The 13 best headphones for music 2021: take your listening to another level

We all enjoy blasting out our favourite music, but it’s a pretty safe bet that at least some of your neighbours, flatmates or family won’t share your passion and taste for good music – and if that’s the case, then choosing a little something from the best headphones for music is essential.

While it’s not impossible to find a decent pair of headphones for around the £40 mark, many cheap headphones simply aren’t worth the trouble – and while you won’t find many in our guide below, please have a peek at our guide to the best headphones under £100 for cracking cans that are definitely worth a closer look.

So where exactly do you start if your looking for the best headphones for music? After all, going in blind is a minefield given the sheer range available. Do you plump for in-ears, on-ears, over-ears, noise-cancelling cans or simpler offerings?

Not only have we selected our favourite headphones for music below, but we’ve also included buying advice to arm with all the knowledge you need before taking the plunge.

Best headphones for music: The Louder Choice

Given the sheer amount of different styles of headphones available online, you might be surprised that both of our strongest recommendations for the best headphones for music are on-ear style and use Bluetooth rather than a cable. 

What’s our reasoning? Well, many people find in-ear headphones a tad uncomfortable, and find wires a pain – that’s why there’s been such a big rise in wireless headphones – particularly as so many phones now do without a headphone socket.

Our two recommendations are split by price. The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones are without doubt the pair to buy if your budget is around the £/$300 mark. They sound absolutely awesome, are incredibly comfortable, and have the best noise-cancelling tech in the business.

If you don’t have that much to spend , the AKG Y50BT headphones are what you’re looking for. Available for around £/$100, they combine smart looks and excellent portability with exciting, wireless sound.

Best headphones for music: Product guide

Sony’s fourth-generation noise-cancelling cans are simply brilliant and are our top pick for the best headphones for music right now. Not only do they block out more noise than practically any rival, they sound better, too, thanks to the introduction of Edge AI, which analyses your music in real time to give it a boost in all the right areas, plus adaptive sound control which automatically adjusts audio performance based on locations you frequently visit .

40mm Liquid Crystal Polymer drivers lie at the hard of the audio performance of these cans, delivering soaring highs, song-appropriate bass and smooth midrange. 

There’s an app that you can use to tweak the amount of noise-cancelling provided, from ‘I don’t want to hear anything but my own heartbeat’ to ‘I’d quite like to know if a car’s about to run me over’, and you can even set the headphones to adapt the noise-cancelling to the environment. 

30 hours of battery life is the icing on the cake. So, whether you’re planning a long lockdown walk, or you’re looking ahead to a long-haul flight, you know you’ll have enough juice to go the distance.

Read our Sony WH-1000XM4 review

A close second in our best headphones for music round-up, we’ve been fans of the wired AKG Y50s since they were first introduced back in 2014, but there was no guarantee that a wireless pair would be as good (losing the wires often reduces audio quality).

Thankfully the Y50BTs sound just as good as the wired Y50s, which means they’re punchy, dynamic, detailed and downright fun to listen to. From Soundgarden to Slipknot, whatever you chuck at them sounds authentic and exciting just as it should.

Add a lightweight and very portable design, good looks and excellent comfort, and you’ve got a killer pair of headphones for the cash.

Read our AKG Y50BT review

Meet the current pinnacle of true wireless in-ear headphones. The Sony WF-1000XM3 has an Bluetooth chip that sharpens up music synchronization and a noise-cancelling processor that vastly improves noise-cancellation.

There’s better in-ear grip than before too but, more to the point, these just sound great. They’re clear, rhythmic, detailed and deliver all the musical energy you could need to get you through a morning commute or a tedious day in the office. To listen is to fall in love with your tunes all over again. A truly brilliant contender for best headphones for music.

Read the Sony WF-1000XM3 review

Ok so they cost serious money, but that buys you some serious smarts and audio firepower. The Momentum 3 Wireless cans boast three active noise cancelling modes for different environments, including a transparent mode which lets more of the outside world in, plus Sennheiser Smart control for deeper control of your audio and other features via your phone.

If, like us, you can while away hours listening to your favourite albums, you’ll appreciate the added comfort afforded by the leather head strap and lush padded earcups. There’s Alexa, Siri and Google Voice integration too, so the only reason you’ll ever need to remove them is to charge them.

This is all before you get to the sound, which is full-bodied, well-balanced and hits all the right notes, whether you’re listening to Neil Young or Napalm Death. If you have the budget, and you’re looking for a capable pair of headphones for music, these are worth a shout.

They might be cheap, but the Cambridge Audio Melomania buds – available in stone grey or black – offer plenty to the discerning music fan. A pair of 5.8mm graphene enhanced drivers provide a considerable amount of musical muscle, with plenty of dynamics to go round, regardless of what you’re listening to.

In addition to the quality audio for the price, these true wireless buds are super light at 4.6g and boat some of the most impressive battery life we’ve seen in this category. You’ll get 9 hours of playback on a single charge, but the supplied charging case can add an additional 36 hours of battery life before it needs to be plugged into the mains.

There’s no noise cancelling present here, but what did you expect for the price?

They might look more like the sort of headset that a 50s telephone exchange operator might use than a pair of luxury headphones, but these Grados are pretty much unbeatable at this price.

The 325es are open-backed and leak noise like a sieve leaks water, so are completely unsuited to use on a train or bus, but that allows them to deliver a really open, airy and spacious sound that’s more akin to listening to a great pair of hi-fi speakers.

And we really are talking great. The sound here is transparent, detailed, rhythmic and downright glorious. If you take your listening seriously, these are some of the best headphones for music out there.

Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 sit at the top table amongst the best headphones for music.

