In ear headphones are often called "buds". On ear headphones, which sit against your ear, and over ear headphones, which surround your ear, are often called "cans". The design can also have an effect on noise reduction/cancellation.

Wired headphones connect to your device or stereo via a cable. Wireless headphones connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but have a band or cable connecting each can/bud. True wireless headphones connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and do not have a cable connecting each earbud (such as the Apple AirPods).

We recommend models with a CHOICE Expert rating of 70% or above.

This overall score is made up of listening with noise cancelling on (30%), listening quality (30%), listening with noise cancelling off (15%), comfort (15%), and durability (10%) scores.

This score is an assessment by a listening panel of the audio quality of the headphones when reproducing music, regardless of the noise-cancelling or isolation effectiveness.

We test the headphones' sound isolation effect with noise cancelling feature turned on.

We test the headphones' sound isolation effect with noise cancelling feature turned off.

This takes into account placing in or on ear, removing from ear, potential to accidentally fall out of ear, restrictiveness of the wire, suitability for left-handed users as well as those with weak grip, limited sight, limited hearing and colour-blindness.

Our testers rate the quality of the material used in construction and any areas of obvious concern. They also stress test the cables to replicate getting caught on arms or around the neck and to make sure they're strong enough, and perform a tangle assessment.

This is measured in hours. Note: turning off noise cancellation can increase battery life in some models.

'Tested model' means you should be able to find these headphones in stores. We check availability every time we test, which is about 3–4 times a year. 'Discontinued model' means you may only be able to find these headphones online locally or overseas (if at all). We publish information on discontinued products as members have expressed interest in older models.

Recommended retail price at the time of testing. You may find better deals if you shop around.

Whether there are controls on either the cable or the headphone itself.

Controls may be carried out with with a combination of button presses or multiple presses such as double tap for fast forward and single tap for next track.

We note any over-ear and on-ear headphones that can be folded in any way to help reduce their bulk when travelling. All the in-ear headphones are considered portable.

This measurement includes the cable and control unit.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. N/A means there is no rating for that company.

Some models include a 3.5mm jack and cable, so you can alternate between wired and wireless connectivity. This cable can be removed.

Whether the models on test can take a phone call, either through wireless Bluetooth or via a cable connection.

Do the headphones have built-in support for a digital assistant such as Google Assistant or Alexa? Some models use their microphones to activate the assistant on your phone but this is not the same as having the assistant built into the headphones. Models without this feature get a red cross. This data is a recent addition to the test which is why older models are listed as "Not tested".

Whether a travel case is included.