Odi Productions
We’ve tested over 20+ pairs of wireless earbuds, and these are our BEST wireless noise cancelling earbuds for 2025. As a professional audio engineer and expert headphone reviewer with over 10 years of experience, along with a YouTube channel dedicated to reviewing headphones with over 15,000+ subscribers, this is my definitive list of the best of the best.
This list includes brands like Sony, Apple, Bose, Sennheiser, Samsung, Technics, Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Noble Audio, Status Audio, SoundPEATS, Cambridge Audio, Google, OnePlus, and more.
This Best Wireless Earbuds Awards List is based on the following categories:
- Best Comfort and Fit
- Best Earbuds for Bass
- Best Microphone Quality
- Best AirPods Alternatives
- Best Noise Cancelling Performance
- Best Sound Quality
- Best Value
- Best Overall
These are ALL truly wireless noise cancelling earbuds which we’ve reviewed and thoroughly tested individually on the website for hundreds of hours in total.
We buy almost EVERYTHING we tested in this article with our own money. The one pair that was given to us as part of an unrelated video (Black Friday deals) is the SoundPEATS H3. SoundPEATS is NOT the sponsor of this article, or of the review of the H3. They just wanted us to demonstrate the product and share a Black Friday promotion sale.
This article was last updated December 12th, 2025 with awards categories and latest deals.
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Honorable Mentions
Although these didn’t earn any individual awards, they are still excellent products worth noting (and buying)! I personally would be happy to own any of the following as my daily driver.
That’s just how competitive and good the truly wireless noise cancelling earbud category is today.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8
I’m generally a fan of Bowers & Wilkins the brand, as they’ve made some pretty solid wireless headphones we’ve tested here.
The Pi8 absolutely did not disappoint, and actually reminded me of their premium flagship Px8 headphones, but perhaps even better.
There is something so musical and warm about the Pi8’s sound profile and quality.
It’s fun to listen to and consumer-friendly but in a very tasteful and balanced way.
The only real caveats to the Pi8 are that the noise cancelling performance is quite average, and the price is fairly steep.
That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pi8 was #1 for many consumers and audiophiles alike.
Denon PerL Pro
The Denon PerL Pro is actually in our current Top 3 for Sound Quality, and is easily one of my favorites to listen to.
I would say they’re more of a fun, consumer-friendly sound signature, but with audiophile-level aptX Lossless resolution and details.
I think their strength is their bass, which is very prominent but not too overpowering, especially with the right EQ.
It’s a bit less of an all-arounder when factoring in noise cancelling and fit, which are closer to average.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is essentially like an “AirPods Pro 2 PLUS”, which is a big compliment.
The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is clearly meant to be the main competitor to AirPods for Android users, and I actually believe Samsung surpassed Apple when considering the AirPods Pro 2nd generation.
That said, Apple released the AirPods Pro 3 which puts them back on top over the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.
Word is circulating that the next generation Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is coming in 2026, and that should heat things up nicely.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 is a very good all-arounder and competes nicely with the AirPods Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.
These have a very comfy and easy fit, tiny form factor and design, good sound quality, and decent noise cancelling.
If you’re in the Android ecosystem, I’d probably prefer these over the AirPods Pro 2.
(And I personally LOVED the AirPods Pro 2… until the 3rd generation came out this year.)
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4
If you’re familiar with our headphone reviews, we’re pretty big fans of Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 over-ear wireless headphones.
The wireless earbud counterpart bearing the same name did not disappoint.
In fact, I may prefer the stock tuning of the Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds over the overly consumer-friendly headphones.
I would say the tasteful sound profile and technical sound quality are the biggest selling points to the “MTW4”, as the noise cancelling is about average.
OnePlus Buds Pro 3
Made in collaboration with well-respected brand Dynaudio, I had high hopes for the OnePlus Buds Pro 3.
Unfortunately, I think I may have received a defective pair with a blown driver.
There is a ton of potential for these that I could still hear despite the hardware malfunction, including an advanced EQ with tons of flexibility.
I’ll need to reserve my judgment for now, but these can easily break into the Top 10.
Best Comfort and Fit: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) improves upon the 1st Gen in pretty much every way.
