The 6 Best On-Ear Wireless Headphones - Fall 2020
Reviews

The Bose SoundLink On-Ear are the most comfortable on-ear headphones that we've tested so far. They're lightweight and feature generous amounts of padding on their ear cups and headband, so you can wear them for hours at a time without experiencing much in the way of fatigue. Their physical control scheme is impressively intuitive, which makes on-the-fly volume and track adjustments a breeze.

They have a fairly well-balanced sound profile that's well-suited for a variety of musical content. However, they have a slightly overemphasized bass response that gives your favorite EDM and hip-hop tracks a hint of added thump and rumble. They also support multi-device pairing, which is handy if you tend to frequently switch between listening to content on your phone and your computer. Meanwhile, their 21-hour battery life should last you a couple of days without making you worry about recharging them.

Unfortunately, these on-ears let in quite a bit of ambient sound, which isn't ideal if you take them on your daily commute, as you'll hear quite a bit of chatter from people nearby as well as the rumble of bus engines. Still, if you're looking for a comfortable, reasonably durable-feeling pair of on-ear headphones with a versatile sound profile, the Bose are a good choice.

The best wireless on-ear headphones with a well-balanced sound profile that we've tested to date are the Marshall MID ANC. These on-ears feel quite premium and feature distinctive retro-inspired aesthetics, with squared-off ear cups and a gold-on-black color scheme. While they provide a good 17 hours of playback on a single charge, they come with a coiled 1/8" TRRS cable with an in-line remote for full audio and microphone capability if you run out of battery.

They have a well-balanced, slightly excited sound profile, with just a hint of added bass to give your favorite EDM and hip-hop tracks an added bit of thump and rumble. Their on-ear fit also yields a very consistent listening experience, so you won't experience any drastic differences in bass or treble delivery on separate re-seats.

On the downside, their ANC system isn't particularly effective, as it barely enhances the headphones' passive noise isolation. You may hear quite a bit of low-pitched ambient noise, like the rumble of construction equipment or bus engines. With that said, courtesy of their excited yet versatile sound profile, these are the best sounding on-ear wireless headphones that we've tested so far.

The Beats Solo3 are the best on-ear wireless headphones for battery life that we've tested so far. With a continuous battery life of 42-hours, they’ll easily manage several days worth of the daily grind without having to worry about plugging them in. They feature the classic Beats design that looks premium and feels quite well-built, and they're surprisingly stable on the head, even during moderate workouts.

Charging time is another plus point, with a full charge taking about 1.5 hours to complete. If you’re in a rush, a quick five-minute charge should give you 2.5 hours of continuous playback time, though this isn't something we test. These headphones deliver a heavily overemphasized bass, which might please fans of rap and EDM. However, mids and treble are reproduced more accurately. Like the Apple AirPods 1 Truly Wireless 2017, they feature a W1 chip, meaning that pairing with Apple devices is a cinch.

On the downside, their fit is a little tight, so they might become a little uncomfortable to wear during longer listening sessions. They also do an unimpressive job of blocking out background noise, especially the low rumble of bus engines or construction equipment. If you want something similar that features ANC to help give you some peace, check out the newer Beats Solo Pro Wireless, though they're a bit more expensive and don't last nearly as long off a single charge.