The Best Earbuds for Every Purpose, From Working Out to Blocking Noise

Remember that movie Her from 2013, the one starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson? It was great. But I remember when it came out, people were wringing their hands about how eventually we were all going to be fucking our cell phones or be destroyed by AI… and, yeah, it seems like we’re pretty close to those things. But another weirdly prescient aspect of the film was that everybody had wireless earbuds, and they were all just walking around in public, trapped in their own little universes, listening to Arcade Fire (or whatever mediocre indie rock band was dominating the virtual airwaves of the fictional future).

Since wireless ‘buds weren’t really a thing then, I found that dimension of the film to be very exciting. Lo and behold, ten years later, we really are all just walking around in public, trapped in their own little universes, listening to Arcade Fire (or, you know, true crime podcasts). In any case, the prophecy foretold by Spike Jonze came true. 

Today, you can score ‘buds that fit any need, offer great sound, and, of course, feel nice in any ear. (Remember how many early wireless earbuds weren’t very comfy and didn’t stay in-ear that well, prompting some brands to offer straps, effectively turning them back into wired earbuds? LOL, what a moment.) These days, the technology and design for wireless earbuds has improved greatly, and some of the latest developments are pretty wild. Models that focus on noise-cancellation have different listening modes for various levels of transparency, allowing you to really control how much and what kind of noise can get in (so you don’t, you know, miss your turn at the deli or accidentally walk into traffic). And a lot of earbuds, despite having such small speakers, offer stunning spatial audio that makes you feel like you’re sitting in The War on Drugs’ mixing booth, standing on stage during a John Coltrane concert in 1966, or entering a cyber sphere with all the levels of Aphex Twin’s tinkering. 

This is all pretty dope, but with the plethora of high-quality options, it can be tough to figure out which pair to get. Ultimately, it depends on what’s most important to you. If you’re an active person whose priority is finding a pair that’s perfect for running (and solid at everything else), we’ve got something for you below; if you’re an audio freak who just wants your playlist to sound as pristine as possible, many ‘buds do focus on that. Tired of your loud coworkers babbling in your open office all day or your neighbors blasting reggaeton every night? Noise cancellation is likely your focus. Here are some of our favorite wireless earbuds. 

If you love superior sound (and hate unwanted noise)

I’ve really come back around to Sony over the past few years, especially when it comes to audio. I have its over-ear WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones, and they’re mind-blowingly excellent—some of the best sounding ‘phones I’ve ever used. This in-ear counterpart, the WF-1000XM5, is just as good. These have multiple noise-canceling processors, and use AI to filter out ambient sound (unfortunately, Scarlett Johansson’s voice isn’t one of the Alexa options… yet). Comfortable “Noise Isolation Earbud Tips” help to keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. 

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbud model, if you couldn’t tell from the name, has a particular focus on noise cancellation and, of course, comfort. Bose’s CustomTune tech literally maps out the shape of your ear and adapts to your body. (Think AI writing a movie script is scary? Throw on some Prince and these’ll X-ray your skull… or that’s how high-tech the process feels, anyway.) They also use patented Immersive Audio technology to offer a real 3D-sounding listening experience. We all know that Bose is synonymous with superior sound quality, and these earbuds are not a letdown.

If you love not spending a ton of money

Anker has some of the best budget tech in the game (for example, this phone charger is GOATed), and the Space A40s are a legendary choice if you’re looking for more affordable earbuds. For under $100 (closer to $50 if you catch ‘em on a good holiday sale), you get up to 50 hours of playtime per charge, and they cancel up to 98% of exterior noise (and the 2% that gets in is just when people are hitting on you). Their high-resolution sound is controlled from an app that gives you nearly two dozen equalizer settings.

If you love working out

Dr. Dre founded Beats, and if you’ve ever seen a picture of him, you know he definitely works out—so it would make sense that the brand’s workout ‘buds are fire. They’re sweat- and water-resistant, they have comfy wingtips so they don’t fall out while you’re biking or pumping iron, and they’re powered by a killer dual-element driver that ensures absolutely excellent sound quality. These also have a really cool on-device control feature, meaning you can tap them to change tracks or answer the phone, so you don’t have to interrupt your run by grabbing your phone. Unfortunately, they only play 2001 (just kidding).

If you love it when things are easy

Ah, Apple AirPods. We know ‘em, we love ‘em. They check all the boxes, from fabulous sound to dependable noise cancellation, and they’re pretty water-resistant. Really, what makes the AirPods so awesome—for me, anyway—is the fact that they’re so incredibly easy to use. When I take them out, they immediately connect to my phone or computer, and it’s seamless and quick to switch them to a different source. Plus, you can pause music or answer a call in just one gesture by squeezing the stem, and you can control your music’s volume and playback as well from those tiny buttons. In terms of an all-around, amazingly-user-friendly piece of audio tech, the AirPods Pro are hard to beat.

If you love going full audiophile

I talked to some audio geek friends and scoured Reddit and other audio threads looking for deep cuts that true sound aficionados love, and one set of earbuds kept coming up: the Technics AZ80. To put it concisely, they’re excellent. For one, they’re some of the only earbuds that offer three-device pairing (most can only handle two), which is awesome if you’re someone who regularly jumps between a phone, computer, and tablet or other device. They also offer arguably some of the best noise cancellation on the market right now, and feature expansive, crisp sound. 

Better make a choice soon—there’s a new Sheryl Crow album comin’ down the line in March.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.