They are nearly identical in cosmetic design, which is a good thing, as comfort and fit was already elite in the 1st Gen.
But the noise cancelling seems to be improved with less of that white noise and hissing sound from the 1st gen.
Sound quality also seems to be nicely improved, and is overall slightly higher fidelity.
As a whole the Bose QC Ultra 2 earbuds are a solid all-arounder that fit great, sound great, and have one of the more impressive noise cancelling performances.
Best Earbuds for Bass: Noble Audio FoKus Rex 5
These are absolute BASS CANNONS!
The Noble FoKus Rex 5 features a unique driver design that is able to dedicate a couple drivers just to handling bass.
The level of bass slam, impact, and overall quantity is unmatched by the 20+ wireless earbuds we’ve tested thus far.
Whether you listen to EDM, Pop, or Hip Hop, these are sure to satisfy even the most discerning basshead.
It also helps that they’re absolutely audiophile in terms of sound quality as well.
Best Microphone Quality: Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation
Microphones on these wireless earbuds tends to be pretty bad, and from a physics perspective, it makes sense.
These tiny earbuds need to reach pretty far to pick out the human voice from the environment.
That’s where AI comes in, and the “Voice Isolation” feature powered by AI on the AirPods Pro 3 is the best wireless earbud microphone I’ve tested to date.
I’ve used the AirPods Pro 3 on countless phone calls and Zoom meetings, listened back to some of those recordings, and was blown away by how clear and natural my voice was coming through.
Background noise is near silent, and my voice sounded fuller than any earbud microphone I’ve tested.
I am genuinely a pretty big fan of the previous AirPods Pro 2nd generation, but it started to show its age as new contenders and competition entered the market.
That said, the AirPods Pro 3 has legitimately surpassed the Pro 2 in pretty much every way, except for maybe the stock tuning, which is now more consumer-friendly instead of audiophile.
That’s not a bad thing, as most people are not audiophiles and would prefer a more fun bass-heavy and treble-detailed sound, that suits the modern genres better.
Even if you’re not a fan of the tuning, the overall resolution and fidelity received a noticeable upgrade over the more compressed-sounding AirPods Pro 2nd Gen.
Add in the new world-class active noise cancelling performance, and nifty futuristic Apple features like Live Translate, and the AirPods Pro 3 is the new gold standard in wireless earbuds.
It would be hard to find a better all-arounder than the AirPods Pro 3, when considering both sound quality and elite noise cancelling performance.
If you’re in the Apple Ecosystem, it’s hard to recommend anything but the Pro 3 for not only its performance, but sheer convenience as well.
Best AirPods Alternatives: Status Pro X
It’s very hard to compete with the newer AirPods Pro 3rd Generation that is one of the most complete wireless noise cancelling earbud packages in the market.
But if there’s one pair that not only competes, but exceeds the AirPods Pro 3, I would give it to the Status Audio Pro X.
The sound quality is in a level above the AirPods, boasting audiophile-level LDAC support, and multiple flexible EQ options, 2 things which are lacking in the entire AirPods lineup.
Status claims a 52db noise cancelling performance, which is easily on par with the AirPods as well.
The Pro X features “6 Beamforming Mics with VoiceLoom AI” to compete on a practical level of microphone quality.
Lastly, the fit and design is just as comfy as the AirPods, and a really well-designed and stylish product.
The only caveat to the Pro X is that it’s about $50 more expensive than the AirPods Pro 3, but I do think you are getting what you pay for.
Best Noise Cancelling Performance: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen
The active noise cancelling performance competition has heated up drastically in 2025.
My personal pick of elite noise cancelling earbuds includes:
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen
- Status Pro X
- Apple AirPods Pro 3rd generation
- Sony WF-1000XM5
- SoundPEATS H3
Personally, I’d be happy with any of those 5 when it comes to noise cancelling, but if I could only choose one, it would be the Bose QC Ultra 2nd gen.
Bose is no stranger when it comes to noise cancelling, as evidenced by their best-selling over-ear QuietComfort line of headphones.
I was actually not incredibly impressed by their 1st generation of their QC Ultra earbuds, and thought the noise cancelling was just above average, but not elite.
The 2nd gen has improved upon the 1st gen to put them back on top.
