The most comfortable headphones 2024: Bose, Sennheiser, Anker

Overview

Bose QuietComfort headphones hanging on wall

Our top pick

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

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$429 Amazon

Best budget pick

Anker Soundcore Space One

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$99.99 Amazon

Best for sound quality

It's hard to imagine a person who wouldn't benefit from a good pair of headphones. In fact, you pretty much need a pair nowadays, whether you use them for work or just throughout your daily life, as many of us do.

No matter how you use them or what you listen to, one thing's for sure: You're going to end up wearing them for long periods of time, at least at some point. And if you don't have comfortable headphones, your poor little ears are going to suffer. If you haven't experienced headphone soreness and ear fatigue, just know that we don't recommend it.

So, to help you take care of your ears and save you any shopping-related stress, we set out to find the most comfortable headphones. We tested dozens of options, from noise-cancelling headphones for flying to budget options, and we narrowed our top picks down to three contenders.

In-ear, on-ear, or over-ear?

If you're looking for comfort above all, over-ear headphones are always the way to go. They just wear better than earbuds) or on-ear pairs. On-ear headphones press more harshly on your ears, which gets uncomfortable quickly. In-ear buds are generally more comfortable than on-ear headphones, but can still begin to hurt after just a few hours depending on the model (they are jammed inside your ears, after all).

Although over-ear headphones are bulkier and less portable, it's worth the trade-off for comfort's sake. Plus, over-ear headphones can be safer for your ears compared to earbuds because the sound isn't being funneled directly into your ear canal. They also provide extra noise cancellation.

How much should you spend on comfortable headphones?

The good news is that comfortable headphones aren't locked to a specific budget range. You can find a super cozy pair at premium prices just as easily as you can find them at the budget end of the spectrum. The extra features you're looking for are what really determine how much you need to spend.

Want unrivaled active noise cancellation or the best sound quality in the business? Then be prepared to spend a minimum of around $200, all the way up to $500. If comfort is literally the only thing you care about and the extra bells and whistles are just nice-to-haves, you can expect to spend anywhere from $50 to $100. Go any cheaper, and you're probably not going to get a lot of value for your money. No shade toward your favorite pair of gas station headphones, but they probably aren't the best option for all-day wear.

If $400 is out of your reach, then look for these headphones on sale during events like Prime Day and Black Friday. The latest Prime Day event, Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, takes place Oct. 8 and 9, and we expect both Bose QuietComfort and Anker Soundcore headphones to go on sale.

What are the most comfortable headphones?

After extensive testing, we selected the three most comfortable headphones we've ever reviewed. Read on to find out which pairs emerged as the top contenders, including picks for those who want top-tier noise cancellation.

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Our Pick

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

Our top pick

$429 Amazon

Read Mashable's full review of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.

Who it's for:

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are the most comfortable headphones we've ever tried, full stop. And to sweeten the deal even more, they sound fantastic. Pair that with a long battery life and impressive ANC capabilities, and you've got yourself the perfect pair of headphones for all-day wear.

Don't want to pay for headphones that cost $429? We get it. Look for these comfortable headphones on sale during Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event, coming Oct. 8 and 9.

Why we picked this:

In hindsight, maybe we shouldn't have been surprised that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones would be our top pick. Comfort is literally in the name. Still, we can't get over just how great these things feel to wear. As soon as we put them on, we were immediately impressed with the fit. The cushions are soft and plush, and the adjustable headband always stays in place when changing length. They never felt too tight, although at some points they would become a bit loose if we turned our head too quickly (not a dealbreaker by any means). A lot of headphones advertise "all-day comfort" as a feature, but rarely is that literally true. With the QuietComfort Ultra, we wore them throughout an entire workday and felt zero soreness.

Now, with a $429 price point, you need to be offering something more than comfort to justify the purchase. Thankfully, these headphones sound incredible, too. The sound quality is comparable to other premium-level headphones, delivering robust low, mid, and high tones for music and crystal-clear speaking voices when listening to podcasts or taking phone calls. It's not the absolute best audio experience we've ever had, but it still sits amongst the greats.

