# Headphones with good sound quality Source: HiveTried, https://hivetried.com/tech/headphones/sound-quality/ Category: Tech > Headphones. Updated 2026-10-08. Based on 308 counted first-hand reports from Target shopper reviews, Aug 2020 to Oct 2026. **Question:** Which headphones have good sound quality? **Short answer:** Bose QuietComfort Headphones has the best record for sound: 22 of 22 shoppers who judged it said it sounds good. Beats Solo 4 (35 of 38) and JBL Tune 520BT (35 of 39) come next. Every pair here did well, and Beats Studio3, which is no longer sold new on Amazon, has the weakest record at 30 of 34. **What stands out:** The wired pair holds its own. Sony ZX110 Wired On-Ear Headphones sounds good to 33 of 37, level with the wireless pairs around it, and 35% of its reviews call it good value. ## Ranking (shoppers who said whether it worked) | Rank | Product | Sounds good | Share | Amazon | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Bose QuietComfort Headphones | 22 of 22 | 100% | yes | | 2 | Beats Solo 4 | 35 of 38 | 92% | yes | | 3 | JBL Tune 520BT | 35 of 39 | 90% | yes | | 4 | Sony ZX110 Wired On-Ear Headphones | 33 of 37 | 89% | yes | | 5 | Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones | 15 of 16 | 94% | yes | | 6 | Beats Studio3 | 30 of 34 | 88% | no | | 7 | Sony WH-CH720N | 24 of 27 | 89% | yes | Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% Wilson confidence interval, so a product needs a high share and enough reports to rank high. An Amazon link is shown only when at least 60% say it works. ## Product notes ### 1. Bose QuietComfort Headphones No shopper who judged the sound called it weak. 39% also call it comfortable and 30% praise the noise cancelling. Bose's site agrees at 10 of 10, which we show but don't count. - Praised for: Comfortable (39%), Good noise cancelling (30%), Good battery (17%) - Complaints: Uncomfortable (9%) - Reports counted: 23 ### 2. Beats Solo 4 35 of 38 said the sound is good, and 26% praise the battery. Complaints are small and scattered, with a poor fit at the head of the list (10%). - Praised for: Good battery (26%), Comfortable (18%), Good value (8%) - Complaints: Poor fit (10%), Uncomfortable (8%), Too expensive (8%) - Reports counted: 39 ### 3. JBL Tune 520BT This pair drew the biggest group judging the sound (39), and 35 of 39 liked it. A poor fit comes up in 20% of reviews, and 12% say theirs broke. - Praised for: Good battery (23%), Comfortable (18%), Good value (13%) - Complaints: Poor fit (20%), Uncomfortable (13%), Broke (13%) - Reports counted: 40 ### 4. Sony ZX110 Wired On-Ear Headphones A wired pair, and 33 of 37 shoppers said it sounds good. 35% call it good value, while 15% found the sound weak. - Praised for: Good value (35%), Comfortable (23%) - Complaints: Weak noise cancelling (5%), Poor fit (5%) - Reports counted: 40 ### 5. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones A smaller group weighed in, and 15 of 16 liked the sound. 53% praise the noise cancelling and 12% say it costs too much. Bose's site comes in at 10 of 10, shown here but not counted. - Praised for: Good noise cancelling (53%), Comfortable (24%), Good value (12%) - Complaints: Too expensive (12%) - Reports counted: 17 ### 6. Beats Studio3 These reviews are for the Studio3, which is no longer sold new on Amazon. 30 of 34 said it sounds good, and 21% found the noise cancelling weak. - Praised for: Good noise cancelling (23%), Comfortable (21%), Good value (15%) - Complaints: Weak noise cancelling (21%), Too expensive (13%), Poor fit (5%) - Reports counted: 39 ### 7. Sony WH-CH720N 24 of 27 said it sounds good, and 50% call it comfortable. Price (17%) and weak sound (13%) are the common complaints. - Praised for: Comfortable (50%), Good noise cancelling (17%), Good battery (17%) - Complaints: Too expensive (17%), Weak noise cancelling (13%), Uncomfortable (13%) - Reports counted: 30 ## Questions **Which headphones have good sound quality?** Bose QuietComfort Headphones has the best record (22 of 22), followed by Beats Solo 4 (35 of 38) and JBL Tune 520BT (35 of 39). Every pair here did well, so comfort, fit and price can decide it. **Do wired headphones sound better than Bluetooth ones?** Not on this page. Sony ZX110 Wired On-Ear Headphones, the one wired pair here, sounds good to 33 of 37, in the same range as the Bluetooth pairs. A single pair can't settle the question, though. **Beats Solo 4 or Beats Studio3 for sound?** Beats Solo 4 has the better record at 35 of 38, against 30 of 34 for Beats Studio3. The Studio3 is also no longer sold new on Amazon. **Do Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones sound better than the regular QuietComfort?** Both do well. Bose QuietComfort Headphones is at 22 of 22 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones at 15 of 16, from a smaller group. Noise cancelling praise is where they differ, at 53% of Ultra reviews against 30% for the regular pair. ## Method HiveTried counts first-hand reports only, drops reviews written for free products, shows brand-site reviews without counting them, and never accepts payment for placement. Full method: https://hivetried.com/how-we-count/