There are many reasons a person may prefer in-ear headphones, also known as IEMs (in-ear monitors). Over-ears tend to offer a bigger, beefier sound, but in-ears grant you a more discrete look, less weight in your ears and greater portability as you travel. Plus, if you're a workout warrior or a sporting semi-pro, in-ears are the logical choice for fuelling your athletic goals.
Once you know you favour in-ear headphones, you'll have to navigate a complex market to see which are best for you. Runners may go for a true wireless pair with winged tips to give a more secure fit, whereas audiophiles will care more about getting a premium set of earbuds that prioritise sound over other considerations.
Pooling our extensive collective experience of testing headphones, we’ve created this guide to help you avoid the duds and discover the dreamboats, detailing the top-performing in-ear headphones in town.
Our team has tested every set to ensure they’re worth your time, so you can read more about our testing process or scroll down to find your perfect pair. We've listed all types here, so if you want to go completely wireless, check out our pick of the best cheap wireless earbuds and best wireless earbuds overall.
Recent updates
19th February: No new entries, but we've kept our copy up to date in line with the most recent changes to the market.
The quick list
Breathtakingly musical and comfy to wear, Shure’s Aonic 3 set a new benchmark for wired in-ear headphones.
Exceptional wireless earbuds that deliver a resplendent soundscape and plenty of musical excitement.
With an entertaining, upfront sound, plus a remote control and mic, these wired buds are an absolute bargain.
For bargain hunters who seek serious bang-for-buck value, the WF-C510 deliver a sonic masterclass.
Shure’s mid-price in-ear headphones are masters of musicality – just make sure you pair them with a suitable source.
Comfortable, refined and with effective noise cancelling, the WF-C700N offer great value for money.
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They don’t come cheap, but if you’re looking for brilliant sound and some of the best noise cancelling around, the Bose buds really excel.
Even at their premium price tag, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are extraordinarily impressive wireless earbuds, blowing us away with the level of detail and refinement they deliver.
They’re a pricey proposition, but if you have a good enough source the IE 900 more than justify the outlay.
I am the Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. I've tested well over 100 pairs of headphones as part of the audio reviews team, including wired and wireless models across a range of budgets. The comfort and secure fit of in-ear models are paramount when it comes to long-lasting use, while I also ensure I test out the effectiveness of features such as noise-cancelling, call quality and spatial audio in wireless pairs. Most of all, the sound quality must befit the price tag – I'm confident the best in-ear headphone picks below will have you tapping along to your favourite tunes at whichever budget and type you're looking for.
Best wired in-ear headphones overall
Anyone who prioritises sound quality above all else but still favours the small form factor of in-ears should seriously consider what the Shure Aonic 3 are offering. They're simple but expertly made IEMs that, as far as we can tell, have few serious rivals at this level thanks to their devotion to superb musical reproduction. Little wonder they've been winning What Hi-Fi? Awards since 2020.
Design-wise, the Aonic 3 look like your classic IEMs, with a wired connection feeding a pair of nozzles alongside some handy in-line controls. Getting a good fit is made simple by a choice of nine different eartips to get superior isolation and comfort, while a built-in mic lets you answer calls without digging out your phone all the time.
The true reason to recommend the Aonic 3, of course, is for their peerless audio at this price. The current Award-winners are pros at handling dynamics as well as detail, with a sense of rhythm and timing that gives energy and life to the music they convey. If you want a pair of wired in-ear headphones that offer a step up in sound quality from the more budget SoundMagics below, then these Shures are very hard not to recommend.
Read our full Shure Aonic 3 review
Best wireless in-ear headphones overall
We were beginning to think there would never be a pair of wireless earbuds at this level that could knock the supremely talented Sony WF-1000XM5 off their perch. Technics might be better known to you for its direct-drive turntables and hi-fi products, but its flagship EAH-AZ100 buds have left quite an impression on our reviewers. They're so good, in fact, that they have many of us switching from the comfort of the XM5 to Team Technics, and that's no mean feat.
The Technics are small, light and comfortable to wear for long periods. The touch controls on each bud are fully customisable, so you can set the Technics up to control audio modes, playback and volume in any way you want. We also found the Bluetooth connection solid and stable, with adequate support coming via SBC, AAC, LDAC and the LC3 codec. Battery life grants you around ten hours from a single charge and a further 18 from the case, competitive numbers at this level.
The EAH-AZ100 offer excellent noise cancelling. As we stated in our review, the Technics "damp down the noise around you like heavy snowfall muffling the world” and can be adjusted manually or the buds will do it automatically, taking into account the amount of ambient noise present. It’s not quite as good as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra’s ANC, but it’s still top-notch noise cancelling that won't leave you feeling short-changed.
Sonically, we love how the AZ100 sound. Their even-handed tonal balance and “wonderfully clear and open sound" are a delight, with an even more spacious and open presentation than the Award-winning Sony WF-1000XM5. Across the frequency range, the buds sound precise and impactful but never overbearing, with a punchy sense of dynamism elevating them over older Technics models.
