Since I can remember, Headphones Wirecutter’s have been an integral part of my daily life. I had a pair of Walkman headphones that kept me company during long summer afternoons as an only child. They were lightweight and foam-padded. My next set consisted of a couple of plastic Sony earbuds that were connected with a thin metal headband. It was my survival tool during my socially awkward teenage years. My grey-and-black sports headphones served as an umbilical cord to adulthood, and I found myself listening to mixtapes from bands I didn’t like in high school.
My brain can test hundreds of headphones per year. However, they are still essential to me, even if they aren’t being tested. I use them to boost my energy, record voiceover auditions, and communicate with colleagues in remote teams.
I realize that not everyone has the same number of headphones as me. However, these are the headphones I love the most, despite being a person who has a lot of headphones.
For everyday use: Jabra Elite Active 75t
These are my most used earbuds. They are great for video calls, listening to music, working and while I exercise. They have fantastic microphones that reduce noise, and they are super-easy to use and very sweat-resistant. My ears still feel great even after wearing them for a long time. You can also push a button to hear what’s happening around you, which is an excellent feature if you have to have a conversation but don’t want your earbuds to go.
For noise cancelling that won’t hurt: Jabra Elite 85h
Since I can remember, headphones have been an integral part of my daily life. I had a pair of Walkman headphones that kept me company during long summer afternoons as an only child. They were lightweight and foam-padded. My next set consisted of a couple of plastic Sony earbuds connected with a thin metal headband. It was my survival tool during my socially awkward teenage years. My grey-and-black sports headphones served as an umbilical cord to adulthood, and I found myself listening to mixtapes from bands I didn’t like in high school.
My brain can test hundreds of headphones per year. However, they are still significant to me, even if they aren’t being tested. I use them to boost my energy, record voiceover auditions, and communicate with remote teams colleagues.
I realize that not everyone has the same number of headphones as me. However, these are the headphones I love the most, despite being a person who has a lot of headphones.
When I’m flying or vacuuming (aww, remember flying! This noise-cancelling pair is my go-to when I’m outside leaf blowing or vacuuming (aw, remember flying? The Jabra Elite 85h doesn’t boast the absolute best noise-cancelling that we’ve measured, but the active noise cancellation is effective enough to turn a nuisance sound into a non-issue.
For me, less-intense noise cancellation is a good thing–I’m prone to getting headaches from eardrum suck, and this pair doesn’t bother me the way others can. It is exceptionally comfortable and has easy-to-use controls. This pair is straightforward to use, and it turns on and off as soon as you unfold them. You can find joy in simple tasks once you have mastered hundreds of tedious buttons. Finally, I find the 85h water-resistant, which is a relief in a house with a kindergartener and two doggos known for knocking things over.
For noise cancelling that won’t hurt: Jabra Elite 85h
Since I can remember, Headphones Wirecutter’s have been an integral part of my daily life. I had a pair of Walkman headphones that kept me company during long summer afternoons as an only child. They were lightweight and foam-padded. My next set consisted of a couple of plastic Sony earbuds connected with a thin metal headband. It was my survival tool during my socially awkward teenage years. My grey-and-black sports headphones served as my umbilical cord to adulthood. I would listen to mixtapes from bands I didn’t like in high school.
My brain can test hundreds of headphones per year. However, they are still essential to me, even if they aren’t being tested. I use them to boost my energy, record voiceover auditions, and communicate with colleagues in remote teams.
I realize that not everyone has the same number of headphones as me. However, these are the headphones I love the most, despite being surrounded by them.
For everyday use: Jabra Elite Active 75t
These are my most used earbuds. They are great for video calls, listening to music, working and while I exercise. They have fantastic microphones that reduce noise, and they are super-easy to use and very sweat-resistant. My ears still feel great even after wearing them for a long time. You can also push a button to hear what’s happening around you, which is an excellent feature if you have to have a conversation but don’t want your earbuds to go.
For noise cancelling that won’t hurt: Jabra Elite 85h
When I’m flying or vacuuming (aw, remember flying! This noise-cancelling pair is my go-to when I’m outside leaf blowing or vacuuming (aw, remember flying? The Jabra Elite 85h doesn’t boast the absolute best noise-cancelling that we’ve measured, but the active noise cancellation is effective enough to turn a nuisance sound into a non-issue.
For me, less-intense noise cancellation is a good thing–I’m prone to getting headaches from eardrum suck, and this pair doesn’t bother me the way others can. It is incredibly comfortable and has easy-to-use controls. This pair is straightforward to use, and it turns on and off as soon as you unfold them. You can find joy in simple tasks once you have mastered hundreds of tedious buttons. Finally, I find the 85h water-resistant, which is a relief in a house with a kindergartener and two dogsgos known for knocking things over.
