Beats Studio Buds Plus: Compared to the original Beats Studio Buds, which remain on the market, the newer Studio Buds Plus buds are significantly improved, with better sound, noise canceling and battery life. Additionally, they now deliver very good voice-calling performance. Read my Beats Buds Plus review.
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds: They weren't the first clip-on earbuds, but Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds really kickstarted this sub-genre of true-wireless earbuds. They're somewhat overpriced, but otherwise, there's a lot to like about them, including a surprisingly comfortable, secure fit and very good sound quality for open buds. Initially, the buds didn't feature multipoint Bluetooth pairing, but the feature was added in July of 2024. Read my Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review.
Skullcandy Method 360 ANC: In a surprise move, Skullcandy joined forces with Bose in 2025 to create a budget version of Bose's $299 QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. With "Sound by Bose," not only do the Method 360 ANC buds sound better than most earbuds in this price class (they sound very similar to Bose's $170 QuietComfort Earbuds), they also fit comfortably and securely thanks to Bose's Fit Kit system that features stability bands to lock the buds in your ears. They were featured on our best wireless earbuds list and remain a good value, but Skullcandy has released the Method 540 ANC in 2026 (it has a 20% slimmer smaller case). Read the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC review.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5: The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 are solid all-around wireless earbuds that offer good sound quality and improved noise-canceling and voice-calling performance for a fairly affordable price (around $90).
Anker Soundcore P41i: Anker's earlier Soundcore P40 buds have a stand built into their charging case for propping your phone up for video watching. The new P41i not only includes an integrated stand, but also a 3,000-mAh battery and USB-C cable that turns the case into a power bank for charging your phone. (Owners of older iPhones can also get a version with an integrated Lightning cable that costs $10 more.) While the case is a little heavy and bulkier than many earbuds cases, I like the two-devices-in-one concept. Note that while it doesn't offer high-speed charging, it does charge at 10W speeds, which isn't too shabby.
Noble Fokus Amadeus: Noble, the maker of "artisanal" in-ear monitors and headphones, is edging into the more mainstream earbuds market with its most affordable buds yet, after releasing its Fokus Mystiq ($359), Rex 5 ($449) and Prestige ($599) models in recent years. While the Fokus Amadeus ($320) buds are on the large side, they do fit a little more comfortably than the company's earlier buds, and they feature active noise canceling. Though their noise-muffling capabilities are merely decent (the ANC is certainly a step behind what you get with Bose and Sony flagship models), their sound quality is exceptionally good. The buds are equipped with 8.3mm custom triple-layer drivers, and the sound is open and nicely detailed, and the well-defined bass is deep and visceral without sounding boomy. Instruments feel distinctly and appropriately placed in the sound stage, and I appreciated that the natural sounding mids, where vocals live, are slightly forward and don't get eclipsed by the treble and bass. Noble's top-of-the-line Prestige buds are considered more analytical, which may be what some audiophiles are looking for. But the Amadeus buds have a bit warmer sound profile and aren't so revealing that they overly accentuate the flaws in less well-recorded tracks. These are buds you can use for long stretches without any listening fatigue, and they work well for a variety of music genres.
Sony LinkBuds Fit: Truth be told, in some ways, I like Sony's LinkBuds Fit better than its flagship WF-1000XM5 noise-canceling earbuds. While they don't sound quite as good or have noise canceling that's quite on par with those buds, they're lightweight (4.9 grams) and fit my ears comfortably and securely. Part of that is due to Sony's new Air Fitting Supporters, but it's also redesigned its eartips and included a wide range of sizes, including XL tips that fit my ears well. Despite being a slight step-down from the WF-1000XM5s for performance, their sound quality, noise canceling and call-quality performance are all very good. They also have built-in voice controls.
Earfun Air Pro 4: Earfun is now shipping the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus (see above), which have a dual-driver design and sound better for about $20 more. The Earfun Air Pro 4 are still a very good value, but I like the Plus model better.
Shokz Open Fit 2: Shokz has released the upgraded OpenFit 2 Plus with a slightly upgraded design and other small improvements, so the original OpenFit 2 buds have been on sale. This model fit my ears more comfortably than the originals and have superior sound quality with more bass and better clarity. They sound excellent for open earbuds, at least in quieter environments.
Beyerdynamic Amiron 300: While Beyerdynamic’s original Free Byrd impressed with sound quality, its new-for-2024 Amiron 300 earbuds address the previous design shortcomings with a compact, lightweight form factor that fits my ears well. The sound quality is outstanding -- rich, detailed and fairly open with a very pleasant tonal balance out of the box. There's impressive instrument separation that allows you to distinctly hear each element in complex tracks. The bass response is particularly noteworthy -- articulate and punchy without overwhelming the mix -- while the midrange offers nice clarity and accuracy, which benefits vocal reproduction. Voice-calling performance is solid thanks to three microphones in each bud, with callers reporting they could hear me well even in noisy environments, with only minimal background noise intruding.
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