Poor-quality headphones can make even Led Zeppelin sound more like your kid brother's garage band. 

Whether you're enjoying your carefully curated playlists, catching up on podcasts or watching YouTube videos on the go, a decent pair of headphones can be a lifesaver. 

But if you pick a poor pair, you can say goodbye to the sound of silence – and they can even affect the quality of the audio you're listening to. 

This is why it's worth doing your research, especially given how expensive some brands can be. 

Fortunately, we've done the hard work of testing them so you don't have to. Our audio experts have reviewed the most popular products on the market from Apple, Sennheiser, Skullcandy, Sony, Beats, Bang & Olufsen, JBL, Jabra and more.

"Our sound tests always reveal some surprising results," says CHOICE audio expert Peter Zaluzny. 

"We've seen $500 products that rate worse than pairs half their price – sometimes from the very same brand. Paying more doesn't guarantee a better quality product, so it pays to shop carefully."

We've recently remastered our headphone testing, so our review covers all headphone types, from petite in-ear models through to noise-cancelling over-ear cans with all the features. 

You can filter by type (in-ear, over-ear), price, brand, noise cancellation options and more to find the perfect pair for you. Whichever type you're looking for, we don't want you to end up with a dud buy, so here are the products that scored lowest in our lab tests.

Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.

The difference between on-ear and over-ear headphones

On-ear headphones don't look especially different to the over-ear variety, but they don't completely surround your ears. Instead they sit on the outside of your ears, allowing more airflow around them. 

This generally makes them smaller and therefore easier to store and transport, but they don't block as much ambient noise. They also press on your ears, so poorly made models can get uncomfortable pretty quickly. 

Noise-cancelling headphones to avoid

"A good pair of noise-cancelling headphones can provide a great listening experience while you're on the go, as they're designed to filter out environmental sounds," says Peter. 

"But just because some headphones have this feature doesn't necessarily mean they sound good. In fact, poorly implemented noise-cancelling technology can actually make your music sound worse, which is why we test audio quality with it turned on and off."

These noise-cancelling headphone models might look rock'n'roll, but they're less Rolling Stones and more elevator music. Here's why we don't recommend them. 

JBL Live Flex

1. JBL Live Flex

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 47%
• Sound quality score: 45%
• Price: $200
• Type: In ear (true wireless)

A price this low for 'noise cancelling' earbuds sets off a few alarm bells here. They performed so poorly they should be called ear-duds.

While they received a very good cleaning score of 95% (which means they're easy to maintain), the sound quality is so bad you might find yourself wishing they 'accidentally' fell in the mud. That way, you have an excuse to buy a different pair.

The sound quality is so bad you might find yourself wishing they 'accidentally' fell in the mud

Their active noise cancellation ability received the lowest score of any model we tested at 31%. We assessed how they performed in a number of environments, including one with continuous noise, a restaurant where people are talking, and a silent location – our testers were underwhelmed in all three locations.

These earbuds also fall down in comfort (with a score of 44%) which means they may cause you pain in more ways than one. Neither your ears, nor your favourite artists deserve this treatment.

See our full JBL Live Flex review.

JBL Live 670NC

2. JBL Live 670NC

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 53%
• Sound quality score: 67%
• Price: $200
• Type: On ear

These on ear headphones from JBL are in a bit of a weird spot, because they seem to do a pretty decent job for the price. Even active noise cancellation isn't half bad at 70%, so what's the problem? One word – durability.

We look at the general build quality to figure out whether a pair of headphones is likely to go the distance. Are there any rough edges? Do they creak and pop? Is the material solid plastic, cheap plastic, or metal? Do the buttons and joints feel sturdy, or loose and wobbly?

Your brand new headphones may just break before you know it

JBL's headphones earned a measly 22% in this part of the test. In other words, they do feel wobbly, they're easily damaged and seem poorly made. Your brand new headphones may just break before you know it.

Even at $200, these headphones are not a good deal. Despite the name, they're unlikely to be alive for very long.

See the full JBL Live 670NC review.

