This is a detailed review of Bose Sleepbuds meant to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. I'm not sure that I could wear these all night, but reviews suggest that they're comfortable.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds are even smaller and shorter than Apple AirPods. They look pretty, but I don't know if they will fall off the ears easier. That said, with such a good design and sound quality, we have another good option for now.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless Earbuds ($300)
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless Earbuds are hands-down the best sounding. This isn’t surprising at all because the they've been competing with Bose for a long time. What is a bit shocking is that this is their first foray into the sphere of wireless earbuds.
It’s a comfortable device. The earpiece themselves are made of sturdy plastic which helps keep its weight down. They won’t be sliding out due to weight if your intentions are to work out or run with them on. The lightweight construction also makes it comfortable to use for long periods.
To be fair, it is important to note that the earpiece is a bit chunkier than other wireless earbuds. That is, of course, if that's something you care about.
The silicon ear tips are also soft yet elastic enough to fill your ear canal enough to prevent sound leak. Naturally, the passive noise cancellation is phenomenal with these ear tips. If you have the right size on, even the loudest sound from the outside world would be very muffled.
But if that’s not your fancy, you can turn on the Transparency Mode. This uses the mic to replicate and even enhance outside noises so you can hear them through your music.
As for the carrying case, it’s one of the more unique products out there. This is because it uses fabric while most everyone else, like Apple, opts for smooth plastic. It also has a USB-C port for charging.
Another good feature on these earphones is the control. You can adjust volume by touching and holding one of the earpieces while they're inside your ear. There are more basic commands such as stop, play, and pause. However, these controls come with the downside of accidentally getting triggered even if you’re just adjusting them in your ears.
Without a doubt, these are the best sounding out of the bunch. It has a wide soundstage which gives each instrument the attention it deserves. Bass response is exceptional without sounding artificial. On the higher end of the sound spectrum, the Sennheiser Momentum never gets crackling or ear-piercing. You can also easily distinguish the vocals from the rest of the music. As such, the instrumental definition is also head and shoulders above the rest. It’s just a well-balanced piece of audio technology.
This sound quality paired with the Bluetooth technology inside the Sennheiser Momentum earbuds makes a perfect combo for a great audio experience. The Bluetooth 5 and Bluetooth LE 5 just make for stutter-less audio even when viewing videos.
The only glaring downside is that the battery life is abysmal. The earbuds themselves can hold up to 4 hours while the case holds around 8 hours of power for a total truly wireless play time of up to 12 hours. A lot of the others can easily surpass and even double that. For the asking price of $300, this might be a deal breaker despite the sound supremacy.
Galaxy Buds ($129)
Samsung quietly released the Galaxy Buds together with the Galaxy S10 trio of devices so most people had it on the backburner. Now that the hype has died down a little bit on the Galaxy phones, the Galaxy Buds are starting to take some of the limelight.
Right out of the box, you can tell that the Galaxy Buds were made for more active wearers compared to the Sennheiser Momentums. Aside from the silicon ear tips, it also has replaceable sports fins. These allow for a more secure and comfortable fit. It’s also a little less clunky.
What it has in common with the Sennheiser is that it also has the Bluetooth 5 technology for robust connectivity. It also sports the ambient sound feature that lets outside noise in even while you have your earbuds on. Samsung also included touch controls.
The Galaxy Buds, however, is much better than the Sennheiser Momentum in one very important aspect: battery life. It offers 6 hours of playback on a single charge and another 7 hours in the case. It is important to note that other cases can hold multiple charges. However, with a single charge playback like that, you can easily find some time to plug the case in as you listen to music.
As for performance, the treble sounds a bit tinny but the bass is even and balanced. However, clarity, especially for vocals, is a bit off. You wouldn't be able to distinguish individual instruments as you can do with the Sennheiser Momentum. But at $129, would you be looking to do that?
Anker Soundcore Liberty Air ($80)
More known for their power banks, Anker’s foray into the audio world has been a bit of a mixed bag. The Anker Soundcore Liberty, their Apple Airpod look-a-like wireless earbuds, are part of the good mix.
As you expect they also have the stem that would make it look like you’re wearing the upper part of your toothbrush in your ears. But other than that, there’s nothing else about these earbuds that you can call awkward or out of place.
For one thing, it has a silicon ear tip that gives it some level of passive noise cancellation. It also helps with the bass and sound clarity.
It also has great battery life. It can carry up to 5 hours on a single charge while the case still having 3 more full chargers before needing an outlet. That’s a total of a whopping 20 full hours of wireless audio.
Speaking of the case, opening it up turns the earbuds on and pairs it automatically with your phone. It’s small enough to put inside your pocket discretely without making an unsightly bulge.
It has some basic touch control such as stop, play, and pause. This can be extremely handy if you don’t want to interact with your phone.
It also gives a surprisingly outstanding sound performance. The bass is strong without being overbearing and the mids are full and controlled. For bass heads, these are great properties to have. However, if you’re into pop or music with a lot more treble, you might not be in the position to enjoy the sound quality of the Soundcore Liberty Air. They’re a bit tinny and lifeless.
Speaking of weaknesses, there’s also a lack of some desirable features. Most of it is that this does not come equipped with aptX, therefore, there might be some latency and even some stutter. There’s also the fact that it charges via micro USB instead of the growing standard of USB-C.
