A pair of good headphones is a must — whether you’re an audiophile or attending many calls on the go. A bulky headphone might need more storage space, but for that compromise, you get a longer battery life, better audio quality, stronger noise cancellation, and stable wireless connectivity.

If you’re looking to buy new headphones, a quick exercise will help you identify the perfect one that suits your requirements. Ask yourself a few questions: will it be primarily used for attending calls, or will it be your travel companion?

Do you prefer design and looks over features? How important is the audio quality for you? Once you know the answers to these questions, you can zero in on one of the best headphones available on the market.

However, if you don’t feel like going through this trouble or can’t figure out the best product, we’ve tested some headphones for various uses to provide you with some shopping guidance. Here’s the list of the five best headphones that will suit most use cases.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Courtesy: Sony

If you ignore the boring model name, the 1000XM5 is probably the best headphone on the market. These headphones can be used in the office, during your daily commute, or even for watching your favorite shows.

Sony has improved the design and performance of its flagship headphones over the years, and this fifth-generation XM5s offers a refined and comfortable listening experience.

Apart from being one of the best-sounding headphones, you also get class-leading noise cancellation, long battery life, a seamless design, up to 40 hours of battery life, and a bundled app that can help customize the sound output based on your preference.

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

Courtesy: Sennheiser

Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 wireless headphones are among the most well-balanced headphones on the market. It offers up to 60 hours of battery backup – which sets a new standard among premium headphones. Such a long battery life means that you do not have to search for a power socket often.

Moreover, its noise cancellation is highly effective, and the headphones offer a balanced sound across the entire frequency range. The Momentum 4 Wireless headphones have a broader appeal with a minimalist design.

Apple AirPods Max

Courtesy: Apple

If you’re in Apple’s ecosystem, picking up the AirPods Max should be a no-brainer. While these come at a premium price, they offer an unmatchable listening experience and have a unique design language.

With the AirPods Max, you get a class-leading ANC experience, brilliant audio quality, and a top-notch user experience. Among these headphones’ most notable and unique features is the 3D Spatial Audio feature that tracks the head movement of the user to offer a surround sound effect.

However, since these headphones are designed keeping the Apple ecosystem in mind, you will miss some nifty features if you pair them with an Android phone.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Courtesy: Bose

If you’re a frequent flyer, then the Bose 700 is the best pair of headphones you can get. When it comes to noise cancellation, the Bose 700 and the Sony 1000XM5 offer an unmatched experience.

It comes equipped with eight microphones that isolate speech and suppress everything else that is not supposed to reach your ears. You can experience the effect of the noise cancellation feature even during regular calls or while listening to music.

What’s more, the Bose 700 has a striking design and offers close to 20 hours of battery life – good enough to last for a couple of days.

Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro

Courtesy: Beyerdynamic

While Beyerdynamic might not be a well-known name compared to the others on the list, it makes some of the best audio products on the market. And the DT 1990 Pro is no exception.

These open-back headphones offer a mesmerizing audio experience, are comfortable to wear, and are amongst the best on the market. They would be an excellent choice for someone who prefers audio quality over design.

Worthy Mentions

Though headphones offer a great battery life and a premium experience, they aren’t very compact, making them difficult to carry around. Hence if portability is your priority, then a pair of TWS will suit you best. Some of the best true wireless earbuds you can get on the market today are: Apple AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds, Beats Fit Pro, Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0, and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3.