True Wireless Earbuds Awards 2024 | Best Earbuds You Can Buy! (In-Depth)

Alright, welcome everyone to the

2024

Annual Headphone Awards for those who don't know, this is an in-

depth

look at the

best

true

wireless

earbuds

on the market right now. I've broken it down into key categories since everyone has different priorities for headphones, it seems obvious that sound quality would be an important factor, but others may prefer to focus on aspects like noise cancellation from workouts or phone calls. Quality. I've spent months testing all of these factors and more in multiple scenarios and ranked the headphones based on their performance, including the

best

overall. Around 200 pairs of headphones were tested for this video and not just the new releases.

I also retested everything to account for all the new features and software updates since last year's video. and we have some very interesting results for this year's lineup, let's start with active noise cancellation, as always. I'll give a brief overview of our runners-up and a more detailed look at the third-place winner. In this place we have the huawe freebuds Pro 3, a hugely underrated earphone, I suppose largely due to the company's problems with the US, but an excellent performance in all these aspects was narrowly missed in other categories, Ranking fifth in microphone quality, in the top 20 in sound quality and feel.

Fourthly for overall performance, they are a really complete package, so we're starting strong, in fact they take almost every spec out of the box, a fantastic control scheme including usage detection, a compact case with

wireless

charging and a feature-packed app experience. to mention additional features exclusive to Huawei devices, but noise cancellation is what gets them in this video and it's really special, beating devices like Sony Jabra and Technic. The headset can block out a phenomenal amount of noise, and without artificial hiss, there is a lot of it. of different modes to change the level including adaptive and transparency mode here is not too bad, the sound quality here is also energetic with a full-bodied base and a pleasantly wide soundstage.

You can find them for around $250 online, but I managed to get them. them for just £150 here in the UK, in second place and maintaining their position from last year are Apple's second generation airpods Pro. Now I wouldn't necessarily recommend them to Android users because there are a lot of Apple-exclusive features on the other one. On the other hand, that's specifically why an iPhone user should consider them because you simply can't get those features or that experience with any other pair of headphones. I had a coming category in last year's video to specifically highlight this and that the advantage of iPhone airpods will never change. even on Android you can benefit from the excellent Fantastic Comfort and ANC quality that the airpods pro offer, they have class-leading transparency and since last year we introduced Adaptive A&C mode as well as conversation recognition, which even allows you lets Sony talk to Apple now does it better and there is only one company that can beat them when it comes to noise cancellation and that is our winner, which to no one's surprise is the quiet Comfort from Bose.

Ultra now, I'll be completely honest, last year's Bose qc2 headphones are also technically in second place, that's how good Bose's ANC is and it's changed so little with the ultra model that you can easily swap between the two. I just wanted anyone. Bose's entry for this video to keep things more interesting, they follow a very similar design to the QC2 headphone bus, so this is still a relatively large and bulky headphone that is surprisingly much more comfortable than it looks. The fit is slightly improved now thanks to a new earpiece. design that keeps them securely in place, makes using touch controls a little easier and especially swiping to control volume, the Bose ANC is simply in a league of its own, although it's surprising how amount of noise these headphones can block out; closely resembles the one on the QC 2 it's such that only one in 10 scenarios I tested scored a win for the Ultras, so if you already have the you definitely shouldn't upgrade for the ANC, you can set different ANC modes on the app, including a neat transparency feature that protects you from loud noises, but incredibly Bose still doesn't let you turn off ANC to save battery.

You can only balance the slider between ANC and transparency. This topped my list of three changes that I not only wanted but have. As expected in the so-called Ultra model, next was an improvement in the relatively light ipx4 protection rating, especially now that they are stable enough to use for most workouts and the third is the lack of wireless charging, this case is big enough for it. but if you want to add wireless charging to the headphones, you have to separately purchase this ridiculously expensive Bose snap-on silicone cover. Sorry but this is not the positive side, the microphone quality is slightly better. year and that was certainly a weakness for the qc2 last year, it's still not great because they let in quite a bit of background noise which can muffle your voice, but at least it's an improvement, new additions with the ultra headphones include Google Fast pair and supposedly multipoint will arrive later with an update, although at the end of March we still don't have that in a more significant way, although we now have Snapdragon sound which includes both the adaptive codec and the new less de apte and also the immersive audio from Bose, which is its 3D head tracking spatial audio feature that we have.

