One of the key parts of being able to choose the best headphones for you is knowing what you're talking/reading about. There's a lot of jargon around headphones, so here's an explanation of all the key terms you'll need to know when buying headphones today.

Active noise cancellation (ANC): 

A way of processing audio to counteract extraneous sounds around you and remove them from what you’re hearing. Microphones on the outside of the headphones listen for ambient external sounds, then create an ‘antiphase’ (often called ‘anti-noise’) soundwave, which is mixed into your music to ‘cancel out’ the ambient noise. This means you can listen to music at lower volume levels, or can hear podcasts more clearly.

aptX: 

A higher-quality audio streaming system from compatible devices, that works over Bluetooth, but is capable of streaming higher-resolution files. There are multiple versions of aptX, but in new headphones you are mostly likely to see aptX Adaptive, which can work at different quality levels depending on connection strength. You may also see a reference to aptX Lossless, which is part of aptX Adaptive, and is the highest-quality connection the tech currently offers. There is also aptX Voice, which is designed to make your voice clearer on calls, and is also part of aptX Adaptive.

Auracast: 

A new Bluetooth connection system, still in its early stages. It enables you to connect Auracast-ready headphones to any Auracast transmission source without needing to ‘pair’ your headphones in the usual Bluetooth method, meaning that you could connect to a TV in a bar to hear a sports game, or connect to your airport gate to hear announcements. It was developed for hearing-aid use, but will be supported by a large number of headphones due to its convenience.

3.5mm jack: 

The classic wired connection for headphones – not all of today’s wireless headphones support this, though, so we make sure to highlight it, for when only wired use will do.

Bluetooth: 

The technology that effectively all headphones rely on for a wireless connection. It is capable of supporting many different music streaming technologies, including aptX, LDAC and LHDC. The two standard and most common streaming technologies are called SBC and AAC, and are supported on the vast majority of earbuds. There are many different versions of Bluetooth, and higher versions enable newer features such as Bluetooth LE Audio or Auracast – however, supporting a new version of Bluetooth doesn’t guarantee that these technologies are supported, so always check the specs. Bluetooth 5.4 is the latest version at the time of writing, though Bluetooth 5.3 is more common, and supports every major Bluetooth feature.

Bluetooth LE Audio: 

The next-gen version of Bluetooth’s standard music streaming technology, which is technically called LC3. LC3 is capable of delivering higher-quality music than SBC or AAC while using less power – or much higher quality at the same level of power use. There are limited models that currently support LE Audio, and even fewer phones that support it. We hope that will change in the future.

Dolby Atmos: 

A spatial audio format used in both music and movies. Instead of music being encoded into ‘channels’, different parts of the audio are encoded as ‘objects’ that can be positioned in 3D space, meaning that they can be heard in specific and realistic positions.

Drivers: 

The part of the headphones that make the sound – often called speakers. The type used on almost all headphones and earbuds are ‘dynamic’ drivers, which are the traditional cone-shaped speakers you see on loudspeakers, just smaller (usually between 5mm and 13mm on earbuds, and between 20mm and 50mm on headphones). However, some headphones use ‘planar magnetic’ drivers, which are more precise and favored by audiophiles, but are typically more expensive and harder to produce.

EQ: 

This is the short term for ‘equalizer’, which is a way to adjust the sound balance of a pair of headphones, to enable you to increase or decrease the bass tones, mid-range and treble. Many wireless headphones these days come with an app that enables you to control the EQ, either by choosing presents for different genres (such as rock, classical or pop), or by giving you a series of sliders to adjust these frequencies yourself. EQs are split into ‘bands’, so a three-band EQ has three sliders: one for bass, one for mid, one for treble. A nine-band EQ has nine sliders, giving you finer control across the sound range.

Hi-Res Audio: 

High-resolution audio is music that has been digitally stored with much more information in the file than the more compressed versions you get if you use MP3 files, or stream from Spotify. We have a whole guide on what Hi-Res Audio is, but the idea is that you can hear more detail in your music, so they’re closer to the original recordings. Hi-Res files also tend to offer more dynamic range, and expansiveness, so they sound more natural. This all depends on the headphones being good enough to express this extra quality level, of course – you will find that many headphones are ‘Hi-Res Certified’, but this is just on a technical level, not a quality level. Most of the best streaming services support some kind of Hi-Res Audio files now, though they’re a lot larger than the lower-quality files we’re used to before, so some services won’t default to playing these files unless you’re on a Wi-Fi network.

