch soft around the edges.

They are simply more comfortable staying on the polite, gentler side of the fence rather than getting their hands dirty.

Despite this, the A1000’s sense of organisation and level of detail retrieval is admirable, and they don’t ever lose composure when confronted with more complex or busy recordings. They make the difference between a hi-res and low-res recording clear, but handle those lower-quality recordings with the same refined brush – it’s a quality that means we’re happy to listen to the headphones for hours on end.

Verdict

Technics’ EAH-A1000 are a fine pair of headphones. Their comfortable, elegant design and that refined, smooth presentation have plenty of appeal. There are many who will fall for the A1000’s charms, and we wouldn’t find much cause to deter them. At this level, however, the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Sennheiser HDB 630 rivals deliver just that bit more rhythmic precision and dynamic subtlety, leading to a more involving listening experience.

There’s plenty that Technics has done right with its new flagship over-ears. If they could combine just a bit more grit and punch alongside that sweet, open presentation, they could be on to a winner next time.

Review published: 29th September 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Features 4

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Read our review of the Sony WH-1000XM6

Also consider the Sennheiser HDB 630

"This is the headphone we set out to create from the very beginning" – a closer look at the development of the new driver technology inside the premium Technics EAH-A1000 wireless headphones

Best wireless headphones: reviewed and rated by our in-house experts

Technics has a new pair of flagship over-ear wireless headphones. The EAH-A1000 follow 2022's EAH-A800, and aim to rival the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) and Sennheiser HDB 630 as the best wireless headphones around.

Four years is long time in the headphone world – cans age in dog years. But thankfully Technics has brought its latest pair bang up to date on the technical front – these are no annual iterations, but a complete overhaul of the previous model. Technics says it "reconsidered every element" of the over-ears, with highlights of the new model including a new 40mm Magnetic Fluid Driver and acoustics technologies developed for the hi-fi brand's speakers.

The driver was developed to have precise control in order to deliver low distortion with an expansive soundstage. It uses Technics' magnetic fluid technology as found in its Award-winning EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds – this material has both magnetic and liquid properties, and is placed between the voice coil and driver magnet to suppress unwanted vibrations and distortion.

The driver's performance is enhanced by the inclusion of an SST (Symmetrical Surround Technology) Edge, which is taken from Technics' flagship hi-fi speakers. This reduces distortion by improving the symmetry of the edge's back and forth movement as it supports the diaphragm. It's made of carbon fibre which is rigid yet lightweight, and its cone shape suppresses flexing to enable a fast response and stable movement.

Technics says that the two technologies work in tandem to "preserve the sense of scale in the bass and the spacious soundstage associated with over-ear headphones" while reproducing music how the artist intended.

A redesigned acoustic path preserves the air movement from the driver all the way to the ear, while a new Baffle Flat Structure reduces uneven surfaces around the driver to limit unwanted reflections, creating a natural sound field with clear imaging.

Airflow is managed by an Acoustic Control Chamber behind the driver, which should ensure a balanced sound. And Adaptive Noise Cancelling adjusts to your environment and fit, with three feed-forward microphones and one feedback mic on each side to detect and suppress noise from different directions.

The fit has also been re-engineered. The new Flow Arm headband is square at the slider but triangular at the hanger. As you can see from the pictures, it perches on the outside of the earcups like a luxuriously draped moustache.

The movement of the ear cups, refined headband shape and improved slider-based adjustability should distribute pressure evenly across your noggin, allowing you to wear them for longer periods without becoming uncomfortable. This will be helped by the memory foam earpads.

The headphones fold up into a ball for stowing in a bag.

They support high-quality audio via the LDAC codec and through wired listening over USB Audio. The battery is good for 45 hours with ANC on before needing a recharge, and like the Award-winning EAH-AZ100, they support three devices via Bluetooth Multipoint, instead of the standard two.

The Technics EAH-A1000 go on sale from 30th September for £399 / €449 / $449. They come in Black and Platinum Greige finishes (a mix of grey and beige).

Technics might be renowned for its turntables, but it does a nice line in headphones too – the EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds won a What Hi-Fi? Award, while the A1000's predecessor pair (the EAH-A80) scored four stars. You can find out how the new EAH-A1000 headphones fare in our full review.

MORE:

Read our Technics EAH-A1000 headphones review

Same tech, different form factor: our Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds review

Wireless headphones are about to get even more advanced with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon Sound tech

Nothing has announced its latest pair of over-ear wireless headphones, the Headphone (1) Pro.

Following on from the original Headphone (1) and its more affordable Headphone (a) counterparts, the new Headphone (1) Pro sit atop the brand's over-ear range as its most advanced cans yet.

Aimed at audio enthusiasts seeking "the most detailed and customisable listening experience, the Headphone (1) Pro feature a triple driver architecture designed to more effectively cover the sonic spectrum.

Nothing teases punchy bass thanks to the headphones' bass dynamic driver, accompanied by textured vocals from a dynamic midrange unit and crisper highs courtesy of a new treble 'xMEMS' driver. For higher-fidelity playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz, you can connect to the new flagship cans via USB-C.

Nothing promises its best-ever active noise cancelling courtesy of the Headphone (1) Pros' 10-mic array and more isolating ear cushions. The brand's 'Clear Voice Technology', meanwhile, uses two mics on each side of the headphones to keep voices sounding clear and crisp.

What about battery life? The Nothing Headphone (1) really excelled in this area, granting a whopping 80 hours of playtime with ANC switched off and around 35 hours with noise cancelling turned on.

The more powerful Headphone (1) Pro don't quite match those numbers, but with 68 hours of playtime with ANC off and 30 hours with it on, plus four hours of listening from a 5-minute charge, they're hardly doing badly.

The Headphone (1) Pro are controlled using the Nothing X app, from which you can access a range of fine-tuning tools to personalise your experience.

This is an unashamedly Nothing pair of headphones in terms of looks, with the flagship cans sharing a similar design language with their more affordable forebears. The rectangular earcups return, boasting scratch-resistant glass which grants a glimpse of the drivers housed beneath.

Nothing also promises more even weight distribution thanks to a wider headband and thicker padding, as well as titanium arms and softer ear cushions to further aid user comfort. They're even IP52 rated, granting protection against water splashes and some dust ingress.

The Nothing Headphone (1) Pro are available now in Black or White finishes, priced at £349 / $399. That's a figure that puts them firmly in the mix with the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM6 (£349 / $400 / AU$699) and Sennheiser HDB 630 (£400 / $500 / AU$1000).

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In the market for wireless headphones? Read our recent Sonos Ace Ultra review

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New issue of What Hi-Fi? out now: it's a bumper 50th Anniversary special!

These are the best wireless headphones you can buy

We didn't know what to expect from the Sonos Ace Ultra. Having not quite hit the target with its Sonos Ace wireless headphones in 2024, we were hoping that the US company would take the lessons learned from its debut over-ears and come up with something a little more competitive the next time around. From sound quality to noise cancelling, we knew that Sonos could do better.

And it has done better. Much better, in fact, with the Ace Ultra unequivocally demonstrating that Sonos is capable of competing in the ultra-competitive space of premium wireless headphones. From better audio to an expanded, refined feature set, this is everything that the Ace Ultra have done to improve upon their somewhat middling predecessors.

Sound's about right

How good they sound is what matters most, and this is the area in which we felt the most let down by the debut Sonos Ace.

Sonos' first wireless headphones missed the sonic mark, with a sound that we described as "listenable and inoffensive" without exactly setting the world alight. Clarity and insight were somewhat mediocre, detail levels were just about acceptable, while a lack of spaciousness and dynamics further hindered our affection for what we called a "simplistic and safe sound".

The new Ace Ultra aren't perfect, but most of the criticisms we levelled at their predecessors have, to an extent, been rectified. The sophomore cans are more powerful, assertive and self-assured than before, like a spotty teenager that's been hitting the gym for six months and discovered the wonders of face wash.

As we wrote in our review: "These headphones sound far more self-assured than their de facto predecessors, with a rich, full-bodied sound that brings a muscular, confident presence to the tunes we feed them."

Dynamics and overall insight aren't yet good enough to trouble the mighty Sony WH-1000XM6 or superlative Sennheiser HDB 630, but this bolder, more muscular sound is certainly a step in the right direction. When the Ace Ultra 2 rock up in a few years, we're expecting the full five stars, Sonos.

Expanded Sonos integration

We're fully aware that ecosystem integration is a massive part of why you may want to buy a Sonos product, and the Ace Ultra are no different. Like the Ace before them, a significant chunk of their allure comes from their ability to play ball with newer-generation Sonos soundbars and wireless speakers.

Like the original Ace, the Ace Ultra feature Sonos' TrueCinema calibration tech, which uses spatial software to tailor your headphones’ acoustics to your room, externalising audio away from your head to create a sound that more closely matches your listening space's real-world characteristics. It works well for us, and certainly helped Blade Runner 2049 sound more purposeful, immersive and cinematic as a result.

The Ace Ultra also add Sonos’ new 'headphone linking' feature, letting you transfer sound to the Ace Ultra from most current Sonos products working under the Sonos 27 operating system, including the Arc Ultra, Ray, Beam (Gen 2) and new Beam Ultra soundbars, and the Era 100, Era 300, Move 2, Play and Roam 2 wireless speakers.

We struggled to get the feature to play ball with the Play on a domestic network, but taking the headphones into our London office and connecting them up to the same system as the new Beam (Gen 2) soundbar worked a treat.

We were able to swap audio from Blade Runner 2049 from the Beam onto the headphones by pressing and holding the Ace Ultra’s content key for around five seconds. To get sound back onto the soundbar, we simply held the button down again, and the second-gen Beam took over audio duties once more.

If you share with housemates, live with a partner and kids or have neighbours who object to your Sonos soundbar pumping out blockbusters at 1am, that could be a really handy feature when you want quick and easily accessible personal listening at the touch of a button.

Cool and comfortable cans

In fairness to 2024's Sonos Ace, a lack of comfort was never something with which we took major issue during testing. If anything, we always found the Ace to be a nicely made and easy to get along with pair of headphones, blending a lightweight, minimalist design with solid ergonomics and nicely padded vegan leather earcups.

It's a similar story with the Ace Ultra, albeit a slightly better one. While their general form and size are practically identical to their forebears, the newer over-ears' earpads have been upgraded with new ‘Rebound’ memory foam cushions, designed to improve comfort via a plusher, more forgiving fit.

These things often vary from person to person, but we also found that they're resistant to heating our ears, a real bonus during those longer listening marathons. Even at this level, that's not always a guarantee.

A cheaper initial price

Well, what a nice surprise this was.

The original Ace launched at £449 / $449 / AU$699 in 2024, but their price has since dropped in the intervening years to a more modest £299 / $299 / AU$449.

The Ace Ultra, on the other hand, landed at £399 / $449 / AU$699, a lower figure than their stablemates which puts them in direct competition with the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM6 (£400 / $450 / AU$699) and the excellent five-star Sennheiser HDB 630 (£400 / $500 / AU$1000).

Sonos has confirmed that it will keep the older Ace on sale alongside the new step-up model, rather than pitching the Ace Ultra as a direct replacement. That means that Sonos lovers have a more appealing choice of things, as they can either save a bit of cash on the now-cheaper original Ace, or get the Ace Ultra at a competitive opening RRP.

For the record, we'd go for the Ace Ultra every time.

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Best wireless headphones reviewed and rated by our in-house experts

Wireless headphones are about to get more advanced, thanks to Qualcomm’s next generation of processors. Its Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 platform promises better active noise cancellation (ANC), greater power efficiency and, of course, oodles of AI. It could also help wireless headphones and earbuds sound even better.

Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 offers twice the AI capabilities of the Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound platform, uses up to 40 per cent less power and is 30 per cent smaller. Which should mean headphones featuring it have longer battery life and are more responsive to your surroundings. The smaller size should also let manufacturers use larger drivers and more components without making the headphones unduly bulky.

Qualcomm processors are used in headphones from Bose, Cambridge Audio, Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins and more, so we should see these advances in some of the biggest models of the year.

Qualcomm also bigs up the platform’s multi-core processing, which will let headphones simultaneously perform AI, audio, communication and wellness-sensing capabilities. And it uses what Qualcomm calls ‘integrated micro-power wi-fi’ to provide a more robust wireless connection with cloud-based audio and personal AI without impacting battery life.

It will support Bluetooth 7.0 and Higher Bands, XPAN and lossless, low-latency sound.

ANC promises to be up to twice as effective as in the previous generation, and is designed for “consistent, real-world performance, not just ideal conditions”. While its promises sound familiar – ANC that automatically adjusts to changes in fit, movement, and environmental noise isn’t exactly new – we should see advances in performance. In other words, it should do all this better than the current generation of wireless headphones.

We are also promised “stronger performance in challenging scenarios, including low-frequency noise, dynamic environments, and open-ear designs.”

Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 will also see the debut of Snapdragon Sound Apps and Agents, which is effectively an app store for headphones. Powered by software ecosystem MicroEJ, it will expand your headphones’ capabilities through third-party support. Qobuz, Roon and infotainment/connected audio company Cinemo are confirmed as launch partners.

Of course, how good and useful all this is depends on how manufacturers implement the tech at their disposal. We should see the first headphones to feature Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 to roll out soon, so stay tuned for our reviews to see how they fare.

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The best wireless headphones around

I spent 10 hours on trains listening to the Sony XM6 – and now I want to upgrade (my headphones, not my train ticket)

I test headphones for a living but can’t make sense of the AirPods 5 launch

After months of rumours, speculation and quite a few leaks along the way, Beats’ latest flagship wireless headphones have officially arrived.

The Beats 360 have been in the pipeline for a long while, but the all-new flagship cans have now definitively broken cover, pledging to bring “the best sound and most refined comfort in Beats history” along with them.

Built around a bespoke acoustic platform, the flagship over-ears boast an all-new acoustic architecture with bespoke drivers developed exclusively for the 360. The drivers employ three-layer diaphragms and dual neodymium magnets to create what Beats calls “powerful bass and incredible precision across the tonal range with ultra-low distortion”.

The 360 are also equipped with what Beats describes as its “most powerful noise-cancelling technology”, complemented by a transparency mode that lets users hear their surroundings more readily.

An Adaptive EQ setting works to dynamically adjust acoustic frequencies based on the wearer’s fit for a more personalised sound experience, while Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking promises “deep, immersive audio across music and movies”.

The flagship Beats deliver around 32 hours of battery life with noise-cancelling switched and spatial audio on. Thanks to the headphones’ ‘Fast Fuel’ capabilities, a five-minute charge provides an hour of playback via USB-C.

The Beats 360 are powered by a custom Beats chip for integration across both Apple and Android ecosystems.

That means Apple users get iOS integration, one-touch pairing, access to Apple’s Siri voice assistant and automatic switching between devices, as well as ‘Find My’ capabilities to help locate your headphones using your iPhone. Android users, conversely, benefit from the likes of Android Fast Pair and the ‘Find Hub’ product locator for a smoother user experience.

