Stiftung Warentest presents the best Bluetooth headband and in-ear headphones that it has had on the test bench since June 2021. Only a very expensive headset sounds very good, but there are good devices in every category for less than 100 euros.
The selection of Bluetooth headphones is now enormous, and new models are constantly coming onto the market. Stiftung Warentest has tested a total of 90 devices since June 2021 and is now presenting its favorites in four categories. The main focus of the evaluation is the sound, but the testers also assessed wearing comfort, endurance, active noise cancellation (ANC) and durability. More expensive headphones are in the lead, but there are also good and cheap headsets in the product test charts.
Bluetooth earphones that have earbuds connected to a cable are becoming less common, but some users still prefer them because they don’t get lost as easily as true wireless in-ears. In this category there are four test winners with an overall grade of 2.2.
The Beyerdynamic Blue Byrd (2nd generation) (129 euros) offer the highest wearing comfort, but are hardly suitable for telephoning. In addition, they are a bit quiet and their sound has an echo. The Teufel Airy Sport, which costs 60 euros, delivers the best sound among the test winners, followed by the equally inexpensive Teufel Real Blue In, which is particularly comfortable to wear. The Teufel Supreme In (60 euros), which particularly impressed the testers with music, also received a plus for the good sound. However, they are less suitable for telephoning.
Wireless earbuds have been booming since Apple released the first Airpods almost six years ago. In the best list from Stiftung Warentest, however, there are currently no Apple earplugs on the podium, and despite a good sound and an overall rating of 2.0, the Airpods Pro are not either. Because three earphones are ahead with the quality rating of 1.9.
The JBL Reflect Flow Pro (160 euros) convinced the testers above all with its good sound and great endurance, and its ANC is also good. With the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro (ANC) (134 euros), the good sound and the good noise suppression are combined with a high level of wearing comfort. The Sony WF-1000XM4 (220) also sound great, have a strong battery and a very effective ANC, only the wearing comfort is only satisfactory. The price-performance winners are the OnePlus Buds Z2, which, for around 90 euros, did well or very well in all categories except for comfort. Overall rating: 2.0.
Headband headphones, whose shells sit on the ears, are lighter and more compact and, in summer, more airy than circumaural headsets. However, they can also be uncomfortable and occasionally slip.
The sole test winner in this category is the JBL Live 460NC (99 euros) with a quality rating of 2.0. Sound, ANC and wearing comfort are good, the battery performance is even very good. The Marshall Major IV (137 euros) took second place with an overall grade of 2.3. Sound and wearing comfort are only satisfactory with it, but it offers the longest runtime of the test candidates with almost 86 hours. Third place was shared by the Audio-Technica ATH-S220BT (64.50 euros) and the JBL Tune 510 BT (40 euros), which achieved a quality rating of 2.4. Both are very enduring, but the JBL is more comfortable while the Audio-Technica is more stable.
Circumaural headband headphones deliver the best sound, suppress disruptive outside noise particularly effectively and last a long time. On the other hand, they are relatively large and heavy and less suitable for warm temperatures.
Four devices share first place with an overall score of 1.9. The Apple Airpods Max are the only headphones with a very good sound and they offer a good ANC. But they also cost almost 500 euros and when it comes to wearing comfort and endurance, the other test winners are ahead by a nose.
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 (195 euros) is comfortable, has a good sound and lasts a long time. But it does not offer ANC. Exactly the same strengths have brought the Austrian Audio HI-X25BT (149 euros) to the podium, which also has no active noise suppression. In addition to a strong battery and high wearing comfort, the JBL Live 660NC (134 euros) also offers a good ANC – you can sometimes do without detailed instructions.
The price-performance winner in this category with a quality rating of 2.0 is the JBL Tune 760NC, which only costs 94 euros. The testers found the sound, noise suppression and wearing comfort good, and there was even a very good rating for the high endurance.
