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Best earphones and earbuds in Australia

Our expert team spent hundreds of hours testing in-ear headphones to find the best wired and wireless earphones in Australia for every budget.

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Sarah Brandon
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The best earphones and earbuds in Australia

How did we pick this list?

Finder's team of experts has spent hundreds of hours testing and reviewing earphones. For each pair, we consider the design, performance, battery life and overall value for money.

Our editorial team selected the earbuds on this list based on our testing results as well as real customer reviews and key product features.

Read more detail on our methodology below.

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Sony WF-1000XM3

Best overall and best noise-cancelling earphones

Sony WF-1000XM3
Image: Alex Kidman/Finder

Finder Score:

★★★★★
Read Sony WF-1000XM3 Review

Pros

  • Great sound
  • Long battery life
  • 10-minute quick charge

Cons

  • Quick attention feels awkward
  • Large charging case
  • No water resistance

Why we chose it

Our pick for the best earbuds that money can buy is the Sony WF-1000MX3 wireless noise-cancelling headphones. They offer excellent noise cancellation and also feature on our list of the best noise-cancelling headphones.

The WF-1000MX3s sound great and are comfortable to wear. They have touch controls on both earbuds that can be customised using the Sony Headphones app.

You can listen to them for up to six hours at a time with noise cancellation switched on. While the included charging case is a bit bigger than some competitors' cases, it holds three full charges, giving you a total of 24 hours of playback (with noise cancellation). It also offers a quick charge feature that gives you another 90 minutes of battery life after just 10 minutes of charging.

For more information, check out our full review of the Sony WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds.

Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3150

Best sports earphones

Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3150
Image: Sarah Brandon/Finder

Finder Score:

★★★★★
Read Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3150 Review

Pros

  • Sweatproof and waterproof
  • Non-slip earloops stay on during just about any activity
  • Always Aware eartips keep you aware of your surroundings
  • 24 hours of total battery life
  • Quick 15 minute charge for 1.5 more hours of life

Cons

  • No noise-cancelling option
  • Better for music than for podcasts and phone calls
  • Recurring app connection issues
  • Zippered charging case is bulky

Why we chose it

Our recommendation for the best sports earphones is the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3150 headphones because they're extremely durable and they stay in place better than any other in-ear headphones we've tried.

The BackBeat FIT 3150s are IP57-certified waterproof and can be submerged in 1 metre of water, so they can handle any sweaty workout. They have in-ear eartips with additional non-slip silicone ear loops that wrap around your ears to help them stay on, no matter how much you're moving.

Another big selling point of the 3150s is Plantronics' Always Aware eartips that let in enough ambient noise that you can be aware of your surroundings while you work out. They block out enough sound to remove distractions but you'll still be able to hear car horns and other essential noises that you need to be aware of when running, biking or working out outside.

While they originally had a recommended retail price of $249, you can now find them at several retailers for less than $200.

Learn more in our hands-on review of the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3150 headphones.

1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones

Best wired earphones

1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones
Image: Supplied/Finder

Not yet rated

Pros

  • Inline remote works with both Apple and Android devices
  • Includes 9 different eartip sizes

Cons

  • The rubber wire can get caught on clothing
  • Some customers complain that the microphone picks up ambient noise

Why we chose it

If you prefer a wired option or don't want to worry about the battery running out while you're listening, we recommend the 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones. Recommended by experts and customers alike, they have a 4.3 out of 5-star average rating from more than 1,400 Amazon customers and an average score of 4.4 out of 5 stars from more than 350 Google reviewers. Customers praise the overall value and audio quality for the price as well as how comfortable the headphones are.

1More's Triple Driver headphones have a rubber-coated cable with an inline remote and microphone that works with both Apple iPhones and Android mobile phones. They come with a carrying case, nine different eartip sizes and an airplane adapter.

Beats Powerbeats Pro

Best earphones for bass

Beats Powerbeats Pro
Image: Alex Kidman/Finder

Finder Score:

★★★★★
Read Beats Powerbeats Pro Review

Pros

  • Comfortable fit
  • Great battery life
  • Balanced sound

Cons

  • Travel case is huge
  • Audio controls may not work on Android
  • No charger in the box
  • May need to play with bud choice to avoid discomfort
  • Only sweat, not water resistant

Why we chose it

If you think most in-ear headphones on the market don't have the thumping bass that you want, the Beats Powerbeats Pro might be what you're looking for.

Beats' headphones have a reputation for being stylish and tailored towards bass frequencies and the Powerbeats Pro are no exception. However, despite offering the booming bass we've come to expect from Beats, the sound is much more balanced than previous Beats models, which means they make just about anything sound good from hip-hop to classical guitar.

You can listen for up to nine hours without needing a recharge, but the charging case is big and bulky for the size of the headphones. They're also integrated with Siri for iPhone users.

