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Bose adopts the good-ol’ oval shaped earcups, connected at the frame where the headband rests. The SoundLink Around-Ear Wirelesss Headphones II chooses to go with a matte glass-filled nylon that’s not eye-catching, and it hides the sturdy and corrosion-resistant stainless steel within. Unfortunately, the obvious volume buttons on the cup’s rims and the single power switch jutting out of the earcup mar the earcups’ silhouette. Wearing it is a different story, as this pair of headphones is the most comfortable around the ears thanks to the leatherette cups, but the headband still feels a little tight despite its felt cushion.

It may have a conventional design, but make no mistake – the Bose headphone has many nifty tricks up its sleeve. It uses Bluetooth for wireless pairing, and the switch is easy to access because of its on-the-cup location. The buttons on the same right cup allow the user to manipulate the volume and to start or stop songs. Turning the power on also enables Active EQ, which essentially is a battery-powered amplifier built within the headphone itself, adding more volume and greater impact on your tracks.

The active noise canceling takes it further by giving you the enhanced sidetone option, which effectively uses an in-built mic, allowing you to sound natural on the phone. The Bose headphones aren’t foldable, but the cups can be tilted for comfort, and it comes in a semi-hard case made of cloth for better safe-keeping.The Bose headphones are one of the stronger, if not the strongest performing headphones for this range. It has an honest reproduction of sound, focused on clarity and accuracy.

While the bass feels muted in general, it has a great neutral profile paired with decent depth.It shines best on Adele’s Melt My Heart to Stone, as the Bose headset is able to catch nuances in her voice, while keeping the bass under control, complementing it with clear mid frequencies. The alternative rock track Sail On Soothsayer by Buckethead also showcases the purity of the headphones’ playback, with great detail in the electric guitar work.As a whole, the Bose Soundlink Around Ear Wireless Headphones II would be nearly perfect if it wasn’t also sitting on the highest price point among its peers, with a design that looks kind of plain.

The Klipsch Reference goes for a classy look, with a simple aluminum frame that’s backed by plastic. The headband comes wrapped in leatherette, with the bulk of it soft and buoyant on the inner side. The headphones feel comfortable on the head, and it’s not too heavy despite how chunky it looks. The leatherette earcups are held in place by the same aluminum frame, and they too are equally comfortable – but a little less so if you’re wearing glasses, given the cup’s grill that’s flushed against the foam.

All in all, it looks like a pair of headphones that seems physically well-designed.Features wise, the Klipsch Reference is a little lacking compared to its peers. It comes with an in-line microphone flanked by volume control buttons, and it has cups that are foldable and tilt-able for compact storing, and for better fit respectively. Beyond that, it doesn’t come with many other features – the 3.5mm is flat, which is handy, but it’s non-detachable, held by a thin joint that connects into the left earcup.

The Klipsch itself comes in a double layered soft pouch, which is a nice add-on for better portability. Otherwise, the headset is as plain as it comes, despite its modern aesthetics.The Klipsch Reference On-Ear stays true to its sound signature – a warm tone with very good distinction between high, mid and low frequencies. It has an average depth, which doesn’t work well for excessively processed tracks, but it shines in live music, or classical pieces.Our test revealed as much too. Hotel California by The Eagles sounded the best on this pair, compared to any other pairs within the shootout.

It delivered good depth, and the warm signature made the live track sound pleasant. It was able to clearly distinguish the 12-string acoustic guitar from the electric guitar even when played in tandem. Sail On Soothsayer by Buckethead also fared very well with the Klipsch, with a killer reverb playback, and clarity for electric guitars while keeping the percussion well in the back.Despite its great performance, these headphones are not the most versatile. The natural warm signature of the Klipsch makes Melt My Heart to Stone sound even warmer, even if it could catch the nuance in her vocals. The Tiesto track had strong and hard-hitting bass, but little depth, and it was also too warm for such songs, too.

The Plantronics on-ears headphones may look wiry and uninviting, but it’s a different story once it’s on your head. The headset uses a plastic frame, encasing the elastic band and aluminum frame that holds the headphones together. The leatherette headband wraps the elastric band that’s built onto the arms of the headphone, and this allows you to wear the headphones at your desired height without letting the aluminum frame bump against your head.

With no cold, hard metal in contact with your head, the Plantronics BackBeat Sense feels very comfortable. The leatherette earcups come with memory foam within, and it hugs the ears gently when worn.Quirky design aside, the Plantronics BackBeat Sense has a strong suite of features that makes it stand out amongst its peers. The Backbeat Sense can be paired with two devices simultaneously – you can be listening to songs via your tablet, and it can pick up calls from a separate smartphone. It also comes with automatic pause/play; removing or putting on the headphones will prompt the current track to pause and play respectively.

Pressing the red button below the left cup pauses the current song while the in-built microphone plays ambient noise back, allowing you to hear your immediate surroundings. It even works with the Plantronics Find MyHeadset mobile app, just in case you misplace your Backbeat Sense. Wonderful, practical features aside, the cups are only rotatable, and not foldable.

That is a minor flaw considering that the device itself is very light and thin, with a detachable 3.5mm audio cable for easier portability in its stylish soft pouch.It has a balanced sound signature, with good control and depth – BackBeat Sense plays each instrument without muddying them together.

This is most obvious in electronica tracks, like our test tune Elements of Life by Tiesto, where various electronic instruments are at play and the Plantronics headphone was able to keep them separated. It is also good for RnB songs like Adele’s Melt My Heart to Stone, which balances well between vocals and strings, with a tight bass. As a whole, you can expect a spacious soundstage, with its strength in achieving great clarity between instruments.