The 360 are the first over-ear Beats headphones to come with an IPX4 sweat and water resistance rating, so you should be able to take them out in the rain without fear of damage, with Beats promising "an exceptional level of durability" from its latest wireless cans.

The headphones’ ear cushions are acoustically engineered to form an optimal seal that enhances sound isolation and helps deliver a “rich, immersive” audio signature. The flagship Beats also feature interchangeable ear and headband cushion kits to help users make their headphones feel like their own.

The Beats 360 are available now in four core colours – Black, Cloud, Pink or Sky – while cushion kits can be purchased separately across Black, Cloud, Pink, Sky, Navy or Volt options.

The headphones themselves will set you back £300 / $350, while the standard cushion kits will cost £50 / $50 per set. At that kind of money, Beats is pitching the 360 to rival the Sony WH-1000XM6 (currently £359 / $400), the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless (£330 / $400) and the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 (currently £319 / $429).

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Sonos’ first foray into premium wireless headphones left us feeling cold. Sonos was already riding high thanks to the success of its Era 100 and Era 300 wireless speakers and a raft of Award-winning soundbars, but translating those sonic successes to the mediocre-sounding Sonos Ace headphones in 2024 proved a bridge too far, to our ears at least.

As we wrote at the time, the “Ace's safe sound is put to the sword by several rival headphones that are more exciting, more detailed, dynamic and expressive across the board. Both their ANC and call quality can be bettered, too”.

These are the issues that the Ace’s follow-up, the new Ace Ultra, must rectify if Sonos is to become a major player in consumer audio’s most contested arena. Sonos has pledged “rich, detailed audio” from the Ace Ultra, aiming to make up ground against a plethora of premium wireless alternatives, all backed by seamless integration within the expanded Sonos ecosystem.

A tempting proposition for Sonos lovers, but has the brand learned its lessons from the original Ace?

Price

Sonos’ sophomore over-ears will set you back £399 / $449 / AU$699 at launch, putting them up against two strong contenders at this price: the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM6 (£400 / $450 / AU$699) and the excellent five-star Sennheiser HDB 630 (£400 / $500 / AU$1000).

The original Ace launched at £449 / $449 / AU$699, but their price has since dropped to a more modest £299 / $299 / AU$449. To be clear, Sonos says it will keep the Ace on sale alongside the new step-up model, rather than pitching the Ace Ultra as a direct replacement.

Build & comfort

While we weren’t necessarily that keen on how the original Sonos Ace sounded, we found it hard to fault their design, praising the cans’ minimalist aesthetic, comfortable fit and premium feel.

Happily, those qualities have translated across to the new Ace Ultra. Sonos’ second effort hasn’t deviated much from the original over-ear’s clean, understated design language, with the Ace Ultra sporting a pair of clean, smooth plastic earcups adorned with a shining Sonos logo and complemented by exposed metal arms.

The minimalist aesthetic won’t suit all tastes, but in terms of how the headphones actually feel, it’s hard to complain. The plastic is solid and durable, the metal hinges shine with a polished presence, and the buttons and toggles are responsive and reasonably tactile during operation.

That said, we would ideally like the Ace Ultra to fold away as the Sony WH-1000XM6 do, rather than simply having the earcups swivel horizontally on their hinges, but that won’t be a dealbreaker for most.

Elsewhere, the Ace Ultras’ soft ear cushions and padded adjustable headband make them a pleasure to live with. The earpads have been upgraded for the Ace Ultra, with the new ‘Rebound’ memory foam cushions, designed not only to improve comfort levels but aid passive noise reduction – we found they offer a plusher, more forgiving fit.

They’re capable of keeping their cool, too, and even as wearing sessions turn from minutes to hours, the Sonos over-ears resist the urge to heat our ears and turn our listening from serene to sweat-inducing.

As before, the ear pads attach magnetically, meaning you can remove them easily and buy replacements from the Sonos store for around £40 / $40 if they begin to wear out over time. You can also replace the headphones’ battery yourself, adding to the headphones’ impressive sustainability credentials.

How about controls? Where the likes of the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless and Sony WH-1000XM6 have implemented predominantly haptic on-unit systems, Sonos has stuck to its guns and gone for tactile buttons on the side of each of the Ace Ultras’ earcups.

A physical toggle for quickly adjusting your noise-cancelling mode is located at the base of the right earcup, while a ‘content key’ lets you control volume, pause music, and even answer calls by either sliding the toggle up and down or pressing down in the centre. In terms of its basic ergonomics, it’s a simple toggle to use, and our only issue would be that it can sometimes force your hand into a slightly odd position when performing certain commands.

While the Ace Ultra might look similar to the original Ace on the outside, scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find a fresh set of Sonos-designed 40mm dynamic drive units. The new drivers incorporate a dual-ring magnet motor structure, designed to significantly reduce distortion and deliver a clearer, more detail-rich sound alongside a punchier, fuller bass signature.

Given the lack of overall clarity and bass punch we bemoaned in the original Ace, it’s pleasing to see Sonos attempting to rectify such issues when it comes to the Ace Ultra’s internal hardware. We’ll get to that below.

Features

As with all of its products – even a pair of headphones – much of the Ace Ultra’s appeal comes from their willingness to play ball with the extended Sonos ecosystem. Even if the Ace Ultra don’t end up scaling the loftiest of lofty heights sound-wise, we understand that much of their appeal comes from their intra-brand compatibility.

This includes using Sonos’ 'headphone linking' feature, allowing you to transfer sound to the Ace Ultra from most current Sonos products working under the Sonos 27 operating system, including the Arc Ultra, Ray, Beam (Gen 2) and new Beam Ultra soundbars, and the Sonos Five, Era 100, Era 300, Move 2, Play and Roam 2 wireless speakers.

We give the feature a whirl using the Beam (Gen 2) soundbar that’s currently housed in our test room. Using the Sonos app to get everything working under the same network, we’re able to swap audio from Blade Runner 2049 from the Beam onto the headphones by pressing and holding the Ace Ultra’s content key for around five seconds. To get sound back onto the soundbar, we simply press and hold the button again, and the second-gen Beam takes over audio duties once more.

Sonos’ TrueCinema calibration tech also returns, which uses spatial software to tailor your headphones’ acoustics to your room, granting a more cinematic experience when watching Dolby Atmos-soundtracked movies. The headphones then ‘externalise’ the audio out of your head while the tech creates a more balanced reproduction that matches the real-world dimensions and characteristics of your listening room.

TrueCinema is quick to set up via the app – for us it takes around two minutes – and once we have it switched on, we notice that Blade Runner 2049 sounds impressively cinematic thanks to the headphones’ purposeful placement of spoken dialogue, whooshing spaceships and humming engines.

Away from fancy linking capabilities, the Ace Ultra boast a very healthy 35-hour battery life with noise cancelling activated, a figure that’s up from the 30 hours of the original Ace and five more hours than the Sony WH-1000XM6 can manage under the same conditions. As before, you also get three hours of playback from a three-minute boost.

The higher-quality aptX Lossless Bluetooth codec is supported for streaming files up to 16-bit/44.1kHz, while native support for 16-bit/48kHz resolution is available via the wired USB connection. Both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm cables are included in the box.

Alongside TrueCinema, the Ace Ultra support Dolby Atmos spatial audio content with head tracking from platforms such as Tidal, Amazon Music and Apple, though there’s no toggle in the app to actively switch it on and off.

Listening to a Dolby mix via Tidal, the bass drum kicks at the outset of Billie Jean do sound a little deeper and more recessed, while the snares seem to echo within a more spacious backdrop, but the differences are relatively subtle when comparing against a standard stereo recording. David Bowie’s Heroes seems to work more effectively, with the Ace Ultra working to make those arcing guitar effects soar far higher than they usually would.

The effects of head tracking are far more noticeable, with the headphones able to quickly and smoothly transfer audio from earcup to earcup to simulate the effect of having your music playing from a fixed point.

ANC & call quality

We weren’t exactly bowled over with how the original Ace handled noise cancelling, so we’re happy to report that Sonos has made marked improvements to the new Ace Ultra in this regard.

The new over-ears offer standard full ANC alongside a more transparent ‘Aware Mode’. Within Aware Mode, you can also choose to toggle a Voice Boost setting which, as the name suggests, spotlights external voices to keep you aware of, say, announcements on public transport.

Sonos has pledged that the new headphones are twice as effective at blocking unwanted noise compared with the original Ace, with the Ace Ultra housing 10 microphones – up from eight – backed by an adaptive ANC system that continuously monitors your surroundings to deliver the best experience possible.

Such efforts have paid dividends. The Ace Ultra have dramatically closed the gap between their Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) rivals, so that the general hum and rush of the outside world is impressively damped down – if not completely removed – when donning the Ace Ultra.

Piercing highs and sonic boom lows will still penetrate your serene bubble, but this is a vastly improved experience, and the Ace Ultra do a far better job of making the clamour and clutter of environmental noise feel more subdued.

Nearby voices and general chatter are still audible, but rarely to the extent that they feel bothersome or overly intrusive. For quelling the general hum and pulse of the world as it turns, though, the Ace Ultra are up to scratch, and certainly a good deal better than the original Ace.

Call quality is capably handled, too, but it doesn’t quite keep pace with the headphones’ improved noise cancelling. Taking our Sonos test pair out for a call next to a busy main road reveals the headphones’ capacity to make voices sound clear and well spotlighted, but they let in a good deal more environmental noise than the more isolating Sony WH-1000XM6.

Sound

This is more like it.

While the original Ace’s rather lacklustre sound was something of a damp squib, the new Ace Ultra are a firm step in the right direction. Sonos hasn’t arrived at the enlightened echelons of sonic Nirvana just yet, but it has imprinted a few eager footsteps on the path to better audio.

While the original Ace sounded timid, almost apologetic in their presentation, the Ace Ultra benefit from a much-needed dose of self-belief. These headphones sound far more self-assured than their de facto predecessors, with a rich, full-bodied sound that brings a muscular, confident presence to the tunes we feed them.

That newfound punch and power comes to the fore during a listen to Björk’s Army Of Me which, through the Ace Ultra, pulsates with a raw and assertive energy befitting the track’s original intent. The premium cans grant that massive drum beat perceptible heft, while Björk’s insistent calls that “if you complain once more / you’ll meet an army of me” have the weight and urgency to have us rethinking our current life choices.

This isn’t the subtlest presentation you’ll ever hear – and certainly not as insightful or layered as the breathtakingly detailed Sennheiser HDB 630 – but the fullness of the Ace Ultras’ delivery is undeniably satisfying, like a big old burger shovelled down after a rowdy night on the town.

Instrumental textures are weighty and assured, and while the HDB 630 fill in the gaps in between with more delicacy and precision, the Sonos have enough textural insight to feel adequately well-rounded. To return to our burger analogy, you can discern the taste of sharp pickles and tangy onions as opposed to nothing but fat, meaty beef.

That bottom bun isn’t too soggy, either, by which we mean the Sonos over-ears do well to keep their bass reproduction in check. The Ace Ultra aren’t short on lower-end clout, yet they do well to prevent those bass frequencies from sounding rumbly or lacking definition.

A wired connection helps to further firm up the bass just a tad, with a physical tether giving the Sonos over-ears a slightly lighter, clearer presentation than via Bluetooth. It isn’t night and day by any means, but it feels as though the Ace Ultra are painting with a finer, lighter brush when listening with the provided cables.

Wired or wireless, though, the Ace Ultra aren’t quite the finished article. Rhythmically, they’re not the most agile premium headphones we’ve ever clamped over our ears, nor are they the most precise. Leading edges of notes don’t cut through with the razor-sharp precision of the Sennheiser HDB 630 or Sony WH-1000XM6, robbing Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground of its peppy potential when played via the Ace Ultra.

Dynamically, there’s also room for improvement, and while we can’t fault the headphones’ power, everything tends to sound a little one-size-fits-all. Listening to Hans Zimmer’s Jack Sparrow from the Pirates Of The Caribbean soundtrack highlights this comparative deficiency, as those raucous, swooping strings aren’t quite communicated with the jaunty abandon as befits the track’s off-kilter namesake.

Again, the class leaders from Sennheiser and Sony are simply more expressive and engaging in this regard, delighting in how they reproduce every arcing rise and swooping fall of the strings as they swell and break throughout the Pirates score. The Ace Ultra are the gentle lapping of waves on a shore – their rivals, by contrast, are like a cresting musical tsunami.

Verdict

The Sonos Ace Ultra are a significant improvement on the original three-star Ace. They haven’t reached that fifth star yet, but thanks to their powerful sound, improved noise cancelling and compatibility with the wider Sonos ecosystem, this is a far more compelling demonstration that Sonos could one day contend with the best of Sony, Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins.

If you’re a devotee needing a pair of wireless headphones to go with your Sonos soundbars and wireless speakers, we wouldn’t dissuade you from adding the Ace Ultra to your collection.

Review published: 22nd September 2026

SCORES

• Sound 4
• Build 4
• Features 5

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“Really?!” That was my initial reaction when I heard the first rumours that Sony was readying the WH-1000XM4C.

The use of those two punctuation marks is intended to indicate that it was a reaction of both excitement and confusion. I was excited, because the original WH-1000XM4 is a classic. It’s one of the models that has made the biggest impression on me out of all the pairs of wireless headphones I have tested over the years.

These headphones took performance to a whole new level when they launched back in 2020 – look around online, and there’s still a lot of love shown to this particular pair.

The confused part of me, though, wondered where Sony would place them in its current range, since it already has the XM4’s successor, the WH-1000XM5 (pictured above). And this is a pair which is already pretty well discounted.

Following Sony’s official WH-1000XM4C unveiling (pictured below), though, the picture has become clearer. Or has it?

We know the new headphones cost £219 / $300 / AU$449.95, which is pretty close to where the WH-1000XM5 headphones sit right now.

We also know that the WH-1000XM5 will go end of life in February next year, as they aren’t compliant with EU battery regulation 2023/1542 (which stipulates that portable batteries need to be able to be removed by the end user), which comes into effect at the same time. The XM4C is compliant. So, I’m left wondering where the incentive is for people to go out and buy the XM5?

In our WH-1000XM5 review, we found them to feel less premium than the XM4, and they also don’t have the folding design of that model, which was a big selling point back at the time.

They still sound great, though, and at the time of our original WH-1000XM5 vs WH-1000XM4 comparison, we felt the newer model sounded “clearer and more open” and that the headphones were “more precise in the low-end, making the XM4 sound a little thick by comparison”.

We do know Sony has retuned the sound of the XM4C, but this is only through DSP – the hardware remains the same.

The WH-1000XM5, by contrast, introduced a smaller 30mm driver compared with the 40mm unit of XM4, so Sony will only be able to tweak the sound of the new model so far. We will, of course, let you know if and how the sound has changed once we get a pair into our test rooms.

I’m also intrigued to see how pricing looks over the next few months.

If retailers try to move all their existing XM5 stock with one eye on February next year, could they drop the price of those headphones below WH-1000XM4C? It could be an interesting few months that lie ahead, especially if you’re on the lookout for a new pair of wireless headphones at a great price.

