Want some indication of the popularity of Apple’s AirPod in-ear headphones? You only have to notice how often you see single ones lost, and how healthy the market is for replacement pairs. It’s not uncommon for users to go through several sets in a year of the iconic design.

True, they have looks on their side, but then there are plenty of smart-looking – and fine-sounding – alternatives available. And they can be surprisingly affordable.

For example, Sony’s new WF-C510 earphones sell for just £55, come in a range of four colours, and have a choice of equalisation adjustments and spatial sound sound settings via the Sony Headphones Connect app, and will play for 11 hours on a charge, with the case providing a second charge, or the option of extending your listening for an hour with just a five-minute boost.

Further up the Sony range, the latest-generation WF-1000MX5 (£220) offers advanced digital processing for active noise cancellation, powered by AI, and a new version of the company’s Dynamic Drive technology. All this is packed into earbuds 25 per cent smaller and 20 per cent lighter than the previous generation of this model, and with a smaller, more pocket-friendly charging case, delivering three eight-hour listening sessions, and a 60-minute top-up in just three minutes.

Denon’s PerL Pro earphones (£249) offer a similar ‘run time’, along with parent company Masimo’s Adaptive Acoustic Technology to tailor the sound to your needs, along with active noise cancellation, lossless audio capability via aptX Bluetooth and Dirac Virtuo spatial sound.

Meanwhile one of the longest-established makers of noise-cancelling headphones, Bose, which cut its teeth on headsets for the aviation industry, has its range-topping model, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, at £300 in a Diamond 60 edition to mark its six decades in business.

They come in a choice of four colours, offer three six-hour charges from their case, and can gain two hours use with just a 20-minute boost. Like other high-end designs, they’re able to tailor their sound to the shape of your ears, have adaptive – and adjustable – noise-cancellation and come with both a choice of ear-tips and additional ‘stability bands’ to ensure they stay in your ears.

The latest arrivals from Bowers & Wilkins, the £219 Pi6 and £349 Pi8, draw on the technology of the company’s full-size on-ear headphones for their drive units: the more affordable model has a bio-cellulose driver based on that in the Px7 S2e design, while the flagship Pi8’s carbon driver is derived from the Px8 headphones. Both models can also have their sound tailored using the company’s Music app, and feature its latest noise-rejection technology.

Available in a range of colours, the earphones offer 24 hours of use from the charging case, plus fast charging, from the Pi6, while the Pi8, with its more advanced digital-to-analogue conversion and signal processing, offers 30 hours’ use. 96kHz/24bit sound is supported via aptX adaptive wireless transmission, while the Pi8 also has another trick up its sleeve: its Smartcase can be connected via USB or 3.5mm analogue audio cable from a computer, phone or personal player – or even an in-flight entertainment system – and will then re-transmit to the earbuds in 96kHz/24bit quality.

You also get the endorsement of Bowers & Wilkins Brand Ambassador David Beckham, who apparently brings ‘a global audience and an added touch of discerning style’.

If those prices are a bit rich for you, or you only resort to earbuds when forced to, you could try some good-sounding budget models: for example, the Lypertek SoundFree S20 earphones sell from £62, depending on finish, and offer eight hours’ use, plus a charging case offering five more charges before it needs its own battery charged. The noise isolation here is passive, achieved via a choice of eartips for a snug fit, and an ambient function will allow an amount of outside sound through the earphones for safety.

From Japanese high-end headphone brand Final comes the stylish ZE3000 model, selling for around £120. Offering 35 hours’ use before the charging case needs to be topped up, these earphones also have the IPX4 water resistant found in more expensive designs, to withstand sudden rain and sweat during sports, a choice of five sizes of eartips, and an ‘f-Link Damping System’ for the drive unit to ensure ‘extreme clarity’.

Finally, here’s a special-purpose design for those fans of BBC Radio 3’s Through the Night strand: the £90 1more Sleep Buds Z30 are just 7.5mm thick and weigh a mere 2.5g, and will give eight hours’ use before they need recharging from their case. With a ‘secure fit for restless sleepers,’ and being ‘designed for side sleepers’, I think I might just get myself a pair …

This article originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Gramophone. Never miss an issue – subscribe today