How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Skullcandy Sesh Evo in-Ear is my top pick for podcast listening, because its built-in Podcast EQ mode and Tile tracking solve the two things podcast listeners actually complain about: muddy spoken-word audio and lost earbuds.
• Skullcandy Sesh Evo in-Ear — best for listening to podcasts on the move; pick this if you want a dedicated Podcast EQ mode plus Tile tracking so a single lost bud doesn't end your commute.
• MUSICOZY Sleep Headphones — best for lying down while you listen; pick this if you want a soft spandex-nylon headband with a built-in mic instead of something jammed into your ear canal.
• SOMIC G951S — best for staying aware of your own voice while you record; pick this if you want a wired 3.5 mm over-ear headset with a boom mic you can bend into position.
• ARTIX Headphones — best for a cheap wired backup pair; pick this if you want a foldable over-ear with an inline mic and volume control for calls and monitoring.
• ZealSound Podcast Microphone — best for recording the podcast itself; pick this if you want a plug-and-play USB condenser with zero-latency headphone monitoring built in.
This is a set of true wireless earbuds from Skullcandy's Sesh Evo line, and the reason I put it first is simple: Skullcandy built three listening modes into it — Music, Movie and Podcast — and that last one is rare at any level. Most earbuds give you one tuning and call it a day. A dedicated Podcast mode tells me the tuning was shaped with spoken word in mind, which is exactly what you want when you're 40 minutes into a two-host interview show and the voices start blurring together.
The other standout feature is Tile. Tile technology is baked in, so you download the Tile app, activate it, and you can track down either earbud if it goes missing. If you've ever lost one bud on a train, you know why that matters. You can also use either bud solo, which means you can keep one ear open for traffic, a train announcement, or a kid yelling from the next room while the other bud does the work.
In daily use, the specs line up with commuting and desk listening. Bluetooth wireless, in-ear fit, 32 ohm impedance, a dynamic driver with a 20 Hz frequency response, and passive noise cancellation that relies on the seal rather than electronics. Battery life is listed at about 5 hours in the earbuds, with a 24-hour charge time quoted and the charging case rated around 19 hours. Controls are voice and media control, and the box includes the earbuds, charging case, eartips, a USB-C cable and a manual, with a one-year manufacturer warranty.
The trade-off is the one thing I can't dance around: this model is listed as discontinued. That means you may not find it in the color or condition you want, and long-term support is a question mark. It's also a passive-noise-cancellation set, so on a loud plane it won't silence the cabin the way active cancellation would. If you want a dedicated Podcast EQ and Tile tracking and you're fine with a discontinued model, this is my pick. If you need something with a long support runway, look at the other options here.
This one isn't shaped like headphones at all. It's a Bluetooth headband — a soft fabric band you pull over your head, with flat speakers sitting against your ears instead of inside them. The outer material is a breathable spandex-nylon blend with a mesh design, described as soft and hypoallergenic, and the elastic build is meant to fit most head sizes. Color is Navy Blue, and it's built on Bluetooth 5.4 with a 10-meter range.
Who is it for? Side sleepers, mainly. If you listen to podcasts in bed and regular earbuds dig into your ear or fall out the moment you roll over, a headband solves that problem outright. MUSICOZY also positions it for gym work, jogging, yoga and travel, so it doubles as a sweat-friendly sports band, and there's a built-in microphone for calls so you don't have to dig your phone out mid-session.
The trade-off is fit precision and isolation. There's no noise control at all here, and because the speakers rest against your ear rather than sealing inside it, you'll hear the room around you. That's a feature if you want awareness while jogging and a drawback on a noisy bus. It's also a fabric band, so it needs washing eventually. And while the warranty language is generous on paper — refund without return within 60 days and replacement within 90 days — that's a brand policy statement, not something I can vouch for. For bedtime listening, I'd still recommend it over hard plastic earbuds.
SOMIC G951S
The SOMIC G951S is a wired over-ear gaming headset in purple, and the headline design choice is a pair of detachable cat ears. That's clearly aimed at a younger audience and gifting, and SOMIC says so directly in its own description — the target is young women and kids, and it's pitched as a gift. If cat ears aren't your thing, they come off. The rest of the headset stands on its own.
For podcast work, the interesting part is the microphone and the comfort. The mic is omnidirectional and bends a full 360 degrees, so you can curve it up close to your mouth and keep it there. For recording a podcast, a boom mic that stays exactly where you put it is genuinely useful — it means consistent levels take to take. The headband is self-adjusting, and the ear cushions are protein leather, described as soft and skin-friendly, with a lightweight build for long sessions. For a two-hour recording block, that matters more than most spec sheets admit.
Audio-wise you get 40 mm dynamic drivers, 32 ohm impedance, and a 20 Hz – 22 kHz frequency range, which SOMIC frames as a wide, vivid sound field for gaming and video. Passive noise cancellation comes from the large over-ear cups, so the seal does the blocking. Connectivity is a 3.5 mm wired jack, and SOMIC lists compatibility with Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, computers, laptops, iPad and iPhone. There's a volume control on the headset, and the package includes a user manual. One note: the listing itself warns that the real purple may look slightly different from the photos depending on your screen.
The trade-off is that this is a wired, gaming-first headset. You're tethered to your device, and there's no wireless option. It's also a fairly large over-ear design rather than something you'd wear on a walk. But if you want an affordable wired headset where you can position the mic precisely and hear yourself through big cushioned cups, this is a legitimate pick — and in my opinion it's the most practical of the wired options here for actually recording your voice.