It's not often we have two competing pairs of headphones from the same brand around the same price, but at least this should give an added element of choice for the consumer.

What do you think? Do you think there’s still a place for the WH-1000XM5 following Sony’s recent announcement? Would you consider a pair if they still sound better than the WH-1000XM4C? Let us know in the comments below.

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Audio-Technica is no stranger to wired over-ear headphones, but the Japanese company is expanding into unknown territory with its first-ever pair of open-backed wireless headphones: the ATH-AL5NC.

The beating heart of the ATH-AL5NC is a set of 53mm dynamic drivers that, says Audio-Technica, create a "detailed soundstage" made more natural and open by virtue of the headphones' open-backed design.

Being a pair of open-backs, the ATH-AL5NC don't offer full-fat active noise cancelling, instead offering a 'noise reduction' toggle to help reduce background noise and ambient sounds.

Audio-Technica is going big on battery life for the ATH-AL5NC, promising a hefty 75 hours of playback with noise reduction switched off and around 50 hours with it turned on.

If you run out of juice, a 15-minute quick charge promises to deliver up to eight hours of playtime, and if charging isn’t an option, users can switch to a wired connection via the included 3.5mm-ended cable.

The new over-ears also feature a 'Sound Leakage Reduction' mode, aiming, as you might have guessed, to reduce the amount of sound leakage coming out of the open-backed cans.

To toggle that mode and personalise your overall listening experience, you can control the new headphones via the A-T Connect app. You also get a low-latency mode for reducing audio lag during gaming and video calls.

Bluetooth Multipoint lets you connect to two devices at once, with standard Bluetooth AAC and SBC codecs alongside LDAC for streaming 24-bit/96kHz audio from compatible sources.

The Audio-Technica AT-AL5NC are available now in a single black finish, priced at £219 / $279 / AU$499. That could be a canny pricing ploy, as there aren't many great mid-range headphones available at that kind of money.

If anything, the AT-AL5NC are going up against the slightly more premium Grado GW100x (£249 / $275 / AU$440), which also blend Bluetooth powers with an open-backed design.

Could Audio-Technica be about to grab hold of an understocked corner of the wireless headphones market? We're intrigued to find out.

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We've pretty much been waiting for a sequel to the Award-winning Sony WH-CH720N wireless headphones since they arrived in 2023.

Not because they fell short of our expectations – quite the opposite – but because the budget noise-cancelling over-ears were so good, we couldn't wait to see what Sony could do when given another chance to impress.

A sequel has indeed finally arrived in the shape of the Sony WH-CH730N, vowing to elevate everything we liked about the WH-CH720N while mitigating their modest but not-trivial limitations.

Those limitations included a slightly bass-heavy sonic signature, as well as a design that, if we're being charitable, wasn't exactly the last word in luxury.

If the WH-CH730N can rectify such minor issues without losing the character of what made their predecessors so great, they could truly be successors to some of our favourite headphones of the past few years. Now that's something worth getting excited about.

When Sony invited us for an exclusive look at the WH-CH730N, we had to take advantage. We haven't heard the new headphones yet, but we've had a sneak peek at how they look and feel, and heard directly from Sony about the changes the next-gen over-ears have made. From what we've seen, they could be something very special.

Excited for: a new folding look

When we went to see them in person a few weeks ago, we really liked the way the new WH-CH730N looked.

Taste is subjective – and how a pair of headphones appear on the outside should be a secondary priority to how they sound – but that wholesale redesign really works for us. The WH-CH720N were, to be charitable, rather rough and ready headphones, but the smoother, more modern design of their successors feels like a big improvement. Out are the rather basic earcups, replaced by larger, more premium cups that come across as far more premium than the headphones' modest price might suggest.

Better still, they should be more ergonomic to live with thanks to the fact that the new over-ears feel sturdier and are now fully foldable, something that was lacking in the somewhat rigid WH-CH720N. It was always a worry that you might accidentally snap your precious headphones in transit, but full foldability helps assuage such fears this time around.

It makes sense considering that these are still reasonably budget-friendly headphones geared towards everyday use. When you've got over-ears that are going to be thrown into backpacks and tossed into the back of the car, you want to know they're going to survive years of potentially hard use.

Excited for: refined tuning and (hopefully) better sound

At first, it was easy to hear the news that Sony hadn’t updated the physical drivers for the Sony WH-CH730N. You expect new hardware from one generation to the next, so the fact that Sony had kept the same 30mm dynamic units as found in the WH-CH720N just slightly smacked of complacency.

Yet that needn’t be the case. The thing is, the WH-CH720N sound great – they might be the best sound-per-pound wireless over-ears you can buy – with their slightly enthusiastic bass the only real point of criticism. Even then, you can tone that down via the in-app equaliser, so it’s not a huge deal.

As it turns out, we want more of the same from the WH-CH730N, albeit with a bit of sonic tinkering to make them as good as they can be. Tweaking tuning algorithms rather than physical hardware can make a surprisingly profound difference, too – just look at how much better the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) sound over their first-gen antecedents.

The punchy, deeply musical personality of the WH-CH720N…but better? Sounds like a recipe for success to us.

Excited for: longer battery life

Wow, check out these numbers. We didn’t think the WH-CH720N were exactly short on battery life, thanks to their 50 hours of lifespan with ANC off and a still-massive 35 hours with it on, but Sony has really doubled down for the sequel.

The WH-CH730N will go for 75 hours before they need a recharge if you have noise cancelling turned off, a figure that quite frankly puts their predecessors in the shade. That’s a huge usability bonus, only sweetened by the fact that a three-minute quick charge will grant around an hour of playback when you’re in a hurry.

Not many rivals come close at this kind of money. The Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT (£129 / $140) will go for around 30 hours before they need a recharge, whereas even the mega-battery-boasting Philips TAH8000E's (£140 / $149) 70 hours with ANC off can't quite keep up.

Excited for: that seamless Sony usability

From the bottom of its range to the very top, Sony's headphones are very rarely a chore to live with. Quality tends to suffuse everything the brand does at the moment, with its wireless cans exemplifying this customer-first focus on usability and performance that few rivals can match.

What the WH-CH730N have in their favour right out of the gate, then, is the fact that they're a pair of Sony over-ears. That means certain features, such as DSEE upscaling for poorer-quality files, as well as 'Precise Voice Pickup Technology' for better noise calls and beamforming mics contributing to improved noise cancelling, are already in the bank.

Plus, access to the Sony Headphones app is never a bad thing, as while it's rarely been the most sleek or stylish platform in the world, the levels of customisation it offers are extremely tough to beat.

Unless something goes horribly wrong, we'd feel confident in stating that, from its voice calls to its ANC, we'll likely be in very safe hands with the WH-CH730N.

A small concern: that higher price

This isn't a dealbreaker for most, but it's still worth mentioning: the WH-CH730N are more expensive at launch than their predecessors. It's not a massive increase – only £10 in the UK – but it does point to a slightly more worrying trend in audio concerning rising prices.

This isn't something for which we blame Sony, but more a reflection of where things could be headed across the market. Due to poor market conditions, the global economic downturn, certain political decisions and an increasing scarcity of computer chips, consumer audio prices are rising, and even the budget end of the audio landscape isn't unaffected.

£10 isn't a huge rise from one generation to the next, but when even massive entities such as Sony are affected, it could point to an unwanted trend: higher prices for your headphones.

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At long last, Sony has announced sequels to two of its best-value wireless headphones: the five-star WH-CH520 and the Award-winning WH-CH720N.

The new budget WH-CH530 follow on from the entry-level WH-CH520 Bluetooth on-ears, while the affordable WH-CH730N are the sequel to the multiple-Award-winning WH-CH720N noise-cancelling over-ears.

Both sets come with a number of upgrades and tweaks to the firm's five-star formula, though only one has had an aesthetic refresh.

The WH-CH730N has had an external redesign, ditching the rough-and-ready aesthetic of its predecessors in place of a smoother, more premium design that doesn't look entirely dissimilar to the more expensive Sonos Ace.

Better still, the new noise-cancelling cans fold away; something their rather rigid predecessors couldn't do, much to our reviewers' annoyance.

The WH-CH530's design hasn't deviated much from the WH-CH520's, opting for similarly small rounded earcups, an on-ear fit and a reasonably compact form factor.

Internally, the actual hardware that the two new sets pack hasn't changed much, with both pairs housing the same drive units as before. That means both the WH-CH720N and WH-CH530 come with 30mm dynamic drivers.

Despite the lack of hardware changes, Sony claims both sets offer a major sonic boost over their predecessors, thanks to work it has done improving their digital signal processing and algorithms. Sony's established DSEE signal processing is also on board for cleaning up lower-quality files.

The WH-CH730N boast a titanic 75 hours of battery life with noise cancelling switched off, a figure that quite frankly puts the 50-hour lifespan of the WH-CH720N firmly in the shade.

The WH-CH530 aren't doing badly either, serving up 55 hours of battery life. That's a five-hour improvement over the 50 hours offered by their predecessors. A three-minute quick charge of the WH-CH730N will grant around an hour of playback, while the same charging time will grant 90 minutes of listening on the cheaper WH-CH530.

Both new pairs tease clearer voice calls thanks to AI noise reduction algorithms that spotlight human speech and dampen the clamour of the outside world. The noise-cancelling WH-CH730N also tout improved noise cancelling thanks to Sony's 'Dual Noise Sensor' technology and an array of beamforming microphones.

The WH-CH530 are available now in a choice of Black, Cobalt, White, Pink, Coral, and Mint, priced at £50 / AU$99.95 – which is the same price as their predecessors' original price tag. The WH-CH730N are also available now in a range of Black, White, Pink, Blue, and Oat colourways, priced at £110 / AU$229.95. That's a small advance on the original £99 asking price of the current WH-CH720N in the UK, but a decrease of AU$20 in Australia.

Price rises aside, we can't wait to try out both of Sony's latest over-ears. The WH-CH520 and CH720N have been holding steady on our list of the best wireless headphones ever since they debuted, and we're expecting their respective sequels to elevate their performance to even greater heights.

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No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Sony is bringing back one of its best-selling pairs of wireless headphones ever.

The WH-1000XM4C are a revised version of the original WH-1000XM4, which launched back in 2020.

That original XM4 was the longest-running pair of headphones in Sony’s 1000X series so far, and remained on sale for five years after their arrival.

In that time, not only did they become repeat What Hi-Fi? Awards-winners, the headphones also secured a place in the What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame, where only products that make a long-lasting impression on our test team are included. This makes the arrival of the WH-1000XM4C all the more exciting.

So, “what’s changed?” we hear you ask.

The biggest change is to the battery. The reason the original XM4 reached end of life is that its battery was not compliant with the EU battery regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which stipulates that portable batteries need to be able to be removed by the end user.

• Why I think Sony’s new WH-1000XM4C headphones are a brilliant but risky gamble

This law comes into effect in February 2027, so for the XM4 to stage a comeback, the battery needed to change. The only downside is that it is smaller than the one used previously and doesn’t provide quite as much juice as the original.

This means battery life has dropped from 30 hours with ANC on for the original XM4 to 27 hours for the WH-1000XM4C.

Sony claims the design and finish of the headphones are identical, apart from a slight tweak to the Sony logo and the introduction of a letter ‘L’ and ‘R’ inside each respective earcup. The software driving the headphones is the same, too.

This means the 40mm driver of the original carries over to XM4C, as does the DSEE Extreme processing engine and the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1. While ANC performance should remain virtually identical to the original, Sony has been able to upgrade other elements of the new headphones.

The main change has been to the sound – Sony has tweaked the tuning of the headphones so it’s more akin to its most recent WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6 models. It’s claiming richer and clearer vocals, greater separation and a more immersive listen, plus greater dynamics and punchier bass.

Through Sony’s Headphones Connect app, you can now access a ten-band equaliser and a dedicated Gaming EQ setting, which wasn’t available for the original.

The WH-1000XM4C have Multipoint Bluetooth and still feature Sony’s Precise Voice Pickup technology, which helps with phone calls.

In addition to the standard black and silver (which is a slightly lighter shade than before) finishes, there’s also a new lavender option which brings a splash of colour to the range. Sony hasn’t confirmed whether a Midnight Blue option will be available, as was introduced for the original model.

The WH-1000XM4C cost £219 / $300 / AU$449.95 and go on sale this month. You might be wondering what this means for the WH-1000XM5, which at the time of writing are still on sale. Their battery does not conform to the EU regulation, so they will go end of life before February 2027, and the WH-1000XM4C will continue in their place.

What do you think? Are you excited to see the XM4 return? Let us know by clicking on our poll and leave a comment below! We'll hopefully be getting a sample soon, so stay tuned for our full review!

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Read our original Sony WH-1000XM4 review

Sony WH-1000XM5 vs WH-1000XM4: which headphones should you buy?

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Beyerdynamic has announced a new affordable pair of wireless over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation at IFA 2026, called the Aventho Y.

According to Beyerdynamic, these closed-back, foldable headphones use 45mm dynamic drivers to deliver “Beyerdynamic’s renowned sound" and have been “designed for long-term ownership”.

The headphones are designed to be comfortable and durable, with components that can be replaced individually. These include a user-replaceable battery, magnetic earpads, aluminium sliders and stainless steel hinges.

The Aventho Y’s ANC system uses two built-in microphones to detect and filter out environmental sounds, reducing “background noise to a minimum”. A ‘Transparency Mode’ is also available, which lets sounds in so you can stay aware of your surroundings.

The headphones support Bluetooth 6.0 with multipoint connectivity, meaning that you can easily switch between two connected devices. Notably, the headphones only support standard AAC and SBC codecs.

In terms of battery life, Beyerdynamic quotes an impressive 60 hours with ANC switched on, which extends to 90 hours with ANC disabled. A full charge takes one hour, but just five minutes of fast charging will provide up to six hours of playback.

That comfortably beats Beyerdynamic's own Aventho 300 (50 hours with ANC on) and the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless (57 hours with ANC on), although both these models are double the price of the Aventho Y.

Through the Beyerdynamic app, users can customise the sound thanks to a 5-band EQ and genre-based sound presets, as well as receive firmware updates and manage automatic power settings.

According to Andreas Rapp, CEO of Beyerdynamic: "The Aventho Y was developed around a simple idea: audio isn't just something people hear – it's something they use every day to focus, recharge, connect and express themselves. We wanted to create a headphone that delivers the performance people expect from Beyerdynamic while giving them the freedom to make it their own – in both the sound they hear and the style they choose.”

The headphones come with a USB-C charging cable and a soft carry bag. Optional accessories, such as ultra-soft black or grey earpads, a low-latency USB-C dongle and a detachable boom microphone, can be purchased separately for those that want to further customise the Aventho Y's use case with music, gaming, videos and more.

The Beyerdynamic Aventho Y will be available in four colours – Liquid Black, Blue Fusion, Soft Jade and Peach Blush – and are set to cost £129 / €149 / $150.

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Read our Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 review

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Stay up to date with our pick of the best wireless headphones, tested by our expert reviewers

Just in case you’ve missed the news, Sonos has unveiled a new pair of flagship wireless headphones.

