Most of these headphones have something unique, whether it's in their design or the technology nestled inside.
We're not going to pretend that we've tried every pair of headphones out there, but we can at least tell you our favorites of the year.
Below, you'll find three pairs with noise cancelling and two without. They're all wireless, and they're mostly the over-ear kind of headphones, with two of them being on-ear models.
This year, the majority of headphones we tried were in the $250 to $400 price range, which is pretty reasonable if you're looking for a longterm pair of quality headphones. There are cheaper headphones out there, some of them getting high praise from dedicated audio outlets, so you're not out of luck if the following headphones don't fit within your budget.
Check out the five best headphones we've tried this year:
Nuraphones by Nura — $400
These superb noise-cancelling headphones tune themselves to the way you personally hear sound.
They're pricey at $400, and most headphones in the $400 price range will also sound great, but the Nuraphones give you the peace of mind that you're getting the absolute most out of them because of the tuning.
It's worth noting that the Nuraphones have an unusual hybrid earphone/headphone design. If you don't like in-earbuds, you won't like the Nuraphones, no matter how good they sound.
Bose QC35 II — $350
The Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones have long been the go-to for great sound and superior noise cancellation. Bose released the QC35 II in September 2017, but they're still very much relevant.
Skullcandy Crusher 360 — $300
The Skullcandy Crusher 360 fill a hole that other headphones have never filled. These headphones have the bass. You won't believe how much bass these things can produce until you try them out. And it's bass you can feel, not just hear. The headphone's cups will actually rumble if you set the bass to a higher level.
Indeed, the Crusher 360 lets you easily adjust the bass level, which is great for tweaking it on the fly for particular songs that demand more or less bass.
Amazingly, you can set the bass at crazy levels and it won't drown out the rest of the music — within reason. Set it too high, however, and you might only get the gist of the song you're listening to.
Under Armour Project Rock wireless headphones — $250
The Project Rock Under Armor on-ear headphones have workouts in mind, but they're also great for times when you're not at the gym. They're slightly on the masculine side when it comes to design, but they sound great.
Under Armor partnered with JBL to make the headphones, and they come highly recommended.
Marshall Mid A.N.C — $280 MSRP
Marshall's on-ear Mid A.N.C headphones are well worth a consideration for their unique classic design, great noise cancellation (rare for on-ear headphones), and great sound quality.