The 7 Best Headphones And Earbuds For Audiophiles At Costco

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It can be tricky to find a good pair of headphones or earphones, especially if you prioritize sound quality when listening to your favorite playlist, audiobook, or podcast. If sound quality means this much to you, you also have to be willing to spend premium money to get the best options on the market. It always helps to save money where you can, and you can do that at Costco, where you can find products and other electronics that customers swear by. While you're heading through there, it wouldn't hurt to check out the headphone selection if you're in the market.

There are a handful of headphones and earbuds available at Costco that have superb sound quality. Although you might not have as many options as you would from larger, online marketplaces, there are still plenty to choose from. We've gone through the entire store to pick out the best choices that you should grab when you next visit. These are the seven best headphones and earbuds at Costco for audiophiles.

The Bose QuietComfort Noise-Canceling Headphones are a pair of over-the-ear headphones that you can take with you while traveling. Made from synthetic leather and glass-filled nylon, these feature a built-in noise-canceling capability that can drown out the world. You can listen to your favorite playlist or tune in to a podcast to help block out noise when you're walking through busy areas or trying to tune out an office environment. These are available at Costco for $329, which may feel a bit costly, but the overall comfort and sound quality justify the price. The Bose QuietComfort Noise-Canceling Headphones deliver balanced sound performance, albeit a bit bass-focused. You can modify this in the optional Bose Music application, where you'll be able to dive into the equalization settings to create a personalized experience.

The equalization settings are where you can play with the bass and treble of the Bose QuietComfort, modifying it for how you want to listen to your favorite playlist or podcast. You'll be able to save two entirely customized settings, and switch between them with a simple button press. You can also adjust the strength of the noise-canceling settings, changing how much you can hear more of the outside world while you use them as you're walking around in busy areas, traveling, or working at your office.

The AirPods Max are over-the-ear headphones from Apple that diverge from the traditional AirPods the company has focused on for several years. These come in midnight and starlight colors, and the design is made with an aluminum frame and knit, memory-foam padding to settle around your ears. Although the earcups can feel a bit tight, and these are a hefty pair of headphones weighing almost a pound, the lightweight head strap rests at the top of your head. The AirPods Max noise-canceling feature is solid, and we mentioned how much we enjoyed them in our AirPods Max review, as these are a worthwhile purchase if you have multiple other Apple products.

The AirPods Max utilize Apple's Adaptive EQ, which adjusts the sounds based on how tightly the headphones are sealed to your ears. These use internal microphones to determine the best sound for your ears, adjusting the speakers to provide the clearest sound, so you don't have to adjust the settings yourself. If you want to get the most from this feature and sound quality is paramount for you, keeping active noise canceling on is the best way to get the most from these headphones. This means you'll want to use that feature as often as possible, especially since you're paying $499 at Costco for the AirPods Max.

For those looking for a robust pair of wireless headphones, the AKG N9 Hybrid is another choice you can get at Costco. You can get them for $239.99, making them a mid-range option. These come with Bluetooth connectivity, and there's a USB-C dongle to improve the sound quality if that works better for you, or plug them in directly. The AKG N9 are a versatile pair of headphones that bring superb quality in a number of applications. You'll be able to use it for extended periods of time, as the battery can last anywhere from 85 to 100 hours.

The AKG N9 features 40 mm transducers, delivering reliable dynamics and low distortion. You can expect the audio quality to remain consistently strong across any type of media you're enjoying. These do come with noise-canceling when you want to focus entirely on the sound, but you can switch this off if you're walking near traffic or otherwise need to remain aware of what's going on around you. You can control this entirely through the AKG application, which offers multiple customization options for anyone who wants to modify every inch of the sound quality, including the headphone's microphone, where you can change how your voice sounds to others in your call.

If you prioritize noise-cancellation above anything else, the $349.99 Sony WH-1000XM5/SA headphones are a good option to grab at Costco. They're made from vegan leatherette, providing a comfortable fit that wraps around your head for use at the gym or if you're travelling. The active noise-cancelling feature reduces noise at frequencies similar to music, but it is less effective against louder sounds, such as those from large engines, trains, and heavy street equipment. louder sounds still cut through traffic. There's also an ambient sound passthrough feature that you can activate by cupping a hand over your right ear. There are additional hand gestures you can use to control volume, advance tracks, and activate your voice assistant. In our review, we applaud the Sony WH-1000XM5 as some of the smartest headphones on the market, even if they are expensive. Still, we named them the best Bluetooth headphones of 2024.

