Earphones and earbuds are perhaps the most popular audio devices in the world today. Think of how many people you know have a pair or multiple pairs of these tiny headphones.
With great popularity comes a large market with a lot of different brands and manufacturers. In this article, we'll be discussing the best earphone and earbud brands on the market today to help you decide on your first or next pair of earphones/earbuds.
The top 14 best earphone/earbud brands are:
- Jabra
- Sennheiser
- Shure
- Sony
- Bowers & Wilkins
- RHA
- FiiO
- Bose
- JBL
- Bang & Olufsen
- Apple
- Beats
- Etymotic Research
- Skullcandy
In this article, we'll discuss each of these brands in greater detail and explain why they belong in the top 14 best earphone/earbud brands. For each brand, I'll share the country of origin, a bit of history, an example of a best-selling or flagship model, and a link to the official website.
Before you buy a pair of earphones/earbuds, be sure to check out these My New Microphone articles:
• Should I Buy Earbuds Or Headphones? (In-Depth Comparison)
• The Ultimate Headphone/Earphone Buyer’s Guide
Click here to return to My New Microphone's articles on musical equipment brands/manufacturers.
Jabra
First on this list is Jabra, an American-turned-Danish company that produces some of the best-sounding and affordable earphones on the market.
This global brand maintains a serious passion for sound and has plentiful expertise in consumer, professional and medical audio technology. Jabra products are designed by engineers with unrivalled knowledge of the human ear.
If you're looking for easy-to-use earphones with incredible sound, be sure to check out Jabra!
Notable earphone model: Jabra Elite 75t (link to check the price on Amazon).
The Jabra Elite 75t is featured in the following My New Microphone articles:
• Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones For Running Under $200
• Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones/Earbuds Under $200
• Top 5 Best Noise Cancelling Earphones Under $200
Jabra was founded in 1983 by Elwood Norris as “Norcom Electronics Corporation” in the United States. In 2000, the Danish company GN Audio acquired Jabra. Today the company is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Official website: jabra.com
Parent company: GN Store Nord
Sennheiser
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG has become a tycoon in the professional audio industry. Its high-end headphones are utilized in professional settings worldwide, while its consumer-grade earphones are enjoyed by listeners around the world who expect great audio.
Sennheiser is a massive international company with nearly 3,000 employees but remains a family-run business.
Sennheiser strives to design and manufacture the best possible audio devices, including earphones. With Sennheiser earphones, we benefit from the company's great technology in a smaller listening package.
Notable earphone model: Sennheiser CX Sport (link to check the price on Amazon).
The Sennheiser CX Sport is featured in My New Microphone's Top Best Wireless Earphones For Running Under $100 and Hikers' Movements' Top 10 Best Headphones/Earphones For Hiking.
Sennheiser was originally founded in 1945 as “Laboratorium Wennebostel” by Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser in Germany. The company was renamed Sennheiser electronic in 1958. Today, the company is headquartered in Wedemark, Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Official website: sennheiser.com
Sennheiser is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
Shure
Shure is best known for its wide range of microphones. However, Shure also produces high-end earphones that deserve a spot on this list.
Though Shure has been around for a long time, the company only began manufacturing headphones in 2009. It wasn't long before their earphones became well-respected in the world of compact listening devices.
Shure earphones range from basic earbuds to audiophile-worthy in-ear monitors. No matter what you're after in searching for the best earphones, Shure should have something for you!
Notable earphone model: Shure SE215 (link to check the price on Amazon).
Shure is an American microphone manufacturer founded in 1925 by Sidney N. Shure in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The company is now headquartered in Niles, Illinois, USA.
Official website: shure.com
Shure is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
Sony
Third on this list is the Sony Corporation. This massive Fortune Global 500 (top 500 companies in the world based on revenue) company has devoted some of its resources to producing some of the best earphones available on the market today.
Sony produces a wide variety of earphones for both professional and consumer markets, with price points for everyone.
Notable earphone model: Sony WF-1000XM3 (link to check the price on Amazon).
