September 18, 2025
Article
Best Headphones for Working From Home (2025)
A long-form, practical guide to the best work-from-home headphones, based on comfort, call quality, noise isolation, battery life, and long-term reliability.
Working from home has changed what people expect from headphones. It’s not just about sound quality anymore — it's about call clarity, comfort for multi-hour meetings, noise handling in unpredictable environments, and staying connected across laptops, phones, and work apps without friction.
In 2025, the best work-from-home headphones aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest drivers or the widest soundstage. They’re the ones designed for the reality of remote life: long sessions, background noise, keyboard clicks, neighbours mowing the lawn, dogs barking, kids yelling, Slack calls jumping between devices, and Wi-Fi signals fluctuating between rooms.
This guide focuses on headphones that consistently perform well across the most important WFH factors:
Comfort over multiple hours
Microphone clarity
ANC strength
Ability to switch between devices
Stability on Zoom, Teams, Meet
Battery life and reliability
Low fatigue for long days
After evaluating dozens of models, three headphones stand out as the most reliable, comfortable, and consistent choices for remote work in 2025.
Your Question
What are the best headphones for working from home in 2025 — with the strongest call quality, comfort, privacy, and day-to-day reliability?
1. Sony WH-1000XM5
The best all-round ANC headphone for work: excellent mic quality, extremely comfortable, and reliable across all platforms.
The WH-1000XM5 remains the most versatile ANC headphone for work-from-home users. Sony improved both passive and active noise reduction, redesigned the frame for comfort, and significantly enhanced voice pickup — making the XM5 one of the clearest-sounding headphones for virtual meetings.
What makes it stand out
One of the best ANC systems available
Outstanding comfort for multi-hour sessions
Very strong voice pickup and noise suppression for calls
Multipoint connectivity (switch between laptop and phone)
Consistent performance on Zoom, Teams, and Meet
Excellent battery life
Lightweight design reduces fatigue
Sony nailed the balance between isolation, clarity, and comfort — exactly what remote workers need.
Real-world behaviour
The XM5 excels in noisy environments: construction outside, loud radiators, shared spaces, or people moving around in your home. Voices stay clear even with background noise, and the ANC keeps you focused during long stretches of work.
Limitations
Not ideal for users who prefer a bass-light or very neutral sound
Touch controls can misfire occasionally
The design doesn’t fold, unlike older XM models
Ideal for
Remote workers who want the strongest overall combination of ANC, mic performance, comfort, and device switching.
Buy the Sony WH-1000XM5 on Amazon
Buy the Sony WH-1000XM5 on Best Buy
2. Bose QuietComfort Ultra
The best call clarity and comfort for all-day use, especially in noisy homes.
Bose continues to dominate when it comes to comfort and noise control. The QuietComfort Ultra is exceptionally comfortable — lighter, softer, and easier to wear for long hours than most competitors.
What makes it stand out
Elite comfort — few headphones feel this good over time
Strong noise cancellation suitable for chaotic homes
Very clear call quality with excellent background-noise filtering
Natural sound signature that works well for meetings
Consistent performance with all major conferencing apps
Bose excels in the specific areas remote workers care about: comfort, call clarity, and reliable isolation.
Real-world behaviour
If you’re taking five to six calls per day, the Bose QC Ultra feels less fatiguing than almost any other over-ear headphone. The ANC is calming rather than aggressive, and the mic system filters background noise impressively well.
Limitations
Sound quality is smooth and balanced, but not as “energetic” as Sony
No wired mode for calls unless your platform supports USB audio
Battery life is good, not best-in-class
Ideal for
People who value comfort above everything else and want a headphone that keeps their voice sounding clean in unpredictable home environments.
Buy the Bose QuietComfort Ultra on Amazon
Buy the Bose QuietComfort Ultra on Best Buy
3. Jabra Evolve2 65 (or Evolve2 65 Flex)
The best dedicated work headset: superior mic clarity, great background rejection, and business software integration.
While Sony and Bose dominate consumer ANC, Jabra leads in the “professional headset” category. The Evolve2 65 is designed specifically for work, and it shows — the microphone performance is unmatched in this list, and it integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and enterprise systems.
What makes it stand out
The best microphone clarity on this list
Excellent background noise filtering
Comfortable and lightweight
Strong battery life
Certified for Teams, Zoom, Google Meet
Flip-to-mute boom mic (reliability that ANC headphones don’t offer)
If your job involves constant meetings, presentations, or speaking roles, the Jabra Evolve2 series is designed precisely for that scenario.
Real-world behaviour
The Jabra’s boom mic picks up your voice with greater precision than ANC over-ears. It isolates mouth-level speech, rejects typing noise, and handles multiple speakers in the background better than most consumer headphones.
Limitations
Not as immersive for music as Sony or Bose
ANC is only moderate (some models have ANC, but it’s weaker than Sony/Bose)
More expensive than typical mid-range headsets
Ideal for
People who speak more than they listen — team leaders, consultants, salespeople, recruiters, educators, and anyone whose microphone performance matters more than ANC.
Buy the Jabra Evolve2 65 on Amazon
Buy the Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex on Amazon
Comparison Logic
If you want the strongest ANC + comfort + audio → Sony WH-1000XM5
If you want the best comfort + natural voice clarity → Bose QuietComfort Ultra
If you want the best microphone and meeting performance → Jabra Evolve2 65
These three options target different remote-work identities:
Sony: generalists who want the best mix of everything
Bose: people who wear headphones for very long days
Jabra: people who talk for a living
Recommendation Based on Your Work Style
If your day alternates between meetings and deep work:
Choose Sony WH-1000XM5.
If you spend hours in meetings but want maximum comfort:
Choose Bose QuietComfort Ultra.
If your job relies heavily on your microphone:
Choose Jabra Evolve2 65.
Each one solves a different version of the remote-work problem.
FAQs – Real Questions from Remote Workers (answered by CreatorChat)
Q: Which headphones have the clearest microphone?
Jabra Evolve2 65 — the boom mic outperforms ANC headphones.
Q: Which has the strongest ANC?
Sony WH-1000XM5 — excellent for blocking environmental noise.
Q: Which is the most comfortable for long days?
Bose QuietComfort Ultra — lighter and softer than most over-ears.
Q: Which works best with Zoom and Teams?
Jabra Evolve2 65 — certified for enterprise use.
Q: Which is the best for switching between laptop and phone?
Sony WH-1000XM5 — smooth multipoint connectivity.
Q: Are any of these good for music too?
Sony WH-1000XM5 is the best all-rounder for music + calls.
Q: Should I consider open-back audiophile headphones for work?
Only if your environment is silent. Open-backs leak sound and offer no privacy.