I watched with their QC Ultra headphones and as spatial audio goes, the 3D location tracking is actually very effective here even without the Snapdragon sound, although I found there was a slight improvement in sound quality this year, the treble that I found missing with the qc2 appear to be restored. and the base may hit a little harder, but it's still Bose's clear, distinctive sound signature and very few headphones sound like it. It's great news for Bose lovers, but it's hard to deviate from this sound with Bose's limited three-band EQ and it still sits well outside that audio file quality category for me, if you're a regular commuter or If you take a long-haul flight, you probably won't find better headphones than these, but the upgrades are only slight over the QC2, so I'd honestly go with whichever model you find cheapest will cost around $250.

Next category is workouts, so we focused on factors like water resistance and durability, butt fit, and easy-to-use controls. Third, we have last year's winner. LG tonef free tf8. These are a great all-rounder if you want them to double as your everyday headphones. They are excellent, so the only real weakness is the quality of the microphone for phone calls, but there are three key features that make them excellent. For workouts, the first is the design, these vented wingtips are breathable and help lock them in place in your ears, the touch controls also work surprisingly well even when wet, but can be disabled completely if you prefer, the second is the IP67 water resistance, the ability to completely submerge them underneath gives you complete peace of mind and the third is LG's UV nanotechnology that uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria in the ear tips, obviously it is ideal for training headphones and This is a unique feature of LG.

These come with a long battery life of 10 hours. a transparency ANC and a feature-packed app, you can find them discounted to less than $120 now, so they're still one of the best value sports headphones you can buy second, it's potentially my best option, but listen to me. Bose ultra open headphones, I know these weird ones. The guys you see aren't going to be everyone's cup of tea and I was ready to write them off until I tried them. The untangle design not only means they fit any ear, but they also provide a truly unbreakable, non-tightening fit. They're actually super comfortable and easy to forget about, but the good thing is that they don't fall off even with the most vigorous exercise.

Which really surprised me. For me, they are far superior to the Huawei Free Clip, mainly due to the touch button which is very easy to use. intuitive and includes volume control without sacrificing another important function, but also due to the sound quality when using open-back headphones, the sound is surprisingly rich in bass and reaches high volume levels. There's a volume style equalizer that automatically keeps things consistent at different volume levels and I happily use them as my everyday headphones, plus the open nature of the design means you of course don't have any noise isolation in your surroundings and the sound will also leak a bit, that's a deal breaker for some I know, but for those.

Wanting to be aware of your surroundings when exercising For those who don't want a headset that sits or clips around your ears, these have been ideal for $299. I'm not going to say they're great value for money, but they are. . There is nothing like this on the market now. I was really surprised by how much I ended up liking them and how great they turned out to be for workouts, but the winner of this year's workouts is Jabra's Elite 8 Active in my full review of these that I outlined. The return of Jabra, its latest models bring significant improvements, in particular with the sound quality, the eight active functions, the Jabra Shake grip technology, essentially the silicone material that surrounds the headset and which aims to prevent them from moving during exercise and I personally find the fit to be very secure here, the touch button.

The controls are fully customizable and offer greater precision than touch controls, especially when wet or when wearing gloves, they have very strong performance for noise cancellation if you want to block out your surroundings, the deep internal fit also helps with isolation passive and since my full review jebra has added a wind noise reduction feature. There's also a custom level you can set to listening or transparency to allow for spatial awareness. These headphones are the king of durability with an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, but also even military-grade impact and thermal testing. The charging case is IP54 rated.

Jabra calls them the world's toughest

earbuds

, and they may be, although if you actually read the fine print of that claim, it's curious that you also get a pretty comprehensive spec sheet, both with connectivity and Google hands-free. . The assistant control is also unusual, but especially with the battery life of 14 hours on a single charge, it is on par with the market leaders and is more than adequate for any ultra-long workout. The case also supports fast and wireless charging for added convenience. When I first reviewed them, I was surprised that the microphone quality was not up to par with previous Jabra headphones.

