Our Picks: Headphones

Whether its on public transport, at the office, or kicking back for a round of Fortnite at home, theres a pretty good chance Im wearing headphones. And as someone who wears glasses, finding the right mix of comfort, style and sound can be a bit of a hurdle. Luckily, here at ABDZ, we get to test out quite a few gadgets. And out of all of them, there are a few headphones that stood out.

Heres my list of the best headphones to get you through your day, workout, flight, or family dinner.

Daily Driver: Bowers & Wilkins PX

Wireless when you need them to be. Wired when you dont. Active noise cancellation. USB-C charging. Premium materials. 20+ hour battery life. Stupidly fantastic audio quality. When you add up the sum of its parts, the Bowers & Wilkins PX makes for an unbeatable combination.

Well, for me anyway.

The PXs boast a finish of sturdy metal & soft leather, which is comfortable to wear all day or on long flights (even on top of glasses!) Their sound signature produces crystal clear highs & lows with a bit more emphasis on mid tones. Its a very warm sound, but not overly bass-heavy like a pair of Beats might run you. And Im not sure what sort of wizardry Bowers & Wilkins have done, but the ANC feels completely natural. Boses QC line often leaves me feeling a bit nauseous after heavy use.

But Ill admit, aesthetically theyre not my first pick. Bang & Olufsen has done some seriously impressive work with their Beoplay line (more on that in a minute.) But when it comes to a pair of headphones you want to get you through a busy day or a cross-country flight, Id recommend these to anybody.

Check them out for $399 on Amazon.

Runner-up: Bang & Olufsen H9i

Oh God theyre so pretty.

But heres the thing about B&O. I just dont love the sound. At least in my experience, he H9s tended to emphasize highs, which felt really exhausting after prolonged listening. Its definitely a personal preference, but it dampened my experience particularly after using a pair of the PXs.

The other little nitpick I had about these was the touch controls on the right ear. Theyre finicky ... and a little clumsy to navigate. The lack of physical buttons really tripped me up a few times when I wanted to navigate between songs. But thats not to say that overall these arent fantastic headphones. Build quality is excellent, and Ive yet to see a pair of headphones I prefer looking at.

At $499 though, they pack a bit of a wallop to your wallet. Luckily B&O makes a slightly reduced pair of over-ear headphones in the H4s, which happen to come in an array of fancy colors as well. (Coral!)

Check out the H9is for $499 on Amazon here.

And the H4s for $299 here.

Top Wireless Earbuds: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8

Ok, I gave B&W my top spot for my daily driver, but B&O takes the cake when it comes to buds. The E8s sport huge sound for their tiny package, and look much, much sleeker than their white plastic competition over in Cupertino. More finicky touch controls aside, (Im sensing a trend with B&O) theres just no comparison to these in terms of sound and build quality. I also love the carrying/charging case they come with. Its sturdy with a leather exterior, and an elastic strap for easy carrying when you dont have pockets.

They come in two colors, black, and sand, and sell for $249 on Amazon.