Dubbed the Sonos Ace Ultra, they’re successors to the original Ace, which launched back in 2024 and promise not only new features and a raft of changes inside and out, but improved sound quality too.

We've now reviewed the new pair, and are pleased to say that they do improve on the three-star originals. But how are they better? And are they worth buying over the standard Ace? Let's find out.

Sonos Ace Ultra vs Sonos Ace - Tech specs comparison

Sonos Ace Ultra vs Sonos Ace - Price

The Ace Ultra might be Sonos’s flagship wireless headphones, but the good news is there hasn’t been a price hike for the new model.

In fact, if you live in the UK, the Ace Ultra are actually cheaper than their predecessors were at launch. The Ultras go on sale on the 29th September and cost £399 / $449 / AU$699 compared to the £449 / $449 / AU$699 of the original model.

Of course, the Ace have been around for a couple of years now, which means you can find regular discounts closer to the £299 / $299 / AU$449 mark if you shop around online.

We’ve been told both pairs will continue to coexist for some time, so we’d expect there could be potential for further price drops for the original over time, especially around peak sales periods such as Black Friday.

Sonos Ace Ultra vs Sonos Ace - Design and build

Little has changed between the Ace and Ace Ultra in terms of design – and that's a good thing. The new pair maintains its predecessor's minimalist aesthetic, comfortable fit and premium feel. The headphones feel solid and durable, and the buttons and toggles responsive and tactile.

They still don't fold away completely though, which is a shame.

New 'Rebound' memory foam cushions on the earpads provide a plusher, more forgiving fit. They don't heat up like some lesser pads, even over long listening sessions, and they should also aid in passive noise reduction – you can read more about this later.

Like their predecessors, the earpads are swappable so you can replace them with a new pair if needed (they attach magnetically). Which is certainly cheaper and more environmentally friendly than buying a whole new pair of cans.

The Ultra weigh 10g more than the standard Ace, and come in twice as many finishes. The Sonos logo also stands out a bit more against these finishes, making it more conspicuous.

The Ultra also upgrade the internal design, with new Sonos-designed 40mm dynamic drive units. These incorporate a dual-ring magnet motor structure, designed to reduce distortion for clearer, more detailed sound and punchier, fuller bass. We'll see if it delivers in the 'Sound quality' section.

** Winner: Sonos Ace Ultra **

Sonos Ace Ultra vs Sonos Ace - Features

While the exterior design and build quality of the Ace Ultra might look familiar, there have been significant changes under the hood.

The key change is the introduction of Sonos’s new “Headphone Engine 2" which is a next-gen wi-fi hardware and software system that lets you link the headphones directly to your existing Sonos system.

It’s a feature that was missing from the originals at launch and is the first time you can connect the headphones to other compatible Sonos wireless speakers, as well as its current line of soundbars, including the new Beam Ultra. It’s done at the press of a button on either the headphones or app – we found it quick and simple to use.

Sonos is promising big things on the noise-cancelling front, claiming that the ANC for the Ace Ultra is twice as powerful as that on the Ace.

It’s an adaptive system which should be able to change intensity as you change your surroundings, while it can also take into account any gaps in the seal due to headphones, hair etc. An Aware mode allows for transparency so you can hear the environment around you.

The new model boasts ten mics compared to eight used on the Ace.

This should also mean that calls are quieter and that background noise should be easier for the headphones to filter out. Their Sidetone feature should mean you’re able to hear yourself speak naturally while ANC is turned on.

Ace Ultra also get a boost in battery life, up from 30 hours in the old Ace to 35 hours in the new model with ANC activated. There’s a low power mode within the Sonos app which claims to extend battery life by up to 30 per cent.

AptX Lossless is supported once again as is the ability to listen over a wired USB-C connection although it’s a shame that sample rate support hasn’t increased from the 16-bit/48kHz of the original Ace.

The Ultra otherwise support all the same features as the standard Ace, including TrueCinema, which uses spatial software to customise your headphones' acoustics to your room for a more cinematic experience with movies that use Dolby Atmos sound. We found it made Blade Runner 2049 sound notably more cinematic than without the mode activated.

Like their predecessors, they also support Dolby Atmos spatial audio content with head tracking from platforms such as Tidal, Amazon Music and Apple Music.

** Winner: Sonos Ace Ultra **

Sonos Ace Ultra vs Sonos Ace - Sound quality

But it's in the sound department where the real gains have been made.

To say the original Ace were a disappointment would be an understatement. We found them timid, almost apologetic, but the Ultra are a lot more muscular and confident in their approach.

Nowhere is this more evident than with Björk’s Army Of Me, which "pulsates with a raw and assertive energy" through the new cans, we wrote in our Sonos Ace Ultra review. The drums are lent "perceptible heft, while Björk’s insistent calls that "if you complain once more / you’ll meet an army of me" have the weight and urgency to have us rethinking our current life choices."

They're not the subtlest performers, and dynamically they could do with a bit more pep, but they do pack a decent amount of textural insight and a bass that's weighty without becoming overbearing.

The standard Ace, by contrast, deliver “a simplistic and safe sound – not one we would call exciting or enthralling,” we wrote in our Sonos Ace review. We found them perfectly fine but at no stage did they come close to matching the class leading Bose and Sony rivals for entertainment, dynamics or detail.

The Ace Ultra also improve the active noise cancellation, being far more effective at silencing the world beyond the earcups. "Piercing highs and sonic boom lows will still penetrate your serene bubble, but this is a vastly improved experience, and the Ace Ultra do a far better job of making the clamour and clutter of environmental noise feel more subdued," we wrote in our review. Credit where it's due.

** Winner: Sonos Ace Ultra **

Sonos Ace Ultra vs Sonos Ace - Verdict

With the Ace Ultra, Sonos has obviously gone to great lengths to try to produce a sequel that goes above and beyond what it served up with the Sonos Ace. And it's succeeded, improving almost every aspect of the headphones – the Ultra have better sound, more effective ANC, more features and a longer battery life. They even come in more colours.

If you own a few Sonos speakers and want a decent pair of headphones to work seamlessly with them, the Ace Ultra are a no-brainer. The standard Ace would have to see a pretty hefty discount to run their successors a close race.

** Overall winner: Sonos Ace Ultra **

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Reacquaint yourself with our Sonos Ace review

And go more in-depth with our Sonos Ace Ultra review

The Sonos Ace Ultra wireless headphones have landed, and it looks like good news throughout, with Sonos promising a "direct connection to the Sonos system."

Positioned above the three-star Ace – the brand's first headphones released in 2024 – the new step-up Ace Ultra have been designed from the ground up to deliver the improvements to sound, noise-cancelling and wider compatibility with the Sonos ecosystem that were missing from Sonos' debut over-ears.

At the heart of the Ace Ultra is the "Headphone Engine 2", a next-gen wi-fi hardware and software system that lets you link the headphones directly to your existing Sonos system. It's the feature that we (and Sonos customers) have wanted all along, allowing you to swap audio from any Sonos wireless speaker or soundbar to the Ace Ultra headphones at the press of a button (or via the app), and back again.

Listening to music on the Ace Ultra from your laptop or smartphone is still done via Bluetooth rather than wi-fi, but this is a marked improvement over the original Sonos Ace, where you could only 'swap' audio from select Sonos soundbars.

With the Ace Ultra, this 'headphone linking' feature will work with any current Sonos soundbar and wireless speaker under the Sonos 27 ecosystem, including the Arc Ultra, Ray, Beam (Gen 2), new Beam Ultra, Sonos Five, Era 100, Era 300, Move 2, Play and Roam 2.

The Ace Ultra feature all-new Sonos-designed 40mm drivers, and the sound is tuned with input from the Sonos Soundboard, which features leading figures in music and film (including Grammy winners) to deliver a sound "that stays true to the artist's intent."

Active noise cancellation has been given a boost, with the Ace Ultra promising to be twice as effective in this regard. The Ace Ultra house 10 mics (up from eight on the original Ace), with an adaptive ANC system that continuously monitors your surroundings to deliver the best ANC experience.

An Adaptive EQ also tunes the ANC to adjust to any imperfections in the acoustic seal around the earcups, such as gaps in the fit for those wearing glasses.

An Aware mode, which lets outside sounds in, also returns, as does support for headtracking with Dolby Atmos content.

Battery is up to 35 hours (up from 30 hours from the original Ace) with ANC activated, and you can get three hours from a fast-charge of three minutes. The higher-quality aptX Lossless codec is supported, while native support for 16-bit/48kHz resolution is once again supported via a wired USB-C connection.

The general design of the Sonos Ace Ultra remains the same as before, with soft foam cushions to provide maximum comfort, and physical buttons that include a multi-function button/slider (called the 'control key') through which you can adjust volume, change noise modes and playback, and send music to and from your connected Sonos speakers via the 'headphone linking' feature.

There are three-band and eight-band EQ settings in the app to further customise the sound to your tastes, whereas TrueCinema technology tunes the headphones' sound according to your room's acoustics when connected to a compatible Sonos soundbar.

The Sonos Ace Ultra headphones will cost £399 / $449 and be available globally from 29th September, with pre-orders starting from today, 1st September. The headphones will be available in four finishes: new sand and agave colours, as well as the standard black and white options.

Interestingly, the established Sonos Ace will continue to be available. The Ace are currently priced at £299 / $299 / AU$449, which is a considerable drop from their launch price of £449 / $449 / AU$699. Those in the UK will also get a bonus saving, as the new Ace Ultra will launch for £50 less than the inaugural Ace did.

We have high hopes for the new Sonos Ace Ultra headphones, which seem to address many of the issues we had with the original Ace – such as incomplete features, buggy connections, "average" sound, and ANC quality that didn't compete with strong rivals.

Let's see if they give the current Sony, Bose and Sennheiser class leaders a run for their money.

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Read our original Sonos Ace review

And our five-star Sony WH-1000XM6 review

Best wireless headphones 2026: reviewed and rated by our in-house experts

The Sonos Ace wireless headphones launched back in 2024.

And they were big news for a brand more used to wrestling with multiroom audio than headband and earpad materials.

However, during rigorous testing, we were left underwhelmed for several reasons, all of which added up to a lukewarm three-star rating. (Here's our original Sonos Ace review.)

But, instead of packing it in after its first attempt, if online reports (and an official FCC filing) are to be believed, it looks like Sonos will be giving wireless headphones another go. And I’m all here for it.

Previously, Sonos has hinted that a new product is coming out in September, so if you put two and two together… Having said that, fresh rumours now suggest a new product will be unveiled, but it won’t actually be headphones.

Irrespective of who you believe, the new headphones model is allegedly going to be called the Sonos Ace Ultra. What the word ‘Ultra’ alludes to is anyone’s guess, but you’d automatically think a more premium pair of wireless headphones with advancements in sound quality and onboard tech.

Having reviewed the current Sonos Ace, I can think of at least three things that I’m desperate for Sonos to get right so it can really rival best-in-class models from the likes of Sony and Bose.

Read on for more and let me know if you agree in the comments below!

Improved sound quality

My top wish is quite simple. I want better sound quality. There isn’t anything particularly offensive about the way the Ace sound, but there isn’t anything memorable about them either.

In our Sonos Ace review, we described it as “a simplistic and safe sound – not one we would call exciting or enthralling”. And, in all my twenty-plus years of testing headphones, I can confirm there’s nothing worse than a “safe” sound from a product that fails to pull you in for a closer listen.

At the time, we compared Ace to their main rivals such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which sounded much more rhythmic and entertaining. You see, ultimately, if a product doesn’t get my feet tapping, I’m tapping out.

It's worth noting that both Sony and Bose have moved on with new iterations of their flagship wireless headphones since then, and the benchmark for performance has also moved up a notch – will Sonos be able to keep up?

More robust software

When we tested the Sonos Ace, they gave off a vibe that they weren’t quite ready for market. We came across a few bugs in the system, including distortion and crackling while switching from the company’s Arc soundbar to the headphones. We also suffered from a couple of lip-sync issues.

Sonos has released new software update since launch to improve functionality, but a product as big as Ace should really work straight off the bat.

I would hope that any new headphones come with more robust software in tow. I’d also want them to be ready to use with Sonos’ complete wireless speaker ecosystem.

At launch, the only product that worked with Ace was the Arc, until a later firmware update also added the Beam Gen 2, Beam Gen 1 and Ray to the list of compatible products

Being able to hand off the audio from one speaker (or soundbar) to the headphones for a more private listening experience is a unique trick which needs to be properly executed.

Wi-fi connectivity for hi-fi sound

One of the big initial rumours about the Ace headphones was that they might be networked home headphones with Wi-Fi, allowing users to stream high-quality, lossless hi-res audio wirelessly.

What we got was CD-quality audio via Bluetooth thanks to the inclusion of aptX Lossless. However, this only works with compatible source devices (i.e. smartphones and laptops), and because Bluetooth doesn't have the required bandwidth, hi-res levels of sound quality are out of reach.

This feature wouldn't be without issues, though, as joining other networks while you're out and about could be quite tricky, but from a home audio perspective, it could really help a pair of headphones stand out in this ultra-crowded market.

Any other business?

Elsewhere, there are a few extra features I think could make a new Ace model even better.

Besides support for a more advanced Bluetooth protocol (the original Ace supports Bluetooth 4), I’d like any USB-C connection to support more than just 16-bit/48kHz sample rates, given that modern streaming services can offer much higher resolution files.

I also think ANC and call quality will need to be better. All of Sonos’ competitors have moved the game along since we originally tested them, so Sonos needs to take this seriously.

We compared the Ultra to the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the original Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones at the time for both ANC and call quality and found the Ace to be lagging behind the pack.

And finally, there's pricing. The Ace launched at £449 / $449 / AU$699 and struggled to live up to their premium price tag. If a new model is just around the corner, it's going to need to offer a lot more at this price point to be competitive.

Of course, everything is pure speculation at the moment, but the rumour mill continues to turn at pace, and we’ll continue to keep a keen eye on any developments as we roll into September!

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Sport-centric audio brand Shokz has announced its latest pair of bone conduction headphones, the OpenRun Air 2.

Built for runners, sports-ready headphones use an open design whereby the drivers sit outside of the ear rather than burrowing into the ear canal, so you're always aware of your surroundings. Over-ear hooks and a wraparound stability band keep the headphones in place. Think of the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, and you're in the right area.

The new OpenRun Air 2 deploy Shokz's 'PremiumPitch' technology, which is designed to offer greater extension to higher frequencies while delivering clearer mids and a deeper bass signature.

The drivers feature a metallic dual-coil design that again aims to deliver clear vocals and a defined low-frequency signature within a balanced, clear sonic experience.

The OpenRun Air 2 are IP67 rated, so sweat and rain shouldn't be a problem. Battery life clocks in at 10 hours on a single charge, with a five-minute boost delivering around two hours of playback in a pinch.

Further features include Bluetooth Multipoint for fast switching between devices, four preset equaliser modes, customisable physical buttons, and a 'Find My Headphone' feature whereby the Shokz will play a loud tone if you've misplaced them.

