Despite those minor grumbles, the QC Earbuds II are a superb pair of wireless earbuds, and class-leading when it comes to their ability to reduce the impact of external distractions. Over the course of two months, we tested multiple headphones claiming to be waterproof and able to withstand our usual 30-minute lane swim session.

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Most earbuds have one master and one slave driver so, depending on the way the manufacturer has implemented it, you’ll be able to listen to your music through one of the said earbuds.Thanks to their good build quality and surprisingly long continuous battery life of around nine hours, they're worth checking out. We found that earbuds generally didn’t stay put, even with a skull-crushingly tight swimming hat in place, and that bone conduction or in-ear models were best. For example, the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds are better all-rounders, ticking the boxes for sound, style, comfort and ANC. During the day, you can use the Nightbuds to help you concentrate at work, or listen to mini lectures on the biology of sleep, and why it's so important.

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Voice assistant support: If you like to make use of Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri, you should ensure that your earbuds support your voice assistant of choice. Some of these earbuds replace these sounds with more soothing ones, such as soft music or waves crashing. As a biker you may well just want maximum protection – so in general, choose an ear plug with a high rating.

If you live in a wet country or plan on using your earbuds while exercising then you’ll want to pick a pair that offers protection against these external agents.

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Bluetooth Multipoint: This allows earbuds to remain connected to more than one source simultaneously and is particularly useful if you regularly switch between using your buds with your laptop, tablet and phone. The QC Earbuds II are a slightly warmer listen than the original QC Earbuds but this doesn’t upset the overall balance, with mids and treble packed with detail and articulated very cleanly. That stamina doesn’t come at the expense of audio quality either, as even on the standard profile, the PurePlay Z3 2. Plus switching between channels both on the radio and headset was super simple – although to make it easier we’d have preferred it used numbers rather than a colour-coded system. They’re all designed to be rolled lengthways between the fingers so the foam is tightly compressed, then pushed in the ear canal, pointy end first (except for the 3M E-A-Rs where you can use either end).

Added the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless as an alternative to the Anker Soundcore Space A40. Compared to the Space A40's rounded look, the Liberty 4 have a more traditional stem design that some users may find preferable. We're not sure you'll want the concert experience every time you go for a fun, but the extra immersion is welcome, and means they're great for watching TV and movies whether you're at the gym or just watching some other time.