Best USB-C headphones

After most smartphone companies followed Apple in removing its headphone jack back in 2018, the headphone market found itself in abrupt chaos. Users were accustomed to always being able to use wired headphones, but now were forced to grab a pair of wireless headphones. An alternative presented itself in USB-C headphones, but after limited adoption, compatibility issues, and a lack of available options, the connector fell out of favor on headphones. But as the years went on, it became apparent that wireless audio just wasn’t cutting it for some folks. USB-C headphones have quietly made a comeback, offering a single connection method that can do it all rather than multiple connection methods.

The all-rounder: JBL Tour One M3

If you’re looking for the best all-around USB-C headphones, the JBL Tour One M3 are it. They don’t sound the best, but they have every feature you want to keep your headphones modern and compatible with all of the cutting-edge features to come. For example, not only do they support USB-C audio passthrough, but you can also use the SMART Tx remote/transmitter accessory to broadcast audio over Auracast to your friends and family.

Battery life is stellar, ANC performance is great, and the connectivity options are incredible. You can pretty much use any source, wired or wireless. The JBL Tour One M3 is a set of headphones built for daily use.

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless is a great middle ground

If you want the best mix of value and performance, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless are really solid headphones for under $300. Though they don’t cancel sound quite as well as the JBL Tour One M3, they’re very much worth the money. Additionally, they’re lighter, offer much better battery life, and deliver about the same ANC performance.

Though $380 is still a really steep price for casual headphones, we strongly encourage you to take the leap if you’re looking for a tool that will serve you for multiple years. While it may sting up front, sometimes expensive headphones are worth it—and this is one of those times.

The best pick for iPhone users is the Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)

It may seem like a no-brainer, but once Apple gave the AirPods Max audio over USB-C, the best USB-C headphones for iOS were no longer the Beats Studio Pro. Offering top-of-the-line ANC, decent sound quality, and iOS features, it’s hard to pick something else if you have an iPhone.

Though these are among the most expensive USB-C headphones by far, it’s a little frustrating that non-Apple devices aren’t guaranteed to work with them. For that reason, you may want to stick with the older Beats Studio Pro if you want an Apple device that works wired with just about anything.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 sounds great and look stylish

The Bowers & Wilkins Px8 is one of those luxury products that catches eyes, but will most often be admired from afar. Key features include excellent sound tuning, effective ANC, a good transparency mode, and a stylish design. However, they do lack water resistance. The Px8 excels in sound quality thanks to a 24-bit DSP and an actually decent companion app for advanced features. The sound is bass-heavy, with some odd choices in the highs, making it suitable for various music genres. We strongly encourage you to play with the equalizer, as the default sound is a bit bass-heavy.

Connectivity is robust via Bluetooth 5.2, supporting codecs such as SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive. The headphones can connect to analog and digital sources via supplied cables, including a 3.5mm TRS-to-USB cable. They offer 40 hours and 39 minutes of battery in our tests.

Though it’s quite heavy on your head (and wallet), the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 stands out for its sound quality, build, and practical features, making it a strong contender in the over-ear USB Bluetooth headphone market with ANC, especially for those who value audio performance and design over additional digital features.

The JLab JBuds Lux ANC is one of the best budget USB-C headphones

The JLab JBuds Lux ANC offers excellent value for under $100. They provide effective active noise cancelation that does a good job of reducing lower-frequency noise, like on transit. The sound quality is pretty decent, with an appealing bass emphasis and good stereo imaging that helps the music cut through ambient noise.

Other key strengths are the substantial padding for all-day comfort, USB-C audio connectivity, which is rare at this price point, and incredible 44-hour battery life. The headphones fold up compactly for travel as well. Overall, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC focuses on nailing the fundamentals like noise cancelation, sound quality, comfort, and battery life extremely well for the budget price, making them an excellent budget USB-C headphone option despite lacking some premium features. Their value proposition is very compelling.

The Sennheiser Accentum Plus is good value

If you are looking for more affordable USB-C headphones, the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus is a solid option with active noise canceling (ANC) capabilities. Priced at $229.95, these headphones offer straightforward features, including touch controls, up to 53 hours of battery life with ANC on, and decent sound quality that, while not groundbreaking, delivers a satisfactory listening experience. Additionally, the inclusion of wired listening options via USB-C and 2.5mm TRS socket enhances its versatility, making it a strong candidate for those prioritizing connectivity and battery efficiency.

However, the headphones aren’t without their drawbacks. The lack of an IP rating might deter users looking for water or dust resistance, and their inability to fold up could be seen as a limitation for portability. Despite these shortcomings, the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus stands out for its comfort, with features such as light plastic construction to prevent hair snagging and soft ear pads that accommodate glasses wearers. While it may not compete with top-tier models in terms of ANC performance or sound quality, its strengths lie in its user-friendly design and the balance it strikes between cost and performance.

Check out the Audeze Maxwell for gaming

Gaming headsets are a logical choice for USB-C audio, since they’re typically tethered to a desk or console. Gaming headsets typically face pretty extreme demands, including zero latency, long battery life, high-quality microphones, and comfort for long gaming sessions. The Audeze Maxwell checks all these boxes but also has USB-C audio. This provides a performance edge over other closed-back gaming headsets.

Of course, the Audeze Maxwell doesn’t just connect via USB-C: it can also connect to your PC or console via Bluetooth, a traditional TRS plug, or its included RF dongle. Really, the only reason you’d ever be unable to connect this headset is if you picked the wrong version for the console you’re using (PS5 vs. Xbox).

Google’s USB-C to 3.5mm Audio Cable turns any headset into a USB-C headset

There’s not much to say about Google’s USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter ($7.99 on Amazon) other than it connects to any 3.5mm port on a pair of headphones and terminates in a USB-C connector. This lets you plug your favorite pair of headphones directly into your phone’s USB-C port.

It’s only a couple of inches long and works on all USB-C ports, including the one found on Apple’s iPad. It’s less than $10, but it does everything that you need it to. You don’t need to overthink it; the dongles are near-perfect for low-power devices like headphones, and there’s not much reason to shell out for anything more expensive.

What about the Apple EarPods?

You may be tempted to point out that Apple released a cheap pair of USB-C earbuds not too long ago, but both Apple’s and Google’s USB-C earbuds suffer serious design flaws that will have you looking for new ones in short order.

If you don’t seal your ear, the earbuds won’t perform consistently, and they won’t block outside noise much at all. Because of this, you’ll be listening too loudly, and it will sound worse. There’s a reason none of the similar models online have lasted very long.

How we test the best USB-C headphones

Because USB-C headphones can be tested in our setup, any headphones on this list have been subjected to the same suite of benchmarks as any other headphones we review. The main difference is that the headphones handle their own signal processing.

We use state-of-the-art testing software from Listen Inc. and our own in-house sequences. We measure key performance metrics like frequency response, distortion, and noise attenuation performance to see how well each product fares against the rest of the market. We also use the latest and greatest test fixture for headphone measurements, the Bruel & Kjaer 5128. This test head better approximates the anatomy of a human head than its predecessors, and is changing how we approach headphone measurements.

Why you should trust SoundGuys

We perform objective tests to measure the sound quality, noise isolation, and battery life of the headphones and earbuds that we get our hands on. We want each of you to enjoy the earbuds that you choose, and none of our writers may benefit from directing readers to one product or another.

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