Where you buy from is almost as important as what you buy, just in case you need to try out a different headset.
If you're going to spend this much money, you should know it'll last a while.
You should be able to wear your headphones all day without pain or awkwardness.
Do you want a boom microphone sticking out of the side of your headset, or something that could be used in more places than just your desk if it meant the microphone wasn't as good?
It's important to know how much you want to spend before you start searching.
CNET staff -- not advertisers, partners or business interests -- determine how we review products and services. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
Editor's note, Oct. 5: Amazon's October Prime Day sale is Oct. 7-8, with "Big Deals" on some products already underway. That means there should be lots of opportunities to save on headphones and headets, as many of the top headphones brands, including Apple, Sony and Bose, typically discount certain models to their lowest prices of the year -- or close to their lowest prices. Several headphones and headsets on this list should be on sale.
The best headsets and headphones for your home office or hybrid setup have a few key traits: good ergonomics, excellent voice-calling performance and the ability to connect simultaneously to your phone and PC (multipoint Bluetooth pairing). I’ve tested numerous headphones and headsets with boom microphones, evaluating noise reduction, comfort, call quality and even music quality. I’ve included a few Unified Communications -- aka UC -- headphones on this list, which come with a small USB-A or USB-C dongle for easy wireless connectivity with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls. However, several of our top picks are mainstream consumer headphones with good microphone performance and ambient noise-reduction that also work well for everyday use. I should also note that gaming headphones with integrated boom microphones make for good work-from-home headsets, too, but we can't include everything on this list.
What is the best headset or headphone for working from home?
Sony has recently released its new flagship noise-canceling headphone, the . It's comfortable to wear, and it has great noise-canceling and sound quality. It also has excellent voice-calling performance. While expensive, it's arguably the best consumer headphone for working from home right now. However, if you want a headset with a boom microphone that offers greater compatibility with PCs (and Windows PCs in particular), Shokz OpenMeet UC and OpenComm 2 UC are good choices while the Logitech Zone Vibe 100 is a top value option. We're waiting to review Logitech's new Zone Wireless 2 ES ($160) and Zone Wired 2 ($130) headsets, both of which have noise canceling and are due to ship in the coming weeks.
... continue reading