I tested dozens of headphones and headsets to find the most comfortable models with strong call quality and solid PC compatibility for video meetings. Here are my top picks.
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What to consider
Budget
Its important to know how much you want to spend before you start searching.
Microphone
Do you want a boom microphone sticking out of the side of your headset, or something that could be used in more places than just your desk if it meant the microphone wasnt as good?
Comfort
You should be able to wear your headphones all day without pain or awkwardness.
Durability
If youre going to spend this much money, you should know itll last a while.
Return policy
Where you buy from is almost as important as what you buy, just in case you need to try out a different headset.
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Editors note, Oct. 5: Amazons October Prime Day sale is Oct. 7-8, with Big Deals on some products already underway. That means there should be lots of opportunities to save on headphones and headets, as many of the top headphones brands, including Apple, Sony and Bose, typically discount certain models to their lowest prices of the year — or close to their lowest prices. Several headphones and headsets on this list should be on sale.
The best headsets and headphones for your home office or hybrid setup have a few key traits: good ergonomics, excellent voice-calling performance and the ability to connect simultaneously to your phone and PC (multipoint Bluetooth pairing). I’ve tested numerous headphones and headsets with boom microphones, evaluating noise reduction, comfort, call quality and even music quality. I’ve included a few Unified Communications — aka UC — headphones on this list, which come with a small USB-A or USB-C dongle for easy wireless connectivity with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls. However, several of our top picks are mainstream consumer headphones with good microphone performance and ambient noise-reduction that also work well for everyday use. I should also note that gaming headphones with integrated boom microphones make for good work-from-home headsets, too, but we cant include everything on this list.
Sony has recently released its new flagship noise-canceling headphone, the . Its comfortable to wear, and it has great noise-canceling and sound quality. It also has excellent voice-calling performance. While expensive, its arguably the best consumer headphone for working from home right now. However, if you want a headset with a boom microphone that offers greater compatibility with PCs (and Windows PCs in particular), Shokz OpenMeet UC and OpenComm 2 UC are good choices while the Logitech Zone Vibe 100 is a top value option. Were waiting to review Logitechs new Zone Wireless 2 ES ($160) and Zone Wired 2 ($130) headsets, both of which have noise canceling and are due to ship in the coming weeks.
Read more: Best Earbuds for Phone Calls for 2025
What We Updated: September 2025
We replaced the AirPods Pro 2 with the new AirPods Pro 3 and swapped in the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for their predecessor. We also removed the Logitech Zone Wireless 2 because the new, more affordable Zone Wireless 2 ES is arriving soon.
The Sony WH-1000XM6s sound has a little bit more of a studio vibe thats more in line with Sonys wired headphones.
Over the last several years, Sony has made some of the best noise-canceling headphones on the market, so its a big deal when the company comes out with a new flagship model, like the WH-1000XM6, which arrives three years after the release of the WH-1000XM5. Though the XM5 was — and still is — one of the top over-ear Bluetooth headphones, theres always room for improvement. With the XM6, Sony has fixed the small design flaws of its predecessor while bumping up the overall performance, including voice-calling performance. The result is a headphone thats arguably edged just ahead of the competition and is now at the top of its class. Read our full review of the WH-1000XM5.
A few years ago Shokz turned its OpenRun (formerly Aeropex) bone-conduction headphones into a more communications-friendly headset with an integrated boom microphone called the OpenComm ($160), which remains available. The second-generation OpenComm 2 UC costs more than the original, but features an upgraded Bluetooth 5.1 chipset that improves performance a bit and now allows for the firmware upgrades that are required for Zoom certification. Additionally, the microphone has moved from the left ear to the right and a convenient mute button has been added to the boom microphone — an important addition.
Since these leave your ears open — the sound is conducted through your cheekbone — they arent for people who want to seal their ears out from outside noise. Rather, the idea is that you can hear everything around you without having anything covering your ears or jammed inside them. The headset is quite comfortable to wear. Some folks find that liberating and these do feature excellent noise reduction for calls, as callers told me they heard very little background noise even when I was out on the noisy streets of New York.
While the Shokz are arguably the best-sounding bone-conduction headphones, they arent great-sounding for music because theyre lacking in the bass department. However, theyre great for speech, so they work very well as a headset for making calls and listening to podcasts or audiobooks. These also have multipoint-Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair them with your phone and PC and easily switch to your phone if a call comes in while youre on your computer. And they come with either a USB-A or USB-C wireless dongle (you choose) that you plug into your computer for quick and reliable wireless connectivity.
