So, you think your smartphone’s bundled headphones are pretty good, do you? You need to open your ears to this little lot…

[Words Verity Burns, James Day]

CUT THE CORD

Whether you want more freedom at the gym or you’re tired of untangling cables on your commute, these truly wireless in-ears could be your new best buds

RHA TRUECONNECT

Price £150 / rha-audio.com

Wireless headphones usually come with some compromises. Great sound, poor fit. Great design, no waterproofing. And that’s before we start on the biggest bugbear: connection stability. But the RHA TrueConnects seem to nail all the important stuff, and arguably better than any others we’ve tested.

The Glasgow-based brand has long gone toe to toe with bigger names in the headphone space, but the merits of the TrueConnect buds are likely to spread that name much further afield. And deservedly so.

For a start, they sound fantastic. The bass response for small in-ear buds is strong, yet isn’t boomy or overpowering. It gives their overall tonality a degree of warmth, but also helps them sound solid and assured so they’re easy to listen to at length, with no harsh edges.

Such confidence makes them a fun, energetic listen, and they work well with most genres of music. The midrange could have a touch more clarity for vocals, but it’s far from a deal-breaking weakness.

And the box-ticking continues elsewhere. The design is lovely – they’re lightweight and comfortable with a choice of silicone and Comply foam tips to get a snug fit. There’s waterproofing to IPX5, allowing you to use them for exercise without fear, and the Bluetooth 5.0 connection is rock-solid. They also pack a generous five-hour battery life, with 20 extra hours available from the sturdy stainless steel case. The USB-C connection allows you to charge the case to full in 2hrs.

Physical buttons on the buds let you control playback and incoming calls with either ear – the right is in charge of volume and the left in charge of track.

Tech ● Bluetooth 5, USB-C (case) ● Approx 5 hours battery ● 20Hz-20kHz ● 13g

STUFF SAYS A superb all-rounder with a strong, stable connection ★★★★★

AIRFLY

NOW ADD THIS

Truly wireless buds can quickly lose their appeal when you’re on a plane and need a cable to listen to the in-flight entertainment. The AirFly fixes that by physically attaching to the plane seat’s headphone port, and connecting to your wireless buds by Bluetooth. Sound is then pinged straight across to your ears.

£40 / twelvesouth.com

SENNHEISER MOMENTUM TRUE WIRELESS

Sennheiser’s Momentums are beautifully made, although the touch controls on each ear are a little fiddly. The warm Senn sound is here, but bass response is actually a little tamer than you’ll hear elsewhere. They offer four hours of battery life, with a further eight hours in the case.

£270 / en-uk.sennheiser.com

B&O E8

The B&O E8s’ fiddly touch controls might be a small chink in their armour, but a spacious, detailed performance goes a long way to make up for that, and you can tweak the EQ to your taste via the app. The compact leather charging case that holds the E8s is luxurious and can charge the headphones twice over for a total of 12 hours’ battery life.

£175 / bang-olufsen.com

MASTER & DYNAMIC MW07

OR TRY THESE

Master & Dynamic makes some of the most gorgeous-looking headphones out there, and the MW07s are no exception. Battery life isn’t as impressive as some, at around 3.5 hours, but they have a fun and lively sound that’s warm and detailed. They’ll go loud too, without losing their refinement.