The Shokz OpenRun Air 2 are available in the US in Black or Ice Blue colourways, priced at $130, with buyers able to choose between Standard and Mini band sizes. We'll keep you updated on future availability in other territories.

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Read our Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review

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A new pair of Beats wireless headphones is on the way, according to a fresh leak.

The upcoming Beats 360 have been teased before in various formats. But the latest glimpse of the premium over-ears all but confirms the headphones are on the way.

The latest leak stemmed from MacRumours, which discovered a Beats codename in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 software update

This isn't the first time that the 360 have prematurely broken cover. Leaked product listings have already been discovered in the past few weeks, whereas multiple Reddit users found the headphones listed on major retailers, including Amazon, before they were subsequently removed.

The mooted cans have also shown up on US Federal Communications Commission documents, and were even given to various global football stars to wear during the World Cup.

Thanks to these continuing accidental (and not-so-accidental) reveals, we do know quite a bit about the upcoming wireless cans. No release date has been officially revealed yet, but now-redacted listings suggest the 360 are a more lifestyle-oriented pair of wireless headphones designed as much for workouts and leisure wear as for work and commuting.

MacRumours reveals further specifications from previously unearthed product listings, including personalised spatial audio, active noise cancelling, AI-powered voice calls, "all-day battery life" (no official figures have broken cover just yet) and easy integration with both Apple and Android devices.

What about price? This is still a decidedly premium pair of wireless headphones, with prices expected to hover around the $300 mark. That's a lot less than big-hitters such as the Sony WH-1000XM6 ($450) and AirPods Max 2 ($550), and a little more affordable than the Beats Studio Pro we reviewed at $350 way back in 2023.

Colour options include Pink, Black, Sky, and Cloud, with Volt (AKA yellow) and Navy potentially on the menu as well.

With so many recent leaks and so much information about the Beats 360 readily available online – not always released by accident – a proper launch seems imminent.

Will we see the Beats 360 arrive before the end of 2026? We wouldn't be surprised if they did. Apple's launch event is coming in September, which could be the perfect time to launch the 360 alongside the also-teased Apple HomePod Mini 2 and HomePod 3.

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Read our review of the Sony WH-1000XM6

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With a legacy stretching back over 80 years, Sennheiser is one of the most storied brands in the audio game today. You might know it for its consumer headphones like the Momentum 5 Wireless and HDB 630, but it also has some serious pro chops, supplying microphones and studio-quality cans to professional musicians the world over.

Now it's working with iconic nightclub Fabric London on a collaboration that includes Fabric-edition headphones and musical performances at the top of The Shard.

In honour of this, we sat down with some of Sennheiser and Fabric London's audio experts to chat about what constitutes great sound.

Like a hi-fi listening room full of people dancing

A lot of nightclubs position themselves as places to be seen – one memorable promo that landed in my inbox years ago advised booking early, as "last week, we had to turn away too many beautiful people". But Fabric has always been all about the sound.

After all, it's not every nightclub that has a sound system from legendary speaker company Martin Audio. As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations a couple of years ago, Fabric upgraded its sound system, and added moving magnet linear transducers under its dance floor, so you feel each bass hit as a haptic vibration.

Given the club's deep association with electronic music, you might expect a 'louder is better' approach. But it's actually much more nuanced than that.

"It's not about loudness," explains Mike Becker, senior sound tech at Fabric London. "It's about dynamics, and clarity, and having a well balanced sub-to-top ratio so that every sound in the mix is valued. Our new system cuts through really well, it gives the club much more of a hi-fi feel. It's like a hi-fi listening room, just full of people dancing, and a lot louder of course, because you're catering to a much bigger audience."

Fabric doesn't just host dance music – bands play there, too. What kind of music is playing will dictate how the system is tuned for a particular night – and the club's engineers are out on the floor doing the rounds every 15 minutes to make sure the system sounds as accurate as possible.

"Drum'n'bass tracks are all maximised, and very mid-rangy," Becker says. "There are no dynamics left. So you have to cut down the mix a little bit, because it can get quite intense. A rock band is totally different. We can do most tweaks from the front of house desk, but every now and then we have to go into the deep end of the system, back of house, and do some fine-tuning. But we will always optimise the sound to the band or genre of music that's playing."

Sorry, beautiful people – this might not be the nightclub for you.

• This listening bar experience made me question whether the trend has gone too far

The best results from different types of headphones

So why has German company Sennheiser chosen to team up with Fabric? According to Adrian Reid, inside sales representative at Sennheiser's Pro Audio division, the two brands have more in common than you might think.

"Fabric shares a lot of the same principles of sound that we do," he says. Sennheiser's aim is to "create a natural, detailed and engaging listening experience that brings you closer to the music", adds Tim Bosmans, Sennheiser's VP marketing & portfolio management.

But while the end goal is the same, how Sennheiser achieves great sound varies depending on the product in question.

Its Momentum wireless headphone range (the latest of which, the Momentum 5 True Wireless, has just launched) is tuned differently to its wired pairs, as it combines acoustic architecture with ANC, DSP, wireless transmission and more. That's a lot of tech to cram into a relatively small headphone enclosure.

Wireless headphones also have more environmental factors to compete with compared to a wired audiophile pair that's tethered to the listening room or studio. "Active noise cancellation is a big part of addressing that, and it means rebalancing the tuning around it rather than simply carrying over a wired sound signature," says Bosmans. "Whereas our wired audiophile products can take a more purist approach, where the acoustic architecture and transducer do much more of the work directly."

But what unites the two product types is the belief that technology is a means to a better listening experience, not an end in itself. As Bosmans says: "Ultimately, whether it’s wired or wireless, we want the technology to disappear and leave you with that feeling of discovering something new in music you already know."

• The inside story of the Ministry of Sound sound system

Changing your relationship with music

So, the collaboration is built on a shared vision of great sound and how to achieve it. But it also challenges the traditional idea of where hi-fi belongs, bringing it out of the listening room and into headphones, living rooms and nightclubs.

"Great sound doesn’t only happen sitting between two loudspeakers in a dedicated listening room," says Andreas Andersson, Sennheiser's regional marketing manager for the UK and Nordic. "It can happen through headphones on your commute, at home, at a live performance or at three o’clock in the morning at Fabric.

"We want more people to have those experiences where great sound changes their relationship with a piece of music."

Of course, Sennheiser doesn't just make headphones. As well as its pro side of microphones, conference systems and studio cans it also makes soundbars – the Ambeo family has a couple of five-star members (the Ambeo Soundbar Max and Ambeo Soundbar Plus), along with the three-star Ambeo Soundbar Mini. Is it planning on having these devices work with its headphones in a way that Sonos is (gradually) doing with the Ace headphones and Arc Ultra soundbar?

Sadly it wouldn't reveal if that is the case, but we would be surprised if it isn't. All it would say is that it's "definitely interested in how different listening experiences can work together more naturally, particularly as consumers move between personal listening and listening in the home", and that it would only connect products together if it would improve the listening experience. Bosmans added that "the interaction between our different listening categories is certainly an interesting space for us".

And for us, especially if it means bringing great quality sound to more devices – and more seamlessly – than ever.

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Sony's rumoured cut-price reboot of the classic XM4 wireless headphones has leaked again, this time with very official-looking images. There’s also news on the specifications.

WinFuture has posted some images of the cans, which look very similar to the standard XM4 which launched in 2020. The images show the headphones in black, white and violet colourways.

The German site has also seen “excerpts from the manufacturer’s data sheet” which spills the beans on the specs. Bluetooth 6.0 is apparently supported, which is a later version than even that on the Award-winning XM6 (which have Bluetooth 5.3), and matches the premium 1000X The Collexion. Whether this translates to any new or improved features remains to be seen.

Some corners are rumoured to have been cut in order to offer the headphones at a lower price. The NFC logo is missing from the pictures, which suggests Sony axed the easy-pairing feature to keep the costs down. Battery life is also said to be lower than the XM4, at 27 hours with active noise cancellation (ANC) activated, and 34 without (the XM4 boasted 30 hours and 38 hours, respectively).

But, like the standard XM4, they are said to feature 40mm drivers, ANC, and to have a frequency response of 4Hz-40,000Hz. They should also weigh the same as the XM4.

Launch price is said to be €250, which would be lower than the XM4’s original price of £380. Given that the XM4 have fallen to £170 before, however, Sony will have some way to go to make the XM4C a compelling alternative. Having said that, given that the XM4 are no longer on sale, the XM4C could be a tempting budget option for Sony fans unable or unwilling to stretch to the XM6.

They are rumoured to launch in early September – we’ll bring you all the news as soon as we have it.

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What’s next for wireless headphones? It’s a tough question to answer for a couple of reasons.

First, predicting the future is always tricky. Even the best sages and farseers, ranging from Nostradamus to Mystic Meg, don’t have a perfect hit rate.

Second, new technologies with the potential to change fundamentally how tech works – including portable noise makers – are appearing on a near-daily basis.

This week, then, we forsake our usual tea-leaf/tarot-card reading strategy and instead ask five experts from major companies just what music fans can expect from the field of wireless headphones in the next five years.

Somewhat to our surprise, they all seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet with their responses.

AI is the next big thing in wireless headphones

For Christian Ern, global product manager at Sennehiser’s parent company, Sonova Consumer Hearing, the answer is simple: artificial intelligence.

“The use of AI-powered sound processing can also create a significant experience difference when used in the right way: for example, allowing listeners to customise their experience and adapt to their own taste or hearing profile,” says Ern.

Outside this, the firm believes there will be gradual improvements to things such as battery life, fit and active noise cancellation, but Ern reiterates it will mainly be the advanced processing power that AI offers that will define the next five years, warning that outside this:

“It's easy to fall into the trap of a feature race, where brands add more and more gimmicky features to show they have a lot – but it's not always relevant to the user.”

Kazunori Otsu, director of headphone business at Technics, shares Ern’s opinion, telling us:

“One of the biggest changes over the next five years will likely be the expansion of AI-driven user experiences. Beyond improvements in noise control and call quality, AI will increasingly enable headphones to optimise audio performance according to the user’s environment and listening situation. We expect a growing range of intelligent features that make the listening experience better.”

Personal tuning isn’t a new concept. Numerous firms, including Nura, before it was bought by Denon, have experimented with the idea. Denon’s true wireless PerL Pro are still on sale and offer “personalised” audio profiles.

The difference here, according to Matt Dever, senior global product line manager at Harman Luxury Audio, is that future headphones will leverage AI processing to push performance even further across the board.

“Integrating AI decision-making into the processing chain will allow even faster results and improve things like adaptive ANC and Awareness functionality. Minimising the latency in those types of decisions will improve the overall user experience,” he says.

“With the increased processing power, the technology will customise the sound of the headphones and tune them automatically to your specific hearing attributes.”

But that’s not all

Despite the focus on AI, the experts argue that there are at least two other areas where wireless headphones will advance in the not-too-distant future.

First, Dever highlights sustainability as a key area that manufacturers will focus on improving over the next five years – “User-replaceable rechargeable batteries [for example],” he says.

“Today, when your rechargeable battery in the headphone has finally lost its chargeability, you must recycle the headphone even though the electronics and driver units may still be functional. Tomorrow, it will be a different story.”

The second is wireless connectivity. While all the experts are sceptical of scalable, lossless hi-res 24-bit/192kHz streaming becoming mainstream, they flag advancements in Bluetooth technology as another key upgrade that will define the next half-decade.

Category line director of headphones at Bowers & Wilkins, Steven Hoyle, flags Low Energy Audio (LE Audio) as a particular milestone he expects will help improve wireless headphones’ performance.

“LE Audio is coming! The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (the central group that owns the standards for Bluetooth, with input from stakeholders across various brands and technologies) is phasing out Bluetooth Classic and only focusing on advancing the Bluetooth standard with LE Audio,” he says.

“Once there are more devices supporting LE Audio, we expect that the functionality will be greatly expanded. The launch features for LE Audio focused heavily on broadcast and Auracast, but LE Audio does allow for higher data rates and therefore could support higher resolution audio. However, we are still at the mercy (in the short term) of compatible source devices.”

The ultimate goal won’t change

Despite the focus on what’s next, all of the experts agree that their core focus when creating wireless headphones will ultimately remain unchanged, regardless of what new tech appears: making them sound as good as possible.

This sentiment is summed up by Yusuke Wada, senior manager at Sony:

“Over the next five years, we believe devices and technologies will change significantly, and more environments will emerge that allow users to enjoy music more conveniently. While adapting to changes in how users enjoy music, Sony hopes to continue delivering the enduring value of bringing the emotion of music exactly as intended by the artist.”

Wada’s colleague Kenji Ide, acoustic Manager at Sony, adds, “Sony believes that delivering the music experience exactly as intended by the artist is of utmost importance, and we continue to pursue headphone sound quality to make that experience possible.”

Do you agree with audio pros’ comments? Are you excited about the prospect of easier-to-repair wireless cans? Or are you against the idea of AI-tuned wireless headphones? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Thought there were more than enough premium wireless headphones around at the moment? Think again.

Samsung could soon be throwing its hat back into the over-ear ring, if recent reports are to be believed. According to a leak from Samsung-dedicated site SamMobile , the Korean company is currently developing a set of over-ear headphones to accompany its in-ear Galaxy Buds models, with a new pair of cans – codenamed 'Galaxy H1' – spotted in the Galaxy Wearable app.

That probably won't end up being the final official name of the upcoming headphones, though it's likely that the word 'Galaxy' will feature somewhere to keep the cans in line with Samsung's established ecosystem of mobile and audio products.

Aside from the headphones being Bluetooth-based, details are thin on the ground. SamMobile predicts that these will be premium headphones designed to do battle with the likes of the Apple AirPods Max 2 (£499 / $549 / AU$999) or Sony WH-1000XM6 (£400 / $450 / AU$699), though as we don't have official pricing figures, we can't be sure exactly where the Galaxy H1 will be positioned within the premium market.

In terms of features, we're once again in the realm of speculation, but active noise cancelling, some form of AI assistant integration, and support for Samsung's hi-res SSC UHQ audio codec from compatible devices would bring the prospective over-ears in line with their in-ear counterparts.

That SSC UHQ codec, for instance, was a key part of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro's repertoire, so we'd expect to see it transfer over to the over-ears.

These won't be Samsung's first-ever over-ear headphones. The Korean titan released the 'Level One' back in 2015, but we haven't seen it release much in the way of over- or on-ear cans since then.

That could be set to change. We don't have an official release date for the Galaxy H1, but with most outlets speculating a release date sometime in 2027, it could yet be a while before we see if Samsung can challenge the likes of Sony and Apple for over-ear supremacy.

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I’m excited by the latest Sony wireless headphones rumours – but I have one major worry

These are the best noise-cancelling headphones you can buy

Google hosted its annual Made By Google event last night, in which the spotlight shone mostly on the new Pixel 11 series of smartphones. While there were a couple of additional product reveals, including the Pixel Watch 5 and Pixel Tag tracker, there was also a subtle surprise update that caught our attention.