However, with most of the features of higher end wireless earbuds such as the Airpods, the $80 Soundcore Liberty Air is a good purchase decision.
If you need to buy some noise-cancelling earbuds, then check out this list by Wirecutter. The experts do some heavy testing before making recommendations and you'll even find a set one the list for less than $50.
The price is still somewhat steep for a headphone. No surprise here as Apple has put a very high price tag on its products. I hope Apple will change their strategy and make their products more affordable for everyone.
Does anyone else feel bored of these repeating designs? What used to be called a premium look now can be seen everywhere that it's no longer unique. Why do you think the developers continue this trend?
When it comes to noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones, the Bose QuietComfort line has reached a level of ubiquity that not a lot of brands can parallel. It brought the whole travel headphone sub-niche to the mainstream sphere after all. There’s just something about the ease of just putting it on and immediately muting the rest of the world off that makes these kinds of headphones fly off the shelves and generate such attention.
But over the years, other companies have started to catch on to Bose. The competition is starting to become interesting with huge audio brands such as Sony and Bowers & Wilkins coming into the fray. Even unexpected competitors such as Microsoft and Dolby are starting to knock on their heels. Each one of them has their own twist to a seemingly already perfect QuietComfort line of headphones. All of this makes the noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphone market a truly interesting space to keep an eye on.
Microsoft Surface Headphone
When we say Microsoft Surface, you’d probably initially think of the company’s outstanding tablet-laptop hybrid the Surface Pro or the newly minted Surface Laptop and Surface Book. But, just recently, the Microsoft Surface line of products added the Surface Headphones to their brilliant selection of hardware.
It comes in a similar matte grey finish as the Surface Pro. It’s got a stylish look that pairs well aesthetically with other Microsoft hardware.
But what it’s really got going for it is the intuitive controls. The ear cups serve as huge touch panels with which users can tap to pause or resume music. Double tapping one of them lets you answer calls with the headset. Tapping and holding on the panel summons Cortana, Microsoft’s excellent voice assistant. Google Assistant and Siri can also be used if you wish to do so. The perimeter of the cups are dials that you can rotate to control the volume and the level of noise-cancellation. Furthermore, it has a feature that stops the music the moment you take the headphones off and resumes automatically when you put them back on. All of these features make the Surface Headphones one the most versatile in the category.
It’s stylish, easy to use (even when hands-free), and comfortable to wear which is basically where Microsoft poured all of their efforts in. But in doing so, it failed to include a few key elements to their maiden voyage into audio hardware.
It’s not a perfect product. The sound quality, while way above average, leaves a lot to be desired especially compared to others in the $300 price range. It also can’t play APTX, AA3, or LDAC. The battery life also leaves a lot to be desired. But at that price, it’s still one of the best all-around headphones that you can use while on-the-go or at the comfort of your own home.
Sony WH-1000XM3
From the company that brought us the Walkman, the WH-1000XM3 is one of best overall in the active noise-cancellation equipped Bluetooth headphones. The noise-cancellation is simply amazing on these headphones. Even with just the ANC turned on without any music turned off, the level of quietness is just eerie. So even in a noisy aeroplane cabin, you'd have no probably snoozing with these cans on. The comfort of the padding is also something to be admired.
Audiophiles will be pleased as it only produces the purest sounds thanks to the outstanding ANC. Battery life is also way above average with a 30-hour rating. That means you can literally go a full day without having to charge the device. Cabin noise in long-haul flights, therefore, shouldn't worry you.
The only negative about these Sony headphones is that the controls aren’t as exceptional as Microsoft’s offering. But the overall experience shouldn’t suffer because the pros still far outweigh the cons in this case. And at $349, the compromises that the Japanese giant had made is tolerable.
For business users who often go on long commutes, these headphones are among the best that money can buy. It’s definitely designed to help you get a little bit more restful sleep on a cramped airline or bus seat.
Bowers & Wilkins PX
When it comes to sound quality, no other pair of headphones can hold a candle to the Bowers & Wilkins PX. It has class-leading bass and treble that delivers songs with an emotive flair.
Other than that, everything else is just up to standard. The battery is rated for 22-hours, the ergonomics are on point, and the is USB-C is just the way how all wireless headphones should be.
It’s a utilitarian audiophile’s headphones. It doesn’t have any bells or whistles like a dial. Simple, easy-to-use buttons are all they have. Don’t expect these to have Google Assistant or Siri built-in too.
Bose QuietComfort 35 II
Of course, the OG can’t be left out of this group. The QuietComfort 35 II despite being released in 2016 is still one of the best Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones there is. It’s not particularly outstanding at any one aspect. Instead, its greatness lies in the well-balanced and extremely versatile packaging that it comes in.
It's lightweight. It is built with a lot of plastic but it does not, in any way feel flimsy. What that plastic construction does it keep the headphones light making it more comfortable than most of the other headphones on this list. Combining that lightweight construction with the memory foam and leather that they use on the earcups make this one of the most comfortable headphones in the market. You’ll definitely be able to finish the entire 40-hour wired connection rating without needing to take them off. But if you wish to connect wirelessly, the 20-hour rating should also be good.
Overall, it’s still at the top but it’s no longer as dominant as it was when it was released 2 years ago. Sony is following closely at its heels. If Bose relaxes with their next iteration of their headphones, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it topple from the top of the pile.