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 case). Read the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC review.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro: Leaks have revealed that Samsung will release new Galaxy Buds 4 Pro earbuds, so we moved the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro off the best list despite the fact that they remain very good earbuds. They may be nicely discounted once Samsung releases a new model. Read my Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review.
Sony WF-1000XM5: Sony has released the new WF-1000XM6 earbuds, which are noticeably improved from the earlier XM5s, which are still appealing earbuds and should be nicely discounted now that the XM6 has arrived. Read my Sony WF-1000XM5 review. Earfun is now shipping the Earfun Air Pro 4 Plus, 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.
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.
JBL Live Beam 3: The Live Beam 3 (around $170) earbuds look similar to the earlier Live Buds Pro 2, which I like a lot, especially when they go on sale for less than $100. Essentially, JBL's AirPods Pro 2 competitor, their distinguishing feature is the 1.45-inch touchscreen LCD integrated into their charging case that acts as a remote control for the buds and allows you to access their features. Equipped with 10mm drivers, not only do they offer clear, well-defined sound with punchy bass, but their noise canceling and voice-calling performance are very solid. Their battery is also good -- they offer up to 10 hours of battery life with ANC on and 12 hours with it off at moderate volume levels (a 10-minute charge gives you four hours of battery life). Available in four color options, they're IP55 splash-proof and dust-resistant.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds: Bose is now shipping its improved QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd gen), which means you'll be able to find discounts on the original QC Ultra Earbuds, which feature excellent sound and previously best-in-class noise-canceling performance.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: Google's redesigned its Pixel Buds Pro 2 to fit more ears better. Not only are the Pixel Buds Pro 2 smaller than their predecessor, but Google's equipped them with its new Tensor A1 chip, which offers more processing power and enables its new "hands-free, eyes-free" Gemini virtual AI assistant. So long as you get a snug fit and tight seal (yes, that's critical for sound quality and noise-canceling performance), these buds deliver excellent sound, strong noise-muffling capabilities and a robust feature set, particularly for Android and Google Pixel phone users.
Sony LinkBuds Fit: Truth be told, in some ways, I like Sony's new LinkBuds Fit ($200) 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.
Status Between 3ANC: Status Audio has announced the Pro X, the next-generation of its noise-canceling earbuds (they're available for preorder for $250 and will make this list of best-sounding wireless earbuds once they ship in September, based on my testing an early sample), but the more affordable Between 3ANC ($150) will remain on sale. Status' earbuds aren't exactly the sleekest or most attractive earbuds you can buy, but if you don't mind their utilitarian look and giant stems, you are getting an excellent-sounding set of earbuds. The Between 3ANC, the company's first noise-canceling earbuds, also do a good job muffling ambient sound, though they aren't up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort 2 earbuds for noise-canceling prowess. They did perform very well in my voice-calling test, reducing much of the background noise around me in the streets of New York while picking up my voice clearly, or so callers told me.
Creative Labs Aurvana Ace 2: There's been some hype recently around solid-state semiconductor Micro-Electromechanical System, aka MEMS, speakers and you can find xMEMS drivers in Creative Labs' Aurvana Ace ($130) and Ace 2 earbuds ($150). The newer Ace 2 has support for Qualcomm's AptX Lossless for the limited number of devices that support that audio codec, but otherwise the two models seem nearly identical, except for their color schemes. While the Ace 2 is missing features like ear-detection sensors that are often found in buds in this price range, they do sound quite impressive (if you get a tight seal), with nicely detailed, accurate sound and well-defined bass that has some warmth to it (it does help to play around with the companion app's equalizer settings to optimize the sound to your liking). I found their adaptive noise canceling good, though not necessarily great. The same was true for the voice calling performance.
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