As long as you dont mind the boom microphone, you can use the OpenComm 2 for sporting activities as well and are favorites for runners who want to keep their ears open to hear the outside world for safety reasons. Theyre also water-resistant. The only downside is they require a proprietary charging cable instead of USB-C. Battery life is rated at 16 hours of talk time and eight hours of listening.
Years in development, Shokz OpenMeet comes in a standard version ($220) and a UC version ($250) that includes Shokz Loop120 USB-A/USB-C wireless dongle for use with Windows and Mac PCs. Equipped with a TitaniumFlex frame and weighing a mere 83 grams, the first thing you notice is how light and comfortable it is (its designed to be worn for hours). Like other bone-conduction headphones, this headset sits on your cheek in front of your ears and doesnt cover them, leaving them open to hear whats going on around you.
Like Shokz OpenRun 2, this headset combines Shokz bone-conduction technology with its air-conduction speaker technology (Shokz says its a Qualcomm-driven 11mmx18mm custom speaker), which is able to deliver more bass than bone-conduction technology and helps fill out the low end. The result is the headset sounds more like a traditional headphone, offering significantly fuller sound than the companys previous bone-conduction headphones. While there are plenty of $200 headphones and earbuds that sound even better than the OpenMeet, it does offer respectable sound quality.
The headsets voice-quality performance was quite good in the test calls I made. Equipped with a dual-microphone system powered by Qualcomms cVc noise reduction, Shokz says the OpenMeet reduces background noise by up to 98.6%. Note that while the OpenMeet fit my head securely and I was able to walk around with it in the streets of New York, its really designed for more stationary use. In other words, if you jostle your head too much, the headset will likely slip out of position or slip off your head. Shokzs OpenComm 2 headset, which has a similar design to the companys sport-oriented neckband style headphones like the OpenRun 2 and incorporates a boom microphone, fits more securely but is not as comfortable.
Theres a lot to like about Logitechs Zone Vibe 100 wireless over-ear headset, which comes in off-white, carbon and rose color options. For starters, its lightweight and comfortable to wear, with a retractable boom microphone that you can flip up to mute, plus it has a mute button on it. Additionally, it features multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair it simultaneously with your Mac or Windows PC and your smartphone and easily switch audio back and forth between the two devices. These arent active noise canceling headphones but they offer a decent amount of passive noise isolation. Battery life is rated at up 20 hours of listening time.
People said I sounded clear on calls and theres some sidetone, so you can hear your voice in the headphones as you talk (that way you dont end up raising your voice two much). I thought they sounded quite good while listening to music on my smartphone. However, the sound quality wasnt quite up to the same level when streaming Bluetooth audio on my computer, though it was still decent. The Logi Tune app for iOS and Android does allow to tweak the sound profile, adjust the sidetone and set when the headset goes to sleep when not in use.
This also comes in a version USB dongle for your computer called the Zone Vibe 125 for $30 more.
Why I like themWhile I didn’t get the new H3 chip I was hoping for, or a charging case that doubles as a Bluetooth transceiver for in-flight entertainment, I did get most of what I wanted from the AirPods Pro 3. The changes may seem incremental to some folks, but key elements — fit, sound quality, noise cancellation and single-charge battery life — have all seen noticeable upgrades.
Theyre about as close as earbuds get to being complete: excellent noise cancellation, strong voice-calling performance and sound quality that rivals the very best. Few buds excel in all three areas — and the Pro 3s manage it while packing in plenty of extra features, including a new heart-rate monitoring feature. Read my full review.
Reasons to buyAs I said, these buds are significantly improved in the four most important areas: fit, sound quality, noise cancellation and battery life. The result is that you dont feel like youre making any compromises when buying the AirPods Pro 3 if youre an Apple user.
Reasons to skip/keep lookingWhile they do work with Android devices, you’ll lose many of the AirPods 3’s extra features, especially those designed for Apple’s ecosystem of iPhones and iPads. They also may just be a little too expensive for many people.
