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When you really want to hear the bass in your favorite tracks, you need a pair of headphones that won’t come up short, generating deep bass you can not only hear but feel — just like the artist intended.
These days, it’s easier than ever to find a good pair of headphones for bass — I.e. a pair that won’t make your tunes sound like you’re streaming them from a pair of tinny cans — with a number of companies offering up headphones with bass boost or subwoofer-like technology.
If you’re shopping for the best headphones for bass, whether you’re streaming music or video, we’ve chosen some of the top options, including some of our editors’ favorites below.
Along with excellent, booming audio, there are numerous considerations to keep in mind when choosing a good pair of headphones for bass, including how long you can wear them, how they sound overall and their battery life.
Comfort: In our research for this guide, we picked only over-ear headphones, which we think offer the most comfortable fit for most uses. The headphones on this list should be able to be worn for hours while still remaining comfortable over your head, and they shouldn’t irritate your ears either thanks to plush ear bads.
Battery Power: Bass is important here, but so is how long the built-in battery can last during your streaming sessions. Our picks all have long-lasting batteries with quick recharge times, making them ideal for commuters and at-home music listeners. We’ve included wireless headphones for bass, though all of them can also be plugged in when you need to charge up.
Sound Quality: While the headphones on our list deliver on bass, that shouldn’t mean that the rest of your music sounds should be lacking. The below group includes options that feature impressive audio quality across the board, which also includes crisp trebles and balanced mids and highs, in addition to big bass. The bottom line: The bass will sound excellent, but your music won’t be overpowered by it either.
Amazon
Bose does not phone it in when it comes to its over-ear headphones’ audio quality. These wireless 700s aren’t just noise-cancelling, which we love for flights, commutes or wearing to focus on work, but they’re among the top headphones you can get if you love turning up the bass when you’re listening to music.
You can fine-tune your headphones’ sound from 11 different noise-cancellation levels to find the right sound for your ears, but ultimately, they’re worth their rave reviews. Bonus features include a 20-hour battery life and virtual assistant connectivity.
Buy: Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones at $379.00
Amazon
During our tests, the Studio3 headphones impressed us with their well-balanced sound quality and bass levels. Everything from Lorde’s “Solar Power” to Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar,” Haim’s “Summer Girl” to Frank’s “Nights” sounded clear, crisp and immersive (but then again, when don’t these songs sound good?)
The ear cups fit easily over our ears and are genuinely comfortable to wear for hours. The left ear cup has a press/pause button and volume buttons for easy, fast control of your tunes when you’re commuting or don’t have time to access your phone or laptop.
The Studio3 headphones can last for up to 22 hours per charge, and we like how they fold for storage.
Buy: Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones at $282.21
Amazon
“Extra Bass” is literally in the name for these wireless, noise-cancelling headphones from Sony, so you can expect a rich, rumbling sound when you put them over your ears.
As far as the best headphones for bass go, Sony’s XB line of headphones is among some of our editors’ favorite over-ear headphones to try. According to Sony, you’ll hear “deep, punchy bass,” which is on top of the already essential noise-cancelling setting, plus a great 30-hour runtime.
Charge them for 10 minutes and you’ll be able to use them for up to an hour. For a pair of stellar Sony cans that are focused on bass, these wireless headphones deserve a spot in your cart.
Buy: Sony Extra Bass Wireless Headphones at $155.39
JBL
JBL’s Live headphones won’t fail bass-loving listeners thanks to the 40mm drivers that are packed into these noise-blocking phones. JBL says you can expect “enhanced bass” with what the company’s calling its Signature Sound tech, and you can easily turn on adaptive noise cancellation for noisy flights and more.
While you’ll get solid bass and your tunes will come through clearly, you’ll also get headphones with a 50-hour playtime, longer than many of the headphones we’ve seen on the market recently.
Buy: JBL Live 660NC Headphones at $199.95
In This Article: Headphones, RS Recommends
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