Best in ear headphones for calls: Best Headsets for Working From Home in 2023

Best Headsets for Working From Home in 2023

Whether you’re working from home or the local coffee shop, a good pair of headphones can help you tune out distractions and focus on the task at hand. Active noise-canceling, or ANC, is an important feature, but the best headsets for working from home also feature background noise-reduction and high-quality microphones so people can hear you clearly on voice calls or during video-conferencing meetings on Zoom, Microsoft Teams and various other video chat platforms. 

What’s the best headset or headphone for your home office right now?

While there are many great headsets and headphones you can get for working from home or your hybrid work lifestyle, the new-for-2023 Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex currently sits atop this list because it offers a great mix of comfort, performance and features in a compact headset that folds up into a small carry case.

When we test headsets for working from home, we evaluate not only how well they perform for calls but how comfortable they are, how they sound for music listening and what extra features they might have, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which allows you to pair the headset with two devices at the same time (a computer or phone, for example) and easily switch audio between the two devices. Strong battery life is also important.

You may specifically be looking for headphones designed to work with Unified Communications applications and certified for Skype for Business, optimized for Microsoft Lync and suitable for softphones from Cisco, Avaya and Skype. I’ve included some UC headphones on this list, but the majority of these are mainstream consumer headphones that also work well on the go.

Read more: Best Earbuds for Phone Calls for 2023

Best headsets and headphones for working from home

How we test headphones and headsets for working from home

We test headphones and earbuds based on six key criteria. These criteria include designsound qualitynoise-canceling performancevoice-calling performance, features and value

  • Design: Evaluating design, we assess not only how comfortable the headphones and earbuds fit (their ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. When it comes to earbuds, we also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings. 
  • Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
  • Noise-canceling performance: We evaluate noise-canceling performance by wearing the headphones in the same spot indoors near a noisy HVAC unit to see how well they do at muffling lower frequencies. Then we head out to the streets of New York to test the headphones in a real-world environment where we see how they do at muffling not only street noise but people’s voices. 
  • Extra features: Some great-sounding headphones and earbuds aren’t loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from quick-access awareness to transparency modes (your music pauses and the headphones open up to the outside world so you can have a conversation) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears. For home office headphones, Bluetooth multipoint pairing is an important feature (and other connectivity options such as an included Bluetooth dongle for easy pairing with a computer). We also take a look at the companion app for the headphones if there is one and how user friendly it is. 
  • Voice-calling: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the headphones or earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear our voice. We also evaluate how they perform on video-conferencing applications such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
  • Value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the headphones and earbuds against all these criteria and what they’re able to deliver compared to other models in their price class. 

Enlarge Image

Testing call quality on the streets of New York.

David Carnoy/CNET

Home office headset and headphones FAQs

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The 5 Best Earbuds For Phone Calls – Summer 2023: Reviews

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Intro
  3. Best Earbuds

    1. Best Upper Mid-Range

      1. Best Mid-Range

        1. Best Budget

          1. Best Wired

            1. Notable Mentions
            2. Recent Updates
            3. All Reviews
            4. Discussions

            Updated May 19, 2023 at 10:23 am

            By Theresa Ketterling

            In this day and age, there’s an expectation that you can answer calls quickly and easily. Whether you’re working from home and joining a meeting, or if you’re getting a call from family on the go, you’ll want earbuds with a solid mic performance. If you’re taking calls from a noisy office or a busy street, blocking out background noise can make it easier to understand your conversation. This article mostly covers truly wireless earbuds. They don’t offer the best performance regarding calls, especially when compared to dedicated earbuds & Bluetooth headsets for phone calls, but they maximize versatility and portability.

            We’ve tested over 255 pairs of earbuds and in-ear headphones with microphones, and below are our recommendations for the best earbuds for calls to buy. If you want more recommendations, check out our picks for the best earbuds with a mic. If you don’t mind an over-ear fit, you’ll also want to check out the best office headphones.

            1. Best Earbuds For Phone Calls

              Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless

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              Neutral Sound

              7. 3

              Commute/Travel

              8.5

              Sports/Fitness

              8.4

              Office

              7.5

              Wireless Gaming

              5.7

              Wired Gaming

              5.6

              Phone Calls

              6.3

              Type

              Earbuds

              Enclosure

              Closed-Back

              Wireless

              Truly Wireless

              Transducer

              Dynamic

              Noise Cancelling

              Yes

              Mic

              Yes

              See all our test results

              The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless are the best earbuds for phone calls we’ve tested. Their mic performance may not be the best, but they have a premium design and solid extra features for casual use. Their noise cancelling (ANC) system can cut down an outstanding amount of background noise around you, helping you focus on your call. With the ANC on, their battery lasts well over six hours continuously. Their carrying case also offers three extra charges if you need it.

