The best earbuds and best headphones are perhaps the second biggest modern essential piece of tech after our phones for day-to-day life. Over the years, they’ve managed to become more sonically powerful, clearer, longer lasting in battery, and even fashion-forward in some respects. This is just an era where it’s nearly impossible to leave without them.
Dozens of audio manufactures had numerous headphones and earbuds on display at CES 2025 from simple refreshes to new reveals. Here are some of the best that I saw on the show floor.
Breggz Zohn-1
When Dutch singer Xander de Buisonjé founded Breggz, he hoped to create the Ferrari of earbuds. These custom-made $2,200 Bluetooth headphones can’t simply be bought in stores. Buyers’ ears have to be scanned through the Breggz mobile app before they arrive at their doorsteps, specified to your anatomy. Even the charging cases can be customized with solid gold trims.
Thankfully, Buisonjé and I have similar ear shapes, so I could try them at CES – and the Breggz Zohn-1 are definitely worth the money. When it comes to design, audio quality and feature set, everything about these earbuds oozes premium to a high level. The Zohn-1 may be the start of a personalized luxury audio revolution.
Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi
During my time with solid-state audio specliast xMEMS, I got to try out the first application of its latest dual-driver technology in Creative’s Aurvana Ace Mimi earbuds, where a solid-state tweeter is paired with a traditional driver for mids and bass. Available now for $129.99 / £109.99 / €129.99 (about AU$218), sound quality for these was fantastic thanks to LDAC hi-res audio, personalized sound tuning and active noise cancellation.
Other features include Bluetooth 5.3 with Auracast support, six microphones for clear calls and up to 28 hours of battery life. When it comes to features, they rival the ANC equipped AirPods 4, which cost significantly more. Don’t be surprised if xMEMs dual-drivers really become a thing in the coming years as the tech improves.
Technics EAH-AZ100
During CES 2025, Technics revealed the EAH-AZ100 earbuds which sounded like an evolved take on their EAH-AZ80. The highlight update is the Magnetic Fluid driver for ultra-low distortion and rich bass. On top of that, the EAH-AZ100 also has Dolby Atmos and LDAC capabilities packed into these earbuds as well.
Beyond the sound quality, microphone capabilities have been enhanced as well. This includes Voice Focus AI for crystal-clear calls using intelligent wind-noise reduction, advanced active noise cancellation with Conversation Mode. With a battery life of around 10-hours, the AZ100 currently cost $299 / £259 – and we love them. You can read our full Technics EAH-AZ100 review now.
Suunto Aqua
The Suunto Aqua could be the perfect headphones for athletes, but especially swimmers. The waterproof bone-conduction audio devices have an IP68 rating and can withstand submersion up to five meters for two hours. The headphones also offer 32GB storage for 8,000 MP3 songs and a 10-hour battery life, extendable to 30 hours with a charging pod.
Swimmers are going to appreciate the AI-powered swim stroke analysis, which tracks metrics such as posture and glide time, as well. They’re priced at $179 (about £175).
JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition
The JLab Epic Lux Lab Edition wireless headphones arrived during CES, with a price of $199. Featuring 32mm custom dynamic drivers for high-fidelity sound and adaptive active noise cancellation that promises up to 42dB of sound reduction, they also claim 90 plus hours of playtime.
When it’s time to charge, the Epic Lux Lab Edition will offer wireless charging through a dock, which is still unusual for over-ears. Other features include Bluetooth multipoint connectivity for device switching as well. JLab makes some of the best-value headphones around, though we found JLab’s Epic Lab Edition earbuds to be a little disappointing – but given the company’s track record, we look forward to seeing if these can nail the landing during a full review.
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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year’s CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.
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