For the kiddo: Puro Sound Labs BT2200
Now that my little one is old enough to use learning apps, the Puro Sound Labs BT2200 headphones are a daily companion for him and a sanity-saver for me. Although repetition is a key to mastering a concept, I don’t think I need to hear PBS Kids’ cheerful voices and music all the time.
The volume limiting feature of this pair is another way to feel secure. It keeps the loudness levels within safe limits for my son’s growing ears. The battery-saver mode turns off automatically after a few minutes of inactivity. This means that I don’t have to charge my phone as often as I thought. The build quality is strong enough to last him through middle school.
For professional recording: Sony MDR-7506
The Sony MDR-7506 are the headphones I use in my voiceover booth to monitor myself when I record. They are pretty neutral-sounding, have excellent clarity for the price, and avoid microphone bleed-through during remotely directed sessions. They have been with me for over eight years.
The only thing that failed overtime was the earpads. These can be easily replaced. I also like the AKG K371 if I need to do some light mixing without disturbing others. The 7506 pair’s oval earcups don’t fit my ears as well as the 7506. Although the 7506 headphones’ coiled cable may seem bulky, it is helpful if you forget they are there and walk away from your computer.
For running: Poly (Plantronics) BackBeat FIT 3150
Running makes me healthier. My body hates running, so I need music to keep me going. My problem is that I’m a woman who lives in a big city and often runs alone. For safety, I need to hear my surroundings, which the unsealed style of the BackBeat FIT 3150 set allows me to do. The actual wireless design is discrete and does not have annoying bouncing cables. The controls are large enough that I can use them while running.
To avoid losing my hearing: Loop Earplugs.
It is vital to protect your hearing. You should avoid listening to music at 85 decibels or more for longer than 30 minutes if you want to continue to listen to tunes into your 90s. Earplugs are so helpful for this. Pre-pandemic, I enjoyed doing group exercises like kickboxing and Bootcamp. The music could get loud, so I protected my ears with the Loop Earplugs. They were attached to my gym bag along with a keychain-style pill container. Although the volume was reduced, I could still hear my instructor and the music. Fun fact: My instructors can still be heard yelling at me to lower my nightmares.
For really listening to the music: Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2
This is where the audio nerd comes out. I use this pair of headphones to listen to new albums or re-discover music I’ve loved. These headphones are beautiful and have the same audio quality as headphones that cost thousands of bucks. Although audiophiles prefer open-backed headphones for their spacious feel, I prefer closed-backed headphones in my hectic home. The Aeon 2 set does a great job of isolating me from distractions while still giving me a sense of space generally associated with those open-backed models. Although the Aeon 2 pair is not fashionable, I love how they fit me.
For a portable amp: If Hip-DAC
You don’t need this for most headphones, but some planar magnetic audiophile headphones–like the Dan Clark Aeon 2 I mentioned above–genuinely do benefit from a more elegant amp. I like that the Hip-DAC is portable, and I can use the amp with my phone and laptop but not draw power from them. The battery lasts long enough to allow me to listen or test for a whole day before needing to be plugged in again. If you’re into the high-res audio scene, the Hip-DAC can decode pretty much any audio format you throw at it.
For streaming music: Apple Music
Although this is controversial, I have tried almost every music streaming service (Tidal and Qobuz, Amazon Unlimited, Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, etc.). Out of convenience, I decided to use Apple Music for my family. Others may prefer services that are not part of the Google-based ecosystem. Nevertheless, Apple Music is my favourite.
Apple Music was also an excellent option for storing and streaming my music. I have vinyl and CDs that contain performances that aren’t available for purchase. These CDs have been ripped to my hard drive, and I can listen to them anywhere I am signed in with Apple Music.
Yes, Apple streams 256 AAC. This is considered a lossy format. Yes, you can tell the difference if you pay attention. The problem is that streaming music is not something I choose to luxuriate in with high-quality speakers or headphones. This is when I’m driving long distances, playing lullabies with my kids, or streaming motivational beats while running. Queen is just as loud on my waterproof speaker, regardless of whether it’s encoded with FLAC or AAC. So I don’t use Apple Music for my work test tracks, and I change to Qobuz if I want to purchase high-resolution music that I don’t already own. I honestly wish Qobuz and Amazon Music had better interfaces or offered higher resolution options. For now, however, I prefer the ease of use. However, the best thing about streaming services is the ability to switch between them if you find something better.
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