When it comes to sound quality, the Sony WH-1000X5 is a great choice, as it has a reliable, deep bass with a heavy definition and a refined sound. You'll be able to make out every instrument when you're enjoying your playlist. The Sony WH-1000X5 works with the Sony Sound Connect, which you'll want to get to gain access to the equalizer, where you can fine-tune all the smaller settings to enhance your listening experience.

When you're going after Apple-exclusive products at Costco, an earbud option available to you is the Apple AirPods Pro 3. You can get these wireless headphones for $229.99, and they come with 2 years of AppleCare+. For those familiar with AirPods, the design is similar, with some refinements, including a smaller bulb to help keep them in place. The ear tips are also foam-infused, meaning they conform to your ear, making it difficult for them to fall out, and the feature also improves the noise-cancellation capabilityfrom previous AirPod models. It'll be more difficult to pick up small ambient office sounds, such as the click-clack of typing on a keyboard. In our review of the AirPods Pro 3, we found them to be a huge improvement over previous Apple headphones, and they were found to be one of the best wireless airbuds recommended by Consumer Reports.

Like other Apple products, the AirPod Pro 3 comes with a built-in Adaptive Equalizer. While they're in your ears, the equalizer automatically adjusts the audio to deliver the best experience. It takes away the need to spend time in the settings yourself. These earbuds can also serve as a heart-rate monitor for low-impact exercises, a real-time translation device for speaking with others, and a hearing aid feature.

When you're on the search for good sound quality, but you don't want to lean too much into noise cancellation, you can pick up the Bose Ultra Open-Ear True Wireless Earbuds at Costco for $299.99. These have an odd appearance to them that might give you pause. They fit inside your ear like a traditional earbud, then wrap around the bottom of your earlobe. Some may mistake them for an earring at first glance. You can adjust the clip around your ear to get the most comfort and ensure they stay in place. Despite this unique placement, the sound quality should not differ too much from other earbuds and earphones. You can use the loop as a way to control your volume, switch tracks, and pause or play your music.

These airbuds do not include noise cancellation capabilities, so you'll still hear what's going on around you (as long as the music isn't too loud). For optimal performance, you'll need to adjust the bass, midrange, and treble to get the best experience, since you'll often be dealing with external noise. The bass doesn't perform as well as other products. For anyone who plans to use these frequently when working out or walking, these will work well, as their unique features help them remain in place during physical activities, such as running, biking, or hiking on difficult terrain.

Another pair of earbuds you can pick up are the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds, which you can get for $179. These are some of the cheapest, high-quality headphones and earbuds you can get from Costco, and they come in a compact design. The case is slightly larger than you might expect, meaning that it might not be the best option if you hope to carry around your headphones regularly. When you put these earbuds in, they poke slightly out of your ear, and reviewers have noted that if you have smaller ears, they might not be entirely comfortable and could fall out. You'll want to play with the type of ear tip that you use to hold them in place. When you get them to fit you, you can enjoy their many features, including battery prediction, voice ID, and noise cancellation.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds come with an application you install on your smartphone, and an equalizer where you can customize the finer settings for an ideal experience. However, these settings are relatively basic. It features a range of five choices for you to review and isn't too advanced. For those who don't want to mess with these settings, there are five included preexisting profiles. Even if you don't plan to dive into these settings, the sound quality from these earbuds is great, with the noise-cancelling off and on.

When selecting the headphones and earbuds to include on our list, we chose models that offered the best sound quality, provided customization options and an equalizer setting to some degree, were comfortable to use, could be used with multiple devices, and were highly rated outside the Costco store website. We did not consider price as a significant factor, but did mention how much all models cost for customers to review. 

After browsing the available headphone and earbud options on Costco's main website for this list, we compared user and professional reviews of these headphones. Although the AirPods Pro 3 and Sony WH-1000XM5 have lower user ratings on Costco's website, professional reviews from CNET and Rtings reinforce that they are worthwhile that offer high sound quality.