In-ear: 

This means that a pair of earbuds has tips that fit into your ear canal. You may see the term ‘IEM’ used, which means ‘In-ear monitor’ – this is a particular kind of in-ear bud favored by professionals, and it’s often used even in consumer wired earbuds to say that a pair of earbuds is very high-quality and will have a very noise-isolating fit.

Find My: 

Both Apple and Android phones have a system that enables them to find lost devices, and some headphones support this. On iPhones, it’s simply called Find My. On Android, it’s called Find My Device. Some headphones have a custom version of this feature based on their app, rather than the version built into the phone software. The built-in version is strongly preferable.

Head tracking: 

On headphones that support spatial audio, head tracking is an additional piece of processing whereby the headphones can detect the movement of your head from the source device, and use it to make the 3D sound of Dolby Atmos or other spatial formats feel more true to life. It means that the sound you’re listening to doesn’t have to move with you when you move your head – it can sound more like you’re sitting in a room of speakers, even when you’re wearing headphones.

LDAC: 

This is a higher-quality music streaming technology that works over Bluetooth, much like aptX. It was developed by Sony, and is heavily supported by the company’s products, and support is possible on Android phones, and many of the best portable music players.

LHDC: 

This is another higher-quality music streaming technology, and a rival to aptX and LDAC: It is also possible for Android phones to support it.

Lossless: 

Lossless music is essentially music that has been streamed/transmitted using technology that doesn’t lose detail from the original file. The original files of a music recording are very large, and must be reduced for efficient streaming or download. MP3 is a ‘lossy’ technology, which means it removes information from the track in order to make it much smaller. Other file types, such as FLAC (used by Tidal) and ALAC (used by Apple Music) are lossless, which means that the files are larger than MP3, but they retain all the original audio information. Read more in our dedicated audio file format explainer.

Multi-point Bluetooth: 

A newer Bluetooth feature that enables your headphones to be paired with two (or even three, in rare cases) devices at the same time, so you can switch between them instantly, without needing to disconnect and reconnect, or re-pair, your headphones each time.

Noise isolation: 

This refers to the passive ability of a pair of headphones or earbuds to isolate you from ambient sounds, without using the processing of active noise cancellation. So it refers to the way that earbuds also act like earplugs to block outside sound, or the way that over-ear headphones provide a seal around your ears to do the same thing.

On-ear: 

An on-ear fit refers to headphones with a small earpad that sits directly on your auricle (the part of the ear that’s outside the head). This tends to provide a less-perfect seal for noise isolation than over-ear headphones, and some find it less comfortable – but some prefer it.

Over-ear: 

An over-ear fit means the earpads of the headphones are larger, and sit around your auricle, so your whole ear is encompassed within their seal. This is the fit of choice for the best noise-cancelling headphones, because it provides the best passive noise isolation, which they can then enhance with active noise cancellation.

Planar magnetic: 

This type of speaker driver can be more precise and dynamic than the dynamic drivers used in most headphones, and is a favorite of audiophiles. However, it’s expensive and hard to power, meaning that headphones that use it tend to be heavy and pricey.

Snapdragon Sound: 

This is a combination of wireless technologies designed to provide a better experience if you have both a phone and pair of headphones that support it. It combines the higher-quality streaming of aptX with other features designed to reduce the latency of the Bluetooth connection (ie, how long it takes to transmit the sound), to improve the quality of voice calls, and to improve the overall reliability of the connection. ‘Snapdragon’ is a series of chips made by Qualcomm, and are used in many Android phones. Read more in our in-depth Snapdragon Sound explainer.

Spatial audio: 

A generic term used to describe various types of 3D sound technologies used in headphones. Apple uses it to refer to its own particular mix of Dolby Atmos support with head tracking. Other brands may use it for equivalent features, but there’s no rule as to exactly what it means, other than that the idea is to make the sound feel like it’s coming from all around you, not right in your ears – think Dirac Virtuo, DTS:X, THX and of course Dolby Atmos. It’s especially good with movies, where it can recreate the home theater experience in headphones.

