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Whether it’s for blocking out noise on a commute or watching a TV show in peace and quiet, a good pair of headphones is essential. We’re here to help you find the best headphones in Australia.
The biggest challenge with buying a new pair of headphones is that there are just so many options to choose from these days.
Whether you’re after a pair of awesome true wireless earbuds, or the best noise cancelling headphones, we’ve done the research to help make your decision easier.
We’ll also help you out if you need to buy a new pair of gaming headphones.
These are the best headphones in Australia right now:
Sony WH-1000XM5
Recommended by 60% of review sites
The Sony brand is synonymous with amazing audio quality, so it’s no surprise to see a pair of Sony headphones at the top of this list.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 is the flagship of Sony’s headphone lineup, with impressive sound quality matched by extreme comfort and best-in-class noise cancellation.
Two on-board processors control the eight on-board microphones. This allows for automatic adaptive noise cancellation and incredible call quality.
These are the best headphones you can buy in Australia today.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation)
Recommended by 50% of review sites
The second generation of the AirPods Pro builds on all the great features of the first generation. You get even better noise cancellation, an improved fit and better sound quality.
Apple has also improved the controls on the earbuds themselves, giving you sliding volume control.
Throw in the seamless connection to Apple devices, spatial audio for surround sound music and movie playback.
Apple AirPods Max
Recommended by 50% of review sites
Apple originally launched its AirPods products as the true wireless models that became an icon. But for its flagship, it went back to the more classic over ear design.
Apple did manage to take many of the great tech advancements from its earbud design and put it into the AirPods Max.
You get incredible noise cancellation and comfort, plus spatial audio for music and TV.
It’s an expensive pair of headphones, but if money isn’t an issue, these offer impressive performance.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Recommended by 50% of review sites
It’s a testament to how good these headphones actually are that they are still being recommended by the top review sites around the world when the XM5 model has launched.
Incredible noise cancellation is balanced with convenient on-ear touch controls and support for high-resolution audio.
You’ll get 30 hours of battery life with ANC switched on, while you can fast charge for 10 minutes to get an extra five hours of playback.
Plus, intelligent sensors will detect when you remove the headphones and automatically save power.
Sony WF-1000XM5
Recommended by 40% of review sites
Sony has been impressing the world with its noise cancelling headphones and earphones for years now. The Sony WF-1000XM5 only launched a few months ago, but already it’s being regarded as one of the finest sets of headphones in the country.
Comfortable and discreet, the earbuds deliver impressive audio quality for their diminutive size. They are noticeably smaller than their predecessor, the WF-1000XM4, yet offer similar levels of performance.
With 8 hours of battery life with ANC switched on, these tiny earbuds will get you through the work day. If you’re after an AirPods alternative, this is the place to start looking.
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
Recommended by 40% of review sites
Sennheiser has a pedigree in premium headphones and the Momentum 4 Wireless don’t disappoint.
Completely redesigned from the previous generation, the Momentum 4 offers versatile Bluetooth playback and impressive active noise cancellation features.
It may not be as recommended as highly as models from Sony and Bose, but with excellent battery life and a design for comfort, it’s still an amazing option.
Focal Bathys
Recommended by 40% of review sites
The first pair of high-fidelity headphones with active noise cancellation from French manufacturer Focal are impressive.
With over 30 hours of battery life, the Bathys deliver impeccable audio quality in a lightweight, comfortable form factor designed for travelling.
These headphones support both Google Assistant and Alexa, and a 15-minute charge will give you an extra five hours of listening time.
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
Recommended by 40% of review sites
There was a time about 10 years ago when you couldn’t hop on a plane without seeing a dozen pairs of Bose QuietComfort headphones.
Today, Bose’s catalogue is a bit wider. The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are the model to beat when it comes to over-ear comfort and noise cancellation.
They are starting to get a little older now, with the Sony WH-1000XM5 and AirPods Max offering better noise cancellation.
But for anyone looking for the security of the Bose badge on their over-ear headphones, this are the pair to buy.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones
Recommended by 40% of review sites
Bose built its reputation on the quality of its noise cancellation, and the QuietComfort Ultra headphones help support that reputation.
The QC Ultra headphones offer a folding design with exceptional noise cancellation and an impressive soundstage. Music playback is rich and full of detail.