They're not bad at all and, in fact, they isolate your voice very well. In fact, there was an update just a couple of days ago to specifically improve it. This I now found out in my testing, it really didn't improve much and they didn't move up any places in the rankings so they are still just one of the best when it comes to phone calls, the Elite 8 active are the best. sound option from the workout list and, as mentioned, are a significant step up from Jabra's predecessors. You get a clean, clear and reasonably well-balanced sound with perhaps just a slight base boost, but that's a tuning that exercisers tend to prefer and the five-band EQ gives you that. flexibility to go even higher or add a bit more clarity with a treble boost, they're not challenging the market leaders, but for most people they'll sound really good, and there's spatial audio here too if that's your kind of thing.

The important thing is that the lack of a wingtip to ensure in-ear stability may mean they don't work for you. There are only three sizes of ear tips in the box and everyone's ears are different. Fitting deep in your ears can affect comfort after a while. too, but I certainly can't deny how the specs and features set up the Active Eight to be the best workout headphones right now. You can find them now for around $160. That point about Jabra only including three sizes of ear tips in the box gets me there. very good with himcurrent sponsor spinfit spinfit makes a wide variety of high quality ear pads ranging from the super slim series for airpods pro to the CP 1025 for those who like a shallower inner fit and the universal Omni series for a tighter fit.

Deep and immersive. I said this before, fit is everything when it comes to headphones, not only does it keep them safe in your ears, but it can also transform the sound and noise cancellation experience. What I especially like about these is not only the wide range of sizes, but also the dimensions. They are all clearly labeled to help you find the perfect fit and whether they will fit in the charging case before purchasing. The double-layer design provides a soft, comfortable texture on the outside for your ears, while the inner layer secures the tip to the earbud to avoid that annoying problem if the eartips fall out and get stuck in your ears.

Best of all is the patented 3D axis that allows the eartips to adjust to your specific ear canal for a perfect fit that is truly a game-changer. Find a pair of headphones that you like on paper, but you just don't get along with any of the included headphones, well, that's exactly what SpinFit is for. I mean, they rescued the Sony Mark f for me, so if you want to level up. your listing experience, they're worth checking out and I'll have links to these in the video description. Our next category is for phone calls and it was surprising to see how many newer entries replace the ones closer to the top.

The overall quality is improving and yet very few were able to crack the bottom three, one that did took me by surprise and that is Edifies neuds Pro 2, is it just me or did these go unnoticed if you weren't considering them before doing so now? in the top 15 for sound quality in the top 20 for 10th place overall, there are no major changes to the design of the headphones or the case, unfortunately that also means that the unresponsive touch controls also return, although at least We now have usage detection, but apart from that and the relatively poor 5-hour battery life, everything else is pretty good, solid connectivity specs, even better noise cancellation, and of course even better microphone quality.

The quality of the microphone with the original neads Pro is fine, they have an intermediate performance, but there is a substantial improvement. and quality with this new model, low background noise and your voice is heard loud and clearly. These use a four microphone system instead of three and the improvements this brings to microphone quality, and actually quite good sound quality, elevate it to a Gear. 2 with even better clarity, you still get that dynamic sound with a powerful base and crisp highs and the result is fantastic sound quality. There's a full in-app equalizer for fine adjustments along with a spatial audio settings game mode and light bar adjustment.

In this case, the neuds Pro 2 is the upgrade that most companies only pretend their successor headphones are great and versatile, fantastic for excellent quality and right now they are in absolute steel for under $100, keeping the second place in sound, Liberty 4. an interesting pressure control gesture along with personalized audio and an identification function andc through sounda here. A major selling point is the excellent comfort, but you also get excellent battery and connectivity specs and even heart rate tracking. They rank in the top half in categories like sound quality. and noise cancellation and you have plenty of customization options for both in the app, but the microphone quality is still the standout feature, they just have such good rejection of background noise during calls, there are now some headphones that will perform better when Try to make your voice sound natural on a call like the Sony Mark 5, for example, but almost any headset will sound fine in a quiet room, while these, while they may sound a little robotic, will isolate your voice very well even in a noisy environment, so it doesn't matter where you are.