Check out our full review of the Beats Powerbeats Pro for more information.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

Best high-end earphones

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2
Image: Tegan Jones/Finder

Finder Score:

★★★★★
Read Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 Review

Pros

  • Great audio quality
  • Excellent active noise cancellation
  • Comfortable

Cons

  • Battery isn’t great
  • Pricey
  • The case is a touch large

Why we chose it

For audiophiles who don't mind paying more for incredible audio quality, we recommend the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 headphones. They have a 4.4 out of 5-star rating from more than 1,000 Amazon customers and have positive reviews from experts and customers across a wide range of sites.

Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 2 headphones have 7mm dynamic audio drivers that pack a huge sound into a small package. They offer active noise cancellation with a transparent heading mode that lets in ambient noise so that you can stay aware of your surroundings.

The True Wireless 2 headphones offer up to 7 hours of listening on a single charge and a total of 28 hours of playtime with extra charges from the included charging case.

You can read more in our full review of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2.

Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW

Best earphones under $200

Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW
Image: Alex Kidman/Finder

Finder Score:

★★★★★
Read Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW Review

Pros

  • Balanced audio
  • Quick pairing with Bluetooth 5.0
  • Good battery life
  • Range of colour choices

Cons

  • Not the best
  • Touch controls are annoying
  • Battery case is weighty

Why we chose it

If you're looking for the best earbuds under $200, you can't go wrong with the Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW headphones. They offer balanced sound, good quality for the price and come in several different colours.

You can listen to the ATH-CK3TWs for up to 6 hours on a single charge and up to 24 hours with extra charges from the included case. While only the right earbud has a microphone, they pick up your voice surprisingly clearly.

They aren't noise cancelling and they don't have the easiest to use touch controls, but they have a lot to offer for the asking price. For more information, check out our full review of the Audio-Technica ATH-CK3TW.

SoundMagic E11C

Best earphones under $100

SoundMagic E11C
Image: Supplied/Finder

Not yet rated

Pros

  • Noise isolating
  • Great sound for the price

Cons

  • Not the best sounding headphones
  • Wired only

Why we chose it

The best sounding earbuds you can get for under $100 are the SoundMagic E11C earphones. They have a 4.3 out of 5-star rating from more than 80 Amazon reviews with customers praising their value for money and audio performance.

The brushed aluminium metal buds and reinforced cable are stylish and durable. Several customer reviews mention how comfortable they are to wear but some users had trouble with fit.

The SoundMagic E11C earphones aren't noise cancelling but the in-ear tips offer a surprising amount of noise isolation. They come with a storage case and three different sizes of eartips.

JBL Endurance RUN In-Ear Sports Headphones

Best earphones under $50

JBL Endurance RUN In-Ear Sports Headphones
Image: Supplied/Finder

Not yet rated

Pros

  • Sweatproof
  • Ergonomic shape doesn't hurt ears

Cons

  • Some found noise cancellation was poor
  • Others found earbuds did not stay in

Why we chose it

The best cheap earbuds you can buy in Australia are the JBL Endurance RUN In-Ear Sports Headphones. With more than 4.6 out of 5 stars from over 1,700 Amazon customers and more than 3.6 out of 5 stars from 145 JBL customers, they sound surprisingly great for a pair that cost well under $50.

They've been designed with fitness enthusiasts in mind so they're sweatproof and can be worn in two ways – in your ear and behind your ear – to help them stay in when you're moving around.

They come in several different colours and have a decent microphone for making phone calls.

Apple AirPods Pro

Best earphones for Apple fans

Apple AirPods Pro
Image: Alex Kidman/Finder

Finder Score:

★★★★★
Read Apple AirPods Pro Review

Pros

  • Noise cancelling is quite smart
  • Much more comfortable fit
  • Fast pairing with iOS devices
  • Smaller microphone stubs make them less obvious

Cons

  • Relatively expensive
  • New case is wider than the originals
  • Fixed battery makes their future unclear

Why we chose it

For Apple enthusiasts, the newest version of the brand's iconic earbuds, the Apple Airpods Pro, are the best of the bunch. They're more comfortable than the originals and have better audio quality and noise cancellation. The Airpods Pro have an average score of 4.7 out of 5 from more than 24,500 Google reviewers.

You can get around 4 hours of listening per charge, with a total of up to 24 hours of listening with the included charging case.

For more information, check out our full review of the Apple Airpods Pro.

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Amazon prices last updated on 18 January, 2022 at 12:31 pm
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Methodology

29
Brands considered
75+
Products compared
9
Best earphones chosen
  • Our editorial team has spent hundreds of hours testing and reviewing headphones.
  • We based our top picks on our own reviews plus reviews from real customers and key product features.
  • The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.

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