The ARTIX CL750 is a wired, on-ear headphone aimed at a broad audience — the listing covers kids heading to school, travelers, and adults on calls. It's built around a 3.5 mm aux cord, with a foldable over-ear design, cushioned ear cups, an adjustable headband, and an inline remote with volume control. Color is Rose Gold, and the enclosure mixes metal and plastic.
The reason it belongs in a podcast conversation is the inline microphone. ARTIX specifically calls out clear audio for calls, podcasts and music, including in noisy environments, and the mic sits on the cable rather than on a boom. That makes it a simple one-cable solution for recording a quick voice memo or joining a video meeting — plug into a PC, Mac, PS4, PS5 or Xbox and you're live, no drivers, no pairing. The 40 mm dynamic drivers, 32 ohm impedance, 88 dB sensitivity and 20,000 Hz frequency response are unremarkable on paper, which for voice work is fine — you don't need massive bass extension to capture or monitor speech.
Practical details: it's listed at 6.5 ounces, which is on the heavier side for an on-ear set, but the cushioned cups and adjustable headband are there to spread that weight. Noise isolation is passive, so it's about blocking sound rather than cancelling it electronically. It folds, which makes it easy to toss in a bag.
The trade-off is the volume control. ARTIX states plainly that the inline volume control works on mobile devices only, so on a laptop or console you'll be adjusting levels in software. There's also no wireless mode and no detachable cable, so a chewed cord means a dead headphone. And with 88 dB sensitivity and no active noise cancellation, it won't isolate you in a loud café. As a cheap, dependable wired pair for calls and casual monitoring, though, I think it earns a spot here.
I'm including this even though it's a microphone rather than a headphone, because the question of "headphones for podcast" almost always turns into "what do I actually need to record one" — and the ZealSound K66 is the piece that captures your voice. It's a USB condenser mic with a cardioid (unidirectional) pickup pattern, which means it listens mostly to what's in front of it and rejects the room behind it. That's the right pattern for a solo or two-person show at a desk.
The spec that matters most for podcasters is the frequency range: 40 Hz to 18 kHz, with a 46 kHz sampling rate, −45 dB ±3 dB sensitivity, 85 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 2.2 kohm impedance. Practically, that covers the full range of a human voice with room for low-end warmth. It also has a Noise Reduction mode you enable by holding the mute button — it targets keyboard clicks, PC fan noise, air conditioner hum and background chatter, with a default mode for quiet rooms that keeps a warmer vocal tone.
The feature that ties this back to headphones is real-time zero-latency monitoring. There's a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the mic itself, and a dedicated monitoring volume knob, so you can plug your headphones straight into the mic and hear exactly what's being recorded with no delay. There are also knobs for mic gain and echo, plus a mute button with a red LED indicator. It's plug-and-play over USB with no drivers, and it ships with USB-C and Lightning adapters for Windows, Mac, laptops, PS4, PS5, tablets, iPhone, iPad and Android — the box includes a 70.9-inch USB cable, a foam windscreen, the Lightning adapter, the mic with its stand base, and more. Dimensions are 1.58 x 1.58 x 6.1 inches at 1.1 pounds.
The trade-off: it's a USB mic, not an XLR one, so it won't slot into a professional interface setup, and a condenser capsule is more sensitive to room reflections than a dynamic mic — you'll want a quiet-ish space even with noise reduction engaged. The stand base is small, so a boom arm would help. But if you want to start recording today without an audio interface, this is the piece I'd recommend pairing with any of the headphones above.
We compared the published specs and features on each product's data sheet — driver size, frequency range, impedance, connectivity, microphone type, battery figures and included accessories — and weighed them against how people actually use headphones for podcast listening and recording. The ranking is our independent editorial opinion, based on which designs solve real podcast problems: hearing voices clearly, monitoring your own voice, and staying comfortable through a long session. No brand paid for placement, and no product here was selected because of a price or a rating.
why do you need headphones for a podcast
You need them for two reasons: to hear your guest or co-host clearly, and to monitor your own voice so you can catch problems as they happen. A closed pair of over-ears or in-ears keeps your mic from picking up the sound coming out of your speakers, which is the main cause of echo and feedback in a recording. The ZealSound K66's 3.5 mm monitoring jack exists precisely for this — you plug headphones in and hear what's being captured in real time.
how to set up headphones for podcast
Start by matching the connection. The SOMIC G951S and ARTIX both use a 3.5 mm jack, so they plug straight into a phone, laptop or controller. The Skullcandy Sesh Evo pairs over Bluetooth, and the MUSICOZY headband does the same. Then set your levels: if you're using the ZealSound K66, plug your headphones into the mic's monitoring jack and use the separate monitoring volume knob to set how loud you hear yourself, independent of the mic gain.
what is the best headphones for podcasting
In my opinion the answer splits by job. For listening to podcasts, the Skullcandy Sesh Evo is my pick because of its dedicated Podcast EQ mode and Tile tracking. For recording, I'd reach for the SOMIC G951S, since its 360-degree flexible boom mic and large protein-leather over-ear cups let you position the mic and stay comfortable through a long session. For listening in bed, the MUSICOZY headband is the better shape.
what are good headphones for podcasting
Good ones share three traits: a comfortable fit for long sessions, a connection that matches your gear, and either a microphone or clear enough sound that you can hear yourself. The ARTIX CL750 covers the basic case with a foldable on-ear design, an inline mic and volume control that works on mobile devices. The MUSICOZY headband gives you up to 14 hours with its carrying case and a built-in mic, which suits relaxed listening and calls rather than studio work.
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