Looking for wireless headphones or earbuds that are great for voice calls? Here are our current top picks.
When we started working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, we quickly discovered that one of the must-have items for keeping up productivity is a good set of headphones for all those video conferences and conference calls. It was also immediately obvious that the best headphones for making calls aren't necessarily the same ones we use for listening to music.
So, what makes a pair of headphones good for making calls? First, Bluetooth. The best Bluetooth earbuds or headphones are able to reduce ambient noise even in loud environments (like when you're trying to talk with your boss and your toddler discovers how much noise a spoon and pot make when you bang them together). Sound quality is also imperative; you need to be able to hear people clearly, especially when taking project notes or nailing down the specifics of a contract. As you continue to narrow down what you're looking for, you should also consider ensuring your new headphones have great battery life, look good and are comfortable enough for long calls.
To that end, we've tested a bunch of Bluetooth headphones specifically for their audio quality during calls. Here are our current top picks for the best Bluetooth headphones for calls. We'll be updating it regularly as we review new products.
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 cost $400, which is $50 more than the QC35 II headset and the Sony WH-1000XM3 headset, CNET's current top-rated noise-canceling headphones. (The latter has recently sold for $300 or less, in fact.) But leaving aside the debate over the new design and higher price for a moment, I'll say this: The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 sound and perform better than their predecessor, and between the two, they shine as the best Bluetooth headsets for calls. And the earcups are definitely comfy enough that you will want to wear these outside of only noisy environments.
Apple AirPods Pro
Even if they don't sound as magical as you'd hope a $249 model would, the AirPods Pro still manage to be a great pair of true wireless earbuds. That's largely due to their winning earpiece design and fit, improved bass performance, effective noise canceling and excellent call sound quality. Yeah, these noise-canceling wireless buds are expensive, but the good news is you'll use them so much you'll probably wear the battery and maximum battery life down -- they do degrade over time and aren't replaceable -- and have to buy a new pair in 18 to 24 months if you don't lose them first. (Keep them in their carrying case when you're not using them! We can't say it enough!)
Released in mid-2020, the Jabra Elite 45h was essentially billed as the best on-ear headphone for the money. While there's nothing terribly fancy about it, it is one of the best on-ear headphone values right now, with good sound quality, a sturdy design and comfortable fit (for on-ear headphones, anyway). Additionally, it performs well as a headset for making calls and includes a sidetone feature that allows you to hear your voice in the headphones so you don't talk too loudly. Battery life is also good and it has multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to both your computer and your smartphone at the same time and easily switch between the two should a call come in on your phone (it mostly works).
Available in multiple color options, it lists for $100 but sometimes gets discounted to $80.
Note that the $250 Evolve2 65, which has an integrated boom microphone, is essentially the souped-up office version of this headphone.
Some of Tribit's 2020 true wireless earbuds were decent for the money, but none of them truly stood out from the pack. However, its new Flybuds C1 are top-notch as far as inexpensive true wireless go. Not only do they sound very good for their modest price, with good clarity and strong, punch bass, but their call quality measures up well to the AirPods', with good noise reduction -- the earbuds have two microphones in each bud -- and a sidetone feature that allows you to hear your voice in the buds when you're making a call.
They also have strong battery life (12 hours at 50% volume) and 30m range with Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. They use Qualcomm's QCC3040 chip, which includes AptX audio streaming for compatible devices such as Samsung's Galaxy phones.
While they don't have active noise canceling like the AirPods Pro, if you get a tight seal, which is crucial for optimizing sound quality, they do a good job passively sealing out a lot of ambient noise. They're IPX4 water-resistant (splashproof) and have a compact matte-black charging case with USB-C charging. I also liked how they have tiny physical buttons on their stems that work well for controlling playback and volume control. They currently cost about $60 after you apply an instant 15%-off coupon on Amazon.
Good value Samsung
Samsung's Buds Plus look essentially the same as the original Galaxy Buds, but their battery life is rated at 11 hours for music playback (up from 6), and they pack dual drivers for better sound and an additional microphone in each bud to help with external noise reduction while making calls. They're comfortable to wear and also have a feature that allows you to hear your voice in the earbuds while making calls (it's a setting in the app under "advanced").
Previously, these were more geared toward Android users (and Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners in particular), but now there's an iOS app that gives Apple users most of the same features as Android users.
I was impressed with the sound. It's detailed and smooth, with deep, well-defined bass. The sound is richer and more spacious than that of the original Galaxy Buds.
Superior Sony
Sony's earlier WH-1000XM3 model was great. But if it had a weakness, that was in the area of voice-calling capabilities, particularly in noisier environments. The new WH-1000XM4 improves a lot in that area and also adds multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to two devices -- such as your phone and PC -- at the same time. That means that if a call comes in while you're using the headphones with your computer, the audio will switch to your phone when you answer the call.The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 probably still have a slight edge for voice calls, but the 1000XM4 headphones are arguably a tad more comfortable and also have some other slight improvements to noise cancellation and sound that make this model a great all-around choice.
Source:CNET
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