Valco Laboratoriot

The best earbuds don't exist. There are the best earbuds for your ears, your use and your wallet. This guide was written by a headphone maker, so we're biased. That's why we'll also tell you where the others are better than us. It stings, but so does building a Death Star.

What noise cancelling in earbuds can do

Noise cancelling works in earbuds on the same principle as in over-ear headphones: microphones listen to your surroundings and cancel out steady, low rumble. Planes, trains, buses and air conditioning go quiet. Voices and clatter it won't remove, whatever the ad claims.

With earbuds, one thing matters more than any chip: fit. If the tip doesn't seal your ear canal, the noise cancelling leaks and the bass disappears. So find the right size tip before you judge anything else. And just like over-ear headphones, earbuds are not hearing protection.

Five things that actually matter

1. Fit and tips. A good box has several sizes and ideally two materials. Most people find that memory foam seals better, while silicone is easier to keep clean. The problem is that you usually only find out about the fit once you've already paid. We came up with a fix for that, more on it below.

2. Noise cancelling and transparency. Noise cancelling makes things quiet, transparency mode lets the sounds around you back in. You'll need the latter at the supermarket checkout and on the street.

3. Battery, in two parts. Check both the time on a single charge and the total time with the case. Noise cancelling eats battery, so compare the numbers with the same settings.

4. Controls. Touch panels are stylish right up until your beanie or your hair skips to the next track. A physical button is boring, but it works.

5. Connections and durability. Multipoint keeps the earbuds connected to both your phone and your computer. Among codecs, aptX Adaptive is a good sign with an Android phone. Splash resistance tells you whether the earbuds can handle sweat and rain.

Where the big guys win, and where we do

Apple's own earbuds work most seamlessly with Apple's own phones. According to reviews, the most effective noise cancelling is found in Apple's and Sony's flagship earbuds, and it's more effective than our current one. If you want the strongest noise reduction on the market and you're happy to pay a lot more for it, buy those.

Apple, Samsung and Sony earbuds have head tracking, spatial audio and touch controls. Ours don't. The starting point for the design was that the NL25 has physical buttons, because we think touch controls may be the most annoying invention ever, one that has spread like cancer into all electronics and cars.

It's an open secret in the industry that, apart from big exceptions like Sony and Apple, most makers use either cheap Chinese chips or Qualcomm chips. The NL25 is also built on a Qualcomm chipset, as are Bose's models, for example (as far as we know). So technically, even a small maker starts from the same line as a bigger one.

In the end, the difference comes down to tuning. The heart of the NL25 is one thing: listening to music in a way you actually enjoy. The sound was tuned by ear by Jasse Kesti, and when it comes to sound quality, we're certainly not ashamed next to anything. In the end, it's up to you what you value most. Are you buying earplugs, or headphones for music?

Earbuds or over-ear headphones?

Earbuds fit in your pocket and under a beanie. Over-ear headphones have a bigger battery, stronger noise cancelling and, at least in our opinion, they're more comfortable for longer listening. If you're sitting on a plane for ten hours, noise cancelling headphones are the better choice. If you're running for the bus for ten minutes, earbuds win.

Choose by use

On the move, what matters is fit, splash resistance and buttons you won't press by accident. At work, multipoint matters, because the call always comes in on the wrong device. On a trip, what matters is the total time with the case. We've made separate pages on these: headphones for travel, headphones for the office and headphones for studying.

Valco NL25, and who it's for

The NL25 is made for people who actually listen to music. No head tracking, no touch controls. Jasse Kesti tuned the sound, and you listen. That's the whole idea.

Technically, the NL25 is a true wireless earbud with noise cancelling and transparency mode. On a single charge you get over 6 hours without noise cancelling and about 4.5 hours with it. With the case, total time is up to 17 hours, and the case charges via USB-C or wirelessly.

The controls are physical buttons you can press even with gloves on. Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint, aptX Adaptive and IPX4 splash resistance. Memory foam and silicone tips are included. Either earbud also works on its own.

Try before you buy

Buying earbuds is a gamble. You order, you wait, you push them into your ears and hope. That's why we made the NL25 fitting kit. It contains NL25 earbuds as mute dummy samples and tips in different sizes. No electronics and no sound, just the shape and size, which is exactly what decides it.

The kit costs €9.90 including postage. If you then buy the real NL25s, you get the same amount back as a discount. As far as we know, you can't try on earbuds before buying anywhere else. If you can, tell us and we'll stop bragging.

Honestly: the NL25 isn't repaired the way our over-ear headphones are. A faulty pair is replaced under warranty, and broken ones are recycled for spare parts. We don't throw headphones in the bin, but for now there's no room for a screwdriver inside an earbud.

Frequently asked questions

Are earbuds hearing protection? No. For noisy work, you need hearing protectors.

Does one earbud work on its own? With the NL25, yes. The sound is then in mono.

Can you try earbuds before buying? The NL25, yes. Order the fitting kit, try the shape and tips in your own ears, and only then decide.

How do I know the tip is the right size? When the noise cancelling clearly quiets things down and you can hear the bass, the seal is working. If the sound is thin, try a bigger tip.

How much do earbuds cost? Prices range from a few tens of euros to over €300. The NL25 costs €169. The money goes, as always, to the Death Star.