7 Best Headphones With Microphone for Clear Calls, Lessons, and Work (2023)

This is the latest list of the best headphones with a microphone.

Find quality headphones with a mic that are perfect for crystal clear calls, even in noisy places. And learn simple tips on how to get the best voice quality.

In a world of video calls, Zoom meetings, and working from home, headphones with a quality mic are essential.

To live in the modern world, you need at least one pair of headphones with a good microphone. Especially, if you’re using headphones for work.

But not all wireless headphones have a quality mic. In fact, their call quality varies significantly, even with high-end headphones.

Here, you’ll find the best headphones with a mic that we’ve tested (and recorded microphone tests).

These top headsets will make your own voice sound clear and understandable for hassle-free calls.

Before you make a buying decision, you have to know that the price of headphones isn’t correlated to mic quality. As a matter of fact, some premium models have a rather disappointing call quality.

Related guides:

Best Bluetooth headphones

Most comfortable headphones

Best headphones under $100

Best Headphones With Microphone

1. Sony WH-1000XM5

Listen to the Sony WH-1000XM5 microphone test:

Headphones initially sound muddy and dark but produce much clearer audio once you apply a custom EQ. The bass remains sloppy, but the rest of the frequency response sounds airy and natural.

What doesn’t sound sloppy is the voice quality. Sony WH-1000XM5 have a surprisingly excellent call performance, beating all other wireless headsets we’ve tested so far. Your voice is nicely full and without distortion, even in the presence of louder background noise.

On top of that, you get to enjoy fantastic active noise cancelling and ambient sound mode performance. Also, there are many features in the Headphones Connect app to try.

Furthermore, with a battery life of 40.5 hours per charge, you don’t have to worry about them shutting off during longer phone calls.

2. Edifier WH950NB

Listen to the Edifier WH950NB microphone test:

Headphones output a clear sound with a balanced bass response and a touch of boosted rumble. You can improve the audio slightly with the custom EQ.

However, the star of these headphones are their features. Four noise-reducing microphones do a fantastic job for making phone calls, beating even some headphones with separate boom mics.

Furthermore, active noise cancellation is good enough to ensure no external sound will bother you.

You can also use LDAC Bluetooth codec for high-res audio playback, multipoint connectivity, Bluetooth 5.3, and even Theatre Mode to hear movie dialog more clearly.

Add to that a reasonably durable build and plush memory foam earpads, and you get a fantastic deal for under $200.

3. Apple AirPods Max

Listen to the Apple AirPods Max microphone test:

For wireless headphones, they have a very high-quality sound. It’s slightly U-shaped and smooth, producing good rumble and sparkly treble that’s enjoyable whatever genre you throw at it.

AirPods Max use 1+8 additional microphones to pick up your voice as best as possible. And for the most part, call quality is excellent when speaking in a quiet room.

Moving to a noisier place and the quality drops noticeably. It’s still usable for casual making voice calls but not for professional use.

The build quality is exquisite and comfort superb, and you get one of the best noise cancellation and Transparency mode performances on the market.

The built-in H1 chip ensures excellent integration with the Apple devices ecosystem, offering Spatial Audio support and even connecting two devices simultaneously.

Find other best noise cancelling headphones.

4. BlueParrot B550-XT

The B550-XT are perfect headphones designed to tick all the boxes for excellent call quality, abandoning audio performance altogether.

The single issue is that their 36mm drivers can only produce frequencies between 150 to 6800Hz, which isn’t enough for an enjoyable music experience.

However, that’s more than enough for human speech. Taking calls with these headsets are excellent, providing clarity in all kinds of situations.

Their 96% noise cancellation for calls means you can use them in noisier environments, like offices and warehouses.

Since they’re over-ear mono headsets, their weight can be a bit unevenly distributed. Thankfully, comfort isn’t a problem. You even get a foam replacement earpad in the box.

The headset comes with an IP54 sweatproof rating, a mobile app, and a good battery life of 24 hours per single charge.

5. Audio-Technica BPHS2

You get good sound quality for a headset that was primarily built for vocal actions. The 45mm headphone driver (from the ATH-M60x model) translates to an improved sound with a wide frequency range.

The BPHS2 are quality over-ear stereo headphones that offer natural and focused vocals, which makes them ideal for any kind of professional broadcasting or live streaming.

The closed-back stereo headset has a dynamic hyper-cardioid boom microphone which creates a full frequency response and clear natural vocals.

