Greetings, friends!

I regularly choose various things for myself and always strive to get the best price/quality ratio. The warm season has begun, walks have become longer, and my new Redmi 13 Pro+ 5G, as luck would have it, doesn't have a headphone jack. This means it's finally time to buy myself a pair of TWS earbuds.

As a long-time audiophile with a FiiO M11 player and FiiO FH5 earphones, I have always avoided wireless headphones. Some 5-10 years ago, I tried early TWS models and, frankly, was disgusted—the sound quality was terrible. Since then, I haven't trusted wireless connections at all, preferring wired solutions.

But time goes on, technology develops, and modern models, judging by the reviews, are quite good. My name is Ilya, I am the founder of the online neural network for creating images ArtGeneration.me, a tech blogger and neuro-evangelist, so I approach the choice of technology quite meticulously.

The purpose of this review is to give you a general overview of the TWS earbuds market with the highest quality sound. You can watch detailed reviews of each specific model on YouTube—I have embedded reviews in the article that YouTube considers good, and I think they will give you a complete picture of the models.

To find the best model, I delved into deep research of the current TWS earbuds market. If you, like me, love music and are choosing earbuds, perhaps this research will be useful to you.

Models in the review

S-Tier (Premium without compromise):

Sony WF-1000XM5 (19,990 - 27,990 ₽)
Technics EAH-AZ100 (30,000 - 50,000 ₽)

A-Tier (Excellent balance):

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (from 17,000 ₽)
Creative Aurvana Ace 2 (from 12,000 ₽)
Denon PerL Pro (25,000 - 40,000 ₽)

B-Tier (Good options with nuances):

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 (38,000 - 50,000 ₽)
Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 (8,000 - 15,000 ₽)
Nothing Ear (a) (from 8,000 ₽)

Research Methodology

To create an objective rating, I analyzed numerous sources: from English and Russian-speaking Reddit forums to professional review sites and specialized audio blogs. I paid special attention to real user reviews on Russian platforms: Ozon, Yandex.Market, DNS, and other online stores with current prices for May 2025.

Main evaluation criteria:

Sound quality (detail, soundstage, frequency balance)
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
Battery life
Fit and comfort
Reliability and build quality
Price/quality ratio
Availability in Russia and prices

What are TWS earbuds?

For those who don't know: TWS (True Wireless Stereo) are completely wireless earbuds with no wires between the left and right earpieces. They connect to a device via Bluetooth and usually come with a compact charging case that not only protects the earbuds but also recharges them on the go.

Most modern TWS earbuds are equipped with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). This technology uses built-in microphones to analyze ambient sounds and creates 'anti-phase' sound waves that cancel out external noise. Simply put, the earbuds 'listen' to what's happening around you and generate a sound that neutralizes unwanted noises—like the drone of an airplane, the hum of an air conditioner, or city traffic. This allows you to listen to music at a lower volume and concentrate better.

Why are AirPods not in the rating?

Many probably expect to see Apple AirPods Pro in this review, but they are not here for several reasons. Firstly, although AirPods are indeed good, they are far from the best in terms of sound quality for music playback. Secondly, they are not universal—if you have an Android device (like my Redmi 13 Pro+ 5G), buying AirPods is foolish, to say the least, as you will lose a significant portion of their functionality. AirPods are tailored to the Apple ecosystem and reach their full potential only with an iPhone and other Apple devices.

Rating of the best TWS earbuds May 2025

🏆 S-Tier: Premium without compromise

Sony WF-1000XM5

Price in Russia: 19,990 - 27,990 ₽

The flagship from Sony, which many consider the benchmark among TWS earbuds. They provide best-in-class detail and musicality. The ANC here is very effective—you can be comfortable with these earbuds even on the subway or an airplane.

Pros:

Superb sound quality with LDAC support
Very effective active noise cancellation
8 hours of battery life + 16 hours with the case
Lightweight and comfortable fit for most people
Excellent performance with heavy music

Cons:

Fit issues for users with small ears
Extremely sensitive touch panels (from 2025 reviews)
Possible glitches when using LDAC
Glossy surfaces attract fingerprints

User reviews: "I've been using them for half a year. With the silicone ear tips, the fit test now passes on the first try, and the noise cancellation works even better."

Technics EAH-AZ100

Price in Russia: 30,000 - 50,000 ₽

A Japanese engineering marvel with unique magnetic fluid drivers. They offer an exceptional soundstage among all TWS earbuds, but they have their quirks.

Pros:

Revolutionary magnetic fluid driver technology
Exceptional soundstage and detail
Triple device connection
Dolby Atmos and LDAC support
Improved comfort compared to the AZ80
10-12 hours of battery life

Cons:

Sound quality noticeably degrades with ANC off
Weak magnets for the case lid
Peculiar relationship with heavy music
High price

Expert reviews: "The AZ100 are well-thought-out, comfortable premium wireless earbuds that impress. Sony and Bose should take note!"

