Best Sony Headphones for 2024

No earbuds are perfect, and not everybody will love the fit of the Sony WF-1000XM4 buds or be able to afford their high price (MSRP $278). If you're looking for great-sounding earbuds with excellent noise canceling, solid voice-calling capabilities and good battery life, these buds check all the boxes. Unlike the earlier WF-1000XM3, these are water-resistant with an IPX4 splash-proof rating.

Sony's improved entry-level noise-canceling headphones, the CH-720Ns, have a bit of a plastic, budget vibe, but they're lightweight and comfortable. Part of me was expecting them to sound mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised. No, they don't sound as good as the WH-1000XM5s. But they sound more premium than they look (and feel), and their overall performance is a nice step up from their predecessor, the CH-710Ns. Are they worth the price tag? Maybe -- or maybe not. But the good news is that, like the CH-710N and WH-XB910 before them, these should see some nice discounts in the not-so-distant future, which is what you may want to wait for.

Unlike the "open" LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S are traditional noise-isolating earbuds with tips you jam into your ears. They're more compact and lighter than Sony's flagship WF-1000M4 and also feature Sony's V1 processor. While their sound and noise canceling don't quite measure up to the WF-1000XM4s, they're close and cost less. They're the Sony buds for people who can deal with larger buds like WF-1000XM4 but want 80 to 85% of those buds' features and performance for less money.

The LinkBuds are, in a sense, Sony's answer to Apple's standard AirPods. While they don't sound as good as Sony's flagship WF-1000XM4 noise-isolating earbuds, they offer a discreet, innovative design and a more secure fit than the AirPods, as well as good sound and very good voice-calling performance.

Like the third-gen AirPods, their open design allows you to hear the outside world -- that's what the ring is all about. That makes them a good choice for folks who want to hear what's going around them for safety reasons or just don't like having ear tips jammed in their ears. They also have a few distinguishing extra features, including Speak to Chat and Wide Area Tap. Instead of tapping on a bud, you can tap on your face, just in front of your ear, to control playback.

They're IPX4 splash-proof and thanks to their fins -- Sony calls them Arc Supporters -- they lock in your ears securely and work well for running and other sporting activities.

While the C500's design sensibility has more in common with the high-end  than their predecessor, the WF-XB700 Extra Bass, the C500 is not a noise-canceling model and is pretty basic as far as earbuds go, with no ear-detection sensors or transparency mode. The buds are compact, lightweight, fit comfortably and sound good for an entry-level model. Read our Sony C500 first take.

As for the WH-XB910N, this is the step-down model from the WH-1000XM4. It's an Extra Bass model, so it does have a preponderance of bass. I liked the previous version, the XB900N, and it was a decent deal when it went on sale for around $150. This updated version looks the same but offers improved noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair it with your phone and computer simultaneously. It also supports Sony's LDAC audio codec.

While improved, the noise canceling isn't up to the level of the WH-1000XM4 or the WH-1000XM5. The WH-XB910N doesn't have some of those models' extra features, such as Speak to Chat, wearing detection sensors and Sony's Precise Voice Pickup technology. It does have a Quick Attention Mode that allows you to put your hand over the ear cup to go from noise canceling to an ambient-aware transparency mode. Also, this headphone now comes with a hard case like the WH-1000XM4. Battery life is rated at up to 30 hours at moderate volume levels -- that's the same as what you get from the WH-1000XM5.

Amazon had the blue version on sale for $138 during a recent one-day flash sale. These are a nice bargain at that price, so look to pick these up when they go on sale again if they pique your interest. 

The Sony MDR-Z7M2 may not be the flagship audiophile headphone in Sony's lineup (that would be MDR-Z1R), but it's still a high-end model that lists for several hundred dollars. I reviewed the earlier version of the Z7 (the M2 at the end stands for Mark 2, or second generation) and it sounded great and was comfortable. To be clear, this is an audiophile headphone and sounds best with the right audio equipment, which may include a headphone amplifier or a high-resolution portable music player (notice the Sony Walkman player, which isn't included, in the photo).

If you're looking for super cheap on-ear wired headphones, the ZX Series is as good a bet as any. It costs $10 -- or $20 for the version with a microphone.