Plus, these impressive headphones are firmly built and should last multiple years. Since these are closed-back headphones, they seal out external noise pretty nicely.

Additionally, the boom mic can be positioned either left or right. That’s one of the new features that are really nice to have.

6. Jabra Evolve2 65 UC

Solid audio is somewhat V-shaped but with a good balance between lows and highs. Headphones can give a meaty bass punch while sounding sparkly at the same time.

The Evolve2 65 UC are specially made with microphone performance in mind. The quality of video calls is superb, offering reliable voice clarity even inside a very noisy office.

Despite having an on-ear design, they have a secure fit and stay on pretty comfortably. You can probably wear them for a couple of hours before needing to take a break.

Headsets are UC-certified, meaning their impressive features work with many communications platforms like Microsoft Teams. There’s a mute button for when you want to speak to someone else.

Besides having increased battery life over their predecessor (37 hours of playtime), they can fast-charge to an additional 8 hours in just 15 minutes.

7. OneOdio A30

Listen to the OneOdio A30 microphone test:

The sound profile is surprisingly clean for the price, with overall fun tuning. Expect a punchy bass and some added sparkle in the high-end. Unfortunately, also some occasional sibilance.

For the best results, turn the ANC off.

The biggest surprise is the microphone quality. It outperforms most wireless headphones, even those costing 4 times as much.

While OneOdio A30 aren’t as clean as those with a dedicated boom mic, they’re doing an admirable job. You can confidently use them for conference calls.

The build quality is solid and in line with the price tag. Earpads are decently big and super plush, so you don’t have to worry about comfort. The foldable ear cup design also brings extra points to portability.

Are you looking for cheap ANC options? See the best budget noise cancelling headphones.

For the same budget, see the best earbuds under $50 or best true wireless earbuds under $50.

Honorable Mentions

Sony WH-1000XM4

Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2

Interested in in-ears? You can find more budget options among the best cheap headphones.

Want another affordable pair of headphones? Best cheap earbuds.

Want to look further? All of the best Bluetooth headphones under $100 also come with a microphone.

How To Choose the Best Headphones with Microphone

Where Do You Usually Make Phone Calls?

• Quiet places: no need for a special microphone
• Loud places: noise reduction tech for mic is essential

Quiet offices don’t require mics with special ANC technologies. Even more basic headphones can perform quite well in a quiet environment.

However, if you primarily make calls on the road, on the streets, or in a loud office environment, investing in good headphones with noise cancelling mic is essential.

Do I Benefit from Quality ANC Technology for Mic?

• ANC for mics: helps reducing background noises, only focuses on your voice, but can cause distortion
• No ANC: clearer overall sound but with lots of background distractions

A noise cancellation microphone is good to have, but sometimes it can do more harm than good.

For example, the active noise cancellation tech tends to overdo the reduction process, making your voice sound muffled or very thin.

Also, some headphones cut off all the frequencies except the ones that are essential for understanding human speech.

They do that to minimize the signal’s bandwidth. You probably know how bad aviation microphones sound in movies.

On the other hand, mics without noise-cancelling tech can pick up your voice with better fullness but also a ton of ambient noise.

Are the Headphones Comfortable?

• More comfortable headphones will make long voice calls and listening sessions more bearable.

If you plan to stay in front of the screen for longer listening sessions, you have to pick comfortable headphones.

Over-ear headphones with cushy earpads are the best option. Preferably, pick velour ear pads since they breathe better, preventing your ears from becoming too hot and sweaty.

On-ears are out of the question unless they’re the more basic ones with super lightweight construction.

Is the Sound Quality Important?

Do you want headphones just for making calls, or do you also want to enjoy your favorite music?

Many professional headphones with a mic focus primarily on microphone quality and put the audio performance at second place.

As mentioned above, even premium models with great sound quality can have bad mic quality.

Therefore, you have to be very careful when picking headphones that perfectly balance audio and call quality.

Thankfully, you can skim through our guide to find the best offers that can do both.

What Makes a Quality Microphone?

A quality microphone must pick up your voice with clarity and fullness.

It must also withstand challenging situations without deteriorating call quality.

For the latter, it has to feature noise-filtering technologies.

Noise Filtering

Noise reduction

Basic noise filtering technology involves having at least 2 microphones, one facing your mouth while the other is facing outwards.