🥇 A-Tier: Excellent balance

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4

Price in Russia: from 17,000 ₽

German quality in the TWS world. They feature powerful bass and a sound personalization function that adapts the sound to your hearing characteristics.

Pros:

Signature Sennheiser sound with powerful bass
Sound personalization via the app
aptX Lossless and LE Audio support
Reliable ANC without affecting the sound
Excellent controls and app

Cons:

Relatively bulky
Mediocre microphone quality
Reports of reliability issues
May be too bass-heavy for some

User reviews: "The first earbuds where Slipknot sounds really good. The sound is amazing in almost all genres. The app and controls are gorgeous."

Creative Aurvana Ace 2

Price in Russia: from 12,000 ₽

The world's first TWS earbuds with xMEMS technology—solid-state drivers. A real breakthrough in the audio industry at a reasonable price.

Pros:

Revolutionary xMEMS driver technology
Outstanding high frequencies and detail
aptX Lossless support
Innovative approach to sound reproduction
Attractive semi-transparent design

Cons:

Problematic ANC with 'white noise'
No auto-pause when an earbud is removed
Standard equalizer resets itself
Average case body
Lack of volume at maximum

User reviews: "xMEMS drivers are made of silicon and work by applying voltage. The result is the most accurate reproduction of high frequencies."

Denon PerL Pro

Price in Russia: 25,000 - 40,000 ₽

Japanese earbuds with the unique AAT (Adaptive Acoustic Technology), which personalizes the sound to your hearing characteristics.

Pros:

Unique AAT technology for personalized sound
Good sound quality after setup
aptX Lossless support
Comfortable for stationary use
Equalizer on top of AAT correction

Cons:

AAT can be unstable and highly dependent on ear tips
ANC is just acceptable, not the best
Reports of reliability and quality control issues
The fit can be ambiguous
Microphone quality is not very good

User reviews: "The sound after the acoustic tuning is phenomenal and really fun. They might be some of the best-sounding earbuds on the market."

🥈 B-Tier: Good options with nuances

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Price in Russia: 38,000 - 50,000 ₽

British premium with carbon drivers and a unique case-transmitter function.

Pros:

Supreme sound purity
Carbon cone drivers
The case can act as a transmitter for wired sources
Superb detail
Effective ANC

Cons:

Very high price
Some connection issues
Call quality is not top-notch
Lack of fit tests

Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2

Price in Russia: 8,000 - 15,000 ₽

A Chinese brand with an impressive price/quality ratio and support for Hi-Res codecs.

Pros:

Excellent soundstage for its price
LDAC and LHDC 5.0 support
Effective noise cancellation
Affordable price
7 pairs of ear tips included

Cons:

Weak mid-range frequencies
Chinese app with limited localization
Average battery life (4-5.5 hours)
V-shaped sound signature

Nothing Ear (a)

Price in Russia: from 8,000 ₽

Stylish earbuds from the former founder of OnePlus with good functionality for a reasonable price.

Pros:

Attractive design
Good ANC for its price
LDAC support
ChatGPT integration (on Nothing devices)
Excellent price/quality ratio

Cons:

No wireless charging
Average battery life
Limited sound settings
No personalized sound profile

Peculiarities of the Russian market

⚠️ Caution: Counterfeits!

When choosing TWS earbuds in Russia, pay special attention to the product's authenticity. The market is flooded with counterfeits, especially of popular Sony and Apple models. I've seen offers for Sony WF-1000XM5 with delivery from abroad for as low as 2,000 rubles—these are obvious fakes.

How to avoid counterfeits:

Buy from authorized dealers
Avoid suspiciously low prices
Check for a warranty
Beware of products 'from abroad' at bargain prices

Recommended stores:

Ozon (choose 'Ozon' as the seller and the original product)
Yandex.Market with verified sellers
DNS — a large chain with a guarantee of authenticity
M.Video — an official retailer

My final choice: Sony WF-1000XM5

After all the research, I settled on the Sony WF-1000XM5 and ordered them on Ozon for 22,000 rubles, choosing Ozon itself as the seller to guarantee authenticity. Don't forget to click on 'ask for a discount'—it really works. The discount isn't huge, but it's a nice bonus.

Why Sony?

I chose these earbuds largely because the technical reviews I studied explicitly stated that the Technics AZ100 has a rather peculiar relationship with heavy music. And I love heavy music—I listen to symphonic metal, various subgenres of melodic death metal. I really wanted the guitars to perform well, the distortion to be high-quality, and the entire spectrum of heavy genres to sound as respectable as possible.