Rivals beware: Technics has found its winning wireless earbuds formula.
Read our full Technics EAH-AZ100 review
Best cheap wired in-ear headphones
Despite only having been founded in 2005, SoundMagic rose from obscurity to become multiple-Award winners. Most notable for its budget in-ear headphone range, the SoundMagic E11C provides a perfect showcase for why the brand has already enjoyed so much success.
Cheap they may be, shoddy they certainly ain't. The E11C offer a snug fit and an almost unbelievably well-balanced, energetic tone from their 10mm dynamic drivers, with decent depth to a lower end which is always complemented by a clear and crisp midrange. It's also worth noting that their high sensitivity (112dB) means that the E11Cs can deliver plenty of volume which makes them a great fit for smartphones and portable audio players, provided you have a 3.5mm socket, that is.
Functionality is kept simple with a remote and mic on the cable for the left earphone, but we're not expecting complex arrangements at this level. It’s a standard three-button job, so it should work with Apple and Android smartphones, giving you volume and stop/start functionality. SoundMagic has revealed a USB-C-ended twist on the E11C, but as we're yet to give those a proper listen, the 3.5mm in-ears are the ones we're recommending.
Anyone not willing to stretch to the Shure Aonic 3 above can consider the E11C as an excellent, more affordable alternative. Note also that we're currently reviewing the USB-C version of the SoundMagic E80D which, as you might have guessed, let you plug into most modern smartphones and PMPs via a USB-C connection rather than the 3.5mm connection.
Read our full SoundMagic E11C review
Best cheap wireless in-ear headphones
From bottom to top, Sony's wireless earbuds are delivering the goods. The premium WF-1000XM5 are still our pick as the best premium wireless earbuds around, but Sony doesn't just have its gaze set on the costlier side of the landscape. Following up on the Award-winning WF-C500 budget buds, the outstanding WF-C510 are a five-star sequel that once again tick all of the right boxes.
Sonically, we feel that the C510 are a marked improvement over their predecessors, delighting us with a sound that comes across as richer and more full-bodied than the leaner, smaller-scale C500. The punch and solidity on display from the C510 are remarkable considering the cost, serving up a weighty, driven sound that really zips along nicely. As our review enthused: "their sense of timing and ability to just get into the groove of a song works with any music you play through them", making for a deeply engaging experience.
Improvements have been made elsewhere, though Sony has made some canny compromises to keep costs down. The C510 are smaller and cheaper-feeling than their outgoing processors, but you do get new features, including Multipoint Bluetooth, Ambient Sound Control (which filters ambient sound out while enhancing human voices), on-bud touch controls and a total of 22 hours of battery life to more than soften that blow. At this level, they offer far more than we could have hoped for.
The Sony WF-C500 are still around and we imagine they will remain available for quite some time due to their popularity, with prices already falling to reflect the C510's arrival. While it's a tough choice between the two, the C510's more engaging sonic personality and impressive feature set make them our recommendation as the best cheap wireless earbuds on the market today. Another Sony winner.
Read our full Sony WF-C510 review
To wire or not to wire – it's the eternal question. Wireless headphones of all forms have exploded in popularity over the past ten years, but that owes as much to their convenience and extensive feature sets as it does to improvements in audio performance. To be blunt, wired models still beat comparative wireless rivals hands down for sound – wires are simply far a more effective means of transmitting data than via lossy Bluetooth, and even a relatively cheap pair of wired in-ears (the SoundMagic E11C, say) can keep up with a much more expensive Bluetooth rival such as the Sony WF-1000XM5.
Best mid-price wired in-ear headphones
Shure's Aonic 5 certainly know how to catch the eye thanks to the transparent section on each earpiece that allows you to see their inner workings, but it's how they sound that earns them their place on this list. Some of Shure's most premium wireless monitors, these are the in-ears to go for if you truly care about sound quality and you're willing to pay handsomely to get it.
The Aonic 5 employ three high-definition balanced drivers in a dual woofer and single tweeter configuration - provided you've got the right source and material, the result is quite sensational. There's an embarrassment of detail and a wonderful sense of clarity within their presentation, with vocals sounding particularly rich and natural. Bear in mind that they're incredibly sonically transparent, so any ropey recordings will be exposed as the Aonic 5 take no prisoners with their clear, "tell-it-as-it-is" style.
As usual, Shure provides plenty of tips to help you find the right fit for the bud, but you also get two extra nozzles that you can use to change the balance of the sound. The ones labelled 'Bright' put too much emphasis on the top-end for our liking, but the 'Warm' pair offer a subtle increase in weight and substance. We'd still recommend sticking with the default ones, though, as this is where you'll get the most balance.
If you've got a decent DAC/headphone amp to drive them, the Shure Aonic 5 will show you exactly what they're capable of. If you don't, the Aonic 3 might be worth a look.
Read our full Shure Aonic 5 review