These are a little on the pricey side, especially compared to the other headphones in this list. But you won’t be disappointed with the music quality.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8
Recommended by 30% of review sites
High-end audio company Bowers & Wilkins may be best known for its speakers, but the Px8 shows that the company can also deliver exceptional headphones as well.
You pay for the experience, but know that it’s money well spent – the Px8 delivers exceptional detail and clarity, with a stylish design and comfortable over-ear design.
The sensors that automatically pause your music may be a little erratic, but for music purists, that’s a small price to pay for the impeccable sound quality these headphones deliver.
How we chose the best headphones
Review sites – including this one – are subjective by nature. Everybody has a different opinion of what is best.
So to try and counter the fact that every best guide on the internet has a different opinion of what is best, we approached our list by combining the results of some of the top sites recommending headphones on the market today.
To determine this list, we followed the same journey most consumers would follow: we went to Google.
We searched for “Best headphones” and identified 10 of the top results. It’s important to note that Google results can change often.
Referenced sites
- Rtings
- Tom’s Guide
- What HiFi
- TechRadar
- Time Magazine
- PC Mag
- Digital Trends
- NY Times
- Wired
- Reviews.org
We listed out all of the headphones listed on each site, tidying up any slight differences in spelling for consistency.
We calculated the frequency in which each product was mentioned across those 10 guides. The more frequently a product is mentioned, the more agreement there is between experts reviewing these products.
We set a minimum of three mentions across all 10 guides to be eligible for inclusion here. This means that at least 30% of the sites surveyed recommend each product.
Before we created this page we took some time to remove products that are either unavailable, or difficult to find in Australia.
We also leveraged our own experience with products to ensure that we wouldn’t be recommending any product that doesn’t deliver.
What to look for when choosing new headphones
Whether you’re after one of the models listed above or something completely different, the decision factors you need to consider when buying a pair of headphones is the same.
Sound quality
The best headphones in Australia have the best sound quality.
There’s no point spending hundreds of dollars on new headphones if they sound terrible.
Generally speaking, the audio quality from recognised brands is pretty high, so this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Unless, of course, you’re shopping in the extremely cheap sections of the Internet, buying brands nobody has really heard of before.
Then you may end up disappointed.
Comfort
To find the right headphones for you, you will need to decide what style you want: in-ear, on-ear or over-ear.
There’s a lot of personal preference here. Some believe that over-ear is best for extended listening, but you may prefer in-ear designs.
It’s also about knowing the design that best matches the way you plan on listening. On-ear models aren’t so good for running, for example.
Think about how you will use the headphones to know what style will best suit you.
Features and functions
When you take away audio quality and comfort, the next biggest differentiator between headphones are the features and functions that they offer.
The best headphones will include features like noise cancellation or spatial audio.
If you have selected a pair of noise cancelling headphones, look for passthrough functionality and the ability to plug in a cable for an analogue connection if the battery dies.
You may be interested in models that feature Bluetooth streaming (or not), or be looking for something that can play back lossless, hi-res audio files.
Before you buy, make sure you consider the functions you need.
Battery life
Most headphones these days offer wireless (or Bluetooth) functionality, and that means you need to think about battery life. (Hot tip: Read our picks for the best Bluetooth headphones in Australia).
Things like noise cancellation can make a big difference to how long you can listen to music for. If you expect to leave it on all the time, make sure you won’t end up with no sound at all when the juice does run out.
Price
As with anything, price is a key component. The best headphones in Australia are generally fairly expensive, so make sure you understand your budget before purchasing anything.
Update history
- 31 January 2023 – First Published
- 31 March 2023 – Updated recommendation count. Reduced the minimum number of recommendations to 4 out of 10.
- 2 June 2023 – Updated recommendation count.
- 2 August 2023 – Updated recommendation count. Reduced the minimum number of recommendations to 3 out of 10. Removed Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2. Added Anker Soundcore Space A40 and 1More SonoFlow.
- 4 October 2023 – Updated recommendation count. Removed Anker Soundcore Space A40 and 1More SonoFlow, added Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bowers & Wilkins Px8.
- 8 December 2023 – Updated recommendation count. Removed Bose QC45 and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. Added Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.
- 16 February 2024 – Updated recommendation count.