It centres around the Pixel Buds Pro 2, a pair of wireless earbuds that launched back in 2024. Google gave these buds a very light refresh last year; it has followed that up with a similar move for 2026, with a new finish to match the new Pixel devices.

The Buds Pro 2 now come in a pleasing green shade – Olive – but it's what's inside the buds that we are more excited for.

Google is introducing a dynamic active noise cancelling mode this year, which can adjust the strength of the ANC to compensate for “subtle shifts in the seal”.

In practical terms, this means that the buds can now dial up the ANC performance when your earbuds move around in your ears, which can happen when you are walking, exercising, or just generally moving your head.

Furthermore, Google has implemented its Gemini AI assistant to allow for voice-controlled sound tuning. A simple request – Google uses “Hey Google, turn up the bass” as an example – will allow you to tweak the settings and adjust the sound performance of your buds without having to open the companion app.

Finally, Google has added Pixel Watch sleep pairing, which can detect if you have fallen asleep with your buds in and turn off any music and the touch controls, and an update to Live Translation which now supports over 70 different languages.

We have yet to test the Pixel Buds Pro 2, although the first-generation Pixel Buds Pro didn’t blow us away. We have, however, seen the likes of Apple and Samsung make huge strides between their respective generations of earbuds, so Google could join the pack here.

The Olive Pixel Buds Pro 2 are available to order now, and a software update launching in September will bring these new features to new and existing Pixel Buds Pro 2 users.

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Check out our picks for the best wireless earbuds

Read our full Apple AirPods Pro 3 review

As well as our Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review

If you believe the latest rumours, Sony is preparing to revive a classic pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

According to a leak from French retail publication Dealabs, the tech giant is set to unveil the WH-1000XM4C, a new version of its five-star WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones, which originally launched back in 2020.

The rumours point to a new Lavender finish (to add to the Platinum Silver, Black and Midnight Blue options that Sony used to offer for the originals) and a reduction in battery life from 38 hours to 34 hours, presumably with noise-cancelling turned off.

That’s right, a reduction in battery life. Now the obvious question to me is why would this happen? Is Sony using a new, smaller-capacity battery, or – and I’d like to think this was more likely – is it because the ‘C’ version offers something that the older model doesn’t?

If battery life takes a hit with ANC off, it follows that it will also be reduced with ANC turned on. Which leads me to wonder: has Sony added more power-hungry features? If it has, what could they be? A new processor? New usability features?

Both the original WH-1000XM4 and its successor, the WH-1000XM5, use Sony's HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 and Integrated Processor V1.

The more recent WH-1000XM6 flagship uses the QN3 processor – so could there be room for a QN2 processor in the XM4C? I may well be barking up the wrong tree, but it would be interesting to see, should these headphones arrive on the scene.

The original XM4 also had Sony’s Adaptive Sound Control tech; XM5 introduced a more advanced version which could automatically adjust the sound output depending on your listening environment. Could the more advanced version migrate over to a potential new model?

When it comes to call quality, the WH-1000XM5 has Sony’s Precise Voice Pickup technology, with four beam-forming mics and AI-powered noise-reduction, plus wind-noise reduction. Would the lower number of mics on the XM4 (five against eight) make this impossible?

If Sony is preparing a new WH1000 model, probably the biggest question is how much would they cost?

The Sony WH-1000XM5 currently sit at around £229/$200 – which makes a new version of the XM4 even more intriguing. Assuming a new model comes in under the XM5 (the XM4 dropped to around £177/£199 towards the end of their life), how much breathing space will there be between them? Would a new model too close in price kill sales of the WH-1000XM5?

Dealabs is reporting the retail price will be around £219.99, which, if true, would leave a major question mark hanging over the future of the WH-1000XM5.

What appealed so much about the original WH-1000XM4 and gave them cult status was the premium build and feel and the fact that they folded properly for extra portability. We felt the WH-1000XM5 felt less premium, and they only folded flat, so I can see why Sony fans would be excited about a potential revival.

And it’s why I have everything crossed that the rumoured WH-1000XM4C aren’t simply a relaunch with a new colour and shorter battery life. I have no doubt people will be pleased to see them back, but I’m hoping for a bit more. Don't let me down, Sony.

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Sony WH-1000XM5 vs WH-1000XM4: which headphones should you buy?

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs WH-1000XM5: which wireless headphones are better?

The Sonos event next month will see the firm launch a new pair of wireless headphones, if this FCC filing is to be believed (via Lowpass).

The Federal Communications Commission is the US government agency that regulates digital devices. Firms have to submit their proposals to the FCC before launching a new device.

While the headphones are detailed in diagrams, they aren't named, though they have been dubbed the Sonos Ace Ultra. The device is simply known as 'S52a' in the filing.

While the name isn't confirmed, we do know that the headphones will come in new colours: Greige, Shadow Black, Agave, Blush and Sand are all listed in one document of the filing.

Their predecessors, the Sonos Ace, only come in black and white. Sonos has previously launched its Roam 2 portable speaker in multiple finishes. Given that most Sonos devices only ship in black or white, it could be targeting a younger market with these new headphones.

The filing also suggests the headphones could support wi-fi for pairing straight to a home wireless network (much like Sonos' speakers) rather than via a phone. They could also support Sonos' own voice assistant. Neither feature is confirmed, however.

Sonos confirmed a new product is coming next month during a recent earnings call. Its CEO hinted that AI would play a large part in the company's future success.

The original Sonos Ace only scored three stars in our review – a disappointing score for a marquee brand like Sonos. The company has since been on something of a rollercoaster ride, shedding customers with a botched app update and trying to win them back through a concerted effort to right its past wrongs, even shelving its planned set-top box in the process. The Award-winning Arc Ultra soundbar didn't hurt either.

We've contacted Sonos for comment.

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Best Sonos alternatives if you want a rival

When we think of wireless headphones, Sony is the first brand that pops into our heads – and given the stellar reputation of its Bluetooth cans, it makes sense why.

In fact, the brand's six-year-old WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones still top my personal list of the best wireless headphones to this day, and I continue to see countless pairs on the heads of commuters daily.

That said, I and our annual What Hi-Fi? Awards list alike have moved on to the current five-star WH-1000XM6; although it looks like Sony isn't quite ready to let go of the old XM4 model just yet.

A new leak reported by French retail publication Dealabs suggests that Sony is preparing to launch a new version of its beloved wireless headphones, which are expected to be called the WH-1000XM4C.

We're not sure what the "C" stands for yet, but we've theorised "Classic" and "Comeback" as potential solutions.

According to the leak, these "new" Sony cans will be practically identical to the existing pair in terms of design, functionality and driver technology, but with reportedly two very minor changes.

Battery life has reportedly been reduced to 34 hours (down from 38 hours on the original XM4 headphones), and this new "C" variant could come in a new Lavender finish alongside the existing Black and Platinum Silver colours.

While we'll have to take this leak with a pinch of salt (nothing is official until it comes from Sony itself), it's worth noting that Sony has extended the lifespan of a previous pair of headphones from its popular 1000XM-series headphones.

It launched the WH-1000XM5SA variant of its Award-winning WH-1000XM5 headphones back in October 2025 (five months after the launch of the XM6), which featured a new soft case and trimmed-down price tag. The WH-1000XM4C could be a similar affair, with a minor cosmetic change to justify an extended lifespan.

These refreshed XM4 headphones are expected to launch on 7th September, and Dealabs reports that they will be priced at £219.99 / €249.99. Interestingly, this would position the XM4C just £10 below the current widely available price for the XM5SA.

However, with their potentially sturdier and more compact design, the XM4C could be the more alluring choice. They could also be a preferable choice for those who are eyeing up Sony's premium headphone offerings, but don't want to spend big on the XM6 or 1000X The Collexion cans.

We'll bring you the any official news of the rumoured XM4C model if and when details are confirmed.

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Check out our picks for the best Sony headphones

As well as the best wireless headphones

Bose has recently revealed the second generation of its noise-cancelling wireless headphones, the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen). The release brings the headphones up to date with Bose’s flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), which were released at the end of last year.

Among the improvements made to the flagship model were enhanced ANC, more spatial audio features and even the option for wired listening via USB-C. Our expert review team awarded the QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) a solid four-star review, but they ultimately lost out on a fifth star due to steep competition at their premium price point.

Bose’s latest release sees many of the flagship’s features and technologies trickling down to the more affordable model, but there remains an appreciable price disparity between the two pairs.

If you’re wondering whether you’ll be losing out by opting for the cheaper pair, we've compared the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) by price, specs and features to see which might be the right headphones for you.

Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen): price

• Ultra 2 costs more but are frequently discounted during sales

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) launched at £300 / $359 / AU$550, which is slightly less (for UK customers) than the previous standard Bose QuietComfort Headphones, which arrived at £350 / $350 / AU$549. You can now find the original model available at a significantly reduced price, typically costing around £179 / $240 at the time of writing.

The flagship Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), on the other hand, launched at £450 / $450 / AU$700, which was the same as their previous model in the UK, but $20 / AU$50 pricier in the US and Australia respectively.

Both models have seen discounts take up to £200 off their original price, but there has still tended to be a gap of around £100 between the flagship model and their more affordable counterparts.

At this price point, both headphones land in a seriously competitive bracket. The closest rivals to the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) are the five-star Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless (£330 / $400 / AU$749), while the QC Ultra (2nd Gen) are more expensive than the five-star Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones (£400 / $450 / AU$699) but more affordable than the Apple AirPods Max 2 (£499 / $549 / AU$999).

Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen): design

• QuietComfort (2nd Gen) feature one more finish option
• Both pairs are foldable
• Ultra 2 feature a more premium design with polished metal materials

Both new models are foldable; a convenient design facet which isn’t always guaranteed at a premium level.

The QC Ultra (2nd Gen) are available in four finishes: Midnight Violet, Driftwood Sand, and Bose’s standard Black and White Smoke colourways. The QC (2nd Gen), on the other hand, come in the regular Black and White Smoke finishes, as well as three limited edition colourways: Eucalyptus Green, Dewdrop Mint and Rosewood Mauve.

We previously noted that the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) had more cushioning along the length of the headband compared to the standard model, as well as thicker earpads. However, according to Bose, the latest QC Headphones have been updated with a new headband, improved clamping force for a “secure fit”, and new oval-shaped earcups with plusher cushioning.

While we haven’t yet had a chance to try the QuietComfort (2nd Gen) Headphones ourselves, those changes sound like they might bring the cans almost up to speed with the QC Ultra (2nd Gen), which we described in our review as “one of the most comfortable wireless over-ear pairs for longer periods of wear that we’ve come across”.

Despite these changes, according to Bose the standard model hasn’t quite caught up with the Ultra in terms of overall design, with the Ultra featuring “a more premium elevated design featuring polished metal materials and more plush cushioning”.

A key technical difference between the two is the capacitive touch strip included on the second-gen Ultra Headphones, which can be used to control volume and customisable settings.

This feature still hasn’t been added to the second-gen QuietComfort Headphones, which have stuck to standard tactile buttons. Still, the latest generation QC Headphones do feature more customisable settings, such as EQ and ANC personalisation, available via the Bose App.

Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen): battery & features

• Ultra 2 has a significantly longer battery life than the new standard QuietComfort (2nd Gen)
• Both headphones support spatial audio

The new QuietComfort Headphones have had their ANC boosted, employing several features available on the more expensive Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen). Like the QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), the second-generation QC Headphones are also compatible with the Bose companion app.

When it comes to battery life, the second-gen QC Ultra Headphones take the lead with 45 hours of charge available with ANC switched off and 30 hours while it is engaged. This figure falls significantly, to just 23 hours, when Immersive modes are enabled (more on those later).

The QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), meanwhile, have a 24-hour battery life with ANC switched on, which falls to 18 hours with immersive modes enabled.

So what are these Immersive modes?

Immersive Audio is essentially Bose’s take on spatial audio, which was first implemented with the brand’s original QC Ultra Headphones from 2023. In our review of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), we said we still “weren’t hugely convinced” by the spatial effects, finding the ‘Motion’ setting (which tracks sounds to your head movements) “a little distracting”.

‘Still’ and ‘Cinema’ modes, however, proved useful in certain situations, such as watching movies, but did limit dynamics when it came to playing music. Regardless of our opinion, all three Immersive modes are now available with both the standard and Ultra models.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) support Bluetooth 5.4 and standard AAC and SBC codecs, while also featuring Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting two devices simultaneously, and Google Fast Pair for Android users.

The QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) can do all of those, besides Google Fast Pair, but they also support aptX Adaptive codec, allowing hi-res wireless streaming up to 24-bit/96kHz from compatible sources.

Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen): noise cancelling

• Ultra Headphones (2nd gen) have excellent ANC performance
• Many of the Ultra 2’s ANC features have been handed down to the QC Headphones (2nd Gen)

Given that Bose has built much of its reputation on its class-leading active noise cancelling technology, no side-by-side comparison would be complete without taking their ANC performance into account.

In our review of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), we said that the headphones pulled ahead of class rivals for their “outright sound-blocking intensity… eliminating the deepest rumbles and the majority of mid-band hubbub we encounter on our daily travels." We were also pleased that the ‘Immersion’ mode allowed us to dial down the effect within the app, when we wanted a little less isolation.

Both of the latest models of QC Headphones feature Quiet and Aware modes in their ANC settings.

Quiet offers full-fat noise cancellation, while Aware offers a more transparent experience so that you can stay tuned into your surroundings. Both headphones also feature ActiveSense technology, which softens sudden noise spikes in the environment while using Aware mode, a feature we thought worked well when testing the QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).

Between the first and second generations of the standard QuietComfort headphones, Bose says it has made subtle ANC improvements for users with glasses and included the option for ANC to be switched off. ANC adjustments for both models can be made within the Bose App.

As things stand, we know that the Ultra (2nd Gen) headphones have a class-leading ANC performance. We haven’t yet tested the QuietComfort (2nd Gen) model, but given that their ANC features have drawn closer to those of the Ultra, we are hoping they will reach a similarly high standard.

Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen): sound

• Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) have an entertaining sound
• Ultra 2’s spatial audio settings can be hit and miss
• We haven’t yet tested the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen)

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) stepped into a formidable arena upon their release.

In our review, we said that, compared with their previous generation, the second-gen QC Ultra Headphones made “meaningful gains”, sounding “more solid and musically tighter and shedding a layer of excess richness”.

We also thought that the second-gen cans retained “the same pleasingly smooth, bass-rich character Bose has long favoured”, but found the headphones’ sonic signature to be “more insightful and precise than ever before.” So, undoubtedly, these headphones have plenty of charm.

However, the difficulty facing the second-generation Bose over-ears was that they were immediately pitted against Sony’s Award-winning WH-1000XM6, which we found were “categorically better sounding, and by a fair margin”. Pair these challengers with other sonically talented rivals like the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 or Sennheiser HDB 630, and we thought the Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) were a little left behind in an increasingly competitive market.

Further, the headphones' Immersive modes, while entertaining, worked better for some tracks than others – with Cinema mode working particularly well for movies – but primarily left us feeling somewhat distracted, particularly in Motion mode.