              Although the mic is far from your mouth, it can still clearly capture your voice. However, this distance impacts noise handling, or the ability of the mic to separate speech from background noise. As a result, your voice can be drowned out by background noise, so if you’re taking important calls, it’s best to do so from quiet places.

              The buds also have a more bass-heavy sound profile out of the box than what we measured. It’s due to the shape of our test rig’s ear canals, so subjectively, you’ll hear more thump, rumble, and boom than our graph shows. This extra bass muddies vocals and instruments, but you can customize their sound via their companion app’s graphic EQ and presets. Unfortunately, they don’t support multi-device pairing, so you can’t stay connected to your PC and smartphone simultaneously.

              See our review

            2. Best Upper Mid-Range Earbuds For Phone Calls

              Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3

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              Neutral Sound

              7.1

              Commute/Travel

              8.2

              Sports/Fitness

              8.2

              Office

              7.6

              Wireless Gaming

              5.6

              Wired Gaming

              5. 4

              Phone Calls

              7.0

              Type

              In-ear

              Enclosure

              Closed-Back

              Wireless

              Truly Wireless

              Transducer

              Dynamic

              Noise Cancelling

              Yes

              Mic

              Yes

              See all our test results

              If you want something more affordable without sacrificing features, consider the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3. Their integrated mic offers an okay overall performance. Although your voice lacks depth and body, you’ll have no problems being understood clearly. That said, your voice can be drowned out if you need to take calls in a noisy environment, like from a busy office. On the upside, the buds have a powerful noise cancelling system.

              While they don’t outperform the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless in this regard, the ANC can still help reduce distracting sounds around you and make it easier to focus on your call. They have a decently comfortable fit. Their bass-heavy sound profile is great if you want to listen to thumpy, rumbly music in between calls, but their fairly flat mid-range ensures that speech sounds clear and present. You can fine-tune their sound to suit your needs using their companion app’s EQ and presets.

              They last for over eight hours continuously, and their carrying case supplies an extra three charges, which is handy in a pinch. If you’re an iOS user, consider the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) Truly Wireless. They’re more comfortable and have features like an h2 chip for seamless pairing with your iOS devices. However, their mic’s recording quality is worse, and your voice sounds thin and muffled.

              See our review

            3. Best Mid-Range Earbuds For Phone Calls

              Jabra Elite 7 Pro

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              Neutral Sound

              7. 8

              Commute/Travel

              8.0

              Sports/Fitness

              8.4

              Office

              7.6

              Wireless Gaming

              6.1

              Wired Gaming

              5.9

              Phone Calls

              7.0

              Type

              In-ear

              Enclosure

              Closed-Back

              Wireless

              Truly Wireless

              Transducer

              Dynamic

              Noise Cancelling

              Yes

              Mic

              Yes

              See all our test results

              The best Bluetooth earbuds for phone calls in the mid-range that we’ve tested are the Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless. You can often find them for about half of their regular price. This manufacturer is well-known for their call-centric headphones, and their companion app even offers features like sidetone control and a basic call EQ. Their mic also has a very good recording quality, making your voice easy to understand. Some users have reported that their voice sounds a bit low and muffled.

              The mic’s noise handling performance is sub-par, but if you want to ensure that your voice is clear throughout your call, you’ll want to ensure that your environment is quiet. That said, unlike the higher-end Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3, they support multi-device pairing, allowing you to stay connected to your PC and smartphone simultaneously. Out of the box, they have a very neutral default sound profile, making them versatile enough for phone calls or casual use.

              You can customize their sound via their companion app. If you want to keep the outside world at bay, they do a decent job of reducing ambient sound around you. They last over eight hours continuously, and their carrying case has three extra charges. Unfortunately, even though they have ANC, it doesn’t significantly improve their noise isolation ability.

              See our review

            4. Best Budget Earbuds For Phone Calls

              TOZO NC7 Truly Wireless

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              Neutral Sound

              6.9

              Commute/Travel

              7.8

              Sports/Fitness

              8.2

              Office

              7.1

              Wireless Gaming

              5.3

              Wired Gaming

              5. 2

              Phone Calls

              6.7

              Type

              In-ear

              Enclosure

              Closed-Back

              Wireless

              Truly Wireless

              Transducer

              Dynamic

              Noise Cancelling

              Yes

              Mic

              Yes

              See all our test results

              Shopping on a budget? Then you’ll want to check out the TOZO NC7 Truly Wireless, the best wireless earbuds for phone calls at this price point. At the low end of the cost scale, you can expect to make performance-based sacrifices in exchange for affordability. These buds aren’t as comfortable as the Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless, and their mic’s overall performance isn’t quite as good. However, their recording quality is still decent enough for calls.

