True wireless buds

Snub Apple’s Airpods and jam something altogether cooler in your lugholes – like these true wireless buds from audiophile brands KEF Mu3

Ear-beans with hi-fi pedigree

Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+ What’s the story?

An updated version of Cambridge’s five-star Melomania 1s, these bullet-like buds have flat, round ends, so wearing them makes it look a little bit like you’ve had a magic wand inserted in one ear and out of the other. At £120, they’ll save you a fair chunk of cash compared to the other two pairs here.

Are they any good?

These buds come with a wide range of both silicone and memory-foam tips – and once you find the right fit you won’t want to take them out. While they can’t quite reach the same sonic heights as the KEFS, there’s a lovely balance to the sound, with real depth and a nice wide soundstage. An app lets you tweak the EQ, check on the (impressive) battery life, and locate them if they get lost.

Price £120 / stuff.tv/melomania1plus

Stuff says ★★★★★

No ANC, but at this price they’re almost impossible to fault

What’s the story?

KEF’S lean musical beans live inside a slightly bulky but well-built charging case. Each bud has a single button, so you’ll need to memorise a set of single, double and long-press commands if you don’t want to reach for your phone every time you need to skip a track, adjust the volume or summon the voice assistant.

Are they any good?

The focus here is very much on performance. That means no wear-sensors or apps, but you do get active noise-cancelling – although it’s not the most effective out there. Audio quality more than makes up for all that, though: songs sound lifelike with bags of texture and detail, bass is forceful but controlled, and you can really pick out the positions of the instruments.

Price £199 / stuff.tv/kefmu3

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Stonking sound with plenty of sonic delights and no unnecessary extras

Grado GT220 What’s the story?

Grado is known primarily for its wired over-ear headphones – the kind favoured by listeners who wouldn’t be seen dead wearing Airpods. These first ever wireless buds look pretty mainstream compared to its full-size cans, but the Brooklyn-based brand is going all out for sound quality with the GT220S.

Are they any good?

Charging £250 for in-ears lacking ANC stinks of ‘paying for the name’, but this is Grado playing to its purist crowd… and to that end it passes with flying colours. The audio is so engaging there’s no need for any EQ adjustment – which is just as well, as you don’t get that either. The GT220S are light and comfy, with good noise isolation; we just wish they looked as good as they sound.

Price £250 / stuff.tv/gt220

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Nine-tenths of the way to being the perfect pair of true wireless buds