Headphones, interfaces, monitors, and amps — tested by a former audio engineer. We tell you what actually sounds good, and what's just good marketing.
A 5-inch, two-way active studio monitor with ADAM's U-ART ribbon tweeter, 70W of bi-amplified power, and low and high shelf EQ controls. Reviewers praise its smooth, detailed highs for the money; the small woofer rolls off in the deep bass, so producers of bass-heavy music may want to add a subwoofer.
87+
Products Tested
500+
Hours of Listening
10K+
Reddit Posts Analyzed
800+
YouTube Reviews Sourced
Headphones
Open-back, closed-back — office, home, and on the go
30 products →
IEMs & Earbuds
True wireless, in-ear monitors, and reference earphones
14 products →
Audio Interfaces
USB & Thunderbolt interfaces for recording and streaming
15 products →
Studio Monitors
Nearfield monitors for accurate mixing and listening
13 products →
Headphone Amps
Desktop amps and DAC/amp stacks for high-impedance cans
11 products →
Portable Speakers
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speakers for indoor and outdoor
4 products →
Bose's first wired earbuds in over a decade: USB-C only, no battery, powered by the phone, with Bose QuietControl noise cancelling, three listening modes, an inline remote and mic, and 24-bit/48 kHz lossless audio for $99. All seven hands-on reviewers we read recommend them for the sound and comfort; the trade-offs are USB-C-only compatibility, no app or EQ, noise cancelling a tier below the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and a cable that snags.
$99–$99
Nothing's first $399 flagship: three drivers per ear cup, a hardware Flat switch that turns off the stock tuning, a fully parametric EQ, and the best noise cancelling Nothing has made. Reviewers rate the ANC, controls, and comfort highly but split sharply on the stock sound, and most of them dislike the heavy half-shell case.
$399–$399
Apple's 2026 open-fit AirPods, and the first regular AirPods where every model has active noise cancellation. Two versions: $129 with a USB-C case, or $149 with a wireless charging case, stem volume swipes, and an extra hour of ANC listening. Reviewers call the ANC the best they have heard from a non-sealing earbud, but the fit is hit or miss and it can't match the AirPods Pro 3 on noise cancelling or battery.
$129–$149
Beats' first over-ear headphone with an IPX4 sweat and water rating and swappable ear and headband cushions that the headphones detect and retune for. Reviewers rate its noise cancelling near flagship level and its comfort among the best in the class, but it has no wired audio, no wear detection, no user EQ, and two reviewers heard a constant faint hiss.
$349–$349
The ATH-M50x is the default recommendation for anyone buying their first serious closed-back headphone. Balanced with a slight low-mid warmth, folds flat, swivels for single-ear monitoring, and is available everywhere. Not the best in any single dimension but reliably good in all of them.
$149–$169
Review
AirPods 5 bring active noise cancelling to every regular AirPods model for the first time, starting at $129. Most of the eight independent reviewers we read recommend them, praising the comfort, the strongest ANC they have heard from a tip-free earbud, and the price. The catch is fit: if they sit loosely in your ears, the noise cancelling and bass fall apart, and they never match the AirPods Pro 3 on quiet or battery life.
Review
The $399 Nothing Headphone (1) Pro has the best noise cancelling Nothing has made, excellent physical controls, comfortable cushions, wired lossless audio, and a hardware Flat switch for critical listening. Reviewers split on its triple-driver sound: some rank it among the best of 2026 once tuned, others measured harsh treble and fit-dependent results. Most of them dislike the heavy half-shell case. Buy it if you will use the EQ or the Flat mode; otherwise rivals sound better out of the box.
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Best headphones under $200, best interface for home studio, best amp for HD 600 — deep dives that hold up.
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Audio Engineer & Gear Reviewer
Former audio engineer at a San Francisco post-production studio. I've spent 10+ years tracking, mixing, and A/B testing gear in professional environments. Every product on HiFiRated has been evaluated against real-world listening and recording use cases — not spec sheets.
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