4 wireless earbuds with more bass than AirPods

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A good pair of wireless earbuds should deliver excellent sound quality across all your favorite music genres. Producing enough bass is half the battle, which is one reason why so many people are turning to Apple AirPods. Products like the AirPods Pro 3 are notorious for their low-end deliverables, especially if you like tracks with lots of kick and 808 drops. Thumps and rumbles are an integral part of any balanced mix, and AirPods do a solid job focusing on these deeper frequencies. But just because Apple headphones are great for bass lovers doesn’t mean they’re the only game in town.

The consumer technology market is full of wireless earbuds, many of which are made by trusted, long-standing audio brands that have built solid consumer trust over the years. Some of these brands offer a lot of punchy bass, so much so that we decided to create four pairs of in-ear headphones that deliver even bigger and bolder bass than the AirPods Pro 3.

You’ll probably recognize some of the brands we’ll be talking about, but we didn’t shy away from some lesser-known headphone options that we think could give Apple a run for its money. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive into our first pick: the Sony WF-1000XM6.

Sony continues to outdo itself in the world of portable audio. Industry professionals and the average user are still amazed by the sound quality of previous Sony WF-1000XM5 headphones, but the Sony WF-1000XM6 offers refinements we didn’t even know we wanted! Improvements include improved comfort, stronger active noise cancellation (ANC), and the kind of sound quality that even an audiophile can appreciate. And, of course, these headphones deliver the kind of boosted bass that makes listening to genres like rock, hip-hop, and EDM a pleasure.

In fact, our friends at SoundGuys felt that the XM6 bass was actually a bit overrepresented, especially with ANC enabled. Luckily, the Sony Sound Connect app includes a 10-band EQ to dial in just the right amount of thump, or you can choose from one of several audio presets. You can also try listening to tracks with ANC turned off, which SoundGuys says delivers a little less bass.

At $330, the Sony Plus, they’re a good choice for iOS and Android enthusiasts, while AirPods are always better if you own an iPhone or iPad.

Over the past few years, Bose has absolutely been killing it when it comes to over-ear and in-ear ANC models. Products like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) are known for their comfort and performance, so we weren’t surprised to learn that the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) carried many of the same benefits. At $300, they’re also a bit cheaper than the aforementioned Sony XM6 ($330), but still more expensive than the AirPods Pro 3.

Right out of the box, listeners are treated to the kind of over-boosted bass that will give the AirPods Pro 3 something to worry about, and the Bose app lets you further fine-tune the sound of your Bose headphones. Turning ANC on and off provides a slightly different playback experience, but you can also adjust how noise cancellation impacts your listening when isolation is enabled. Bose even thought to include a Bass Reduction audio preset for those who don’t want singer-songwriter tracks and podcast episodes to sound too loud.

Unlike the AirPods Pro 3 (or any pair of AirPods, for that matter), the Bose QC Ultra (2nd Gen) in-ear headphones come in multiple colors, including Black, Desert Gold, Midnight Purple, White Smoke, and Deep Plum. On Amazon, the Bose headphones earned four out of five stars based on more than 3,300 buyer reviews, with one happy buyer noting that the sound quality is consistently solid and warm across the spectrum.

Sony and Bose may be brands that most readers would expect to read about on a list like this, but now it’s time for something a little more off the beaten path. The Technics EAH-AZ100 are a thrilling pair of headphones worth considering, especially for fans of bass-heavy genres. Out of the box, the AZ100 delivers a warm sound profile and the kind of low-end performance that rivals what you’ll get from the AirPods Pro 3 (albeit at a price $50 higher).

Similar to the Sony and Bose headphones shown above, the AZ100s are supported by a robust companion app (Audio Connect) with plenty of sound customizations, including an eight-band EQ and a list of audio presets to choose from. There are also more advanced features, such as the Spatial Audio preset which combines well with Dolby Atmos content. You’ll also get support for premium codecs like Sony LDAC and LC3.

According to RecordingNOW, the Technics favor a user-friendly audio profile with a lot of emphasis on bass. Fortunately, the amplified bass does not take away anything from the high and mid frequencies. However, it’s worth mentioning that some aspects of playback may be affected by the earphones’ ANC system (which does a great job of dampening most distractions).

The last pair of wireless earbuds on our list is a product that checks in at a much lower price than the AirPods Pro 3. The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro retails for just $170, which may make you worry that they won’t be anywhere near the AirPods. But the Liberty 5 Pro is proof that a lower price doesn’t always mean worse performance, at least in terms of bass reproduction.

Engineering matters most, and the Liberty 5 Pro’s developers invested heavily in the 9.2-millimeter drivers and bass boost tubes. CNET, one of several publications that tested the Liberty 5 Pro, praised the headphones’ “thumping bass.” Fans of low-end genres like rock and hip-hop will appreciate the bass boost, but if it’s too overwhelming, the Soundcore app gives you access to numerous presets and a graphic EQ for fine-tuning.

The Liberty 5 Pro also features the next generation of wireless technology, Bluetooth version 6, which supports up to three devices connected via multipoint. You will also benefit from LDAC and Google Fast Pair support. Amazon shoppers gave the headphones a 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on over 1,050 ratings, with one self-proclaimed audiophile with bass expertise praising the Liberty 5 Pro’s low-end articulation.

When selecting the four pairs of earbuds we’ve highlighted in this review of gadgets that surpass AirPods in bass performance, we chose products that experts and everyday people alike said delivered the goods. We also relied on trusted, long-standing manufacturers and referenced professional reviews and user feedback where available.

Every pair of headphones on this list is available on Amazon, with a few price points represented to fit different budgets. All of the products we included received overall favorable consumer ratings, with at least three-quarters of Amazon buyer ratings being three out of five stars or higher.