Because we haven’t put the new generation of the QuietComfort Headphones through our rigorous testing process, it is hard for us to speculate how Bose’s latest over-ears are going to sound.

According to Bose, the second generation retains the brand’s “high-quality sound and proprietary SoundDesign digital signal processing”, but the company hasn’t shared specifics about what improvements have been made between the generations.

As such, we’ll be keen to try these headphones as soon as our test pair arrives and will update this head-to-head accordingly.

Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen): early verdict

We’ve tested the QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) headphones and awarded them a solid four-star review, noting their “up there with the best” noise cancellation, smart, folding design, effective spatial audio for movies and a punchy, entertaining sound.

Without having reviewed the new standard QC Headphones, it's hard for us to give a definitive answer about which model offers the best value, but with a raft of the Ultra 2’s upgrades set to be handed down to the standard model, the signs are promising. Stay tuned for a full review comparison in due course.

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Read our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review

Bose QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Bose QC Ultra Headphones (1st Gen): which headphones are better?

Bose QuietComfort Headphones vs QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: what are the differences?

Bose has announced the second generation of its popular wireless QuietComfort Headphones.

The QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) were unveiled today and feature several upgrades that have trickled down from the firm's more premium flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).

Intended to provide a “more immersive listening experience”, these include improvements to active noise cancellation (ANC), as well as new spatial audio features and wired listening capabilities.

When it comes to ANC performance, the new headphones feature an upgraded six-microphone array, which the company claims better compensates for gaps in the earcups' seal. Additionally, a revamped Aware mode is designed to soften sudden noise spikes from your environment more effectively.

As introduced in the flagship QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), noise cancellation can be completely switched off or manually adjusted via the Bose app. Users are also able to create customised noise cancellation modes, which can be cycled using a button on the left earcup.

Bose claims the second-gen model retains the brand’s “high-quality sound and proprietary SoundDesign digital signal processing”, but it hasn’t shared any specific details about what improvements have been made between the two generations, if any.

The second-gen QC headphones also feature wired lossless playback up to 24bit/48kHz via USB-C, with a USB-C to USB-C and 3.5mm to USB-C cables included in the box.

Previously exclusive to the QuietComfort Ultra series, Bose’s TrueSpatial technology is now available to the standard QC model, which features three immersive audio listening modes: Still, Motion and Cinema. These are Bose’s take on spatial audio playback, offering different three-dimensional effects.

The QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) have a quoted 24-hour battery life (18 hours with immersive modes enabled), which remains the same as the first-generation model released in 2023. That figure falls behind the 45-hour performance of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen). However, the new headphones can be charged while in use, with a 15-minute fast charge yielding up to 2.5 hours of playback.

Additional features include support for the Bluetooth 5.4 and standard AAC/SBC codecs, Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting to two devices simultaneously, and Google Fast Pair for Android users.

The over-ear headphones’ design has also been updated, with a new headband, improved clamping force for a “secure fit” and new oval-shaped earcups with plusher cushioning, promising “a seamless profile and modern look”. The QC Headphones (2nd Gen) will also be available in three new limited-edition finishes at launch: eucalyptus green, dewdrop mint and rosewood mauve, as well as the previous white smoke and black options.

The new Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) are available to preorder now for MyBose members, with global shipping from 13th August. The new headphones cost £300 / $359, which is £150 / $90 less than the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).

At this price, the new Bose’s main rivals are the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless (£330 / $400), which we gave a glowing five-star rating in May. We'll be curious to see how the two compare when we get the new Bose QuietComfort Headphones (Gen 2) into our listening rooms. Watch this space.

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Read our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review

Or browse our best wireless headphones 2026: reviewed and rated by our in-house experts

And our best noise-cancelling headphones 2026 – 6 sensational pairs picked by our expert reviewers

Remember when Qualcomm (one of the biggest mobile, wearable and headphone chipmakers in the world) promised we would see a wave of next-generation wireless headphones with significantly improved hi-res audio quality appear “soon”? Well, that was just over a year ago.

That’s a fairly long time in this fast-paced industry. Which is why, once the one-year mark passed, it was time for me to pull out my black book and do a ring-round of all the movers and shakers in headphone engineering to see what’s going on.

Sadly, now that I have, it looks as though we are still some way off a key milestone for wireless audio quality: scalable, lossless hi-res 24-bit/192kHz streaming.

The promise of fully scalable, lossless hi-res 24-bit/192kHz

The promise of fully scalable, lossless, hi-res, 24-bit/192kHz streaming has been viewed as the Shangri-La of wireless audio quality for more than half a decade.

Why is it such a big deal? Well, if the stars align and the audio can be delivered wirelessly without chunks missing, the standard could lead to palpable audio upgrades. As Neil Young said, when he railed against “lossy” formats, we could finally hear “the full sound the band created”.

Who wouldn’t want that?

Well, rather a lot of people, according to Christian Ern, global product manager at Sennheiser’s parent company, Sonova Consumer Hearing.

“The broad majority is quite satisfied with the quality and convenience that regular Bluetooth offers,” Ern tells What Hi-Fi? “For example with advanced codecs like AAC or aptX, which are also widely available on transmitting devices.”

Steven Hoyle, category line director, headphones, at Bowers & Wilkins, follows suit, telling us that, while the company has hard data showing that people using its wares do listen at higher quality, it isn’t convinced there is much demand for more, yet.

“Within the Bowers & Wilkins headphone range we already support playback of audio up to 24-bit/96kHz via USB. We know that some owners are actively using this connection instead [of Bluetooth] in order to access higher levels of performance; but that does compromise the ease of use and convenience that you have with a wireless connection,” he says.

“We’ll continue to evaluate the need for 24-bit/192kHz support, but we’ll always view through that lens of ‘what makes sense for the consumer’, within which ease of use and convenience are also critically important factors.”

The words “ease of use” and “convenience” quickly became a theme. Kazunori Otsu, director of Technics’ headphone business, tells us that while audio quality is paramount, it needs to be easy to access too.

And at the moment, getting a consistent, decent experience delivering fully scalable, lossless 24-bit/192kHz wireless audio quality is anything but simple, according to all three experts.

It’s all a bit difficult

As stated by B&W’s Hoyle, even if the headphones were made, it wouldn’t be “easy” for listeners to take advantage of the functionality.

“The biggest challenge is how we make access to better audio simple and straightforward. Having support for higher resolution formats is part of the puzzle, but it is not the only answer,” he says.

“There are plenty of examples where users may think that they cannot tell the difference in the quality between high resolution and ‘standard’ audio, but this is often because of limitations elsewhere in the chain. This is why we try to focus on a whole system view to ensure that any improvements in the source should translate easily to all users.”

There is an ecosystem of factors needed to support lossless 24-bit/192kHz wireless audio. At a broad strokes level, to deliver the promised quality, you need a source transmitting 24-bit/192kHz, a wireless transmission and protocol robust enough to handle it without losing parts along the way and an endpoint (headphones, for the purposes of this article) that can understand and articulate the data it’s receiving. That’s a lot of moving parts, even for an engineer.

The big drawback at the moment is that most networks, codecs and devices aren’t up to the challenge. Bluetooth, the most common protocol used to stream music, can’t support the quality, and even the top-end aptX HD and LDAC codecs for it are fairly lossy – meaning parts are lost during the digital compression and unpacking process. And wi-fi, which is the most stable and fastest option for most people, isn’t as ubiquitous as Bluetooth, and there are issues with how most devices behave when switching between the two.

Qualcomm wants to fix the transmission part with its Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology. This, it claims, will scale automatically and intelligently depending on network conditions. So in theory it could (eventually) deliver 24-bit/192kHz audio wirelessly when its data connection is good enough, but discreetly switch to lower quality, in a way that doesn’t lead to dropouts or artefacts, when it’s too slow.

Lenbrook’s Airia transmission codec, which itself was an evolution of the SCL6 codec that MQA was working on before the firm was bought by its current Canadian owner, has a similar goal.

That’s all before we get into my, and former What Hi-Fi? editor, Jez Ford’s, explorations of how Ultrawide Band could help wireless headphones, and audio in general, reliably reach the standard. Cliff Notes: this is an alternative protocol some firms believe could deliver the quality with lower power demands, removing Bluetooth from the equation entirely.

It’s this plurality of moving parts that is a big issue for companies, including Sennheiser, says Ern:

“There are many improvements available or on the horizon to improve wireless audio quality. The main obstacle is compatibility. New technologies usually require transmitter and receiver to use the same form of transmission and codec, but most devices only support the usual standards.

“Therefore, using such new standards often requires not only the right headphone, but also the respective transmitter (phone, tablet, computer).”

Technics’ Otsu expresses a similar frustration, noting there isn’t even full interoperability among Bluetooth and mobile devices right now:

“One of the main challenges today is the limited interoperability of high-quality wireless audio technologies across different platforms. For example, while technologies such as LDAC can deliver higher-quality audio, support varies depending on the operating system, device, and chipset.

“As a result, even when advanced audio technologies are available, not all users can easily access or benefit from them. Improving compatibility and accessibility across platforms will be an important step toward bringing high-quality wireless audio experiences to a broader audience.”

What do people want?

All the experts we spoke to also agreed that “mainstream” music listeners don’t necessarily put technical things, including codecs and bitrates, on the same level of importance as audiophiles and hi-fi enthusiasts – which is why they are focusing elsewhere, for now.

Technics’ Otsu sums this up, telling us: “Across the broader market, we believe consumers are increasingly prioritising everyday usability factors such as comfort, ANC performance, connectivity, and battery life.”

B&W’s Hoyle adds that even these are only part of a wider set of priorities, which flip in rank depending on the person, telling us: “I believe that each user has a clear idea of how they are planning to use their headphone and this informs their priority feature list and their purchasing criteria.”

For Sennheiser’s Ern, this is particularly problematic, as the technical implications of raising audio quality would lead to higher prices due to the need for more expensive chipsets and lower devices’ battery lives, due to their higher power consumption.

So does that mean we won’t see the upgrades promised by Airia and XPAN as soon as we had hoped? Not necessarily…

Hi-fi will still find a way

Despite the mainstream headphone makers’ reticence, there was one segment of the market that still thought the effort of making the jump to 24-bit/192kHz, lossless, wireless audio was worth it: luxury and high-end.

Matt Dever, senior global product line manager, Harman Luxury Audio (Mark Levinson’s parent company), tells us that in audio circles there will always be enthusiasts willing to chase audio quality above all else.

“For Mark Levinson, it is very important to achieve that pinnacle of 24-bit/192kHz performance in an active wireless headphone. And we know that the technology giants will help get us there in the not too distant future. There is a market for that level of performance, as well; it will continue to drive the aspirational side of the consumer to better performing products,” says Dever.

He adds that the firm is already looking at XPAN and Airia, as well as a multitude of other technologies to help improve its premium wireless headphones.

“From the Mark Levinson and the luxury/audiophile perspective, our end users crave the best-quality audio experience possible. So, incorporating technologies that bring the highest level of audio quality, be it through the connectivity elements of wi-fi, XPAN, Bluetooth [and the like], or through employing audio codecs like Airia, LDAC and LHDC. These types of elements are paramount in the development of a Mark Levinson headphone,” he says.

“And it doesn’t have to be just one of these technologies; many of these can be employed together to create an even more exceptional listening experience. For example, many of the audio codecs mentioned above scale up to higher levels of performance with greater connectivity bandwidth. The Mark Levinson team is always studying and testing the latest technologies to determine the best path forward to keep us at the forefront of delivering the finest sounding headphones.”

Despite that, he does concede that the firm is hitting many of the same roadblocks as Technics, B&W and Sennheiser, telling us:

“Mark Levinson is not a fan of any of the lossy compression codecs. But with the limitations of bandwidth available, there must be compromises made, at least for today. But the industry goal should be lossless wireless audio reproduction at 24bit/192kHz.”

So, while we may not see “mainstream” next-generation headphones as soon as we had hoped, the high-end is already taking steps towards delivering the audio Shangri-La promised by Qualcomm just over a year ago.

What do you think?

Do you agree with the experts that most people aren’t that bothered about lossless 24bit/192kHz wireless audio and that it makes sense only in the high-end market? Or, do you think it’s up to brands to do a better job of educating users about the jump ahead of delivering it? Let us know in the comments below!

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We've been waiting for a sequel to the outstanding Sony WH-CH720N noise-cancelling wireless headphones for some time, and it looks as though our prayers may finally be answered in the coming months.

According to an often-reliable inside source, thewalkman.blog, recent import filings have revealed that a new pair of headphones is set to replace the Sony WH-CH720N, and will be called the "Sony WH-CH730N".

The filing also reveals the new colours for the upcoming sequel, with 'Black', 'White', 'Pink', 'Blue' and 'Beige' all listed. That's broadly the same as the finishes found on the established WH-CH720N, with 'Beige' representing the only new addition.

We don't have many details regarding the headphones' hardware or specifications. It remains to be seen what drivers they will implement, which chipset they will use, or what their prospective battery life figures will be.

We've had no word on price either, but as the WH-CH720N launched at £99 / $129 / AU$259 back in 2023, we'd hope to see an RRP that didn't rise too much beyond that.

So when could we see these new wireless cans finally arrive? According to thewalkman.blog, the FCC confidentiality end date is on October 20th, so there's a good chance we could see the WH-CH730N arrive at around that time.

The WH-CH720N landed in March 2023, but as we're well beyond that point in 2026, it appears that Sony may be shooting for a release that's somewhere towards the final quarter of the year.

For us, the sooner the better. The more we've had time to listen to and often live with the WH-CH720N, the more we've come to appreciate them as being some of the best sound-per-pound wireless headphones you can get. For sheer value, we're struggling to think of many that do so much for such a modest price.

They're not perfect, and when we speculated as to the four things we'd love to see from the then-speculated WH-CH730N, we hoped for a little less bass and for the new headphones to fold away fully, for a bit of added portability and convenience.

The WH-CH720N are lauded Award-winners, but a few new features, such as on-head wear detection or support for Sony's higher-quality LDAC codec, would be lovely additions for when a sequel materialises.

Whatever the case, the WH-CH730N have big shoes to fill. We dubbed the WH-CH720N as "dependably made, enthusiastic-sounding headphones that...deliver good ANC and a strong feature set to the very affordable end of the wireless headphone market", so any prospective sequel will have its work cut out to improve on such a potent combination of performance and sheer value.

Can Sony manage it? We'll be keeping our ears to the ground for any further rumblings regarding the WH-CH730N, and will keep you updated as and when any new information comes to light.

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Our pick of the best over-ear headphones

A new pair of Bose over-ear headphones could be arriving very shortly.

That's according to French outlet Dealabs, which reports that Bose has leaked a second-generation iteration of its QuietComfort Headphones, slated for release in just a few weeks.

Bose's QuietComfort Headphones line isn't to be confused with the more premium QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. The QC Headphones are to the QC Ultra Headphones what the more affordable QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) are to the range-topping QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra (2nd Gen) – a lower price tag in return for slightly fewer features and not quite top-of-the-line performance.

