23% Of People Think This Brand Makes The Worst Headphones

Did you know that the first headphones were an improvement on 1890s telephone technology? In 1981 the French engineer, Ernest Mercadier, was the first to patent telephone receivers that were light enough to wear (via Smithsonian). Back then, the device was called "bi-telephones" as they had two speakers to be worn on either side of the head (via headphonesty). Would you hold a 10-pound headphone over your head? Well, that's how the headphones looked back in the day. Fast forward to the 2020s, where you have lightweight, noise-canceling, and, more importantly, battery-powered headphones that are comfortable to wear and easy to use. 

In today's market, companies like Bose, Sennheiser, and Sony are famous for making affordable headphones, but our survey indicates that some are preferable to others. In the survey, we asked 605 participants which brand they think is the worst at making headphones, and the results were astonishing. You'd think that brands like Sony and Sennheiser, ones that make premium products, would be among the best headphone makers, right? That is not what the SlashGear survey suggests. 

Starting with the American audio equipment manufacturer, Bose. Due to its premium quality products and on-point sound, only 8.60% of the respondents think Bose makes the worst headphones. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones are counted among "The 10 Most Durable Headphones You Can Currently Buy." They feature adjustable noise cancellation and an IPX4 rating for those who are looking for water-resistant headphones.

The fifth-worst ranked company, with 16.20% votes, is Sony. It is surprising that Sony has got so many votes, given that the company makes some of the most popular noise-canceling headphones, including the Sony WH-1000XM4 and its successor, the Sony WH-1000XM5.

With 16.69% of respondents believing that the brand makes the worst headphones, Sennheiser is in the fourth position on our list. In 2021, the company sold its consumer brand to Sonova, which focuses more on healthcare products. Although Sonova planned to continue releasing headphones, Sennheiser's audio products have lost their path since the acquisition. Nevertheless, the company still sells headphones through its website in the United States and other countries around the world.

Moving ahead, the third position in our list of brands that make the worst headphones with 16.86% votes, is Apple. That's not to say that Apple doesn't know how to manufacture audio products, however. Airpods are extremely popular — but they could technically be separated out as earbuds. If you look at it objectively, survey participants aren't wrong. So far, Apple has only made one set of headphones, technically: the AirPods Max. And they don't perform the best in sales. 

Although AirPods Max produce excellent sound with balanced highs and lows, they are just not meant for the average user who cannot afford $500 headphones. Apple sells these headphones for $549, and they happen to lack several functional features. They are not foldable, which makes them difficult to carry around, and they don't have a USB-C port. On top of that, users have reported they have poor battery life.

Now, we're down to the two worst companies, which, according to the participants in our survey, make bad headphones. Stuck in second place is Beats with 17.69% votes. Released in 2006, Beats was doing phenomenally well. The company managed to gain quite a lot of popularity in the early 2010s. However, it didn't last long. Apple purchased the headphone manufacturing and designing company in 2014, killing the entire Beats lineup and replacing it with select models.

In the end, however, the brand that 23.97% of U.S. residents voted as the absolute worst headphone-maker is Audio-Technica. The company was established in 1962 in Tokyo, Japan. Although it has a diverse lineup of headphones, it focuses more on making affordable products than on delivering strongly in departments like audio quality and noise cancellation. Additionally, the lineup has several overlapping models that confuse users, which could be another reason why they voted Audio-Technica as the worst headphones maker.