No matter what situation you are in, they will probably work for you for phone calls. The sound here is super clear and crisp with very bright highs by default that you might want to tone down, but with the powerful Punchy Basse and a little EQ work. These may sound great in all honesty. I would say the Liberty 4 NC are the better buy overall, but this is the mic quality category and the Liberty 4 are still Sound Cor's best option for sound and easily for mic quality you can find them . On sale right now for $89, but the winner in microphone quality once again is a Moos Evo.

I know it would have been more interesting if our two best microphones were different from last year and I repeated the tests in various scenarios and configurations in windy conditions and without and to be fair to the evos, they came out victorious every time something has changed since last year's video. No, actually, the app still has some bugs. Sound identification remains inconsistent and there's still no one-touch gesture or much control customization. It's really the only new thing. It's the smart volume feature to optimize the sound at low volumes, but that doesn't mean these aren't still powerful earbuds all around, the design is still gorgeous with the ceramic and metal construction and the charging case is still great. one of the most premium so far.

Compact on the market, the headphones have a nice ergonomic shape and offer good comfort, have convenient wear detection and wireless charging and a healthy battery life of 8 hours. They're starting to show The Rage with Bluetooth 5.2, but at least they offer Google Fast. Combine multipoint and the high-resolution lat codec, the noise cancellation and transparency performance is starting to lag behind, but both are still effective and you have plenty of options for these. I don't think they will disappoint with the sound quality. although they are very well balanced and offer a clean and natural sound experience, the base is punchy and well controlled and I like how the slightly forward vocals give some life to your music, but like the sound called Liberty 4, it is the microphone quality that ends. stealing the show too like the Liberty 4S, you might not have guessed based on this microphone sample alone, like I said there are headphones that have a more natural sounding voice but they often end up drowning out when you have a noisy background. noise, evos will often completely isolate your voice and with very little distortion and muffling in your voice, and I have yet to find another pair of headphones that can do this as effectively, six of the current top 10 for calls are new this year and yet none of them could replace our two best from last year.

I guess it's refreshing to see the earbuds maintain a lead for over 12 months for a change and best of all you can get the evos for just $87 now with almost 50% off the next one. The category is sound quality for many of you, that's the most important one and there are some very interesting results this year. Third is the real push of the Sis Wireless 4, which appears to be almost exactly the same as its predecessor, the same shape, in-ear size and comfort levels the new metallic finish is the only way to visually distinguish them the touch controls Responsive returns The app features and experience are virtually identical It's not a huge update at all The only obvious changes are the upgrade to Bluetooth 5.4 which includes Le and Pray support along with Snapdragon sound and the new Apex lossless codec.

Some dust protection has also been added and the battery gets the slightest boost, but nothing substantial. I found the noise cancellation and microphone quality to be about the same as before the four literally sat together. Get ahead of the three for A and C and only gain four spots for phone calls, but what about the sound quality? Obviously, Apex's lossless codec can give you higher quality streaming, but most of you won't have a phone that supports this anyway, so what? We'll get an almost identical experience to the real Wireless 3 and that's not It's not bad at all, the sound is rich in expression and offers a wide range of customization, as with its predecessor I benefited greatly from the Sis' sound customization, which helps increase clarity. in treble and I think that's where, if anything, there is a small improvement with this new model if you have the Gen 3, although you definitely don't need to upgrade, the two are literally located in a place separate from each other for sound quality , for that reason my advice would be to choose the model that you find cheapest, which is probably the previous one.

However, they both sound fantastic and the new True Wireless 4S can be found for just under $300. In second place is the Bang and Olivon Bop Play ex. Yes, this means it's the last one. The year's winner has been dethroned, which is no small feat. This is one of the most luxurious and expensive pairs of headphones on the market. Just with this metal charging case, they look impressive but don't compromise on functionality. They are comfortable and fit securely to the touch. The controls are responsive and have a surprisingly high durability rating. They also have solid connectivity and battery specs, but are let down by both the ANC quality and the microphone.

These headphones are clearly designed for a specific purpose which is listening to music. and that's where they excel. You could argue that no

true

wireless earbuds belong in an audio file category, but there's a distinct step forward in quality with the B play ex that deserves recognition; They are beautifully balanced, offer incredible detail and instrument separation, and a wonderfully natural feel. controlled bass response, these are tuned to audio files by default, but you still have flexibility to modify the sound to your preferences in the app last year. I said you can justify paying the $400 price tag for these, so you could say I have the best ones. true wireless earbuds that might have changed this year because I think we have a new winner.

