When stripped of branding, features and design, how do premium headphones actually sound? Wired put this question to the test by having audio pros blind-test six popular over-ear headphones.
The results not only shocked the panelists, they validated one of my favorite pairs of “budget” headphones. They won the test, coming out above top contenders from the likes of Sony, Bose and, yes, Apple.
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Cheapest pair wins in blind test of 6 premium headphones
Wired staged its test in a recording studio in East London, where audio professionals blind-tested six popular over-ear headphones while listening to just one song: “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd. The results challenged conventional wisdom about what makes headphones great — and which brands deliver the best sound quality. Shockingly, the two cheapest sets placed the highest (in order of low price!). AirPods Max placed third, right in the middle.
The testing method
Four audio professionals participated in the blind test: Isabel Gracefield (producer and head engineer at RAK Studios), Ian Lambden (audio postproduction engineer), Steph Marziano (songwriter and producer) and Mike Kintish (award-winning producer). Each expert tested the headphones separately without knowing the brands. And they weren’t allowed to touch them to avoid identifying features like the AirPods Max’s distinctive metal casing.
The test used Spotify Premium streaming at 320 Kbps with active noise cancellation enabled on all models. Those conditions reflect how most consumers actually listen. But they were a bit frustrating to the hi-res audio enthusiasts conducting the test.
The headphones on trial
The lineup included some of the most acclaimed headphones on the market:
- Sony WH-1000XM6 ($448)
- Apple AirPods Max ($549)
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra ($429)
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 ($449)
- Nothing Headphone (1) ($299)
- Soundcore Space One Pro ($200).
Premium brands underwhelm
The Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, frequently praised for their noise cancellation and refined sound, received surprisingly harsh criticism. Gracefield found them “thin” and “vaguely unexciting,” while Lambden complained about the lack of midrange: “All I could hear was a lot of synth bass and then a little of the high end.” Kintish noted the bass was “pretty in your face” with vocals feeling “quite quiet and flat.”
The luxury Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 fared even worse. Gracefield’s reaction was immediate: “No, no, no, I don’t want to listen to them anymore. The low end is bad. Oh, that’s bad!” Kintish described the sound as “muffled” and “muted,” saying it felt like “the shine has been taken off.”
Even the AirPods Max received mixed reviews. While Lambden appreciated their balance and Gracefield praised their vocal presence, Marziano found them “the most boring,” describing them as “not very wide and a bit midrange heavy.”
The surprising winners
All four listeners listed their picks from best to worst. Wired combined those results to come up with the ranking below.
Soundcore Space One Pro — at just $200, the cheapest headphones tested — claimed first place. I wrote a four-star review of those cans, and I stand by it!
“I feel like, as an audio professional, I shouldn’t like them, but as a consumer, I like them,” Marziano admitted. Gracefield called them “much more exciting” and “hyped in all the right spots.” And the word that kept appearing in descriptions was “fun.”
Second place went to the Nothing Headphone (1), the second-cheapest set, at $299. Kintish praised its “very balanced mix” and described it as his “preferred listening style.”
- Soundcore Space One Pro
- Nothing Headphone (1)
- Apple Airpods Max
- Sony WH‑1000XM6
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen)
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3
Brand perception matters … a little too much
When they saw the results, test participants questioned their own judgment, particularly regarding Sony’s poor showing. Two testers had mistaken Soundcore’s logo for Beats, which influenced their expectations.
In the end, the experiment highlighted how brand reputation shapes perception — and how sound quality alone tells a different story than the complete ownership experience, including build quality, features and longevity.
Buy the top 3 picks
Soundcore's new Space One Pro headphones are high-end cans at a budget price. They offer top-notch sound quality and advanced features for a lot less than comparable Sony or Beats headphones.
- Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling
- Fantastic comfort
- HearID calibrates sound to your hearing
- Lossless Audio support
- Never-ending battery life
- Plastic construction
- Wind Reduction Mode not very strong
- High-quality LDAC codec is Android only (but Apple's AAC and SBC are supported)
Nothing's affordable wireless over-ear headphones feature six microphones, personalized spatial audio, tuning by KEF and up to 80 hours playtime.
- Tuned by audio pros at KEF
- Six mics for call quality
- Personalized spatial audio
- Long battery life
- Industrial design may not appeal to all
- Low end not as strong as some competitors
Apple's AirPods Max are among the best-sounding consumer headphones you can buy. They offer pro-level active noise cancellation and advanced features like Adaptive EQ and Personalized Spatial Audio. Treat your ears!
- Superb sound
- Pro-level Active Noise Cancellation
- Long battery life (and now USB-C)
- Much-hated Smart Case
- On the heavy side