The first mic picks up your voice while the other picks up ambient noise. The two signals filter themselves out so that only your voice remains.

Active noise cancelling (cVc)

If headphones have ANC microphones, it means they cancel out noise using a dedicated chip (cVc or “Clear Voice Capture”).

The latter is a technology that takes the signal from all microphones and cancels out everything but your voice by using a special algorithm.

Wind noise reduction

While you can reduce some noise caused by wind on a chip level, it’s better to avoid it in the first place. You do that by picking the mic with a specific pick-up pattern.

Omni-directional microphones are overall the best when it comes to reducing noise from the wind. The latter involves the noise of the actual outdoor wind or when you blow air through your mouth.

Microphone Position

The further is the mic to your mouth, the harder it is to ensure good voice quality. The latter is especially a problem with built-in mics that sit somewhere next to your ear.

However, call quality can also worsen if the mic is too close to your mouth.

How Does a Headphone Microphone Work?

For calls

There’re regular and noise-filtering microphones. Regular ones only face towards your mouth and try to catch as much of your voice and as few surrounding sounds as possible.

Noise filtering ones consist of at least dual microphones: one is catching your voice, while the other listens to surround sound. That way, the mic can better filter out background noise and only focus on your voice.

Of course, there are also noise cancelling ones that use multiple mics and a computer algorithm only to isolate your voice while reducing surrounding sounds.

For ANC

Microphones pick up background noises, create an opposite signal, and play it into your ears. When the real ambient noise and the inverted one meet, they cancel each other out.

Types of Microphones in Headphones

Built-in

• Built-in microphones are most common in wireless Bluetooth headphones.

They are positioned around the device, with at least one facing toward your mouth.

Since built-in mics are the furthest away from your mouth of the bunch, they also struggle the most with keeping clean call quality.

To combat the issue, the built-in mic must use noise reduction technologies, such as cVc.

Inline

• Inline mics are only found in wired headphones

They usually come with in-line controls that has an integrated mic for making phone calls.

Because they’re positioned more closely to your mouth, they can pick up your voice with greater clarity. Since they’re wired, they also don’t have to compress the audio.

However, most integrated microphones lack noise reduction technology to reduce ambient noise. Consequently, the person on the other end of the line can hear a lot of background interference.

Boom mic

• You can find boom mics on professional teleconferencing headphones or most gaming headsets.

It can be detachable, retractable, or you can flip it up. Since it extends the furthest to reach your mouth, it’s also the best option if you want clean voice quality.

Boom mics are usually equipped with noise reduction tech, either by design or by using dedicated software.

Since they sit so close to your mouth, they can pick up wind blowing from your mouth or nose.

MEMS vs. ECM

Built-in mics have to be small. Two designs are tiny enough to fit in such constrained space: MEMS and ECM.

MEMS

The “Micro-Electro-Mechanical System” is the newest and the smallest mic technology to date. Their size is also the main reason why the majority of wireless headphones use MEMS mics.

ECM

An electret condenser microphone is slightly older tech but still useful in various applications.

Uni-directional vs. Omnidirectional

There are various types of pickup patterns for microphones. Most common ones are uni-directional and omnidirectional. The difference between the two is in their design.

Uni-directional mic

Omni-directional mic

Usually, a uni-directional microphone is better for making phone calls with your headphones since it can better isolate you.

Omni-directional mics are more sensitive and thus pick up more ambient noise. That can make a huge difference when making a call in crowded public places.

On the other hand, the omnidirectional microphone is a better option when you want to capture all the sound around you. When making videos, voice and video calls, streams, interviews, etc.

You can read more about the difference between omni and directional mics.

How to Get the Best Voice Quality with a Headphone Mic?

• Pick up the right headphones with a mic using all the info from the above. It’s best to get good call quality right from the start.
• You can further improve the quality by avoiding noisy and windy places.
• Don’t speak directly into a built-in or inline mic in order to reduce wind noise and prevent distortion.
• If you have a boom mic, make sure you have all the settings right. Gaming headphones usually come with software, and you can also enable noise reduction inside Windows (if headphones support it).

How to enable noise suppression for microphone in Win10

1. To enable noise suppression for microphones within Windows 10, right-click on the speaker icon and select Open Sound settings.

2. Under the Input section, click on Device properties. In the new window, click on Additional device properties.

3. See what options show up under the Enhancements tab. Try each of them to see if they help with call quality.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)