Headphones
The best headphones for every budget in 2026
176 models ranked by the maker’s own specs and owner ratings, with today’s prices from 7 shops that deliver to the Netherlands.
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| Sony WH-1000XM6 × | |
|---|---|
| Most important facts | |
| The lowest price today at a shop that delivers to you, delivery included. A price with an asterisk comes from a shop abroad, and its delivery cost is our own estimate. Lowest price | € 348bol.com |
| Our own score out of 10: 60% the maker’s facts and 40% shop ratings. Price does not count. Score | |
| The average of the stars buyers give at the shops, with the number of reviews behind it. We only compare it from 20 reviews. Customer rating | ★ 4.3 · 92 reviews |
| How the headphones cancel outside noise with microphones. Hybrid uses microphones outside and inside the cup, adaptive also adjusts to the sound around you. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| Adaptive |
| How long the headphones or the earbuds play on one charge with noise cancelling on, as the maker states it. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| 30 h |
| What the headphones or one earbud weigh. Lighter is more comfortable for hours at a time. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| 254 g |
| The Bluetooth version. A newer one connects more steadily and uses less power, if the phone has it too. Source
| 5.3 |
| How the sound is packed for Bluetooth. AAC suits iPhones, aptX and LDAC carry more detail from Android phones that support them. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 |
| Connected to two devices at once, such as a phone and a laptop, and switching by itself to the one that plays. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| yes |
| Rank | |
| Where the model stands in our ranking, among the headphones of the same type. Rank | rank 13 of 35 with an over-ear fit |
| Battery | |
| How long they play on one charge with noise cancelling off. Source
| 40 h |
| How many minutes of charging give the playback below. Source
| 3 min |
| How many hours of playback a short fast charge gives. Source
| 1 h |
| How long a full charge takes. Source
| 210 min |
| The case or the headphones charge on a Qi pad, without a cable. Source
| no (assumed) |
| The plug the headphones or their case charge through. Source
| USB-C |
| Build and fit | |
| How the headphones sit: over the ear, on the ear, in the ear canal, in the outer ear, beside the ear or on the cheekbone. Source
| Over-ear |
| Two separate earbuds with no wire between them, charged in a case. Source
| no |
| They play over Bluetooth, without a cable to the phone. Source
| yes |
| The plug for a cable, so you can also listen wired, for instance on a plane or with a battery that has run out. Source
| 3.5 mm jack |
| What still works with the cable plugged in: listening with the headphones switched off, keeping noise cancelling on, or listening while they charge. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| Charging |
| They play sound over a USB-C cable, straight from a phone or a laptop. Source
| no (assumed) |
| Whether the ear cups are closed or open at the back. Closed keeps sound in and out, open sounds more spacious but lets everyone around you hear. Source
| Closed-back |
| The diameter of the speaker inside. A bigger driver does not by itself mean better sound. Source
| 30 mm |
| They fold up to take less room in a bag. Source
| yes |
| Whether the app lets you choose what each button, tap or swipe does. With some controls, only part of them can be changed. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| Some controls |
| Sound | |
| The lowest tone the maker says they play. It says little about how the bass actually sounds. Source
| 4 Hz |
| The highest tone the maker says they play. Adult hearing stops well below most figures. Source
| 40,000 Hz |
| The electrical resistance. Wired headphones with a high impedance need an amplifier to play loud enough. Source
| 16 Ω |
| How loud they play on a given signal. A higher figure plays louder from a weak source, such as a phone. Source
| 102 dB SPL |
| You can adjust bass and treble in the maker’s app. Source
| yes |
| Sound that seems to come from around you rather than from inside your head. Source
| yes |
| The sound stays in place when you turn your head, as at a cinema. Source
| yes |
| Noise cancelling | |
| How much say you have over noise cancelling: only on or off, a few set levels, a slider, or left to the headphones alone. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| Automatic only |
| Lets outside sound through on purpose, so you hear traffic or a colleague without taking them off. Source
| yes |
| Can work as a hearing aid for mild to moderate hearing loss, where the maker has it approved. Source
| no (assumed) |
| Wireless | |
| How many devices they stay connected to at once. Source
| 2 |
| The newer Bluetooth standard for sound, with the LC3 codec: better sound on less power, with phones that support it. Source
| yes |
| Can listen to a Bluetooth broadcast, such as a TV, an airport announcement or a friend sharing music. Source
| yes |
| Whose phones the headphones are made for. Some features, such as one-tap pairing or spatial audio, work only with that maker’s phones. Source
| Any phone |
| How far from the phone the maker says the connection holds, without walls in between. Source
| 10 m |
| In use | |
| The music pauses when you take them off and plays on when you put them back. Source
| yes |
| The name of the maker’s app. Source
| Sony | Sound Connect |
Facts as the maker states them. A dash means the maker does not name it. Each model’s page gives the source of every fact. Noise is the maker’s own figure, so we do not judge it, and a customer rating only counts from 20 reviews.
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Lowest price at every shop that delivers to the Netherlands, VAT and delivery included. * = delivery cost and VAT estimated for a foreign shop.
Headphones market report, October 2026 No prices yet, but 0 new models.
Whose tests we use
Beside each model we also show where these testers place it in their own lists, without counting it in the score:
How we combine the maker’s facts and owners’ ratings into one score is on the method page.
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