5 Favourite Earbuds

Today’s earbuds are almost like fashion accessories—delicate and discrete, they come in cool shapes and configurations as well as endless colour choices. Whether you’re trying to get inspired by listening to a podcast, or you’re jamming to your favourite tunes, here are five high-quality earbuds that make listening an art of its own. —Jennifer Cox

Samsung’s Galazy Buds Pro ($265) filters out up to 99% of background noise and is designed with microphones on the inside and out, which monitor noise in real time. Their Intelligent ANC technology allows you to seamlessly switch between noise canceling and adjustable ambient sound, depending on whether you want to let the outside in or keep it out. And they come in incredibly cool colours like Phantom Black and Phantom Violet.

The Push Active True Wireless Earbuds from Skullcandy ($100) are jam-packed with cool technologies. Not only does their hands-free voice control allow you to “tell” your earbuds what music to play and when to skip, pause, or stop, but they also let you share audio with a friend in real time, activate your assistant, customize your earbud controls, trigger your phone camera to take the perfect selfie, and so much more. They’re also comfortable and water resistant.

The Fitness Earbuds developed by Raycon ($158) are great for those who love to get their sweat on. They have enhanced fit fins for an even, more comfortable, and secure fit. These can also hold three sound profiles and run for 54 hours of playtime. And thanks to their waterproof design, you can exercise hard and stay tuned in for hours on end.

The BOSE Sport Open Earbuds ($249) are a first of their kind because they don’t actually go in your ears. Instead, they combine their OpenAudio technology with a unique open-ear design—the result is high-quality sound without the need to cover your ears. You can hear all the beautiful noises surrounding you along with the audio of your choice in your earbuds. Genius!

Earbuds are about having an immersive listening experience, and you will every time you slip on the Beats’ Studio Buds ($180). Their Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) feature blocks all surrounding external noise while their transparency mode allows you to still hear the world around you. Their custom acoustic platform always delivers powerful, balanced sound. They’re both sweat- and water-resistant, too.