Need to know
- Our experts tested more than 150 headphones (including noise cancelling and standard headphones) from popular brands including Sony, Apple, Bose, Sennheiser and more
- We assess key factors such as sound quality, noise-cancelling, comfort, durability and battery life
- Become a CHOICE member for exclusive access to our detailed headphone reviews, and over 200 other product categories and services
Poor-quality headphones can make even Led Zeppelin sound more like your kid brother's garage band.
Whether you're enjoying your carefully curated playlists, catching up on podcasts or watching YouTube videos on the go, a decent pair of headphones can be a lifesaver.
But a poor pair of headphones can render your favourite playlist unlistenable. And if the noise cancellation's no good, you might not be able to hear which song is playing anyway.
This is why it's worth doing your research, especially given how expensive some brands can be.
Fortunately, we've done the hard work of testing them so you don't have to. Our audio experts have reviewed the most popular products on the market from Apple, Sennheiser, Skullcandy, Sony, Beats, Bang & Olufsen, JBL, Jabra and more.
"Our sound tests always reveal some surprising results," says CHOICE audio expert Peter Zaluzny.
"We've seen $500 products that rate worse than pairs half their price – sometimes from the very same brand. Paying more doesn't guarantee a better quality product, so it pays to shop carefully."
We've recently remastered our headphone testing, so our review covers all headphone types, from petite in-ear models through to noise-cancelling over-ear cans with all the features.
You can filter by type (in-ear, over-ear), price, brand, noise cancellation options and more to find the perfect pair for you. Whichever type you're looking for, we don't want you to end up with a dud buy, so here are the products that scored lowest in our lab tests.
Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.
The difference between on-ear and over-ear headphones
On-ear headphones don't look especially different to the over-ear variety, but they don't completely surround your ears. Instead they sit on the outside of your ears, allowing more airflow around them.
This generally makes them smaller and therefore easier to store and transport, but they don't block as much ambient noise. They also press on your ears, so poorly made models can get uncomfortable pretty quickly.
Noise-cancelling headphones to avoid
"A good pair of noise-cancelling headphones can provide a great listening experience while you're on the go, as they're designed to filter out environmental sounds," says Peter.
"But just because some headphones have this feature doesn't necessarily mean they sound good. In fact, poorly implemented noise-cancelling technology can actually make your music sound worse, which is why we test audio quality with it turned on and off."
These noise-cancelling headphone models might look rock'n'roll, but they're less Rolling Stones and more elevator music. Here's why we don't recommend them.
JBL Live Flex
1. JBL Live Flex
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 47%
- Sound quality score: 45%
- Price: $200
- Type: In ear (true wireless)
A price this low for 'noise cancelling' earbuds sets off a few alarm bells. And rightly so – they performed so poorly they should be called ear-duds.
While they received a very good cleaning score of 95% (which means they're easy to maintain), the sound quality is so bad you might find yourself wishing they 'accidentally' fell in the mud. That way, you'd have an excuse to buy a different pair.
The sound quality is so bad you might find yourself wishing they 'accidentally' fell in the mud
Their active noise cancellation ability received the lowest score of any model we tested at 31%. We assess how they perform in a number of environments, including one with continuous noise, a restaurant where people are talking, and a silent location – our testers were underwhelmed in all three locations.
These earbuds also fall down in comfort (with a score of 44%) which means they may cause you pain in more ways than one. Neither your ears, nor your favourite artists deserve this treatment.
See our full JBL Live Flex review.
JBL Live 670NC
2. JBL Live 670NC
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 53%
- Sound quality score: 67%
- Price: $200
- Type: On ear
These on ear headphones from JBL are in a bit of a weird spot, because they seem to do a pretty decent job for the price. Even active noise cancellation isn't half bad at 70%, so what's the problem? One word – durability.
We look at the general build quality to figure out whether a pair of headphones is likely to go the distance. Are there any rough edges? Do they creak and pop? Is the material solid plastic, cheap plastic, or metal? Do the buttons and joints feel sturdy, or loose and wobbly?
Your brand new headphones may just break before you know it
JBL's headphones earned a measly 22% in this part of the test. In other words, they do feel wobbly, they're easily damaged and seem poorly made. Your brand new headphones may just break before you know it.
Even at $200, these headphones are not a good deal. Despite the name, they're unlikely to be alive for very long.
See the full JBL Live 670NC review.
Beats Studio Buds
3. Beats Studio Buds
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 55%
- Sound quality score: 54%
- Price: $270
- Type: In ear (true wireless)
These Beats barely scrape by with OK test results, which is pretty disappointing if you've shelled out over $250. After all, there are plenty of cheaper earbuds that score significantly higher. Really, that's the crux of why these headphones are ones to avoid.
