Other Wireless Headphones We’ve Tested

Wireless headphones are the default these days, and there are roughly 1 gazillion of them (and counting). We do our best to test them all, but not everything we test can make the big list. Here are some other good options worth trying.

Status Audio Pro X for $249: The Status Audio Pro X are an excellent pair of earbuds that are slightly overshadowed by their mainstream competitors when it comes to daily use. That said, these buds look and sound awesome, with a triple driver array (one dynamic for bass, two Knowles balanced armatures for mid and high end), which allows them to stand above many other earbuds.

Sony WH-1000XM5 for $398: Sony’s XM5 remain a top headphone, even after being supplanted by the fancier XM6. For a fairly sizable price reduction, you’ll get still-fabulous noise-canceling tech, great sound, and luxe comfort in a supremely portable package.

Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 for $280: These premium earbuds from Beyerdynamic are nondescript-looking and don’t have noise-canceling to compete with Sony and Bose, but they do sound fantastic. If you’re looking for a great-sounding pair that won’t get you judged in public, these are a great option for quiet luxury.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Earbuds for $467: Bowers & Wilkins brings its speaker prowess into the world if high-end earbuds. The Pi8 provide a premium and stylish build, excellent sound quality, and solid noise canceling, albeit at a very high price point. Like other earbuds we’ve tested lately, one of the Pi8’s coolest features is the ability to stream audio from wired audio sources via the charging case, which can really come in handy on long flights.

Edifier Stax Spirit S5 for $500: These high-flying headphones lack noise-canceling, but make up for it with fantastically clear sound from their advanced planar magnetic drivers that use specialized magnet tech for vividly clear delivery. If you can afford their high price, they’re a fun investment that digs into the meat of your music like few headphones in their class.

Soundcore Space A40 for $45: Even though they’ve moved off our main list, the Space A40 are still among the best earbuds you’ll find for the money. Their stylish, premium-looking design is bolstered by solid features, clear and detailed sound, and excellent noise canceling for the price.

Sonos Ace for $399: The Sonos Ace are a pricey but impressive first effort from Sonos, with fantastic noise canceling, great sound, and one of the comfiest designs (if not the comfiest) you’ll find in the game. A few initial software bugs hindered their performance upon release, including trouble with the TV Swap feature that lets you pass sound from a Sonos soundbar to the Ace, but that seems to be fixed, making these an excellent choice—especially for those already invested in the Sonos way.

Beats Solo 4 for $150: We like Beats headphones these days, but this pair was just a bit lacking in features for us at its standard $200 price. Now that they’ve come down, we can heartily recommend them to folks who are looking for a pair of wireless headphones that don’t have noise canceling.

Technics EAH-AZ80 for $161: The AZ80 are great earbuds. Their most noteworthy feature is conveniently pairing to three devices at once, but they finish strong with good noise-canceling tech, top-tier sound quality, and seven different ear tip options for a remarkably comfy fit.

Beats Studio Pro for $250: The Studio Pro offer quality performance, including surprisingly clear sound, good noise canceling, and refreshingly natural transparency mode. The design feels a bit cheap, and they skip features like auto-pause, but extras like Hands-Free Siri and head tracking with spatial audio help pad their value—especially since their sale price sometimes drops to around half of the original $350 MSRP.

Sony WH-CH720N for $129: These Sony cans may have a silly name, but their sheer value makes up for it. They’re not as pliable as top options and don’t come with a case, but their sound quality and noise-canceling are excellent for the money. They are also built to last and have battery life that goes on and on, making them a great option for prudent shoppers.

Master & Dynamic MH40 for $399: M&D’s second-gen MH40 pack gorgeous sound into an equally gorgeous design, with luxurious trappings like lambskin leather and metal parts in place of plastic. Their lack of advanced features, excluding even noise canceling, makes them a pricey portal to minimalism, but they’ve got style for days.

Audio Technica ATH-M50xBT for $219: The original ATH-M50X provide balanced sound and great durability, making them ubiquitous in music and film studios. But what if you want to take them with you between takes? Enter the ATH-M50XBT, which partner a wired studio connection with Bluetooth for wireless freedom. They don’t offer noise canceling or other advanced features but they’re great for melding art and play.

