In this review, we will discuss the best headphone brands (in our view) in the world.
We will provide a brief overview of the best headphone manufacturers around the globe.
We have searched far and wide for the different types of headphone brands out there and compiled a list of the top 20 headphone brands in the world.
This list is current as of November 2019.
20. JBL
Headquarters
- JBL is an American audio equipment maker, located in California in the United States
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers.
- Through the JBL Consumer division the company produces audio equipment for the consumer home market.
- The JBL Professional division produces professional equipment for the studio, installed sound, tour sound, portable sound (production and DJ), and cinema markets.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- 5 types of True Wireless Headphones
- 38 Types of in ear headphones
- 22 types of over-ear and on-ear headphones
- 23 types of sport headphones
Founded/Founder
- JBL was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing
Parent Company
- The parent company of JBL is Harman International which is ultimately owned by Samsung Electronics
Employs
- JBL employs more than 12 000 people world wide
Here is some more reading on JBL headphones.
19. Beats by Dre
Headquarters
- Beats by Dre is an American audio equipment maker, located in Culver City the United States
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
Solo Pro
Beats Studio³ Wireless
Beats Solo³ Wireless
Beats EP
Beats Pro
Founded/Founder
- Beats by Dre was founded in 2006 by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine.
Parent Company
- The parent company of Beats by Dre is Apple Inc which is the smartphone and electronics giant.
Employs
- Beats by Dre employs more than 700 people world wide
Are beats worth buying ?
Beats is famous for one attribute in particular, and that is the bass of the headphones.
Are they worth buying ? Well that depends on how much bass you want and the music that you listen to.
If you are a Hip Hop EDM and house fan then you will enjoy the drums that are accentuated by beats headphones. Overall the Beats headphones are a good investment.
Here is some more reading on Beats By Dre headphones.
18. Skull Candy
Headquarters
- Skullcandy is an American audio equipment maker, located in Park City Utah in the United States
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones and earbuds, the company also produces speakers and accessories.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- Wireless Headphones
- Wired headphones
- Wireless earbuds
- Wired Earbuds
- Indy True Wireless
- Sesh true Wireless
Founded/Founder
- Skullcandy was founded in 2003 by James Rick Alden
Parent Company
- The parent company of Skullcandy is Harman Skullcandy Inc
Here is some more reading on Skullcandy headphones
17. Klipsch
Headquarters
- Klipsch is an American audio equipment maker, located in Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States.
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers for home theater, home audio, wireless and outdoor.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- 5 types of True Headphones
- 5 types of wireless headphones
- The famous T5 true wireless
- 2 types of Neckband
- T5 sport
- Wire over-ear headphones
- Heritage Inspired
Founded/Founder
- Klipsch was founded in 1946 by Paul W. Klipsch
Parent Company
- The parent company of Klipsch is Voxx International
16. Plantronics
Headquarters
- Plantronics is an American audio equipment maker and broader electronics company, located in Santa Cruz, California in the United States
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces mobile phone stations and other electronic equipment.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- Bluetooth headsets
- Noise Cancelling headphones
- Wireless headphones
Founded/Founder
- Plantronics was founded in 1961 by Courtney Graham and Keith Larkin
Parent Company
- The parent company of Plantronics is Plantronics, Inc
Employs
- As of 2018 Plantronics employed approximately 3800 people
Here is some more reading on Plantronics headphones
15. Grado
Headquarters
- Grado is an American audio equipment maker, located in Brooklyn in the United States.
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces cartridges and accessories.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- Prestige series
- Reference series
- Statement Series
- Professional Series
- In-Ear Series
- Wireless headphones
Founded/Founder
- Grado was founded in 1953 by Joseph Grado
Parent Company
- The parent company of Grado is Grado Labs
14. Philips
Headquarters
- Phillips is a dutch audio equipment and electronics conglomerate , located in Amsterdam in the Netherlands
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces personal care and mother and child care, lighting and automotive accessories.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- 22 types of In ear headphones and ear buds
- 6 Types of on ear headphones
- 19 types of on ear headphones
- 9 types of sport headphones
- 8 types of Kids headphones
- 3 TV and hifi headphones
Founded/Founder
- Philips was founded in 1923 by Gerard Philips and Anton Philips
Parent Company
- The parent company of Philips is Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Employs
- Philips employs more than 77400 people world wide
13. Onkyo
Headquarters
- ONKYO is a audio equipment and consumer electronics manufacturer, located in Osaka in Japan
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces home audio, Hifi components, Lifestyle audio and speaker systems
Founded/Founder
- ONKYO was founded in 1946
Parent Company
- The parent company of Onkyo is Onkyo Corporation
Employs
- ONKYO employs more than 1800 people world wide as of 2018
12 Panasonic
Headquarters
- Panasonic is an Japanese audio equipment maker and electronics company, located in Calafornia in Osaka in Japan.
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces electronics products.
Founded/Founder
- Panasonic was founded in 1918
Parent Company
- The parent company of Panasonic Corporation
Employs
- Panasonic employs approximately 274000 people across the globe
11. AKG
Headquarters
- AKG Acoustics is an American acoustics engineering and manufacturing company, located in Northridge, Los Angeles, California, in the United States
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces microphones, wireless systems and integrated systems.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- 21 types of professional headphones
- 5 Types of professional headset
- 4 types of ear buds
- 5 headphones over-ear and on-ear headphones
- 7 types of wireless headphones
Founded/Founder
- AKG was founded in 1947 by Dr. Rudolf Görike Ernst Pless, in Austria
Parent Company
- The parent company of AKG is Harman International which is ultimately owned by Samsung Electronics
Employs
- AKG employs more than 170 people world wide
Here is some more reading on AKG headphones.