Why I like them
Sony has released its new-for-2025 WH-1000XM6 headphones, but its former flagship model, the XM5 is still an excellent headphone thats often on sale for closer to $300. Their noise-canceling, voice-calling and sound isnt quite as good as what the XM6 offers (the XM6 sounds a little more detailed with improved bass performance) and the XM6 has a dual-hinge design that allows them to fold up, not just fold flat. As a result, the XM6s case is a little smaller. Additionally, the XM6 is powered by a new QN3 chip that Sony says delivers 7 times the performance of the QN1 chip found in the XM5s. All that said, while the jump in performance from the XM5 to the XM6 is certainly noticeable, it isnt huge; the XM5 still offers very good sound, noise-canceling and voice-calling performance that should satisfy most people. Read my Sony WH-1000XM5 review.
Reasons to buy
The biggest reason to buy the XM5 is if you cant afford the XM6 and find the XM5 substantially discounted. Its still quite competitive with the Boses QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, the Sonos Ace and Apples AirPods Max.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
Its always a little hard to buy a previous-generation headphone that was released three years ago (2022) when you know a newer, better model (the XM6) exists and will eventually go on sale.
Not to be confused with the earlier Jabra Evolve2 65, the new-for-2023 Evolve2 65 Flex features a slimmer design with dual hinges that allows you to fold the headset up flat in its compact carrying case. While this is an on-ear headset, it has a nicely padded headband and ear pieces and is impressively comfortable (it also helps that its relatively lightweight, weighing 136 grams or 4.8 ounces).
I was impressed with the sound and performance of the Evolve2 65 Flex. It has a retractable boom microphone and good active noise canceling along with excellent noise reduction for calls (I made calls in the noisy streets of New York and callers said I sounded clear with little background noise intrusion). Flip the boom mic up and you automatically get muted during video conference calls; flip it down and you unmute yourself.
With 28mm drivers, this headset also works well for listening to music and other audio, which is what you should expect for its high price tag. However, it only supports the SBC audio codec and not the superior AAC or AptX audio codecs (thats not the end of the world, but it is worth pointing out). Equipped with Bluetooth 5.2, you can connect it to a variety of devices wirelessly and the included Bluetooth USB-A dongle allows for easy pairing with PCs (you can connect it to two devices at the same time). Finally, battery life is rated at up to 21 hours with noise-canceling on and 32 hours with it off. Thats decent for a compact headset.
The headphones now feature USB-C audio.
Why I like them
While the new-for-2025 Ultras look almost exactly the same as the original QuietComfort Ultra Headphones that were released in 2023 — and its unclear exactly whats changed from a hardware standpoint — this second-gen model offers several enhancements, including slightly better sound, improved noise cancellation, USB-C audio, a new immersive-audio Cinema Mode and improved battery life (its now rated for up to 30 hours, up from 24, and can be charged during use via the USB-C port).
When it comes to noise canceling, these are neck and neck with Sony’s new WH-1000XM6 headphones, as the two companies continue to battle for ANC supremacy. Before this 2nd-gen model arrived, I had the Sony XM6s slightly ahead, but with the small but noticeable improvements Bose has made, its hard to say which headphones are better. It may come down to how they feel on your head — but both are pretty comfortable.
Reasons to buy
Theyre a good choice for frequent travelers, commuters and professionals who want comfortable, well-designed headphones with impressive overall performance, including superb noise-muffling capabilities.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
Those on a tighter budget should look toward more midrange and budget headphone options.
UC headsets that include a USB dongle so you can easily connect the headset wirelessly to your computer tend to cost more than headsets that just feature Bluetooth connectivity. For around $70, the Cyber Acoustics Essential Bluetooth Headset HS-2000BT sells at a discount compared to similarly styled models from Jabra and Poly. Im not going to say the HS-2000BT is better than those models, but its lightweight and comfortable to wear and offers similar features, including a retractable boom microphone with automatic muting (when you retract the boom mic). It also has a couple of bonus features: active noise canceling and wireless charging (Qi wireless charging pad not included).
Callers said I sounded good though not quite as clear as when I was using the Logitech Zone Vibe 100. I thought the HS-2000BT sounded decent enough when when listen to music, though the sound is on the warmer side (pushes the bass a bit). The headset is worth checking out, particularly if it goes on sale. I should also note that if you dont need the wireless connectivity, the headset is available in a wired-only version (the HS-2000) for $50.
Plantronics original Voyager Focus UC has long been considered one of the best work-from-anywhere headsets. Now we get the Voyager Focus 2 UC from Poly (the company Plantronics morphed into after it acquired Polycom), and its improved in several ways, including better noise reduction (its stellar), two levels of active noise canceling, increased battery life (up to 19 hours with ANC off and 16 hours with it on) and superior wireless range with Bluetooth 5.1.
