Best wireless headphones 2016 - reviewed

What’s the story?

These babies have more than enough battery life to get you through the longest non-stop passenger flight in the world (Emirates flight EK449 from Auckland to Dubai, plane nerds). Enough said?

OK, we’ll go into a bit more detail. Bose has been knocking out noise-cancelling cans for years, but the QC35s are the first to cut the cord and move to Bluetooth. Don’t panic, frequent flyers, the wireless signals won’t bring down your plane.

With a fairly simple design, built that feels like plastic (even if it’s actually glass-filled nylon), and matte black or silver colour choices, they don’t exactly look like £280 cans. That’s because all your cash has gone into the tech inside.

The AAA battery has been ditched for a rechargeable lithium cell that’ll keep going for 20 hours. Active noise cancelling mutes the world around you, so you can listen in peace. They’re a comfy fit, too, sitting tight to your head without feeling like you’re trapped in a vice.

Sound good?

Sure, you’ll get more bass from other headphones, but that’s the point of a pair of Bose cans. They’re tuned to stay neutral, and so you get nothing but clarity.

The treble is probably just a tad too sharp but stay away from low bitrate MP3s and you won’t have to suffer. With decent quality tracks, you’ll get a crisp and clear sound.

iPhone owners won’t notice the lack of aptX Bluetooth, but you’ll miss it if you’re on Android and have tried a pair of aptX cans before.

What’s the story?

If anything shows how the standard of wireless headphones has evolved from ape to man in recent years, it’s the AKG Y50BTs. These booming beauties are proof that you don’t have to pay a pretty penny for great wireless sound and are easily good enough to pass for a solid wired performance.

Essentially they’re carbon copies of their wired cousins, the AKG Y50s, meaning ‘AKG’ is still boldly brandished across the cups. While more subdued than, say, the white-on-red or black-on-yellow finishes of the Y50s, this branding won’t be up everyone’s street. What will be are the dapper blue, black and silver finishes, though. Gorgeous.

The Y50BTs simply carry a bit more holiday weight (the ear cups are a few millimeters thicker), and have buttons for volume, play/pause and power/pairing nestled into the right ear cup. The intuitive layout doesn’t require the permanent carrying of a pocket mirror; you’ll soon be reaching for the right button without hesitation.

Sound good?

They’re no slouch in the sound department. With none of the horrid hiss and whine, crack and pop that’s often a glitch of Bluetooth headphones, they’re clear as a bell, serving up truckloads of detail, and a much cleaner, refined and agile listen than past faves, the Philips M2BT.

They walk through Belle & Sebastian’s Nobody’s Empire with a skip in their step. There’s space and openness to keyboards, with melodious guitars and tuneful vocals never fighting for room. It shows its musical hand and knack for rhythms as we switch to Macklemore & Lewis’ Can’t Hold Us while timing is punctual, even when we try to trip it up with Radiohead’s Paranoid Android.

A full charge (using the microUSB charging cable included promises 20 hours of juice, although a flat battery doesn’t mean game over. The included headphone cable lets you carry on listening passively, which is a slightly more refined experience, if not quite as powerful.

What’s the story?

The size of a pear drop, JBL’s brand spanking new wireless buds are all about fuss-free fit. So whether you’re strutting the streets to Vanessa Carlton or hitting the gym to Kanye West (or even hiking Everest?), you don’t have to waste time lodging them in and wiggling them around to get a good fit – three sizes of ear tips help too. Just pop them in and a small hook helps them nuzzle (and stay put) in your ear.

As unshakeable as rivals with wraparound hooks? Maybe not, so gym bunnies beware – the Everest 100s aren’t sweatproof or waterproof either, so be wary on wet days. Still, they have a more discreet design (they come in subdued white or black), and are easier to put in and out if your gossipy mate on the bus keeps butting in.

An in-line remote for hands-free calls and Bluetooth pairing also hangs just below your cheek too so you wont ever be fumbling around for it.

Sound good?

Their eight-hour battery life will help get you through the daily grind (a microUSB charging cable can then restore order), and their sound is one you could easily listen to for that long too… if you don’t mind your music on the rich and meaty side.

When Jack Garratt drops his funky electro beats and wobbling synths in Worry, the JBLs dig down deep, bass hogging the limelight. It lends a weighty hand to the rest of the sound so it exhumes solidity and confidence – it handles Muse’s The 2nd Law album with its head held high.

They aren’t exactly the roadrunner of in-ears though, not quite as quick on the draw or punctual as we’d like. Still, there’s the dynamics and insight to carry the burden and harmonics of each struck piano note in Joni Mitchell’s River. Her soaring vocals are a perfect fit amid the piano-playing, her angelic tone unmistakeable.

What’s the story?

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had buds fall (or tugged) out of your ears during exercise? Yes, us too. 

Beats sympathizes and, to show some compassion, has come up with these sport-friendly in-ears. Bluetooth playback means no wires (except from the short, discreet one linking the two buds together), and ear hooks make sure they stay burrowed deep.

In fact, Beats seems to have thought of everything: they’re a true featherweight (a pinky-finger-liftable 24g) and sweat and water-resistant – though we wouldn’t swim lengths wearing them. Even the in-line remote has a ‘no-slip’ moulding for extra grip, so you’ll never miss a meal call from your mum again. The hard shell carry case, the size of a large pebble, won’t take up room in your man bag, nor will the dinky USB charging cable.

It goes without saying that the Powerbeats2 look every bit the fashion accessory – they are a pair of Beats, after all. The logo is big enough to catch the judgmental eyes of passers by, and they come in everything from two-tone black and red or yellow and grey to single green, pink and blue. Those who mean business can get straight up black or white.

There’s a change of buds to suit your clappers, and we reckon they’ll sit tight and comfy for marathon duration. The 6 hour battery wouldn’t get in the way, although that’s still a little stingy – remember that, unlike with on-ears, it’s game over when the juice is up.

Sound good?

Getting us in the mood is Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger (if it’s good enough for Rocky…) and the Powerbeats2s bask in the brand’s signature sound: show-stealingly rich bass and clear vocals. They have the clarity and energy to take the punchbag bassline right to you, and the knockout riff has enough punch to kick you into gear.

They take no prisoners; any Eminem rap will bully you into getting your legs going. We’d trade some aggressiveness for an ounce of finesse and subtlety, though – both of which are nowhere to be seen. Highs lack detail and sparkle too. A case of good but not good enough? You betcha.

For £170, the price of a healthy six-month gym membership, we’d take our chances with a less bank-breaking, more sound-centric pair.