The headphones feature three different listening modes: Quiet, Immersion, and Aware. Quiet is the active noise cancellation (ANC) mode, and it works very well. They did a good job of keeping us focused and blocking out any distracting noises. Immersion mode keeps the ANC on, but swaps over to a spatial audio experience compared to Quiet mode's stereo style. We didn't notice too much of a difference between the two, but the Immersion mode did sound slightly fuller. Aware mode lets in some outside noise so you're not completely sealed in, but unfortunately, there's a faint hissing sound when using this mode that just wasn't very pleasant. We hardly switched out of Quiet mode, anyway.

We also loved the lengthy battery life at around 24 hours in Quiet mode, strong wireless performance, seamless device switching, and the fact that they can fold up and fit into a nifty little carrying case for storage (that's included, by the way). One other small downside with these headphones: The on-ear controls are a little finicky. They don't always do what they're supposed to do, but they work as expected more often than not. Bose has a companion app that you can use to control everything manually, but we wish we didn't have to do that to circumvent the headphone's touch controls.

All in all, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are well worth the large investment for their best-in-category comfort and overall quality, even with a few faults. Still, maybe try to get them on sale.

The Good

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$429 Amazon

Anker Soundcore Space One

Best budget pick

$99.99 Amazon

Who it's for:

If you want a similar vibe to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra but don't want to spend over $400, the Anker Soundcore Space One headphones are a great budget alternative. These cans offer comparable features like ANC, an intuitive companion app, a long battery life, and of course, a comfortable form factor that you can wear for long listening sessions.

Why we picked this:

We can best describe the Anker Soundcore Space One headphones as a budget version of the Bose QuietComfort Ultras. We guess they're like cousins, kind of? They boast a lot of similar features for a fraction of the price of the Bose model (even though they may not be up to the same sound quality). In terms of comfort, the Space Ones are wonderful, especially at this price point. We had no issues wearing them all day — the earcups and headband are super soft, and both are endlessly adjustable so you can fit them to your noggin just right. The rotatable earcups also allow you to fold the headphones so they fit in the included carrying bag, although it was a tight squeeze. Still, we appreciate portability.

Sound quality is really good for the price. Even though these are a "budget" pair of headphones, they certainly don't sound that way. Audio is very balanced overall, with the one sticking point being the high tones — they can sound a bit tinny. They don't feel like budget headphones, however. The materials aren't premium, but they definitely aren't the cheap, plastic-like stuff you'd expect to find with a more inexpensive pair of headphones. Battery life is solid at around 35-40 hours with ANC active, and we never had any issues pairing them via Bluetooth.

The Anker Soundcore Space Ones come with a surprising amount of extra features for their price. You can switch to Adaptive ANC and transparency modes with on-ear controls or the Soundcore app. The app is home to even more fun perks like HearID, which conducts a quick hearing test in order to create a personalized sound profile, and Easy Chat, which lets you place one hand on the left earcup to switch from ANC to transparency mode for quick conversations.

For $99, the Anker Soundcore Space One headphones are a certified steal. We'd say you get what you pay for, but in this case, we feel you get a bit more than that.

The Good

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$99.99 Amazon

Sennheiser HD 599

Best for sound quality

$199.95 Amazon

Who it's for:

If you're a bona fide audiophile who spends a lot of time listening to vinyl records, the open-back Sennheiser HD 599 headphones are your perfect match. They may not be easy to travel with and don't come packed with a bunch of high-tech features, but they're extremely comfortable and sound better than any pair of headphones we tested for this roundup, including the $429 Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

Why we picked this:

The Sennheiser HD 599 headphones prioritize sound quality and comfort over everything else. While the main draw here is that amazing sound quality, comfort is by no means an afterthought. They feature a nice, wide frame that isn't too tight on your head, as well as soft and fluffy ear pads that feel like your favorite blanket (they're replaceable, too). The leatherette headband is smooth and plush and allows for quick adjustments that never move out of place. We used these primarily for listening to music, and we were able to get through multiple albums without any discomfort.

Now, let's talk about the sound. It's amazing. The HD 599s have an open-back design that allows for some ambient noise to come through while listening, giving everything a more natural sound that's great for deep, critical listening, especially if you plug them into a vinyl record player. If you want your music presented in the best way possible, these headphones provide the soundstage to make that happen. If you were wondering, yes, these headphones are wired only, coming with a 3.5mm and a quarter-inch cable. At least you won't have to worry about battery life or Bluetooth connectivity.

