Headphones
Sony WF-1000XM3 £169 / stuff.tv/sonywfxm3
The original WF-1000XMS had an easy job in the early days of noise-cancelling in-ears, because there simply wasn’t much in the way of competition. That’s all changed now – yet the way the XM3S serve up sound quality as spectacular as this while being truly wireless, while effectively cancelling background noise and while remaining comfortable in the ears, is quite something. So, just as it was with the original XMS, it’s job done for Sony.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Outright winners on design, build, specifications and, most importantly of all, performance
Technics EAH-AZ70W £223 / stuff.tv/az70w
Technics has shrunk down its hi-fi skills to deliver affordable personal audio. While the charging case lacks a little juice, the AZ70S score highly for noise-cancelling and even higher when it comes to sound quality.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Technics’ true wireless debut is a sonic triumph
Campfire Audio Ara £1299 / stuff.tv/ara
Dropping over a grand on a little-known brand is a baller move, but these exquisite in-ear monitors offer a neutral tone that, when paired with a decent source, offers astonishing clarity.
Stuff says ★★★★★ Startlingly realistic in-ears for pure audio
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
★★★★★ £279 / stuff.tv/mtw2 A pleasure to listen to, no matter what sort of music you want to hear..
Samsung Galaxy Buds+
★★★★★ £159 / stuff.tv/budsplus
Samsung’s latest in-ears bring a step up in audio quality and now support Apple devices.