Not only do they offer 11 preset levels of noise cancellation, the headphones also boast a proprietary TriPort structure that delivers active noise reduction which actually has a positive impact on the sound quality. Talking of which, our listening experience was one of stunning clarity and directness.

Other tech triumphs include a fantastic four-microphone system for taking and receiving calls, or talking to Amazon Alexa/Google Assistant, with superb clarity, while the headphones’ angled ear cups are designed for optimum comfort. 

If you want the same audio experience but aren’t so fussed about such high levels of noise cancelling, the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II model sounds just as good for a little less.

Another Sennheiser entry for this guide, this time in the slick shape of the diminutive True Wireless 2 earbuds. If you’re looking for something more discrete, these could be the way to go. 

Audio fans will enjoy lush mid-range detail, propelled by a pair of 7mm dynamic drivers, which breathe new life into classic albums, while adding extra wallop to new music. Bass can be a little over-zealous at times, but the mids and highs are compelling enough to balance out any minor gripes at the low-end.

For the money you also get active noise cancelling, which is decent but not market-leading, voice control and touch controls on the buds themselves. 

Read the full Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 review

When budget is tight it’s easy to assume you won’t be able to get anywhere near the quality and features of the big names like Bose and Sony, but JBL is here to prove that theory wrong. 

The JBL Tune 750BTNC headphones delivers impressive active noise cancelling and hands-free functionality for the price, but it’s the audio quality we’re most interested in here. Thankfully, that’s where JBL has invested most of its resources. There’s plenty of bass here, but it’s not overwhelming and is balanced out by stunning clarity and openness at the mid to upper ranges. 

For a pair of throw-and-go wireless headphones with audio to write home about, you can’t go far wrong.

No longer the stuff of sci-fi fantasy, truly wireless in-ear headphones are now a reality. In fact, they’re all over the place, which can make it a bit tricky to choose a pair (check out out our guide to the best true wireless earbuds if you’re really stuck). If you enjoy running (as if anyone, anywhere has every ‘enjoyed’ running), you should definitely check out the Jaybird Vistas.

Like many in this category, they consist of two entirely wireless buds and a case that doubles up as a charger. You get six hours of use out of the buds, and an extra 10 hours from the case. The fins, meanwhile, keep the earphones snug and secure as you lumber around the park.

Best of all, the sound has all of the energy you need to keep motivation levels up as you gasp for air, and there’s plenty of meaty bass to keep the blood pumping.

Ok, so the Bowers & Wilkins PX7s are expensive, but they come with the studio-grade seal of approval. On paper the spec looks decent: massive 46.3mm full-range drivers (the biggest in any Bowers & Wilkins headphones) are a sight to behold. While they certainly hold their own, they can sometimes sound a little lacking with heavier styles of music, but no enough that we wouldn’t recommend them. 

Battery life is upwards of 30 hours, and a quick 15 minute top up will give you 5 hours straight out of the gate. Noise cancelling is decent too, getting close to that offered by the class-leading Sony WH-1000XM4s. 

You’ll find physical buttons for power and track control around the edge of the earcups, which come replete in soft faux leather, alongside a plush cushioned headband cushioned. They’re pretty light at just 310g, too.

If a pair of headphones is good enough for Megadeth, it’s got to be good, right? Not that Dave Mustaine’s crew are the only musicians to use Shure headphones – it seems that practically every band in existence uses the company’s in-ear monitors when on stage.

There are two big reasons Shure’s earphones are so prevalent: they’re supremely tough and durable and they sound really neutral and authentic.

The SE425s are the highlight of the current range, offering a supreme sound that, while a bit bass-light, is brilliantly detailed and textured through the midrange. There are no frills here – no mic, no controls, certainly no Bluetooth – but that’s because they’re serious, pro monitors, and all the better for it.

Yes, you can buy a pair of wired in-ears for a tenner these days, but they’ll sound as pleasant as a nail through the foot and will last as long as a Buzzcocks song. The same can be said for whatever buds came with your latest phone (if it came with any at all). It really is worth paying more, particularly if you do most of your listening on the move.

That’s where the weirdly monickered Soul Byrds come in. Easy to listen to but interesting and captivating, too, they’re great for all genres of music.

They’re also dead comfortable to wear, burrowing into your ears far less than most rivals, and have an integrated mic and controls that work with iOS and Android phones alike.

Best headphones for music: Buying advice

There are so many decisions to be made when choosing the best headphones for music. The right approach is to think about when and where you’re going to be doing most of your listening and what specific requirements you have.

Noise-cancelling cans can not only block out the hubbub around you, but focus your mind more on the music. Looking for some Meshuggah-shaped motivation for your next run? There are some fitness-specific true wireless earbuds with your name on.

Do all of your listening at home and value outright sound quality over any concerns for your cohabitees? Some classic, wired, open-backed on-ears will give you a sound to rival the world’s very best loudspeakers.

Fit matters a huge amount, too, particularly in terms of in-ears. Our lug-holes are all different, you see, and failing to ensure that your chosen headphones fit yours correctly could result in them not only falling out, but also sub-standard sound. If possible, try before you buy, but also feel free to return a purchased pair if you don’t feel that you’re getting the fit or sound that you should.

If you’re looking at wired headphones, make sure the cable is the right length for your intended use. Short lengths are best for portable use as they resist tangling, while long lengths are best when at home so that you can listen from the other side of the room to your hi-fi. 

If going wireless, consider the battery life being offered and which version of Bluetooth is being used. The later the version (we’re now on 5.0), the more battery-friendly and potentially better sounding it is. AptX Bluetooth, meanwhile, is specifically for audio and suggests that sound quality has been prioritised at least somewhat.

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Source: loudersound.com