The Sony WF-1000XM3 is featured in the following My New Microphone articles:
• Top Best Earphones For Sleeping Under $250
• Top Best Noise Cancelling Earphones Under $200
Sony was founded in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita in Nihonbashi, Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. The company is headquartered in Sony City, Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Official website: sony.com
Sony is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
Bowers & Wilkins
Bowers & Wilkins has been making a name for itself as a quality manufacturer of loudspeakers and loudspeaker systems for home, studio, automobile and even mobile applications. In addition to their superb loudspeakers, B&W also designs and produces excellent earphones.
World-class sound engineering and innovation are ingrained into this company and their earphones, among other products, are proof of that.
Notable earphone model: Bowers & Wilkins PI4 (link to check the price on Amazon).
Bowers & Wilkins was founded in 1966 by John Bowers in Worthing, West Sussex, England. In 2016, California-based EVA Automation acquired B&W. Today, the brand's headquarters are in Menlo Park, California, USA.
Official website: bowerswilkins.com
Bowers & Wilkins is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
RHA
Unlike the aforementioned brands thus far, RHA's main focus as a manufacturer is on earphones and earphone accessories.
The company is committed to designing products that respect and enhance the listener experience, both in terms of audio quality and ease of use.
RHA designs utilize advanced technologies combined with premium materials and intuitive controls to give users the freedom to listen to whatever they want, whenever they want, with audio quality and style.
Notable earphone model: RHA TrueConnect (link to check the price on Amazon).
Reid & Heath Audio Technologies was founded in 2008 by Andrew Reid in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. The company began selling to the public in 2011.
Official website: rha-audio.com
FiiO
FiiO is a worldwide audio equipment brand name focusing on quality and an aspiration to raise the reputation of their “made in China” products. As their place on this list would suggest, they produce superb earphones.
Their earphones and in-ear monitors of FiiO are some of the best in their world and are designed with those who love music and style in mind. The sonic clarity and reliable performance of FiiO earphones show the company's commitment to quality.
If high-quality earphones are what you're after, certainly give FiiO's product line a listen!
Notable earphone model: FiiO FH7 (link to check the price on Amazon).
FiiO Electronics Technology Company, Ltd. was founded by James Chung in 2007 in Guangzhou, China, where the company is still headquartered today.
Official website: fiio.com
FiiO is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
Bose
Established in 1964, Bose Corporation has become a household name for those who care about great quality audio. Bose is best known for its home audio systems and popular noise-cancelling headphones and also has incredible earphones as part of its product line.
Bose remains at the forefront of audio and earphone technology, advancing the field forward while providing affordable, high-quality products to the typical consumer obsessed with great audio quality.
Bose's earphones are among the best in the world and even outperform over-ear headphones of lesser brands in terms of overall sonic and build quality.
Notable earphone model: Bose QuietComfort 20 (link to check the price on Amazon).
Bose was originally founded in 1964 by Amar Bose in Massachusetts, USA. Today, the company is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA.
Official website: bose.com
Bose is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
JBL
JBL is best known for its consumer and professional-grade loudspeakers. The company also produces some of the world's best earphones.
The popularity of JBL comes largely from the company's ability to produce high-end equipment at agreeable prices. The same is true of their earphones, which sound great and won't break the bank.
Notable earphone model: JBL Reflect Flow (link to check the price on Amazon).
The JBL Reflect Flow is featured in My New Microphone's Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones/Earbuds Under $100.
JBL was originally founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing and his partner in Los Angeles, California, USA, where the company is still headquartered to this day. The brand is now owned by Samsung Electronics and managed by Harmon International Industries.
Lansing also founded the Lansing Manufacturing Company in 1927, which, in 1941, was acquired by Altec Service Corporation to become Altec Lansing.
Official website: jbl.com
JBL is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
Bang & Olufsen
The Danish luxury consumer electronics company Bang & Olufsen has been making a name for itself since 1925. B&O is recognized for its high-end audio products, televisions and telephones.
B&O earphones are for the consumer looking to spend a bit more money. Of course, the earphones sound incredible and are very comfortable.
The company's innovative and progressive audio products are sold worldwide, and the heritage of the brand continues today with a team pushing the boundaries of audio technology.
Notable earphone model: Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 2.0 (link to check the price on Amazon).