The best sounding true wireless earbuds are the DVA Gemini 2. Now, just for full disclosure, the original Gemini earbuds still sound fantastic and would have placed third ahead of the Momentum 4 again, I just didn't want two of the same company and given that the original Geminis are now showing their age I would recommend Sennheiser anyway, this second generation model although it brings some improvements, firstly this premium design is now 40% smaller. which greatly improves the comfort and security with which they fit your ear. The pads are still quite deep in the canal. Which is great for passive noise isolation, but some may not enjoy that feeling.

However, I can still wear them comfortably for a few hours. I like how the responsive touch controls offer much better customization, now the redesigned charging case is much better and much more compact, more premium and still maintains wireless charging. One of the hugely underrated aspects is the noise cancellation, which is rarely considered with other big names. but they actually enter the top 10 which is impressive, so the ANC is excellent, the transparency mode has also been improved and sounds quite natural, but in a strange downgrade there is no neutral mode anymore, in other words, Now you can't even turn off transparency, which is a very strange thing to remove, in fact the battery life is now slightly shorter this year, up to 5 hours instead of six, so maybe add this feature back would help.

I really hope a software update can fix this issue. Microphone quality remains an issue. area of ​​weakness, although it has improved significantly, the original Gemini microphones were downright terrible, but the second generation version is much better, there is improved active wind noise production here, but they still have quite a bit of background noise, so in Overall performance is only average. Connectivity specs are improved by adding multipoint support, the satisfying hijack mode version or instant multipoint switching and Bluetooth increases from 5.0 to 5.2, obviously that's pretty significant but I really would have expected at least Bluetooth 5.3 and maybe more surprisingly.

There are no high resolution codecs yet, this is a good opportunity to remind us that in reality the codec is much less important than the hardware of the headphones and the tuning when it comesto the sound quality, even without a higher codec, the sound is really spectacular if you take the B play ex as a base Gemini 2 adds another touch of clarity and instrument separation to your music. The Sound Stage also feels a bit wider and one of the most significant aspects is the volume. These are substantially louder than the Sennheiser and B headphones. They reach deafening volume levels, the other two are still loud enough for me, but there is one aspect I am often asked about and there is a clear difference: the six equalizer bands offers good customization to fine-tune the sound.

I prefer a treble boost and you. One could argue that these are not as well balanced as the B play EX in the stock configuration, however there is the potential to raise the sound to slightly higher levels and that for me is enough to give them first place. Last year I said a second. gen version of Gemini with the same great sound, but modern specs may be worth the wait. They may not have gone as far as they could in terms of modernizing the entire spec sheet, but they have done enough and, more importantly, they have earned the title of the best sounding headphones on the market, but the best They're not cheap because they're available for a steal at $449 just before we get to our final category.

All around performance in third place is the Jabber Elite 10, a close one that I have reviewed in full. It's already on the channel, so a more detailed view is available if you're interested. Great comfort is a key selling point and is a result of good ergonomics and also these angled ear pads that don't sit deep in the ear canal. They get a strong acoustic seal but don't block your ears like most headphones, they also use physical button controls. I know it may be the deal breaker for many of you along with usage detection and hands-free Google Assistant, combining this with the excellent IP57 protection rating, a comprehensive app experience packed with features and customization options, and you're done.

It has a package that most headphones can't rival. These are Jabra's best noise canceling headphones and sit just outside the top five, and the customizable ear is almost as good, the microphone quality doesn't match Jeb's previous high standards, but will still be good enough for most situations. This was the only pair I tested that could far exceed the battery life. It's estimated to be 8 hours, but I was pushing 11 with my tests. Beyond this, there's support for Bluetooth 5.3 and Low Energy Multipoint and Google's Quick Pair high-resolution codecs are really the only thing missing here that It doesn't seem to affect the sound quality, although it far surpasses any of Jabra's previous offerings.