You can pair the Voyager Focus 2 UC with your computer with the included USB dongle or your phone (or tablet) via Bluetooth. It can also connect to a desk phone if you want to bring it to the office. Also worth noting: The boom microphone has a mute button on it, but when you flip it up it also automatically mutes the microphone. The original Voyager Focus doesnt mute when you lift the boom microphone.
The Focus 2 comes in several different versions, including USB-A and USB-C models and a version thats Microsoft Teams certified. You can get the headset by itself or in a bundle that includes a charging dock. All versions include a nice protective carrying pouch.
The Voyager Focus 2 UC is expensive but offers excellent performance and is quite comfortable for an on-ear headphone. It also sounds good for music listening with nicely detailed sound and ample bass. It may not be quite up to the level of the Sony WH-1000XM5 for music, but it offers a nice music-listening experience for a work-centric headset.
Like JBLs Tour Pro 2 earbuds, the Poly Voyager Free 60 Plus UC earbuds also have a touchscreen display embedded in their charging case. The display isnt quite as fancy as the one on the JBL case (its mostly monochrome), but these are among the first earbuds to have a case with a mini control panel integrated into it. Additionally, the Free 60 Plus UC case also turns into a Bluetooth transceiver for inflight entertainment systems (you plug the case into the 3.5mm headphone port). I also liked how you can store the USB-A Bluetooth dongle in the charging case when youre not using it with your computer.
Aside from the tricked out case, the bigl strengths of the Poly Voyager Free 60 are their comfortable fit, excellent voice-calling performance for video calls (they have 3-mic array in each bud), solid noice canceling and very good sound quality. Equipped with 10mm drivers, they might not offer quite as good sound quality for music as other premium earbuds in this price range, but theres good depth and punch to the bass, decent clarity and they have a pleasant sound profile overall. They support the AAC and AptX audio codecs as well as LC3 when making video calls, Poly says. Battery life is rated at up to 5.5 hours with noise canceling on.
I was able to easily switch between using the buds with my computer (with the USB dongle) and my iPhone. While they worked well for making cell-phone calls indoors and outdoors in quieter environments, callers said they could hear a good amount of background noise when I was making calls in noisier environments. Poly says its working to improve noise reduction for cell-phone calls with a firmware update later this year. The earbuds can be updated via the Poly Lens app for Desktop, iOS or Android that also features a variety of settings you can play around with.
Note that these earbuds are available in a non-UC version with a standard charging case for lesser than $200.
The Sony CH-720N is also available in black.
Why I like them
Sonys improved entry-level noise canceling headphones, the CH-720Ns, have a bit of a plasticky budget vibe, but theyre lightweight (only 192 grams) and very comfortable. Part of me was expecting them to sound pretty mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised, as these headphones offer good overall tonal balance with punchy bass, decent clarity and a fairly wide soundstage (the headphones are suitable for a variety of music genres. They also offers decent noise canceling and good voice-calling performance.
No, they dont sound as good or perform as well as Sonys WH-1000XM5 or new WH-1000XM6 headphones. But they sound more premium than they look — and feel — and their overall performance is a step up from their predecessor, the CH-710Ns. Are they worth $150? Maybe — or maybe not. But the good news is that, like the CH-710N and WH-XB910 before them, these frequently are discounted to closer to $100, which makes them a good value.
Reasons to buy
Budget-conscious buyers seeking Sony quality at an accessible price point will find these offer a significant step up from truly entry-level headphone options.
Reasons to skip/keep looking
The main reason not get these is that you simply want a more premium noise-canceling headphone that not only offers better build quality but better overall performance along with more advanced features like ear-detection sensors, LDAC audio codec support and Sonys Quick Attention and Speak-To-Chat features. Sony also leaves out any sort of carrying case or pouch with these headphones, which is slightly disappointing.
If youre looking for a souped-up version of Jabras Elite 85h headphones, which came out a few years ago, the Evolve2 85 offers even better telephony options along with a Unified Communications USB dongle for PCs. It has similar sound quality to the 85h, it has an updated audio chipset, a hideaway boom arm and two additional microphones (10 altogether, with the extra two in the boom arm) for noise reduction and picking up your voice. Its build quality is also a step up. A Microsoft Teams-certified version is available for those who need it. I found it comfortable to wear over several hours, and it offers an impressive 37 hours of battery life or slightly more than the Elite 85h.