Plus, Sony is a truly old and respected brand. At one time, I was a Sony fan until they started making frankly bad phones and then stopped making them altogether. But a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, and in the audio field, they still remain at the top.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 offer:

An ideal balance of all characteristics
Very effective ANC
Excellent performance with heavy music
A reasonable price for a flagship level
Wide availability in Russia

Connection issues: a real experience

However, after a few hours of use, I encountered serious connection problems. The earbuds lost connection and 'stuttered' for fractions of a second countless times. Contrary to my initial expectations, things weren't so smooth. After taking a walk with the earbuds in the evening, I found that they lost connection frequently. This is not a rare problem, and many users often face it.

If the phone is in my hands or on a table, the sound is excellent and top-notch. But as soon as I put the phone in my left pants pocket, where I usually carry it, the earbuds lose signal. I wasn't going to change my phone-carrying habits, especially after buying such a device. This happened even with the connection quality priority enabled, as the situation was even worse with the music quality priority. Before deciding to return the earbuds, I started looking for solutions online, and it turned out there were some.

What helped solve this problem?

Switching to the AAC codec in the settings instead of LDAC significantly stabilized the connection. Surprisingly, when using the LDAC codec, the connection would drop even if I just moved my hand near the phone. With the AAC codec, everything is fine, and since I listen to music on Spotify, the difference in sound quality isn't that noticeable to me, but the connection stability has improved significantly.

How to enable it (using MIUI as an example, may differ in other Android versions):

Settings → About phone → tap the MIUI version 7 times (in my case).

Settings → Additional settings → Developer options.

Find "Bluetooth audio codec" → switch to AAC (if that doesn't help, switch to SBC).

This wasn't the only problem. On my FiiO M11 player, I couldn't download the official app for the earbuds because the M11 runs on an old version of Android (7), and new apps won't install on it. Fortunately, the player works with the earbuds anyway, and its better antenna provides a stable connection in LDAC mode, even when the player is in the same pocket. Very strange. The FiiO player worked well, and its LDAC connection was stable, but as soon as I switched to the music quality priority, problems started there too. In the end, I left both devices on connection quality priority: AAC on the phone and LDAC on the FiiO.

I adjusted the equalizer by ear, and in the end, I just cranked up the highs and added some bass.

As for comfort, the earbuds fit comfortably in my ears, and I immediately disabled all automatic functions, preferring to control them manually. Can the sound quality compare to my FiiO FH5? Of course not. The soundstage quality is worse. There's less bass. The guitars are worse. And despite adjusting the equalizer, there's still a lack of high frequencies and some 'sibilance'.

How much worse are they than my wired ones? Subjectively, about 15-20%, but only when compared with FLAC sources. If you listen online (and you don't have Tidal), you won't hear a difference. I don't. I also don't hear a difference between LDAC and AAC on different devices when playing music from Spotify. But overall, I'm really happy with the earbuds, and I almost returned them.

But can anything actually be better?

Absolutely, for example, the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5. At the time of writing, there is only one listing on Ozon for 65,000 rubles, and they are green. I'm sure they would be better because they can be called the pinnacle of TWS technology. The Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 features a hybrid configuration of five drivers (1 dynamic, 1 planar, 3 balanced armature) and supports Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, and LDAC codecs. They also offer personalized sound tuning with Audiodo, which allows adapting the sound to individual hearing characteristics.

These earbuds have received many positive reviews for their detailed and immersive sound, as well as for their effective active noise cancellation. But 65,000+ for TWS earbuds is beyond my budget and, perhaps, common sense. And on top of that, they're green.

Conclusion

The TWS earbuds market in 2025 offers excellent options in all price categories. If your budget is limited, look at the Nothing Ear (a) or Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2. If you want to try new technologies, consider the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 with xMEMS drivers. If you need the absolute maximum in sound and money is no object, then the Technics EAH-AZ100 or Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are for you.

But for the vast majority of users, the optimal choice remains the Sony WF-1000XM5 — they don't fail in any category, remaining in the top 3 for each parameter at a reasonable price and with excellent availability in Russia. Though not without their flaws.

The time for TWS earbuds has truly come. While they are unlikely to replace wired solutions for serious audiophiles, they are no longer as terrible as they were 10 years ago and are quite suitable for everyday use—of course, if we're talking about models with a reasonable price tag.

Do you own any of these earbuds, or perhaps you've listened to something from the review and have your own opinion? Write it in the comments!

I review various things and talk about neural networks on my YouTube, on Telegram and on Boosty. I would appreciate your subscription and support. Hugs to everyone, may your bass be deep and your highs be clear.

Choosing the best TWS earbuds for music playback in summer 2025: market research and my final choice