The sound is really clean, relaxing and well balanced, the base is warm and rich and the highs never sound too harsh, but the clarity is not affected either. You have options for Dolby Atmos spatial audio along with a custom equalizer and volume. The levels can be quite high and the Elite 10 aren't as good at sports as the active eight we looked at before, but they are a more complete overall package. You can find them heavily discounted right now for $187. Secondly, it is our best performance of the last. Year, Sony's Link Buds to this day, these headphones are underrated, have one of the most comprehensive overall feature sets and borrow the vast majority from Sony's Flagship a000x series.

They have an advantage in design as they are super small and comfortable, but they don't compromise on performance. They remain in the top eight for microphone quality, in the top 20 for A&C and just outside for sound quality, their unique features like quick attention and talk chat that make them a pleasure to use, the touch controls are responsive and Highly customizable and offer hands-free voice assistance, whether you're on iOS or Android, it could even be both thanks to the multipoint support, these are possibly the best option simply for convenience, with an IPX 4 protection rating, up to 9 hours of battery life and support for high-resolution codecs, it's a pretty complete package, the crisp and clear sound quality punches well above its weight for headphones in this price range, plus the Link Buds are still a fantastic all-rounder , you can currently find them discounted to under $150, which probably makes them the best option at this price, but our

2024

headset award for best overall headset goes to the Technic a80.

These grab the headlines and I think they are still the only headphones they have. three multipoint devices, but the feature set goes much further with an app packed with customization options and customization settings, many of which you won't find on other headphones, they have an excellent ergonomic shape to optimize comfort and seal on the rear responds to touch controls and usage detection along with built-in Alexa control, both ANC and transparency modes also offer custom sliders and the performance is very good. These are one of the top 10 for noise cancellation and offer excellent passive noise isolation as well as transparency.

The mode is and of course too, these are one of the strongest entries for microphone quality, plus they rank in the top 20 and do a particularly good job of isolating your voice from louder background sounds. I think the wind noise rejection during a call is pretty good too, so overall they're a good choice for phone calls. In my full review of these I said that they have market-leading connectivity and I think that's probably still true when you look at the sheer number of features that are obviously about to start receiving Bluetooth 5.4. now, but until phones can support it too, it's still just a future-proofing step, so they're definitely up to the task.

Battery life is a solid 7 hours, although this is reduced if you're using the L codec and the case does support it. wireless charging, these are in the top 10 for sound, plus it has 24-bit high resolution quality and the overall sound signature is lively, energetic and detailed, the bass response is deep and powerful, but the mids remain clear with prominent vocals and then the treble is actually slightly recessed in the original settings, you can easily unlock crisp treble with one of the many EQ options and for your bass heads there is a super bass EQ plus they sound fantastic, They are quite versatile and I don't see anyone having any complaints after having reviewed them in their entirety, honestly I'm not at all surprised to see the azat take first place.

Each headset gets a score using my rating system that takes into account all aspects of a headset, but places emphasis on those categories that people tend to use. I care about more and the az80's have a big advantage, they are great performers all around, really the only weakness I can see is potentially the price. You can find them now for just under $300. Which I will say about all the headphones we have. presented today is that the price was intentionally not taken into account in the rating system, so prices fluctuate, discounts often vary by country, the

awards

video is only to highlight the best on the market in this moment, as always, I'll be following this video all year long with the Best Headphones in Various Price Ranges because there are a lot of fantastic artists that didn't make the cut here, but are definitely worth checking out.

Still, most of us will have a budget in mind when purchasing headphones, so I think this is the best value for money headphone video. Also worth doing, obviously, I couldn't give full reviews here and only covered the headphones very briefly, so if you have any questions about these or maybe one of the hundreds of other headphones that didn't make the cut, I'll ask my question. It is better to answer them all in the comments section. I will also have links to current prices and available discount codes in the video description. Well, that was a lot to cover and honestly, these videos take a lot of work to post. together, so if you found this helpful in any way, I would really appreciate it if you could give the video a like.

Subscribe if you want to see more content like this, it's what we do here, but make sure to hit the bell icon. so you can receive a notification when new videos are posted. I have a Q&A video planned for 100,000 subscribers next and I'm trying to collect as many questions as I can for that, so check the post in the community tab for more details because I need your help, thank you so much for watching and let us know. See you next time.