              Like other truly wireless picks, you’ll need to make calls from less noisy places to ensure your voice is easily understandable. They also last over eight hours continuously, which is good for long days at work. Their ANC system makes these buds stand out from other budget-friendly picks. If you want to focus on your call, they can easily reduce noise, like traffic from an open window of office chatter.

              On the other hand, if you’re more concerned about staying aware of your surroundings, you might prefer a mono headset like the Jabra Talk 45 Bluetooth Headset. This headset consists of one earbud with a tiny boom mic, so you can keep one ear free when you’re on the phone. It makes your voice sound clear and does a passable job of separating it from background noise. As you might expect, its sound profile isn’t good for music, but voices are reproduced accurately. It supports multi-device pairing, and you can set it up to read out your text messages when you can’t look at your phone.

              See our review

            5. Best Wired Earbuds For Phone Calls

              Apple EarPods

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              Neutral Sound

              6. 8

              Commute/Travel

              4.6

              Sports/Fitness

              6.5

              Office

              5.7

              Wireless Gaming

              5.1

              Wired Gaming

              7.2

              Phone Calls

              6.4

              Type

              Earbuds

              Enclosure

              Open-Back

              Wireless

              No

              Transducer

              Dynamic

              Noise Cancelling

              No

              Mic

              Yes

              See all our test results

              Wired earbuds are worth checking out if call quality is your top priority. While they’re more unwieldy than their truly wireless counterparts and usually lack useful features like customizability or noise cancelling, they have in-line mics rather than integrated ones. This design puts the mic closer to your mouth, making it easier for the mic to separate speech from background noise. Enter the Apple EarPods. Even though they’re a lot older and less refined than other buds on this list, they have a great recording quality. They can also separate speech from ambient noise so that you’re heard clearly.

              These budget-friendly buds may not be as well-built as the TOZO NC7 Truly Wireless since their cable is pretty flimsy, but some people may find their one-size-fits-all design more comfortable than an in-ear fit. They also have a well-balanced sound that ensures voices sound clear and natural. They lack low-bass, so they may not be ideal if you want to listen to genres like EDM or hip-hop in your downtime. They also don’t block out background noise, so it can be harder to hear your conversation well if you’re calling from a noisy office.

              See our review

            Notable Mentions

            • JBL CLUB PRO+ TWS True Wireless:
              The JBL CLUB PRO+ TWS True Wireless are mid-range buds with a decent noise isolation performance and a better noise handling performance than the Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless. Unfortunately, they don’t support multi-device pairing and lack volume controls.
              See our review
            • TOZO T6 Truly Wireless:
              The TOZO T6 Truly Wireless are the cheaper sibling of the TOZO NC7 Truly Wireless. They’re similarly comfortable and well-built, and their mic has better noise handling. Unfortunately, they lack noise cancelling, and their overall battery performance is worse.
              See our review
            • SteelSeries TUSQ:
              The SteelSeries TUSQ are wired gaming earbuds with a detachable boom mic. While their mic offers a better overall recording quality, they’re not as comfortable or neutral-sounding as the Apple EarPods.
              See our review
            • Turtle Beach Battle Buds:
              The Turtle Beach Battle Buds are another pair of wired gaming earbuds with a boom mic. They’re much less comfortable than the Apple EarPods, but their mic offers slightly better noise-handling performance and can passively block more ambient noise.
              See our review
            • Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless:
              The Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless are ANC earbuds with a neckband design. While this design isn’t very popular, their mic has a much better noise handling performance than the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless. You might prefer them if you’re worried about background noise at the office interfering with phone calls. However, they don’t isolate you from as much noise as the Bose.
              See our review

            Recent Updates

            1. May 19, 2023:
              Removed the Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless and the Jabra Talk 45 Bluetooth Headset. Moved the Sony to Notable Mentions and added the Jabra as an alternative to the budget pick.

            All Reviews

            Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best earbuds for calls to buy for most people. We factor in the price (cheaper headphones win over pricier ones if the difference isn’t worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no headphones that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

            If you would like to choose for yourself, here is the list of all earbuds, sorted by phone call usage. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There are no perfect headphones. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.