Transparency mode: 

A variation of active noise cancellation. Instead of blocking the outside noise, the processing actually mixes ambient noise into your music intelligently, so you can hear what’s going on around you without overwhelming your music. That way, you can hear a train announcement, have a conversation, or be aware of traffic. Different manufacturers call this mode different things – it may be something like ‘Aware mode’, “HearThru’ or ‘Ambient mode’. We tend to call it ‘Transparency mode’ as a rule, to make it easy to compare products in our guide.

USB-C Audio: 

Some headphones offer the ability to play digital audio from a computer or phone when connected by a USB-C cable, and the advantage of this is that it can support extremely high-quality resolution tracks – far beyond what any version of Bluetooth currently supports. For audiophiles, a pair of headphones that can do both wireless for convenience and USB-C Audio for wired Hi-Res Audio playback, can be preferential.

What different types of headphones are there?

There's a lot to consider when you're buying a new pair of headphones. But the most important is the design. This doesn't just dictate how they look, but the features on offer, how they feel when you wear them and how you'll use them day-to-day.

We've selected both over-ear headphones and earbuds here, though we have separate guides to just the best wireless headphones of the on-head style, or the best wireless earbuds, if you want to narrow it down.

In-ear headphones, also called earbuds or earphones, are usually the cheapest and easiest way to pump audio into your ears. They rest in or just outside the ear canal, creating a tight seal to keep air out and sound in. These are the most discreet designs you'll find, making them excellent for portability and the prime choice for athletes.

Over-ear headphones generally provide fantastic richness and depth of sound, which allows listeners to pick apart the instruments and sounds much easier. Additionally, over-ear, or circumaural headphones, go around the ear and offer a generous amount of padding.

Instead of enveloping your ears, on-ear headphones create a light, breathable seal around your ear. The noise isolation is less effective than in-ear or over-ear options.

Some headphones don't go anywhere near your ears at all. Bone-conducting headphones send vibrations through your cheekbones and jaw up towards your inner ear, leaving your ears free. These headphones make great running headphones and swimming headphones.

With wireless on-ear headphones and over-ear headphones, you simply lose the wire connecting them to your device – otherwise, they look pretty much the same as your regular pair of wired cans, and give you the noise-isolating prowess of over-ears without the need for cumbersome wires to connect to your device.

True wireless earbuds have no cord whatsoever. For some, this means true freedom; for others, untethered true wireless means constant danger of losing their expensive audio kit down the drain – or terrible connections. The latter, at least, has changed now – thanks to advances in Bluetooth technology like aptX HD, the best true wireless earbuds have never sounded better.

For more information about how to choose your next headphones, read our comprehensive guide, which goes into this in more detail. We also have other guides for getting the most out of your headphones, including how to care for them – be sure to check out our how to clean your wireless earbuds walkthrough to make sure they're spick and span.

Are noise-cancelling headphones bad for your ears?

Nope! In fact, some people choose them because they can help to protect your hearing over time. Active noise cancellation uses something called "anti-noise" to help block outside sounds – essentially, they use microphones on the outside to listen to the world around you, then calculate the opposite of those noise frequencies, and pump those into their sound to "cancel" out the sounds around you. This is makes it easier to hear what your headphones are playing – and that means you don't have to turn the volume up as loud. This is how they can protect your hearing long term: listening to loud headphones all the time is a serious issue for people who've been doing it for years, and with ANC headphones, you can keep it lower.

What headphones brands are the best quality?

Bose and Sony have very high reputations, and for good reason. They both make very high-performance products for the price, with good build quality even with plastic construction (which has the advantage of being lightweight and comfortable).

Beats is obviously a famous brand, and its products are very well-made, and the sound is strong these days. Apple's headphones are much-loved, especially AirPods Pro 2, which are extremely high quality and well-priced compared to other premium earbuds.

At the higher end, Bowers and Wilkins makes fantastic headphones with premium materials, as does Sennheiser (which also makes some good affordable products).

For cheaper products, we rate JBL, Anker Soundcore, JLab and 1More all highly – all these products feel well-made, but tend to be ad the affordable end of the market.