That said, the new over-ears promise a full-blooded refresh over their three-year-old predecessors, with Dealabs' leak suggesting a new design, revamped controls and better sound quality could all be coming to the second-generation model in a bid to see Bose make a play for the competitive mid-range market.

Quite a few premium features could be about to trickle down from the premium QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), including Bose 'TrueSpatial' spatial audio, lossless playback via USB-C, and a host of new listening flavours, including 'Cinema Mode' for making video content more, well, cinematic.

Many existing features and functionalities are set for significant improvements. Bose's 'ActiveSense' technology works to take the edge off unwanted noise peaks when listening in 'Aware' mode, while improved call quality comes courtesy of more effective ambient noise reduction.

The headphones' on-cup controls have been revamped, with Dealabs teasing more intuitive button placement on the earcups themselves.

Wholesale improvements haven't been made to every aspect of the incoming QuietComfort Headphones, however. Battery life will likely remain the same as the soon-to-be outgoing model, with the second-gen over-ears again set to max out at a reported 24 hours of listening with ANC switched on.

That revamped design is set to feature more on-ear padding alongside a more oval earpad shape and a wider headband, all designed to improve wearer comfort over time.

A veritable Delux colour wheel of new finishes could also be set to arrive, including Black, White Smoke, Rosewood Mauve, Eucalyptus Green, Dewdrop Mint, and Hazelnut Taupe.

What about prospective price? Figures are slated as £300 / $359 / €350, which represents a £50 / €50 drop for UK and European buyers respectively.

We never tested the original QuietComfort Headphones when they launched around three years ago, but we have reviewed both the QC Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) and QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) in recent times.

Bose isn't quite dominating the premium wireless headphones space when facing competition from Sony, Apple and Sennheiser, but the upcoming QC Headphones' slightly more affordable asking price and bolstered feature set might help Bose claw back ground lost to its estimable competitors.

Dealabs claims that Bose's latest cans will arrive on August 13th. We've contacted Bose for comment, and will keep you updated with developments as they arise.

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These are the best noise-cancelling headphones on the market

Skullcandy has released new premium wireless headphones, the Crusher 1080 ANC.

But rather than go it alone, the firm has enlisted the help of a powerful ally in a bid to get its latest cans competing with the best in the business.

That ally, in case you hadn't guessed already, is Bose.

The Crusher 1080 ANCs' extensive feature set is powered by 'Sound by Bose' technology, meaning the new headphones boast 'QuietControl' noise cancelling and 'TrueSpatial' sound design.

These let them deliver Bose's Immersive Audio, and 'SpeechClarity' features for, as you might have guessed, clearer voice calls.

You even get Bose-tuned EQ modes to more accurately tailor the sound to your specific preferences.

That's a lot of Bose-made tech, but what about how the Crusher 1080 ANC actually sound?

As you might have gathered from the name, the new over-ears promise "bass you can feel", complemented by "a rich, balanced sound" with plenty of "immersive detail", all aided by Bose's 'WaveForm' audio engine for improved signal processing.

The Crusher 1080 ANC boast a very impressive 60 hours of battery life with noise cancelling switched off, dropping to around 50 hours when ANC is in play, while a 'Rapid Charge' facility will grant four hours of battery life from a 10-minute boost.

Elsewhere, a decidedly premium feature set includes Google Fast Pairing, Multipoint Connectivity and Auracast audio sharing technology, as well as a low-latency audio mode for gaming and movies.

Outside of the Bose tech, the headphones also feature Skullcandy's patented 'Crusher Bass' technology, which allows you to use the Skullcandy app or a dedicated 'Crusher wheel' to dial up your lower-end reproduction and "create a physical bass sensation that adds impact and immersion to music, movies, and games".

The Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC are available now, priced at £220 / $280 / AU$400, in a choice of Brown, Pink, Grey or Black finishes.

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Read our SoundCore Liberty 5 Pro review

I auditioned a bunch of AirPods Max replacements, but none could match Apple's secret AV weapon

Best wireless earbuds: 7 sensational pairs reviewed and rated by our experts

After more than five years of daily use, my AirPods Max recently stopped working.

I can't really complain. Between commuting, international travel and a house move, they'd spent years being stuffed into backpacks and suitcases before emerging to soundtrack thousands of hours of music and movies. They'd had a pretty hard life.

Rather than rushing to repair them, though, I saw an opportunity.

In the five years since I'd bought the AirPods Max, loads of exciting new headphones had launched. This felt like the perfect excuse to break away from Apple's ecosystem and find out whether anything could finally replace them.

Over the next couple of months, I spent time with headphones from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins. Their relative strengths varied, but all of them sounded very accomplished with music. In the case of Sony's superb WH-1000XM6, I'd even argue the overall musical performance is better than that of the AirPods Max.

But this period of headphone flirtation had a surprising effect: my movie-watching almost ground to a halt.

For years now, I've used my AirPods Max at least as much for movies as for music. In fact, they've quietly become an essential part of my home cinema setup.

Once the rest of my family had gone to bed and it was no longer neighbourly to keep my Dolby Atmos system rumbling away, I had a simple routine. Rather than switching on Night mode and flattening every explosion, gunshot and orchestral swell, I'd put on my AirPods Max, tap the pop-up on my Apple TV 4K and carry on watching exactly where I'd left off.

The combination of the AirPods Max and Apple TV 4K remains astonishingly good. Their Dolby Atmos implementation, delivered through Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, creates an experience that's surprisingly easy to forget is coming from a pair of headphones. It doesn't simply sound spacious; it sounds uncannily natural.

And that's the bit I hadn't appreciated until the AirPods Max disappeared from my life. Every alternative I tried excelled with music, but none recreated that movie experience.

The closest I came was pairing Sony's WH-1000XM6 with the Bravia 8 II TV. It produced an impressively open and fairly cinematic presentation, but because the connection relied on standard Bluetooth, what I was hearing was ultimately a cleverly processed stereo signal rather than the sort of binaural Dolby Atmos experience that Apple's solution provides.

The difference wasn't night and day, but it was enough that I found myself missing the AirPods Max every time I settled down to watch a film, and that had a surprisingly big impact on my viewing habits.

If the family was asleep, I simply wasn't getting the experience I wanted. I wasn't about to hobble my main home cinema system with Night mode, but neither were the alternative headphones convincing enough to tempt me away from it.

Whether it's children, a partner or simply considerate neighbours, I suspect lots of people end up watching films after the house has gone quiet, and losing that window meant the number of films I watched absolutely tanked over the following weeks. I missed loads.

The good news is that I'm now making up for lost time, because I've managed to get hold of another pair of AirPods Max.

The whole experience taught me something I wasn't expecting, though: I'd quietly built my entire late-night movie-watching routine around one Apple feature.

That's not to say Apple has the only solution. Sony, for example, offers the little-known WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter, which promises a similar binaural Dolby Atmos experience with compatible headphones. I'll be testing that very soon.

But until something else can recreate what the AirPods Max and Apple TV 4K achieve together, they'll remain my favourite headphones for movies – even if some rivals have at least matched them when it comes to music.

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Check out our Apple AirPods Max review

What do you think of when you hear the word “liberty”? Perhaps the triumphant motto of the French Revolution which pledged liberty, equality and fraternity for all, or perhaps the Statue of Liberty with her torch aloft welcoming newcomers to New York via Ellis Island? The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, perhaps, or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance if you’re into your black and white Westerns?

You may not think of a pair of mid-price wireless earbuds, but could that be about to change? The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro are already imbued with a certain grandeur by virtue of their very name, but a name alone does not make a pair of earbuds.

Anker’s sub-brand Soundcore must face off against the likes of JBL and Sony to make a dent in this mid-range field, and while this isn’t the most densely populated segment of the wireless earbuds landscape, there are still a handful of hurdles for the Liberty 5 Pro to overcome.

Price

At £150 / $170 / AU$280, the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro are committedly mid-range wireless earbuds. For this kind of money, the JBL Live Beam 3 can be yours for around £120 / $150 / AU$150, while the more affordable and Award-winning Sony WF-C710N can be picked up for £75 / $80 / AU$128 at the time of writing.

The likeable Apple AirPods 4 with ANC, conversely, sit around the £179 / $179 / AU$299 mark.

Build & comfort

Hooray, a pair of wireless earbuds that fit snugly and securely in our ears! This isn’t faux surprise or mock celebration: it’s remarkable the number of in-ear headphones – wired or wireless – that fall at what should be the most basic of hurdles.

We rarely have such an issue with the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro. The mid-range contenders use a similar configuration to the more premium Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), with an outer stem attached to a main body accompanied by top-mounted fins designed to sit under the ear’s inner ridge and facilitate a more stable fit. Those fins are fixed to the buds directly, however, so it’s something of a one-size-fits all arrangement.

They may be small, but the difference they make is profound. Those fins are firmer than the ones found on the second-gen Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2, but in acting as an anchor to keep your buds in place, they really do the trick. We took the Liberty 5 Pro to the gym and even on a short 5 kilometre run, and not once did they come loose or make a bid for freedom.

During everyday use, the Liberty 5 Pro are easy to get along with. Their silicone ear tips fit snugly and securely, yet it isn’t often that we feel fatigued by the buds as we clock up the minutes of wear. Better still, Soundcore has been kind enough to offer five tip sizes ranging from XXS to large, so you’re likely to find a set to suit your needs, and there is an ear-tip test on the app to further help you on your journey to achieving a decent seal.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Liberty 5 Pros’ charging case, which uses a narrow front-mounted screen to display your buds’ vital statistics. The idea of a smart screen that essentially does the job of a companion app on your phone can be a bit of a divisive one, but we do appreciate being able to see our buds’ battery life at a mere glance.

Features

If you want something that will last and last, the Liberty 5 Pro’s battery life is decent, but they aren’t quite the Duracell Bunny of the mid-range earbud world. You’ll get around 6.5 hours from the buds and up to 28 hours total from the case with noise cancelling switched on, falling short of the 9-10 hours (buds) and 48-hour total of the rival JBL Live Beam 3.

Even the cheaper Sony WF-C710N squeeze around 8.5 hours from the buds and 30 hours with the case in play, leaving the Soundcore earbuds lagging rather behind their main rivals.

The Soundcore buds support Dolby Audio with head tracking, something they implement with reasonable competence. Do be aware that switching on Dolby Audio will switch off Soundcore’s ‘AI Sound Enhancement’ algorithm, resulting in a modest but perceptible drop-off in audio quality as a result.

The Sony-developed LDAC Bluetooth codec is also on the menu, something we wouldn’t necessarily expect to find with a pair of earbuds at this price – the cheaper Sony WF-C710N, for example, don’t support it at all. Considering LDAC allows you to stream high-resolution audio streams up to 32-bit/96kHz at up to 990kbps data rates from a compatible source, that’s quite a feather in the Liberty 5 Pros’ cap.

Touch controls work well, with Soundcore’s system operating primarily via either a series of taps or swipes depending on what you want your buds to do. Our test pair are responsive to our various commands, and we’re particularly impressed by the levels of customisation on offer from the accompanying Soundcore app.

On the subject of the app, Soundcore’s is generally a good one. There are plenty of useful features, such as an eight-band equaliser, ANC mode toggling, touch control customisation, and a handy fit test, but some users might feel that some additions just get in the way, such as a ‘Discovery’ comments forum and a ‘Soundspace’ section filled with free meditations and various flavours of white noise. For us, such additions aren’t particularly necessary, although they may have their fans among users keen for an app with all of the bells and whistles.

Noise cancelling & voice calls

Soundcore has put a lot of effort into the Liberty 5 Pros’ voice calls, packing the buds with 10 sensors and powering it all with a new ‘Anker Thus’ AI chip, which draws on large audio datasets and uses a configuration whereby the chip’s CPU and memory are fused together for a more efficient and powerful performance when handling audio and calls.

Human speech is nicely spotlighted and impressively clear, although voices do sound a little artificial and robotic. The Soundcore earbuds do isolate speech admirably from environmental noise, so much so that traffic, wind and birdsong are barely audible as we natter away without distraction. The Sony WF-C710N sound more natural, but the Liberty 5 Pro have a cleaner presentation.

Noise cancelling is similarly capable. The Liberty 5 Pro keep up with their rivals as they suppress the general ambience of a busy cafe, making a decent fist of softening exterior noises if not completely eliminating them.

Higher frequencies, including some human speech or the clank of weights in a busy gym, will still penetrate through, as will the deepest of deep rumbles, but this isn’t a poor performance at this mid-price level. If you want a proper step up in terms of pure noise isolation, you’re going to have to spend more cash and seek out the premium Bose QC Ultra (2nd Gen) or the Sony WF-1000XM6 instead.

Sound

It’s been a reasonable showing thus far, but sound is ultimately where the race is won or lost, and it is here where the Liberty 5 Pro trip and stumble. From the outset, we’re impressed with the muscle and weight they bring to their respective renditions of Slipknot’s Left Behind and Nine Inch Nails’ As Alive As You Need Me To Be, but a lack of clarity and overall sonic precision limit the extent to which we’re truly involved in our music.

To their credit, we do get a sense of a pair of earbuds that are trying to entertain us. These aren’t bland or lifeless performers, with the Soundcore bringing enough robustness and power, especially at the lower end, to grant our tunes some proper wallop. Corey Taylor’s relentless performance on Left Behind is suitably ferocious, yet subtler quirks and vocal textures are lost amidst the earbuds’ somewhat clouded presentation.

Ultimately, there’s a lack of real refinement to go with all of that undeniable eagerness. The bass may be powerful, but it is both ill-defined and overdone, while a peakiness and lack of treble refinement haunts the upper frequencies. While doing a bit of tinkering with the provided in-app equaliser can help to rectify some of that excessive eagerness, it can’t do much to infuse any real quality into the resulting reproduction.

It’s an issue that really stands out whenever a track has plunging bass tones, which ultimately end up sounding amorphous, rumbly and lacking in sufficient definition. Boot up the opening of Noisettes’ Never Forget You or the first few bars of Agnes Obel’s The Curse, and you’ll hear what we mean.

A loose low-frequency reproduction is not the only issue. While the Soundcore buds do have decent weight and impact, they’re not as crisp or as well-disciplined as their rivals. The cheaper Sony WF-C710N are equally full-blooded, yet they have the punch, precision and propulsion to go with that muscularity. The C710N are a pro boxer’s powerful, clean leading jab; the Liberty 5 are a sloppy haymaker thrown on a booze-fuelled Saturday night.

The mid-range buds’ lack of rhythmic momentum is highlighted on tracks such as Ghost’s Satanized, during which a poor sense of timing and squashed dynamics conspire to make the whole thing sound both flat and sluggish. The JBL Live Beam 3 are better in both regards, while the supremely entertaining C710N are, frankly, streets ahead.

Verdict

Despite their secure fit and ample feature set, the Soundcore Liberty Pro don’t have the sonic talents to trouble the best mid-range buds. If sound quality is a priority, seek out the well-rounded JBL Live Beam 3 or the sonically superior (and cheaper) Sony WF-C710N instead.

Review published: 7th July 2026