Best TV headphones

The best wireless headphones for TV use will be convenient to use on a daily basis, sound fantastic and be incredibly comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

But setup, compatibility issues, wireless signal interference and atrocious sound and comfort are among a minefield of flaws our experts have found. 

So, for something you’ll use frequently, and with many pairs being rather costly, it’s important to choose well. Whatever type you’re looking for, our experts select the very best pairs, below.

There are two main types of wireless headphones to use with your TV: 

1. Dedicated home theatre headphones that come with a specialised base station and provide wireless connectivity, along with a convenient dock for charging. 
2. Bluetooth headphones, which can only be used with TVs that support Bluetooth.

Our experts assess the ease of use, setup and functionality of each pair of headphones. 

We use an expert listening panel with a range of ages, ear sizes and musical tastes, and decades of experience between them to find the best-sounding and most comfortable pairs on the market.

We’re not biased by advertising and our thorough tests don’t leave anything out. We also test the battery life of wireless headphones to see whether manufacturer claims match up to reality, and check for signal interference to make sure you get a pair of headphones that will deliver clear and amazing sound every time.

Best headphones – see the full list of our top-scoring headphones.

Wireless TV headphones with a docking station

These are the wireless TV headphones to go for if you’re looking for a pair designed specifically for optimum use with your TV. This type can be set up to work with almost any TV without adaptors and the included dock means charging your headphones every day is super easy.

They feature a base station, which acts as both a wireless transmitter and the charging dock. This base station connects into your TV usually via an optical (digital) cable or standard 3.5mm (analogue) auxiliary cable – depending both on what connections your TV supports and the pair of headphones you choose support. An optical connection is recommended if you have a choice, but both can provide a superb experience.

• Pros: Everyday use couldn’t be easier: simply take the headphones off the dock to use, then put them back when you’re finished to charge. A compatible setup can be achieved for almost any TV without needing adaptors.
• Cons: Can be fiddly to set up for the first time, often expensive, difficult (if possible at all) to connect directly to other devices (such as your smartphone).

Bluetooth headphones for your TV

A lot of newer TVs now support Bluetooth. So if yours does, the good news is that you have far more choice in choosing wireless headphones for TV use – the vast majority of wireless headphones connect via Bluetooth (base station headphones are the only main exception). The only significant downside of using Bluetooth headphones with your TV is they don’t have the easy charging dock base station that dedicated TV headphones have.

While you could connect any style of Bluetooth headphones to your Bluetooth-enabled TV, most will likely choose the added comfort of over-ear headphones, or on-ear headphones if you’d like them to be less bulky, both of which have a headband that goes over the top of your head.

Many excellent over-ear headphones contain noise-cancelling technology to block out sounds on a commute. There’s no harm in using these at home (you can turn the noise-cancelling off, too), but be aware that you’re paying a premium for this technology, so if you don’t plan to use the headphones out of the house, you could save money by avoiding models with this feature.

Pros and cons of Bluetooth headphones for your TV

Pros: Convenient if you’d like headphones to connect to other devices as well (such as your smartphone) and take outside, much wider selection of headphones to choose from

Cons: Requires a Bluetooth-enabled TV, charging isn’t as convenient as with base station headphones and you may find the controls on your headphones (eg to change volume) don’t work with your TV. Many Bluetooth headphones come with very short charging cables that aren’t ideal for use in a living room, so you’ll likely need to buy an (inexpensive) extension cable. If you connect your headphones to several Bluetooth devices in your home (such as smartphone and laptop as well as your TV), you may need to keep switching active connections.

Our experts select the most suitable, great-sounding and comfortable wireless headphones for TV use available to buy in the table below.

Using gaming headsets with your TV

Gaming headsets are designed for use with consoles such as the Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Switch, but they’ll also work for other TV viewing as well. So if you’re a regular gamer, these can be a good alternative to avoid needing to buy a separate set of TV headphones (you’ll want a pair with a detachable or retractable boom microphone stalk in this case).

TV headphones to avoid

Headphones designed specifically for TV use often come at a premium, and over-ear Bluetooth pairs tend to be costlier as well. All headphones manufacturers say they sound great – including ones we’ve exposed to be dreadful Don’t Buys. Plus it can be particularly difficult when searching online as you can’t try out how each sound.

We’ve found expensive TV headphones with atrocious sound that will make listening a chore – that’s if you’re able to clearly understand the slurred and muddy speech at all. And we’ve even uncovered multiple costly pairs with such poor wireless signal they pick up unwanted interference – one with a constant unbearable background hiss – and from a big-name brand as well.

There’s nothing worse than getting an uncomfortable pair of headphones for TV use you don’t get on with, or ones that only make for a disappointing experience you don’t want to use. 

Check out all our headphone reviews to find the perfect set for you.