If youre an Apple-centric person who works on a MacBook and also has an iPhone (and maybe an iPad), Apples AirPods Max noise-canceling headphones allow you to easily connect to multiple Apple devices simultaneously (so long as youre signed into your iCloud account on all the devices) and switch between them. If youre on a Zoom teleconference and a call comes in on your iPhone, the AirPods Max automatically switch to the iPhone if you pick up the call.
They sound great, and with all their microphones, they do an excellent job picking up your voice and reducing ambient noise. Aside from their high price, the other potential downside is their heavy weight. Although I found them comfortable, some people may have trouble with that.
Jabras Evolve2 30 is a wired on-ear office headset with an integrated boom microphone. Its lightweight and comfortable and comes in USB-C and USB-A versions, as well as stereo and mono versions (I tried the USB-A stereo version). The headphones are decent but not great for music listening, but theyre primarily meant for voice applications. They feature dual microphones: one for picking up your voice and the other to help reduce the ambient noise around you so callers can hear you better.
Known for its value headphones and earbuds, JLab offers a pair of on-ear headphones with an integrated boom microphone (it can be rotated up when just listening to music) and multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect them to your phone and computer simultaneously. JLabs Go Work headset may not be great, but it delivers better-than-expected performance for a modest price. Theyre also comfortable to wear with a lightweight design. You wont mistake these for premium headphones, but the build quality means that they are among the best headphones for work for around $50.
Battery life is rated at up to 45 hours at moderate volume levels, and you can mute calls using the multifunction button (an LED lights up at the end of the boom mic when the call is muted). I wouldnt call the sound quality for music listening and the headset performance stellar, but its decent, particularly for the price. For music listening, theres ample bass and clarity and a cable is included for wired use. The headphones charge via USB-C. Note that JLab also sells over-ear Go Work headphones that cost around $80 and do sound a little better.
Compare the best headphones and headsets for working at home based on battery life, noise cancellation, water resistance, price and more.
Before anything else, youll want to figure out how much youre willing to spend on a new wireless headset. The quality of value-priced headsets continues to improve, so you can find good affordable headsets and headphones for less than $100. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost $200 or more, and sometimes much more.
When a headphone has a boom microphone, thats when it technically becomes what we describe as a headset. Many consumer headphones work well for making calls, having an extended microphone that sits closer to your mouth can improve how well your voice gets picked, making it sound clearer. When retracted, some boom microphones will mute the headset so people cant hear you. Some boom mics now feature mute buttons on them. This is an important feature for video calls where you want to easily mute and unmute yourself. The downside to having the boom microphone is that it makes you look like youre wearing a headset instead of headphones. Thats a bit of a factor if you plan on wearing whatever you buy outside your home or office.
Its key that the headset or headphones you buy fit your head well. They should offer a comfortable fit thats snug yet not too snug. Ideally, you want a headset of headphones you can wear over the course of a day with minimal breaks.
You want headset that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.
Its critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyers remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days, and then return one.
We test headphones and headsets based on six key criteria. These criteria include design, sound quality, noise canceling performance, voice-calling performance, features and value.
Testing call quality on the streets of New York.
Plantronics Voyager Focus UC: After Plantronics became Poly, it released a new version of this oldie-but-goodie headset called the Voyager Focus 2 (see above). This model remains on sale. We are steering people toward the newer model.
The benefit of a boom microphone is that it extends out, which puts it closer to your mouth and makes picking up your voice easier. Some headphones and earbuds with beam-forming microphones do a very good job of picking up your voice, but a good boom microphone is often the superior option. The only downside is that unless it truly retracts and is able to blend into the headphones design when retracted, it makes the headset less attractive as a standard headphone for mobile use.
Yes. Many gaming headsets have retractable microphones and are designed for chatting online with fellow gamers. That makes them good for video-conferencing apps but not everybody likes how they appear wearing a gaming headphone for a business call.
People tend to look better wearing small earbuds than full-size headphones. Its really just a matter of personal preference. The one downside to earbuds is that they usually have far less battery life than full-size headphones, so youll probably have to charge them during a break to use them for an entire day.
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNETs Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. Hes also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Kobo e-books and audiobooks.