There is a trade-off, though. You can't really travel with these headphones. Because they're open-back, they also leak sound out . Unless you want to be that guy, leave these at home. It's for the best, though, because they don't feel like the most durable headphones, and traveling may open them up to damage over time. And because they aren't made with portability in mind, we can understand why they don't come with a carrying case. But still, at this price point, it should come with at least some way to store them besides leaving them on a table. We do appreciate that the cables are removable, though, so you won't be leaving behind a tangled mess when you aren't using them.

The Sennheiser HD 599 headphones aren't cheap, but if you're a die-hard music lover who wants to hear their tunes at their very best, they're worth the money. Their cool, vintage-y look is a nice bonus, too.

The Good

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$199.95 Amazon

Topics Bose Music Prime Day

How we tested

All of the headphones we considered for this guide underwent at least a week of rigorous hands-on testing. (Some have also been tested previously for other Mashable reviews.) They were used for everything from work, to leisure, to exercising, to doing chores — as long as the tasks were long enough to determine if they were comfortable or not. We paid close attention to these attributes while testing:

Comfort: Obviously, this was the most important consideration. We took each pair's weight, tightness, earcup and headband softness, adjustability, and stability during movement into consideration during multiple multi-hour long wearing sessions. If our ears felt overly sore after testing concluded, those headphones didn't make the cut.
Sound quality: Comfort doesn't matter if the headphones sound bad. Sound quality was our second priority during testing, and we looked for pairs with clear and detailed audio, whether we were listening to our favorite Spotify playlist or a long podcast episode.
Battery life: If you're going to be wearing your headphones for long stints, you need a battery life that keeps up with you. If a pair of wireless headphones lost juice too quickly, we didn't include it in this roundup.
Performance: This category includes things like controls that are easy to understand and use, connection reliability, and microphone output quality (if the given pair had a mic at all).
Portability and durability: Most people travel with their headphones, so we picked options that could either folded up or came with a carrying case for easy transport and storage. If you're traveling with your tech, you'll want it to be durable, so we also took note of the build quality of each pair of headphones. As long as they didn't feel overly cheap, they stayed in the running.
Special features: Some of the headphones we tested came with bonus perks in addition to their comfort factors. This includes features such as companion apps, ANC, EQ customization, touch controls, and more.
Price: Finally, we took into account the overall value of each pair of headphones. Were they actually worth their list prices? Or were they priced too high for what you actually end up getting?

Frequently Asked Questions

Oh, certainly. Headphones and earbuds always go on sale during big shopping events like Amazon Prime Day. With Prime Big Deal Days going down on Oct. 8 and 9, expect great deals from brands like Apple, Bose, Anker, and many more.

You may have noticed one glaring omission from this roundup: The AirPods Max. That's because, in our experience, we've found the AirPods Max to be a little too case-by-case when it comes to comfort — some say they're extremely comfortable, and others said they weren't at all. Our chief tester found them to be pretty uncomfortable over long periods of use.

We still enjoy the AirPods Max quite a bit, especially for their sound quality and aesthetic. But, they're also just too expensive for what you get, have a fast-draining battery, lack a power button, and don't allow for wired connections. That is decidedly not a bang for your buck.

Most headphones now come with the option to connect to devices via Bluetooth, but whether you get wired or wireless headphones will come down to your personal preference. For those who are on a tighter budget or don't like constantly charging their tech, it might make sense to go with a pair of wired headphones or earbuds. On the other hand, if you're a fan of active noise cancellation, you're going to have a harder time finding a pair of wired headphones. So, if ANC is high on your priority list, go wireless.

There's no real "best" when it comes to headphones brands — there are a ton of great options out there, so you'll need to go by your preferences. However, we can suggest some brands based on specific attributes. For top-quality noise cancelling, Bose is going to be top dog. For rich and balanced sound profiles, you'll want to look into Sony's roster. And if you want a budget pair, Anker Soundcore headphones usually bring a high value at a low price.

Dylan Haas

Lead Shopping Reporter

Dylan Haas is a Lead Shopping Reporter for Mashable, where he covers all things gaming, pets, fitness, sleep, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. Before joining the team at Mashable, Dylan received a B.A. in Communications from Pace University and contributed to publications like Paste Magazine, Bandsintown, and others following a brief stint as a marketing and management assistant in the music industry.

When he's not writing or testing products, you can find Dylan playing lots of video games, working out, spending time with loved ones (especially his dog, Stevie), or watching reality TV. Follow him on X at @iamdylanhaas, or send him an email at [email protected].