Sony Linkbuds for $128: The Linkbuds have a neat trick: speakers with holes in the middle that let in the world around you for environmental awareness. They’re not so hot for noisy environments, making them something of a one-trick pony, but they’re among the best options in the growing open-ear trend. They’ve also been updated in the new Linkbuds Open, which are pricier at present but offer a few new features and a more stable fit.

JLab Jbuds Mini for $40: These micro-buds from JLab offer so-so sound, but their adorably teensy design that fits on a key ring makes them a fun accessory for those who need some cheap buds to take on the go.

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On Sept. 29, the Trump administration announced a series of actions intended to boost coal mining and electricity generation, its latest move in a government-wide effort to reverse the fuel’s decline.

The announcements from the EPA, Energy and Interior departments are intended to bolster the domestic coal industry at a time of increasing electricity demand due in large part to artificial intelligence data centers. Administration officials and congressional Republicans said these changes are necessary to ensure U.S. competitiveness.

“Around the world, coal is still growing. People talk about peak coal, most consumption, but last year was the year that the most coal was used in the world, and of course we’re in a competition,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said, referring to the AI industry in China. “If we don’t lead in electrical production, we’re going to lose the AI arms race.”

The Energy Department will provide $625 million to subsidize and support coal-fired plants, including $350 million for retrofitting and recommissioning coal plants at or near their retirement dates and $175 million for coal power projects in rural communities.

The Interior Department said it will open more than 13 million acres of federal land for coal mining and streamline permitting the approval process for other mines. It will also implement a provision of the Republican reconciliation law that reduces the royalty rate for coal from 12.5 percent to 7%.

And the EPA announced regulatory changes that would favor coal-fired power plants. They include providing plants with more time to comply with existing effluent limitations guidelines, which govern coal ash wastewater pollution, and an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on changes to the Clean Air Act’s regional haze rule.

U.S. production of coal has declined for more than two decades across Republican and Democratic administrations, with this most carbon emissions-intensive fuel displaced by natural gas, wind and solar power.

However, the Trump administration has been critical of wind and solar energy, blocking projects on federal lands and waters. Officials argue these forms of energy, even when paired with batteries, remain too unreliable and cannot support AI and other industries. In addition, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and others have criticized wind and solar power subsidies, arguing they are evidence these renewables are not cost-effective.

Instead, they have called for increased efforts to preserve and expand forms of baseload power, including coal. Earlier in 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to support the coal industry.

When addressing the United Nations, Trump reiterated his belief that climate change was a “hoax” and said European nations were on the “brink of destruction because of the green energy agenda.”

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a Sept. 25 Fox News interview that he agreed with Trump’s statements. Also last week, Wright characterized a network of scientists who agree about the severity of climate change and its impact as “activists.”

2025 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law groundbreaking legislation requiring the world’s largest artificial intelligence companies to publicly disclose their safety protocols and report critical incidents, state lawmakers announced Monday.

Senate Bill 53 marks California’s most significant move yet to regulate Silicon Valley’s rapidly advancing AI industry while also maintaining its position as a global tech hub.

“With a technology as transformative as AI, we have a responsibility to support that innovation while putting in place commonsense guardrails,” State Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement.

The new law represents a successful second attempt by Wiener to establish AI safety regulations after Newsom vetoed his previous bill, SB 1047, after furious pushback from the tech industry.

It also comes after a failed attempt by the Trump administration to prevent states from enacting AI regulations, under the argument that they would create regulatory chaos and slow US-made innovation in a race with China.

The new law says major AI companies have to publicly disclose their safety and security protocols in redacted form to protect intellectual property.

They must also report critical safety incidents—including model-enabled weapons threats, major cyber-attacks, or loss of model control—within 15 days to state officials.

The legislation also establishes whistleblower protections for employees who reveal evidence of dangers or violations.

According to Wiener, California’s approach differs from the European Union’s landmark AI Act, which requires private disclosures to government agencies.

SB 53, meanwhile, mandates public disclosure to ensure greater accountability.

In what advocates describe as a world-first provision, the law requires companies to report instances where AI systems engage in dangerous deceptive behavior during testing.

For example, if an AI system lies about the effectiveness of controls designed to prevent it from assisting in bioweapon construction, developers must disclose the incident if it materially increases catastrophic harm risks.

The working group behind the law was led by prominent experts including Stanford University’s Fei-Fei Li, known as the “godmother of AI.”

© 2025 AFP