Where I find these to be effective is in that practical “real world” frequency range of human voices and lower frequencies.
It’s also much more consistent and less spiky than the 1st gen QC Ultra earbuds.
Again, I’d be happy with any of the 5 in that list for noise cancelling.
Best Sound Quality: Noble FoKus Rex 5
Here we are again.
It should be a surprise that the winner for “Best Bass” also picks up “Best Sound Quality”, at least for audiophiles.
But the truth is, the Noble FoKus Rex5 is the best-sounding wireless earbud we’ve tested to date… but with a few caveats.
First off, the price. Just under $450 before tax. Ouch.
Secondly, to get the most out of these, I do believe they need to be using LDAC as their stock sound profile is too muddy for AAC. If your phone doesn’t support it natively, a dongle will run you about $100. Another ouch.
Thirdly, speaking of sound profile, I believe these absolutely need the “Sound Personalization” feature to give a custom EQ to your ears. Again, that stock sound profile is simply not great IMO.
Now if you’re okay with all of the above, then these are the best sound quality POTENTIAL in the 20+ pairs we’ve tested.
If you’re NOT okay with doing all of that, or spending that much money, I’d happily grab either the Technics AZ100 or Denon PerL Pro and call it a day.
Both of those sound better straight from the factory with no EQ needed.
Best Value: SoundPEATS H3
At under $130, the SoundPEATS H3 absolutely runs away with our “Best Value” award, and by a longshot.
First off, the sound quality is up there approaching the Top 5 in the class.
With both LDAC and aptX Lossless support, these were designed with the audiophile in mind.
The sound profile is a very fun, bright, detailed, and engaging signature that most consumers and audiophiles would find pleasing.
They also boast a whopping “55db” of noise cancelling, which is the highest rating I’ve seen advertised.
I do believe the ANC is quite strong and one of the best in the class currently.
The SoundPEATS H3 was actually recommended to me by a bunch of YouTube comments, and this was a recommendation that was absolutely spot-on.
Best Overall: Technics AZ100
One of the most highly-recommend wireless earbuds to us was the Technics AZ100, and for everyone who left a comment on YouTube to check them out… thank you.
Although the Noble FoKus Rex 5 took the crown for Best Sound Quality, I genuinely prefer listening to the AZ100 right out of the box over the Rex 5.
While the Noble Fokus Rex 5 and Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are warm and musical, the AZ100 is a little bit cleaner, brighter, more detailed and crisp.
They call these “Reference Class” and I think they are deserving of that title, erring a bit more on the analytical side.
Aside from audiophile-level sound quality, these are surprisingly practical too.
For noise cancelling, these are actually above average for the class, whereas a lot of these more “audiophile” earbuds tend to have average to below average performance.
For microphone quality, they use a “JustMyVoice” AI technology that effectively has these competing with AirPods Pro 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.
All of this for about $299, and even lower when on sale, and you have our overall best wireless earbuds choice of 2025.
These are the ones I keep reaching for again and again, despite having over 20+ pairs in the office.
The AZ100 is the one to beat for 2026.
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase almost all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Updates
- December 12th, 2025: Updated from a “Top 10” List to “Best Wireless Earbuds Awards” and choosing winners for individual categories.
- November 28nd, 2025: Updated pricing to reflect Black Friday sales.
Conclusion
Here at RecordingNow, we’ve currently reviewed over 40+ pairs of wireless headphones, and now over 20 pairs of wireless earbuds as well.
I am quite impressed by the wireless noise cancelling earbuds class as a whole, and found that their sound quality and stock sound profiles to be better on average than full-sized, over-ear wireless headphones, which tend to need much more EQ to be enjoyable.
That said, the noise cancelling does seem to be better on average for the over-ear headphones, as they get the benefit of passive noise isolation from the closed-back earcups.
Although we’ve tested some incredible earbuds to date, there are some notable recommendations we’d like to get our hands on in the near future, from brands like Devialet.
I’m personally excited for the future of the wireless noise cancelling earbud category, and hope to continue building out our database of these products to completion.
If you want to see even MORE headphone deals than this list, including wireless earbuds as well, visit our Deals page which is updated regularly year-round!
