The Best Headphones For Working at Home

Many people are still working from home these days, and they may continue to do so for some time. As you’ve probably figured out by now, if you work remotely, a good pair of headphones is a must-have in an environment where your coworkers may include noisy kids or a significant other on Zoom calls in another room. The right headphones — or headsets, as they’re also known in the office — can help you isolate yourself from all of these distracting factors and focus on the task at hand.

What makes a good pair of headphones for working from home? They should have excellent sound quality and comfort (since you’ll be wearing them for hours) and excellent communication features for making voice calls, including any video chat. It’s important to have good noise reduction and to be able to hear your voice in the headphones while talking (so you don’t end up shouting). Long battery life is also beneficial. Finally, in the home-office setting, multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which allows you to switch between two devices easily, is a useful feature.

Here are the best headsets that do their job well so you can do it too!

The Best Headsets For Working From Home

Poly Voyager Focus

Poly, which used to be called Plantronics, is known for making great headsets, like those worn on the moon for the first time. We were blown away by Voyager Focus’s powerful features, which can quickly improve the flow of any remote worker. The first thing that makes it stand out is its light—only 155g! The people who reviewed it said it was very comfortable, even for long days at work.

But the Voyager is great for calls, and it works with and is officially certified by all of the top collaboration platforms. Even when there is noise in the background, their triple mics are tuned to ensure that the voice quality is good.

Its 100-foot range also let me move around the house, and its 12-hour battery life meant I didn’t have to worry about charging it during the day. Its active noise cancellation helped me get into the zone by blocking out everyday noises.

Still, it doesn’t stop all voices from being heard (Bose or Sony are far superior here – see below). As far as music quality goes, it does very well for a product meant for work. It has a full, balanced sound that most people should like.

Overall, the Voyager is a workhorse, and we keep using it when we have a lot of calls to make.

Whom it works best for

Most folk–Especially if you get a lot of calls at work and your office isn’t too loud.

Sony WF-1000XM4

Sony is one of the few companies that can cancel out the noise as well as they can, and their famous XM4 proves it again. The XM4 is available as a headset (WH-1000XM4) and earbuds (WF-1000XM4). We chose to talk about earbuds here because they took noise cancellation to a new level. Their new Sony Integrated Processor V1 works with noise-sensing microphones to block out sounds from the outside world, like pets, voices, vacuums, and noisy construction.

Since I’ve been using these every day for four months, I’m a total believer. The buds fit so well in my ears that they help me focus even more. I use them for music, deep work, meditation, and everything else. The battery life is excellent at 8 hours, and the charging case adds another 16 hours. This is enough time to get through the workweek.

The small size of these headphones doesn’t stop them from having a dynamic sound, thanks to specially designed 6mm drivers. Even though they aren’t quite audiophile-quality, they sound full across a wide range of genres, and the Sony app lets you change the EQ.

What about calls? Even though it doesn’t have a boom mic, calls are still clear and sharp. It uses a bone-conduction sensor and beamforming microphones to separate your voice from other sounds. You sound crystal clear, and the noise cancellation ensures you can hear the other person clearly.

Whom it works best for

People who like peace, people who work in noisy or shared places, and people who don’t like having headphones on their heads.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

The Bose brand always raises expectations, and the Bose 700 stayed within those expectations. This is another headset that can do many things and is very modern. It has excellent noise cancellation and a pretty design.

The details are what make this story enjoyable. The way it works is just as sleek and modern as it looks. Capacitive touch sensors on the right ear cup make it easy to swipe and pause. Everything has a high-end feel or goes a step further. For example, the Bose 700 doesn’t just block out noise; it also has 11 noise-canceling (ANC) levels, so you can choose how much outside noise to let in while you work.

It was also great for making phone calls. You get six microphones that work together to eliminate the noise around you so you can hear your caller. Four microphones help you sound more apparent to your caller. And, of course, the sound is excellent: high-fidelity with an EQ that can be changed through the app.

The design has futuristic-looking ear cups and a headband slider made of strong stainless steel covered in a luxuriously soft material. We found it very comfortable, and friends who have worn it every day for more than six months have told us that it hasn’t worn out much. All in all, this is a sleek and modern piece of equipment for people who work from home.

Whom it works best for

Anyone who likes their gear to look sleek and be on the cutting edge, or who needs great sound quality for music.

Poly Voyager 5200

If you get a lot of calls at work and want to keep one ear free, you should get a single-ear headset. One of the best monos on the market is the Poly Voyager 5200. This has also been my partner’s go-to headset for the past two years, and I’ve had to listen to him talk about how great it is.

Sure enough, this one has calling built right in. It has a four-microphone array and adaptive DSP to ensure that the audio input is high quality. It is especially impressive in noisy places because it easily blocks sounds like traffic, washing machines, and wind (yes, it has SIX layers of protection against the wind!)

The range and portability of this thing are also good things. You can walk around the house while on a call. It has volume buttons that are easy to reach, a voice command button on the boom, and can say the names of callers or dictate texts. If you put the app on your phone, you can do a few more things with it, like make it beep loudly if you lose it in the house.

The only real problem is that the battery lasts only 7 hours on a single charge. You can get around this by getting a portable charging case, which will let you charge your phone between calls, so it doesn’t interrupt your work.

Whom it works best for

If you’re always on the phone and like to keep an ear free, this is the perfect thing to put on and forget about. It also works well whether you’re inside or outside.

Audio Technica ATH-M50xBT2

If you’re going to be out of the house and away from a power source for a long time, you’ll need a headset with a lot of battery power. This is where the Audio Technica ATH-M50xBT2 shines, with a 50-hour battery life that will blow your mind. That’s a lot more than most headsets you can buy right now. The only problem is that it can take a few hours to charge it back up to full.

But there’s more to love than just a long-lasting battery. The sound quality was excellent, with a neutral, high-fidelity sound that worked well with many different types of music and could be changed with the help of a companion app. Even though these headphones aren’t the lightest, they can be folded up and put in the carrying pouch that comes with them. And, unlike their predecessors, they can connect to more than one device at once, so you can combine both your phone and your work computer.

What’s wrong? It’s missing ANC. Only expect great overall noise isolation if you work in a noisy house or outside. I also found them less comfortable, and they got a little warm after a while, but that’s a matter of taste and climate.

Whom it works best for

Anyone who needs a battery that lasts long or hates having to charge it often. These are great if you spend a lot of time away from a power source.

Read More About Tech News here!