Readers' Choice Awards 2026: The best headphone and speaker brands

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The audio world is saturated with high-quality headphones, earbuds, and Bluetooth speakers. Arguably, it's oversaturated. People also have very strong opinions about the best audio brands and products — us included.

We test audio gear all the time and get our hands on all the newest releases. And our experts are great resources to find the best headphones, earbuds, and speakers to buy. We test at home — not in a lab — to simulate real-life use. But our tech-obsessed readers often use their devices over the long term and can experience popular audio products at all their highs and lows.

That’s why we periodically poll Mashable readers to see which products they use and love. For this edition of the Mashable Readers' Choice Awards, big names like Bose, Sony, Apple, and JBL were in close competition. But in the end, Bose came out on top for both headphones/earbuds and speakers.

Top headphone and earbud brands for 2026

Use the arrows on the chart below to toggle through each of the categories from our survey results.

Bose wins the Mashable Readers’ Choice Award for best overall headphones/earbuds brand in 2026.

We’ve tested all of Bose’s recent headphones and earbuds offerings, and you’ll find them all over our best lists. Readers praised Bose’s sound quality, comfort, and noise cancellation, with multiple people noting that Bose headphones are great for travel.

One respondent said, “Bose are the standard in leading sound quality.” While another noted, “For the price and sound quality, I believe there is no equal.”

Another reader wrote that they always have a great experience with Bose and usually consider its products when purchasing.

Our own headphone expert, Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard, noted that the release of Bose’s noise-cancelling QuietComfort headphones in 2000 changed the game.

“For the past 26 years, Bose proved its consistency release after release, blending together comfortable all-day wear and some of the best noise cancellation available on the market, making it hard to not feel satisfied with the experience of using their headphones, and trusting in their ability to deliver on a premium product,” Allard said.

Apple was the second-highest rated for overall satisfaction and the brand readers were most likely to recommend. A large ratio of responses mentioned the seamless pairing and integration across other Apple devices.

“Apple's AirPods Pro are extremely convenient with instant pairing, great integration across my iPhone, Mac, and iPad, and top-tier transparency mode that makes them perfect for commuting and working in shared spaces. The noise cancellation, sound quality, and call performance are strong enough that I can use a single pair of earbuds for work, workouts, and travel,” reported one respondent.

Best headphone/earbud brand for noise cancellation

Noise cancellation can be either passive or active. Passive noise cancellation refers to how much sound is blocked out by the headphones/earbuds themselves, with factors such as materials used and how tight the seal is over or in your ear. Active noise cancellation is achieved via microphones in the headphones that measure sound waves and create inverse wavelengths to cancel out the noise. Additionally, headphones and earbuds will often have a built-in white noise-esque hiss to cover some frequencies. When testing audio products, we typically dock headphones and earbuds if we’re able to hear that hiss.

When it comes to noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds, Mashable readers rated Bose and Sony the same, 8.3 out of 10. Because Bose had the higher overall score, we’re awarding it the win.

That also aligns with our own testing. Allard named the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) the best overall value for noise-cancelling headphones, with “the ideal blend of comfort, sound quality, and ANC.” But did note that Sony’s WH-1000XM6 headphones have the best noise cancellation overall.

Allard says, “In my own testing of Bose headphones and earbuds, I’ve found them to this day to provide the longest wearing options that really do deliver on top-notch ANC. Yes, their products are an investment, but they’re also the manifestation of the phrase ‘You get what you pay for.’” 

One of our readers said they’d recommend Bose because “the noise cancelling is still among the best, which makes a huge difference when I'm flying or working in noisy coffee shops.”

Best headphone/earbud brand for sound quality

Sound quality is another area where we saw a tie between two brands. Sony and JBL were both rated 8.5 in sound quality, but we’ve crowned Sony the winner because of its higher overall satisfaction score.

If you look at any of our headphones or earbuds guides, you’ll see that Sony consistently wins superlatives for its sound quality. We’ve named the WH-1000XM6s the “best sounding headphones” and the WF-1000XM6s the “best overall” earbuds, noting that Sony provides “some of the best sound quality available.”

Many of our survey respondents called out Sony’s sound quality in their answers: “Good build quality and really good sound,” “Very good sound, great value,” and “The sound is amazing” were common responses.

