Best foldable headphones for great wireless sound and compact storage

Yes, earbuds may be the rage and, for such tiny things, they are capable of delivering commendable sound. But for those wanting to immerse themselves in their favourite tunes, there can surely be only one answer: a proper set of cans.

Pre-pandemic, it seemed like every third Tube passenger was rocking a set of wireless Beats on-ear headphones or Apple’s instantly recognisable AirPods. Now, with more time at home, and perhaps a greater desire to block out the rest of the world, over-ear headphones are becoming as much of an essential as a box of lateral flows. The only danger is that you’re so engrossed in the music (noise cancelling is near-compulsory in high-end devices) that you can’t hear the Amazon delivery man knocking.

Bluetooth has allowed manufacturers to ditch the cables, giving freedom to listeners to roam to the other end of the house from their device and made them more travel-friendly than ever. With the latest crop of over-ear headphones, foldable constructions are considered a pre-requisite. This ensures they are compact enough to slip in your bag, while giving justice to your carefully curated playlist.

Here we test several of the best folding headphones. After all, nobody would want to forget their favourite ‘phones when it finally comes the time to pack your bag for that well-deserved summer break (or even the office commute, perish the thought).

Sennheiser Momentum

I’ve always loved Sennheiser. I can still recall my first pair – giant yellow foam discs and a headband made of indestructible black plastic. Plugged into the CD player and they produced previously unimaginable sound quality.

More recently I bought a £70 HD 350BT set of cans – comfortable and pretty decent for the price. But let’s just say I haven’t used them since these Sennheiser Momentum beauties turned up just before Christmas.

Compared with even the best ear pods, these are like watching a film on widescreen cinema rather than a smartphone.

The depth of sound and lower-end kick – with each note identifiable rather than just a repetitive thump – is like a bass guitarist sitting on top of your head.

The headband and ear “muffs” are clad in leather, and move up and down on an aluminium band. The entire feel is of quality.

There are logically placed buttons – one to increase the volume, one to decrease and a third to pause the music, skip a track (two touches) or rewind (three touches).

There is noise cancelling, “transparent hearing” (to avoid danger from road traffic if out walking), a voice assistant and the ability to take phone calls while continuing to wear the headphones.

Testing their performance, The Weeknd’s new track Gasoline is like a sonic explosion. The guitar notes on Sam Fender’s brilliant new album are as sharp as splintered glass. Carnival by Natalie Merchant, which I must have heard 1,000 times, is transformed. The music stops as soon as you remove them from your head.

My only real reservation is that these headphones are big. Describing them as heavy would be overstating it, but their presence is unmistakable, mostly by virtue of their incredible sound.

Buy now £349.00, Amazon

JBL Tour One

“Designed to inspire” says the message on the box. Well, the JBL Tour Ones are certainly an attractive, well-proportioned and fine sounding pair of headphones.

Like the Sennheiser Momentum, the JBL ‘phones come stylishly presented and boast a solid carry case rather than the Sennheiser soft silver-grey pouch.

They’re really lovely to the touch and are smaller than the rival Sennheisers. They took barely a second to connect via Bluetooth - the merest flick of a toggle switch - and whatever you’ve been streaming on your device starts playing automatically.

These are over-ear and really comfortable to wear. The sound quality is excellent though perhaps not as revelatory as the Sennheiser. They win top marks for ease of use - not too many buttons, easy volume adjustment and the option of noise cancelling if it’s your preference.

The sound is “brighter” than Sennheiser, meaning female vocals – I tested them by playing the Cowboy Junkies - come with a degree of sibilance. But Bob Dylan’s latter-day masterpiece, Murder Most Foul, retained his deep growl.

Buy now £279.99, JBL

Marshall Major IV

Well, they certainly look the part. The iconic Marshall logo, known to gig-goers across the world from the speaker stacks used by every rock band worth their salt, sits proudly on each “can”. They’re dinky, too - on-ear rather than over-ear - and light as a feather. Unlike the Sennheiser, there’s hardly any pressure on the ears from the headband.

But could I get them to connect to my iPhone via Bluetooth? No I could not. After numerous failed attempts, I resorted to making use of the supplied cable to link to my iPod. Retro indeed.

Arcade Fire’s Sprawl II came out light and fluffy. There’s only one button, which is meant to turn the headphones on and off, control the volume, skip tracks and establish the Bluetooth link. In wired mode, though, it did nothing.

Love Will Tear Us Apart was also quite trebly, with little bass – one of the defining features of this great song. On Love & Money’s Strange Kind Of Love, there’s a more rounded sound, but you don’t feel as close to the music as with headphones. Incredibly comfortable, super stylish but sadly lacking a musical punch of some of the other models on this list.

Buy now £129.00, Amazon

Pioneer DJ CUE1s

These may seem a bit of a wildcard choice for runners - Pioneer are known for being the go-to brand for DJs. These headphones, which can be worn wirelessly with a Bluetooth connection, are a cheaper entry level point into the brand, and because they’re secure and lightweight to wear, they work well for workouts if you prefer this over-the-head design. And because Pioneer are favourites of the music world, you know the sound is going to be good quality.

They’re easy to connect to your phone - no app required - and have 30 hours of battery life. The design is also flexible, with the ability to fold into a more compact size for carrying. You can definitely get more sport-specific headphones, but if you want something versatile with a different feel, these are worth considering.

Buy now £85.00, Amazon

Audio-Technica ATH-S220BT

With a battery life of up to 60 hours, you could easily forget the Audio-Technica ATH-S220BT needs charging up at all. And when it comes to it, just a ten-minute battery boost gives you another three and a half hours of listening time.

A great affordable option in the headphones market, this set is superbly comfortable and lightweight as well at just 180 grams. Despite being low-cost and nifty, the sound quality remains impressive while functionality including multi-point pairing and Bluetooth connectivity are simple and effective. This is a recommended choice for gamers, long journeys, and those never-ending zoom calls.

Buy now £60.00, Amazon

Verdict

The Sennheiser Momentum headphones come out top in terms of sheer aural delight, but the JBL Tour Ones are a cheaper and more comfortable alternative.