Bang & Olufsen was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen in Denmark. Harmon International acquired the brand in 2015, which is now a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. The B&O headquarters is in Struer, Denmark.
Official website: bang-olufsen.com
Bang & Olufsen is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
Apple
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, computer software, online services and, of course, earphones.
The Apple EarPods and AirPods are among the most commonly used earphones in the world due, in large part, to the success of the iPod and iPhone audio devices.
The sheer popularity of Apple earphones could have gotten them on this list, however controversial that may be. The audio quality may not be the greatest, but it's not terrible either. The sonic quality has improved since the AirPods.
So these earphones are still some of the best and, on top of that, belong to one of the most successful brands of headphones/earphones in the world.
Notable earphone model: Apple AirPods (link to check the price on Amazon).
Apple Inc. was founded as the Apple Computer Company in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in Los Altos, California. The company is headquartered in Cupertino, California, USA.
Official website: apple.com
Beats
Beats Electronics (better known as Beats By Dre.) is a subsidiary of the aforementioned Apple Inc.
Funny enough, Beats was originally founded to offer the consumer market a better alternative to the low-quality Apple earbuds that have saturated the market.
Beats headphones are often criticized for being overly bass-heavy.
However, to the bass lovers out there, earphones can sound rather weak. One listener's criticism could be another's praise.
On top of that, Beats earphones are stylish and surprisingly comfortable.
Bass, style and comfort have obviously been huge selling points for Beats and have put the brand into the mainstream (and on this list)!
Notable earphone model: Beats By Dre. Powerbeats Pro (link to check the price on Amazon).
The Beats By Dre. Powerbeats Pro is featured in My New Microphone's Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones/Earbuds Under $200.
Beats Electronics LLC was founded in 2006 by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre (Andre Young) in Culver City, California. The company was acquired in 2014 by Apple and is headquartered in Culver City, California, USA.
Official website: beatsbydre.com
Parent company: Apple Inc.
Beats is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
Etymotic Research
Etymotic Research began as a designer and manufacturer of hearing aids. It should come as no surprise, then, that Etymotic's earphones/earbuds are top-notch.
The brand and the experts that work with the company are passionate about delivering the best earphone products possible to their customers.
The result of such passion is apparent when listening to a pair of Etymotic earphones. What we get is clean, clear, uncoloured audio with noticeable comfort.
Notable earphone model: Etymotic Research ER3XR (link to check the price on Amazon).
Etymotic Research was founded in 1983 by Dr. Mead Killion in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, USA, where the company is still headquartered today.
Official website: etymotic.com
Etymotic Research is featured in other top brand articles at My New Microphone. Check out these articles here!
Skullcandy
Skullcandy is a huge name in consumer headphones and earphones.
The company began to fill a void in the market for headphones geared toward snowboarders. The company has since flourished to include all consumers, active or not, who are passionate about great-sounding and great-fitting earphones at reasonable prices.
The brand is a standout in style and has made significant strives throughout its existence to continuously improve the technology and sonic excellence of its earphones.
Notable earphone model: Skullcandy Push Ultra (link to check the price on Amazon).
Skullcandy was founded in 2003 by Rick Alden and Cris Williams in Park City, Utah, USA.
Official website: skullcandy.com
Choosing the right headphones or earphones for your applications and budget can be a challenging task. For this reason, I've created My New Microphone's Comprehensive Headphones/Earphones Buyer's Guide. Check it out for help in determining your next headphones/earphones purchase.
Best Headphones/Earphones By Type, Application & Price
Below is a list of My New Microphone articles regarding the best headphones/earphones by type, application, and price:
• Top 5 Best Earphones For Sleeping Under $250
• Top 3 Best Earphones For Swimming Under $200
• Top 5 Best Noise Cancelling Earphones Under $100
• Top 5 Best Noise Cancelling Earphones Under $200
• Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones/Earbuds Under $100
• Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones/Earbuds Under $200
• Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones For Running Under $50
• Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones For Running Under $100
• Top 5 Best Wireless Earphones For Running Under $200
This article has been approved in accordance with the My New Microphone Editorial Policy.