One reader said, “I would recommend the Sony headset because it delivers excellent sound quality, clear microphone audio, and comfortable ear padding that's ideal for long use.”

Best headphone/earbud brand for battery life

What good is a pair of headphones or earbuds if they’re dead every time you go to wear them? Battery life is an important factor in choosing a portable audio product, and Mashable readers found Sony to be the best in that regard.

“The battery life easily lasts through a full day,” said one reader.

Best headphone/earbud brand for comfort

Mashable’s headphone experts all name Bose as the most comfortable headphones, with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) topping our list of the most comfortable headphones we’ve ever tested. However, Mashable readers have a different opinion. 

JBL actually took the win with the highest comfort score in our survey. One respondent said, “The sound is fantastic and fit is comfortable.”

Another echoed that sentiment, saying, “They hold up and sound great, plus they're affordable and comfortable.”

Most likely to recommend

Apple won in a number of categories this year, and it's the brand our readers were most likely to recommend to a friend or colleague. We’re huge Apple nerds at Mashable, so it’s no surprise that our readers are, too.

One of the most common reasons readers love Apple AirPods products? The easy pairing between AirPods and other Apple devices.

“I'd recommend AirPods to people who use Apple devices because they connect instantly, are extremely easy to use, and work great for calls and casual listening,” said one response.

Comments praised Apple earbuds for their ease of use, integration with other Apple products, quick pairing, quality, fit, value, and reliability.

“I would recommend Apple because their devices are reliable, easy to use, and work really well together,” wrote one reader. “The products last a long time, and I trust the brand and feel confident recommending to others.”

Top speaker brands for 2026

Use the arrows on the chart below to toggle through each of the categories from our survey results.

Bose comes out on top once again, winning the Mashable Readers’ Choice Award for best overall speakers in 2026. Our readers sang Bose’s praises for excellent sound quality, easy portability, and longevity — multiple respondents mentioned owning the same Bose speaker for more than 10 years.

One reader said, “Bose is phenomenal in the speaker game; I can't say enough about them, especially if you are listening to hear, feel, and understand the music — not just listening to pass the time. Bose is where you want to be.”

Our survey results actually paint a picture of a neck-and-neck race between Bose and JBL, each taking turns beating the other out for the top spot in almost every ranking category.

The one space where they were both outranked was smart features. Amazon was ranked highest there, which is a shock to no one. One reader said, “I'd recommend Amazon because the Echo Dot offers excellent smart features with Alexa, easy setup, and surprisingly good sound for a very affordable price, making it a great everyday home speaker.”

Best speaker brand for sound quality

In addition to being the best speaker brand overall, Bose takes the cake for best sound quality.

Allard noted that Bose products tend to sound great out of the box, so you don’t have to mess around with the equalizer to get a great listening experience. Other Mashable reviewers agree that they sound excellent and have room-filling sound that doesn’t get muddy or blown out at loud volumes.

As one reader put it, Bose has “unbelievable sound quality, great lows and crisp highs; just a terrific speaker.”

Best speaker brand for battery life

Most Bluetooth speakers are also portable, meaning they don’t have to be plugged into anything to play music. That also means they rely on a charged battery to keep the audio going. 

Mashable readers found JBL speakers to have the best battery life, with one commenting that the “battery lasts all day.”

Best speaker brand for portability

On top of battery being a factor in portability, size, weight, and design also play a role. Again, Mashable readers rated JBL highest for portability. They mentioned taking their JBL speakers to the park, the beach, rooftop hangs, gatherings in small apartments, and on hikes.

Most reliable speaker brand

The scale tips back to Bose for reliability. As mentioned earlier, multiple Bose users reported owning the same speaker for more than a decade.

One reader said of their Bose SoundLink Revolve, “Wonderful sound in a small, portable speaker. I've had this speaker for years, and it's always been my go-to speaker.”

Another voiced, “Bose is a tried and true brand that still delivers some of the best sound at a reasonable price point.”

Most likely to recommend

The speaker brand that Mashable readers are most likely to recommend to their friends, family, and colleagues is a tie between Bose and JBL. Because Bose has the slightly higher overall satisfaction rating, we’re crowning Bose the winner here. Though, as you’ve seen, you can’t go wrong with either brand.

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