Beats Studio Buds

3. Beats Studio Buds

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 55%
• Sound quality score: 54%
• Price: $197
• Type: In ear (true wireless)

These Beats barely scrape by with OK test results, which is pretty disappointing if you've shelled out nearly $200. After all, there are plenty of cheaper earbuds that score significantly higher. Really, that's the crux of why these headphones are ones to avoid.

While there's nothing particularly poor to point out here, neither is there anything good. These headphones are, for the most part, at the mediocre end of OK.

While there's nothing particularly poor to point out here, neither is there anything good

If someone offers you a pair of these buds, make like Michael Jackson and beat it.

See the full Beats Studio buds review.

Standard headphones to avoid

Don't need to shut the world out? We've got you covered. Scratch these non-noise cancelling headphone models off your list before you hit the shops. 

JLab Jbuddies Studio

1. JLab Jbuddies Studio

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 44%
• Sound quality score: 41%
• Price: $35
• Type: On ear

Now granted, these low-cost headphones aren't exactly aiming for the stars. They're a cheap option designed to keep kids happy before their ears have developed discerning tastes.

But even with that in mind, you're better off buying a pair of second-hand headphones for the same price, or hunting around the house for some hand-me-downs. Sure, your kids are unlikely to complain about the sound quality, but why waste $35?

Sure, your kids are unlikely to complain about the sound quality, but why waste $35?

Plus, comfort and durability are only OK. Since kids are famously not very gentle with their belongings, they'll probably wind up in landfill sooner than you'd like.

See the full JLab JBuddies Studio review.

Shokz OpenMove

2. Shokz OpenMove

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 48%
• Sound quality score: 34%
• Price: $129
• Type: Bone conduction

Bone conduction you say? Well that sounds funky and futuristic! Well, kind of, but all the cool tech in the world can't save an audio device that doesn't sound good. 

We say 'audio device' because these aren't headphones in the traditional sense. Instead, they basically sit adjacent to your ears and transmit audio by stimulating the bones in your ear canal.

All the cool tech in the world can't save an audio device that doesn't sound good

Does it work? Yes, but at the expense of sound quality in this case. They earned poor results in our audio quality test and ease of use is not much better.

According to Shokz, these bone conduction headphones are designed for sports and everyday use. This kind of makes sense as the wrap-around design isn't at risk of falling out of your ears. But at the end of the day, you still want your headphones to sound decent and these simply don't deliver.

See the full Shokz OpenMove review.

Adidas Z.N.E. 01

3. Adidas Z.N.E. 01

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 49%
• Sound quality score: 46%
• Price: $189
• Type: In ear (true wireless)

A fitness-focused brand putting out poor-quality headphones doesn't seem very sporting. At least Adidas's true wireless earbuds might motivate you to get moving. Far away. From these headphones.

With a sound quality score below 50% and middling results otherwise, these headphones seem quite comfortable running down the middle of the road. That's a problem when other headphones in our test offer better performance for less money.

A fitness-focused brand putting out poor-quality headphones doesn't seem very sporting

There's no real reason to buy these over earbuds from other brands. They could be a good way to use an Adidas voucher from your overly enthusiastic, gym obsessed friend, but that'd be it.

See the full Adidas Z.N.E. 01 review.

Marshall Minor III

4. Marshall Minor III

• CHOICE Expert Rating: 50%
• Sound quality score: 47%
• Price: $189
• Type: In ear (true wireless)

Minor by name, minor by score. Despite their good-looking exterior and rock 'n' roll cred, these earbuds are far from chart topping.

They don't sound great, they're not comfortable, their battery life is poor, they don't clean up well, and their microphone isn't great quality. So they're lacking pretty much everything you'd want in a pair of earbuds.

Despite their good-looking exterior and rock 'n' roll cred, these earbuds are far from chart topping

Our experts had to dig deep to find something good to say about these earbuds.

All they could come up with was that they have left and right inscriptions on each earphone so you know which ear to put them in. But with such ordinary sound quality and comfort scores, it probably wouldn't make much of a difference if you did put them in the wrong ear.

See the full Marshall Minor III review.

Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

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