Top 10 headphones brands in the world 2019
10. Bowers and Wilkins
Headquarters
- Bowers and Wilkins Acoustics is an audio equipment manufacturer,Menlo Park, California in the United States
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers, and car audio equipment.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- PX 7
- PX 5
- PX 13
Founded/Founder
- Bowers and Wilkins was founded in 1966 by John Bowers
Here is some more reading on Bowers and Wilkins headphones.
9. V‑MODA
Headquarters
- V-Moda is an American audio equipment maker, located in Hollywood California in the United States
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers and accesories.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- In Ear
- Wireless
- Over/On ear
Founded/Founder
-
- V-Moda was founded in 2004 by Val Kolton
8. Shure
Headquarters
- Shure is an American audio equipment maker, located in Niles, Illinois in the United States
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also microphones, in-ear monitoring, software, mixers and DSP.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- 12 types of on ear and over ear headphones
- 38 Types of in ear headphones
Founded/Founder
- Shure was founded in 1925 by Sidney Shure.
Parent Company
- The parent company of Shure is Shure Inc
Here is some more reading on Shure headphones.
7. Sony
Headquarters
- Sony is an Japanese audio equipment maker, located in Tokyo in Japan
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also electronics products such as amps and video game consoles.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- 40 over-ear and on-ear headphones
- 28 Types of in ear headphones
- 3 types of truly wireless headphones
Founded/Founder
- Sony was founded in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita
Parent Company
- The parent company of Sony is the Sony Corporation
Employs
- Sony employs more than 114 000 people world wide
Here is some more reading on Sony headphones.
6. Bose
Headquarters
- Bose is an American audio equipment maker, located in Framingham Massachusetts in the United States.
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers and audio sunglasses.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- Noise cancelling headphones
- Wireless
- Sports
- Hearing aids
- Aviation headsets
- Accessories
Founded/Founder
- Bose was founded in 1964 by Amar Bose
Parent Company
- The parent company of Bose is The Bose corporation
Employs
- Bose employs more than 8 000 people world wide
Here is some more reading on Bose headphones.
Top 5 Headphone Brands
5. Bang and Olufsen
Headquarters
- Bang & Olufsen is an Danish audio equipment and consumer electronics maker, located in Struer in the Denmark.
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers, tv’s and accessories.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- 5 types of True Wireless Headphones
- 38 Types of in ear headphones
- 22 types of over-ear and on-ear headphones
- 23 types of sport headphones
Founded/Founder
- Bang and Olufsen was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen
Parent Company
- The parent company of Bang and Olufsen is Bang & Olufsen A/S
Employs
-
- Bang and Olufsen employs more than 1 000 people world wide
4. Beyerdynamic
Headquarters
- Beyerdynamic is a German Audio Equipment maker situated in Heilbronn Berlin
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- At home
- Portable
- High End
- Gaming
- Broadcasting
Founded/Founder
- Bayerdynamic was founded in 1924
Parent Company
- The parent company of Beyerdynamic is beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KG
Employs
- Beyerdynamic employs more than 330 people world wide
3. Jarba
Headquarters
- Jarba is an Danish audio equipment maker, located in Copenhagen in Danish
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- Office headsets
- Call center headsets
- Sports headphones
- Call and music headphones
- Bluetooth mono headsets
- True Wireless earbuds
Founded/Founder
- Jabra was founded in 1983 by Elwood Norris
Employs
- JBL employs more than 12 000 people world wide
2. Audio-Technica
Headquarters
Audio-Technica is a Japanese audio equipment maker, located in Tokyo in Japan
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- Audio-Technica Professional,
- Sound Reality®,
- Bluetooth® Wireless,
- QuietPoint® Active Noise-Cancelling,
- Gaming,
- High-Fidelity,
- Solid Bass®,
- SonicPro®,
- SonicFuel®,
- SonicSport®,
- DJ, and Broadcast headphones
Founded/Founder
- Audio Technica was founded in 1908 by Hideo Matsushita
Parent Company
- The parent company of Audio-Technica is Audio-Technica Corporation
Here is some more reading on Audio Technica headphones.
Underrated headphone brands
Edifier
Headquarters
- Edifier is a Chinese audio equipment maker, located in Beijing in China
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers and accessories.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- Portable speakers
- Bookshelf speakers
- TV and home theatre
Founded/Founder
- Edifier was founded in 1996
Employs
- JBL employs more than 3000 people world wide
Monster
Headquarters
- Monster is an American audio and video equipment maker, located in California in the United states
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers and accessories.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- On ear headphones
- In ear headphones
- Sport
Founded/Founder
- Monster was founded in 1978 by Noel Lee
Employs
- Monster employs more than 600 people world wide
Which Headphone is the best ?
1. Sennheiser
Headquarters
- Sennheiser is an German audio equipment maker, located in Wedemark, Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Other Products Produced
- In addition to headphones the company also produces speakers and sound bars.
Headphones (types at the time of writing)
- Over ear
- In Ear
- Wireless
- Audiophile
- Music and entertainment
- Travel
- Gaming
- Sports
- Home and TV audio
- Professional headphones and headsets
Founded/Founder
- Sennheiser was founded in 1945 by Fritz Sennheiser
Parent Company
- The parent company of Sennheiser is Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG
Employs
- Sennheiser employs more than 2885 people world wide.
Here is some more reading on Sennheiser headphones.