The Samsung Level On Wireless is one trendy looking headset. The wireless headphone has a plastic exterior that comes with a sheen and color profile similar to Sony’s, but the headband is continuous with the cups, looking as if it’s a single whole, which is a great departure from the traditional headphone shape. The aluminum cups give the Samsung a premium appearance if viewed from the sides. The headband, while plastic, is reinforced with leatherette on the inside, which in turn gives it greater flexibility for various head sizes.

The cups are also made from the same leather material. While it’s not the softest, the Samsung Level On still feels suitable for extended listening, mostly due to how flexible the headband can be.These headphones come with Active Noise Canceling, and Bluetooth pairing support for audio. The ANC feature cuts out a significant deal of ambient noise, on top of the headphone’s natural sound sealing cups. It can effectively remove the sound of keyboard taps and mouse clicks in a busy office, and reduce the roar of a train’s transit to a hum.

It won’t eliminate conversation, but you won’t be able to hear too much detail. Bluetooth pairing is a cinch – the Samsung headphones will play a chime to indicate that it’s been switched on, and you’ll hear a soft beep if it’s in pairing mode. All these controls can be found on the right cup. On top of its software features, the Level On Wireless also comes with foldable cups and a neat soft pouch, for storing the detachable 3.5mm round audio cable and the headset itself.

The Samsung headphones are biased towards vocals. It also has strong mids that overpower high frequencies at times, with surprisingly good distinction in between every note. Put it all together, and you get a headset that’s made specifically for pop songs, such as radio top 40s and mainstream tracks.

The Samsung headphones lack depth, and it artificially boosts bass, so it’s really built more for the masses.It had average handling of Adele’s vocals in Melt my Heart to Stone, with mids overwhelming the song in general. It fares much better on Hotel California by The Eagles, with a good depth between percussions, warm guitar notes, although vocals still take center-stage. It cannot play nicely with Tiesto’s Element of Life, since the song has depth that the Samsung headphones cannot capture.

With its virant colors, you can tell that the Sony MDR-100AAP is designed for the trend-loving user in mind. The MDR-100AAP is plastic on the same side of the leather-cushions, but it’s also reinforced by a strip of visible aluminum bar within the center of the headband. It is simple in construction, with no newfangled gimmick or feature, making it straightforward and easy to operate. The leatherette cups rest comfortably on the ear, taking the shape of your head, while the flexible headband doesn’t put a death-grip on your skull.

It doesn’t just look good, it feels good for extended wear too.Sony has gotten all the little quality-of-life upgrades correct: it comes with a detachable flat 3.5mm audio cable, which prevents tangling and helps the cable last longer. The cups are slightly rotatable, which allows it to fit different head shapes properly. The headband is flexible, you could pull till the center of the headband is nearly straight and it’ll simply bounce back into place.

The cups are also foldable inwards, making the Sony MDR-100AAP very compact for transportation. The in-line microphone is handy for calls, even if it’s average and quite common in many headphones at lower prices.Audio-wise, it handles depth very well, with less impact on the treble followed by a balanced bass. It’s not perfect for vocals, but it’s still well-balanced, especially in the middle frequency range. Tiesto’s Element of Life is a great example, given how the synths play nicely and distinctly, with clear treble and bass.

It handles rock tracks well, like Hotel California by The Eagles, by giving it an excellent soundstage and well-rounded percussion. Sail On Soothsayer by Buckethead features distinct reverberation from the electric guitars with well-placed percussions backing it up. It only struggles with higher-ranged vocals, found in Adele’s Melt My Heart to Stone.This headphones sits very well in this range, making it a considerable buy with its simplicity, stylishness, and all around decent-to-good audio performance. It’s also affordable, which is quite unlike Sony, given the premium they usually put on their own products.

The Mi Headphones came to us as a surprise, as Xiaomi is better known for telecommunication and mobile products. Nevertheless, the Chinese company offered up their very first attempt at personal audio, by giving it a classy, timeless look with a frame made almost entirely out of metal. The headband comes wrapped in a nice leatherette finish which doubles as a buffer for comfortable wear, and the foam and leatherette earcups feel like soft velvet, so there’s barely any wearing fatigue.

Only the main earcups are made of plastic, with the rest of the frame, adjustable arms, and hinges made from various metals bolted together for a premium, classic look. It also adopts the traditional headphone design, and it’s clear it’s gunning for a market that’s twice its asking price.You would think that a non-wireless headphone cannot do much for features, until you see the Mi Headphones with your own eyes.

Right out of the box, the headset comes with an extra set of earcups at a smaller size, which is perfect for people who do not like the large cups it comes with (though that’s not likely). The 3.5mm audio cable is reinforced in cloth for extra durability and flexibility, and it is also detachable from the headphones – unlike the other models here, the Mi Headphones cable splits up into left and right audio, so you’ll have a dedicated 3.5mm audio cable attached on both ends of the cups.

The earcups can tilt, which adds a little more comfort. With all these extras, the Mi Headphones comes with a bulky, semi-hard case for your accessories and headset.The Xiaomi Mi Headphones’ audio performance is better than what the price indicates – so much that it’s almost on par with its peers in this shootout. The Mi Headphone has great depth – better than its peers, but it has trouble handling treble notes and higher frequencies with a mild tendency to crack.It handles instruments well, thanks to its good soundstage.

Hotel California sounds bright and clear with instruments easily visualized. Tiesto’s Element of Life showcased its solid bass, and it has a smooth gradient between different notes from the same synth. However, it cannot do Adele’s tracks easily, given how challenging her vocals are in the higher frequency range.