Interested in learning how Audio Advice rates our headphones as the best? Read our Headphone Buyer’s Guide to learn everything there is to know about the best-sounding headphones, wireless and wired included. There’s a pair of headphones for everyone, but getting the most out of your music sometimes requires more than one pair.
Performance Test
We tested each pair of headphones with the same three songs. If you can visit one of our showrooms, we encourage you to do the same testing to see what you hear!
"Instrumental" by Black Country, New Road is a really fun track with many dynamic sounds and will test your headphones’ overall balance. You hear the thumping bassline in the back, the electric guitar jamming in the midrange, and the synth doing its thing in the higher frequencies. On top of all that, add in drums and the horns at around 2:20, and your ears are filled with instruments playing in all the frequency ranges. We’re listening to see which ones stand out more than others and if you can hear them all separately without sounding muddy.
"Lay Me Down" by Crosby & Nash is perfect for testing the midrange quality due to its beautiful vocals and harmonies. We’re listening for clear, detailed vocals not overtaken by the other high or low frequencies. It’s important that the low end is strong enough to support the midrange to allow the vocals to sound full and realistic. We’re also listening for how spacious and stable the harmonies are throughout the song.
"Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish is undoubtedly one of the most fun songs to test on headphones. It has plenty of bass and some really well-done vocals panning all around you. Her brother, Finneas, produces her songs and has a way of perfectly blending the low, high, and whisper tones she uses throughout many of her songs. We’re listening for how well it handles the bass and her voices' overall immersion and separation. Also, who doesn’t love some good bass drops at the end of the song?