Top Headphones 2023

The stylish Urbanista Los Angeles headphones deliver deep bass, sculpted highs, and solid active noise cancellation in a unique design that supports solar-powered charging.

As a pretty, premium and comfortable plug-and-play gaming headset, the Epos H6Pro makes a good first impression. But a limited max volume (for the open-backed model, at least), high price, and a so-so mic mean there are better options in its $180 price range.

The Anker Soundcore Life Q35 retains most of its predecessor’s hallmarks and adds LDAC connectivity, but the higher price might deter you.

The Anker Q35 are good for commute and travel. They have over 44 hours of continuous battery life, a comfortable fit, and sturdy build quality. They also have an ANC feature, which can block out a great amount of noise around you, like the rumble of bus and plane engines. That said, they're a bit bulky, which may make them a bit harder to take with you on the go.

The Audeze Penrose are good for wireless gaming. These comfortable headphones have low latency via their wireless dongle and deliver over 13 hours of continuous playtime. They also have a neutral sound profile that can be customized via their companion app, and their mic offers great overall performance, so teammates can easily understand you. On the downside, unlike the Audeze Mobius, they lack a built-in virtual soundstage feature.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S are good for wired gaming. These comfortable over-ears are compatible with your PC, PS4, or Xbox One, and there isn't a lot of latency over their wired connection. Their neutral sound profile packs an extra boom in the bass range, so you really feel explosions and other action-packed scenes. Also, their boom microphone can help you communicate clearly with your teammates. However, if you're talking in a noisy environment, they capture a lot of background noise alongside your voice. Their companion software also doesn't offer a lot of customization features, which may be disappointing for some people.

The Corsair VOID RGB Elite are a decent pick for wired gaming, so long as you game on PC or PS4 due to their USB-only connection. They feature low-latency wired audio, feel reasonably comfortable, and deliver a fairly immersive listening experience. Compatibility with the Corsair iCUE companion app grants you access to a graphic EQ as well as microphone sidetone adjustment, which is helpful for when you want to make sure your teammates can hear you clearly.

The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero are decent wireless gaming headphones. Their boom microphone is very good, and your voice sounds clear, natural, and easy to hear. Unfortunately, they're only designed to work on PC, and our PS4 couldn't detect the headphones wirelessly. They also aren't very comfortable and will likely cause fatigue and soreness during marathon gaming sessions.

The JBL Quantum 800 wireless gaming headset does a bit of everything, and does it all surprisingly well.

The SteelSeries Arctis 5 is attractive and comfortable, so you’ll be happy to wear it for hours. Great for movies and other media too, its gaming audio is comparable to rivals, though the virtual 7.1 surround sound wasn’t noticeable.