While there's nothing particularly poor to point out here, neither is there anything good. These headphones are, for the most part, at the mediocre end of OK.
While there's nothing particularly poor to point out here, neither is there anything good
If someone tries to sell you a pair of these buds, make like Michael Jackson and beat it.
See the full Beats Studio buds review.
Standard headphones to avoid
Don't need to shut the world out? We've got you covered. Scratch these non-noise cancelling headphone models off your list before you hit the shops.
Soundcore C40i
1. Soundcore C40i
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 37%
- Sound quality score: 26%
- Price: $110
- Type: In ear (true wireless)
Headphones have one job – to play audio. The brief is simple and yet somehow, Soundcore manages to get it very, very wrong.
The C40i earbuds have the dual honour of being not just the worst sounding headphones in our test but also the lowest scoring pair overall. Cheap 'n' nasty almost seems too kind.
The C40i earbuds have the dual honour of being not just the worst sounding headphones in our test but also the lowest scoring pair overall
There's very little here that rises above mediocrity. Comfort, battery life, ease of use and microphone quality (for phone calls and so on) are all very average.
The one area where these buds do themselves proud is durability, which our experts scored as excellent. So at least you can safely smash them into the ground after hearing how bad they sound.
See the full Soundcore C40i review.
JBL Wave Flex 2
2. JBL Wave Flex 2
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 45%
- Sound quality score: 32%
- Price: $100
- Type: In ear (true wireless)
A pair of headphones that cost just $100 might appeal to people who don't really need top notch audio quality, folks who just want an affordable option to enjoy music or podcasts throughout the day.
There's nothing wrong with wanting something basic, but even then, the Wave Flex 2 earbuds still aren't a good buy. Because sound quality this poor is never worth it, even for $100.
They just sound plain awful, and they're uncomfortable as well. Their performance in those areas is so unforgivable that the fact that they actually scored pretty well in other areas feels like a bit of waste really.
Sound quality this poor is never worth it, even for $100
Battery life? Pretty good, when really, you'd hope these buds would turn off as soon as possible. Durability? Very good, so you're stuck with subpar sound quality when you wish they'd break so you can buy better headphones.
There's no real reason to buy the Wave Flex 2 earbuds over headphones from other brands. Even the original Wave Flex buds from JBL are cheaper and better overall.
See the full JBL Wave Flex 2 review.
JLab Jbuddies Studio
3. JLab Jbuddies Studio
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 44%
- Sound quality score: 41%
- Price: $60
- Type: On ear
Now granted, these low-cost headphones aren't exactly aiming for the stars. They're a cheap option designed to keep kids happy before their ears have developed discerning tastes.
But even with that in mind, you're better off buying a pair of second-hand headphones for the same price, or hunting around the house for some hand-me-downs. Sure, your kids are unlikely to complain about the sound quality, but why waste $60?
Sure, your kids are unlikely to complain about the sound quality, but why waste $60?
Plus, comfort and durability are only OK. Since kids are famously not very gentle with their belongings, they'll probably wind up in landfill sooner than you'd like.
See the full JLab JBuddies Studio review.
Shokz OpenMove
4. Shokz OpenMove
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 48%
- Sound quality score: 34%
- Price: $129
- Type: Bone conduction
Bone conduction you say? Well that sounds funky and futuristic! Well, kind of, but all the cool tech in the world can't save an audio device that doesn't sound good.
We say 'audio device' because these aren't headphones in the traditional sense. Instead, they basically sit adjacent to your ears and transmit audio by stimulating the bones in your ear canal.
All the cool tech in the world can't save an audio device that doesn't sound good
Does it work? Yes, but at the expense of sound quality in this case. They earned poor results in our audio quality test and ease of use is not much better.
According to Shokz, these bone conduction headphones are designed for sports and everyday use. This kind of makes sense as the wrap-around design isn't at risk of falling out of your ears. But at the end of the day, you still want your headphones to sound decent and these simply don't deliver.
See the full Shokz OpenMove review.
Marshall Minor III
5. Marshall Minor III
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 50%
- Sound quality score: 47%
- Price: $189
- Type: In ear (true wireless)
Minor by name, minor by score. Despite their good-looking exterior and rock 'n' roll cred, these earbuds are far from chart topping.
They don't sound great, they're not comfortable, their battery life is poor, they don't clean up well, and their microphone isn't great. So they're lacking pretty much everything you'd want in a pair of earbuds.
Despite their good-looking exterior and rock 'n' roll cred, these earbuds are far from chart topping
Our experts had to dig deep to find something good to say about these earbuds.
All they could come up with was that they have left and right inscriptions on each earphone so you know which ear to put them in. But with such ordinary sound quality and comfort scores, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference if you did put them in the wrong ear.
See the full Marshall Minor III review.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
