Best Headphones Under $1,000
Top-scoring headphones you can buy for under $1,000. Independent benchmarks, no sponsored picks.
Ranked by the weighted Specdex score — 0-100 composite of real-world and synthetic benchmarks.
- #1Sony
Sony WH-1000XM6
QN3 noise-cancel · LDAC · 30h battery
Sony’s sixth-gen flagship ANC headphones — the QN3 chip delivers the best active noise cancellation on the market, now with hinges back.
- #2Bose
Bose QuietComfort Ultra
CustomTune ANC · Immersive Audio · LDAC
The most comfortable premium ANC headphones — Bose’s CustomTune profiling delivers class-leading quiet.
- #3
- #4Sony
Sony WH-1000XM5 · Midnight Black
Over-ear · 2022
Sony's Sony WH-1000XM5 — 2022 over-ear flagship.
- #5Sony
Sony WH-1000XM5 · Arctic White
Over-ear · 2022
Sony's Sony WH-1000XM5 — 2022 over-ear flagship.
- #6
- #7
- #8
- #9Bose
Bose QC Ultra Headphones · Midnight Black
Over-ear · 2023
Bose's Bose QC Ultra Headphones — 2023 over-ear flagship.
- #10Bose
Bose QC Ultra Headphones · Arctic White
Over-ear · 2023
Bose's Bose QC Ultra Headphones — 2023 over-ear flagship.
- #11Bose
Bose QC Ultra Headphones · Rose Gold
Over-ear · 2023
Bose's Bose QC Ultra Headphones — 2023 over-ear flagship.
- #12Bose
Bose QC Ultra Headphones · Navy Blue
Over-ear · 2023
Bose's Bose QC Ultra Headphones — 2023 over-ear flagship.
- #13Bose
Bose QC Ultra Headphones · Moss Green
Over-ear · 2023
Bose's Bose QC Ultra Headphones — 2023 over-ear flagship.
- #14Bose
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2
World-class ANC · 30hr · Immersive Audio
Bose still owns the noise-cancellation crown. The QC Ultra 2 narrows the sound-quality gap to Sony XM6 while staying more comfortable for marathon listening.
- #15Sennheiser
Sennheiser HD 660S2
Over-ear · 2023
Sennheiser's Sennheiser HD 660S2 — 2023 over-ear flagship.
Head-to-head
The two highest-ranked products compared side-by-side.
Frequently asked
What is the best headphone right now? +
Sony WH-1000XM6 leads our Best Headphones Under $1,000 list with a Specdex score of 95/100. Sony’s sixth-gen flagship ANC headphones — the QN3 chip delivers the best active noise cancellation on the market, now with hinges back.
How is the Specdex score calculated? +
The Specdex score is a 0–100 weighted composite of category-specific sub-scores (e.g. CPU/GPU/camera/battery/display for phones). Weights are published on our methodology page and reviewed quarterly.
How often is this list updated? +
The ranking is regenerated on every page load from our live D1 database. Scores re-calibrate whenever we add new products or firmware updates change benchmark results.