Stuff Gadget Awards 2024 winners - Headphones

What a year! What a lot of gear! Struggling to remember what’s hot and what’s not? Our annual Gadget Awards have done the hard work for you – join us in celebrating the very best tech to have come out in the previous 12 months. If you’re planning to add something to your gadget arsenal, these are all excellent choices. After all, they’ve just won an award.

AFFORDABLE HEADPHONES OF THE YEAR

SAMSUNG GALAXY BUDS FE

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds have been excellent almost from the very start. They’ve also been out of reach of those with smaller pockets. The Galaxy Buds FE (‘FE’ stand for ‘Fan Edition’) dispense with the large price but keep most of the features. Active noise cancelling, a better-than-expected Ambient mode, and bass boost are typical features. Samsung’s usual excellent audio is less expected but very welcome. But it’s the Buds’ integration with Galaxy AI, specifically as an in-ear translator, that really impresses. Sure, if you can afford a phone that supports Galaxy AI, you don’t need to go budget with your audio, but if the Galaxy A range of smartphones gets an AI upgrade (we reckon it will), you’ll be covered.
R1 700 / samsung.com/za
HIGHLY COMMENDED
JBL Live Beam 3

ALSO SHORTLISTED
Anker Soundcore Space One

OVER-EAR HEADPHONES OF THE YEAR

SONOS ACE

It’s not every day that a new headphone range launches. It’s even rarer that the first effort is excellent. That’s the Sonos Ace for you. Comfortable design, enough battery to get you through several days between charges, and brilliant noise cancelling are highlights. They’re a tad bass-heavy out of the box but you don’t have to live like that. EQ can be tweaked to your liking. We’re not going to talk about the app (any more) but the hardware is well worth it. Especially if you’re embedded in the Sonos ecosystem already. Sonos Arc owners (who are also iPhone users) have a few brilliant TV sync features that nobody else can have. For now.
R13 000 / sonos.com

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Beats Studio Pro

ALSO SHORTLISTED
Marshall Monitor III ANC

FITNESS HEADPHONES OF THE YEAR

SHOKZ OPENRUN PRO 2

Nothing’s better than bone conduction when it comes to headphone tech that allows you to stay aware of your surroundings, but there’s always been a price to pay when it comes to bass response and power. Not so with these glorious Shokz.
Our favourite fitness headphones of 2024 pump out more low-end thump than any rivals to date, thanks to an audio setup that complements the bone-based tech with a traditional driver. Not only does that mean beefier bass, but it opens up extra top-end detail too – to the point where we’d happily use these to listen to music at home, not just when running or cycling. Their exercise game is seriously strong too, though.
R4 000 / shokz.com

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

ALSO SHORTLISTED
Nothing Ear Open

TRUE WIRELESS HEADPHONES OF THE YEAR

BOWERS & WILKINS Pi8

Taking advice from human body researchers for the Pi8 buds really paid off for Bowers & Wilkins: these in-ears offer a secure and comfortable fit, much more so than their predecessors, for true all-day wearability.
The redesign means they sit securely in a wider variety of ear shapes and sizes, and it’s all change on the inside too: B&W has ditched the dual-driver setup for a single speaker using carbon cone tech, as used in the excellent Px8 over-ears.
As well as being impressed by the design, we were won over by just how clear these in-ears are. With three mics per bud and the same ANC algorithms as the PX8s, they do a great job of quietening the outside world without colouring the sound. You can expect to listen at moderate volumes without missing out on any of those luscious fine details.
R7 000 / bowerswilkins.com