Hundreds of readers bought these headphones this year (and they're not from Bose, Sony, or Apple)

Prakhar Khanna / ZDNET

The CMF Buds 2 Plus are among our favourite existent wireless earbuds and the most-purchased headphones wide among our readers implicit the past twelvemonth and a half. These earbuds are feature-rich and well-performing for their comparatively debased terms constituent of $80. The CMF Buds 2 Plus are compatible with Sony's high-resolution LDAC Bluetooth codec, diagnostic an IP55 dust- and water-resistant rating, and present awesome noise-canceling performance.

Review: CMF Buds 2 Plus

Users with Nothing phones tin entree Low Latency Mode for mobile gaming and ChatGPT integration with their phone's dependable assistant. 

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET

Alongside the CMF Buds 2 Plus, the company's Headphone Pro are fashionable among our readers, acknowledgment to their affordable $100 terms tag and precocious performance. For hi-res wireless listening, these headphones enactment the LDAC codec for Android users, on with Google Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair for seamless instrumentality pairing.

Review: CMF Headphone Pro

Apple users tin besides entree the Headphone Pro's awesome audio and noise-canceling abilities, spatial audio, and Personal Sound Profile for tailored listening. Additionally, these headphones boast 50 hours of artillery life, which is astir 20 hours much than its premium competitors.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

Bose's latest flagship earbuds present a laid-back yet premium experience, with exceptional sound cancellation and comfort, making them a coagulated prime for predominant flyers. They debuted with a new-and-improved spatial audio mode, wireless charging, improved dependable clarity, and an upgraded Bluetooth connectivity standard.

Review: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

We awarded the QC Ultra Earbuds 2 a ZDNET Editors' Choice grant past October, acknowledgment to their awesome AI-powered sound processing, software-ecosystem agnosticism, unchangeable fit, and almighty sound cancellation.

Amazon/ZDNET

These elemental wired Sony earbuds athletics 9mm neodymium drivers for clear, elaborate sound, a debased 16 ohm impedance for casual driving, and an attached microphone for improved dependable clarity during telephone calls.

Despite their $35 terms tag, these earbuds' wires tin beryllium fragile and brittle, but with bully care, they tin past a fewer years. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

These Soundcore slumber earbuds committedness effectual sound cancellation, extensive, barely-there comfort, and intuitive features to assistance you autumn dormant and aftermath up refreshed. Our investigating revealed that these earbuds excel successful comfortableness aft a fewer nights of wear, but autumn abbreviated astatine masking large biology noise.

Review: Soundcore Sleep A30

Still, if you privation slumber earbuds that play binaural beats perfect for heavy sleep, disguise immoderate outer noise, and person astute features personalized for your nighttime routine, the Soundcore Sleep A30 tin help.

Jada Jones/ZDNET

Bose's midrange QuietComfort Headphones win the QC45, continuing to present a simple, reliable Bose acquisition with small fanfare and other hassle. The QuietComfort Headphones diagnostic a 3.5mm jack for wired listening, ANC and Aware audio modes, and 24 hours of playtime.

Review: Bose QuietComfort Headphones

These headphones don't bash overmuch different than present comfortable, dependable audio and sound cancellation, 2 things Bose does best.

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Soundcore's Sleep A20 earbuds are designed to deterioration portion you sleep, providing comfortableness and ambient sound for broadside sleepers. However, we urge these slumber earbuds to radical who request ambient sound to autumn asleep, alternatively than those looking to artifact retired outer noises.

Review: Soundcore Sleep A20

Jada Jones/ZDNET

The WH-1000XM5 aren't Sony's newest premium headphones, but they're acold from archaic. They committedness 30 hours of playtime, LDAC codec support, DSEE Extreme audio prime upscaling, and wired listening via 3.5mm jack. A caller firmware update brings LE Audio and Auracast, Gemini Live, and caput tracking implicit LE Audio to the XM5, meaning Sony isn't phasing retired its bundle enactment anytime soon.

Also: Your Sony headphones conscionable got a utile Bluetooth upgrade with the latest bundle patch

If you privation entree to Sony's premium features successful an over-ear signifier origin without spending $460 for the latest generation, the WH-1000XM5 are inactive a worthy choice.

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Shokz's flagship open-ear bony conduction headphones are among the champion for individuals who privation to enactment alert of their surroundings portion exercising. They diagnostic a lightweight design, 12-hour artillery life, and an IP55 standing for particulate and h2o resistance.

Review: Shokz OpenRun Pro 2

Many open-ear headphones sacrifice dependable for their unfastened and airy signifier factor, but Shokz's dependable illustration is highly awesome for an open-ear headphone. 

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Open-ear earbuds fto you enactment alert of your surroundings without compromising your audio, which tin beryllium particularly utile for hiking, walking, biking, oregon moving outdoors. The Soundcore AeroFit Pro connection a existent wireless and corded experience, depending connected your preference.

Review: Soundcore AeroFit Pro

Additionally, an IPX5 durability standing makes them sweatproof, LDAC enactment is connected platform for hi-res wireless listening, and 14 hours of continuous playtime means they tin past each day.