            5 Best Bluetooth Earphones for Calling in 2023

            Headphones & Gadgets

            December 29, 2022

            6,085 4 minutes of reading

            Looking for the best bluetooth earphone for talking on the phone? You can find a microphone in just about every pair of wireless headphones, or these days – and the best ones often have multiple beamforming microphones – making it easy to switch between listening to music and making phone calls. With so many different options available on the market, how can we determine the best pair of headphones or earbuds for phone calls?

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            The best bluetooth earphone for talking on the phone will help reduce background noise so that people can hear your voice loud and clear during a call. They also let you hear callers well in noisy places, so we recommend noise-isolating headphones for phone calls, although we do have a few open headphones on the list for those who prefer these types of headphones.

            In addition to having a quality microphone, features such as self-listening, which allows you to hear your own voice in the headphones and headphones during a call (so you don’t scream), and Bluetooth multipoint pairing, which allows you to pair headphones or in-ear headphones . with two devices at the same time are also noteworthy.

            #1 Apple AirPods Pro 2

            • Battery Life – Rated up to 6 hours
            • Noise Cancellation – Yes (ANC)
            • Multidrop – No
            • Headphone type – Wireless headphones
            • Water proof – Yes (IPX4 splash proof)

            According to Apple, the new AirPods Pro (2nd generation) feature Apple’s new h3 chip, which provides more processing power and lower power consumption. The new chip, combined with new low distortion drivers, enhances the sound for greater clarity and depth. Noise cancellation is also improved – Apple says the new AirPods have “double” noise cancellation compared to the original AirPods Pro.

            Voice call performance for the original AirPods Pro was very good, but now it’s even better as Apple updated the microphones and repositioned them on the headphones. In addition, AirPods Pro 2 extends battery life by one hour more, from five to six hours with noise cancellation turned on. In addition, the case now has a speaker that emits a sound that helps Find My find your headphones if they decide to hide from you. Read our Apple AirPods Pro 2.9 review0009

            #2 Earfun Air S

            Best bluetooth earphone for talking on the phone

          2. Noise Cancellation – Yes (ANC)
          3. Multidrop – Yes
          4. Headphone type – Wireless headphones
          5. Water proof – Yes (IPX5 – Protected against low pressure water jets)
          6. In the past, we’ve recommended Earfun’s AirPro SV and Air Pro 2 as great budget noise canceling headphones (they’re still value for money). But the Earfun Air S, released in 2022, may be the best of the trio, with Bluetooth multipoint pairing and Qualcomm’s latest QCC3046 chip with aptX audio codec for Android and other devices that support it. They have the same 10mm wool drivers as the AirPro SV and have surprisingly impressive sound for their modest price. They also work well as a headset for making calls with decent noise cancellation.

            The headphones have an IPX5 waterproof rating, which means they are splash-proof and can withstand extended splashes of water.

            #3 Sony WH-1000XM5

            • Battery life – Rated up to 32 hours
            • Noise Cancellation – Yes (ANC)
            • Multidrop – Yes
            • Headphone type – Full size wireless headphones
            • Water resistant – Not rated IP

            When you have a product that many people like, change can be risky. Such is the case with the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, the fifth generation of the 1000X series headphones that were first released in 2016 as the MDR-1000X Wireless and are becoming more popular as they improve with each generation.

            Sony has made some design adjustments over the years, but nothing as drastic as what has been done with the WH-1000XM5. Aside from the $400 higher price ($50 more than the WH-1000XM4), most of these changes are good, and Sony has made some significant improvements to voice call performance, as well as even better noise cancellation and clearer audio. Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 review.

            #4 Best bluetooth earphone for talking on the phone – JBL Live Pro 2

            • Battery Life – Rated up to 10 hours
            • Squelch – Yes (adaptive)
            • Multidrop – Yes
            • Headphone type – Wireless headphones
            • Water proof – Yes (IPX5 – Protected against low pressure water jets)

            JBL has released some decent true wireless headphones over the years, but nothing that really got me excited. That has finally changed with the introduction of the new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 headphones, owned by Samsung. Both sets of headphones – the Live Pro 2 has legs and the Live Free 2 has a pill-shaped design – offer a comfortable fit as well as strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice call performance, and a solid set of headphones. features including Bluetooth multipoint pairing, IPX5 splash-proof rating, and wireless charging.

            Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 share the same 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicone tips. Design aside, the biggest difference between the two earphones is battery life; Live Free 2 without the rod is rated for up to seven hours, while Live Pro 2 is rated for 10 hours. Live Pro 2 is available in four color options. Read our first take of JBL Live Pro 2.

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