The Best Headphones for Non-Stop Video Conference Calls

__ $160, Buy now at Jaybird __

Even in the best of circumstances, which these decidedly are not, working from home is minefield of small annoyances. Why does it seem every big rig in the Tri-State area has been re-routed down my small tree-lined street? Why does my face look so weird in video calls? Why do my Bluetooth headphones keep running out of battery? Why are my Bluetooth headphones so difficult to connect to my laptop? Why do my Bluetooth headphones make my boss sound like the smoke monster from Lost?

Okay, so I guess it turns out that most of the top-of-mind gripes are Bluetooth headphone-related. But luckily that means they should have a fairly easy solution- new and better Bluetooth headphones. After a full week of struggling through video calls and switching off using a single Apple AirPod at a time to preserve their battery, we decided it was time to upgrade to the best headset for working from home. Something truly worthy of our work from home setup.

Here's are all the boxes the best headset for working from home needs to check:

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• They should be wireless, so that you can get up and walk around.

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• They have to have at least 8-hours of battery, so that they don't crap out in the middle of a call.

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• They don't have to have active noise-cancelling, but they should seal out a good deal of noise, so that the sounds of your roommate loudly fixing themselves a late lunch doesn't keep you from doing the hard work of sending GIFS on Slack.

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• They shouldn't make you look like you're about to operate very loud construction equipment.

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• They should sound decent.

In our extensive testing, from true wireless to noise-canceling to wireless workout headphone, we've found that the headphones that tick all these boxes are the Tarah Pros from Jaybird.

These are ostensibly running headphones, targeted towards distance runners who need something with a really long battery life. And, truly, what are you if not a Zoom conference call marathoner right now? Their battery will last 14 hours on a single charge. In the past that has added up to my commute into work, a full workday, and my commute home. And after all that they still have juice leftover, which means you won't have to charge them before settling into a post-work glass-of-wine-with-a-friend video chat.

The obvious downside: Yes, the two earbuds are connected with a braided cord, so you wear 'em croakies style. This is less ideal than if they were true wireless. But it's really easy to cinch the cord tightly behind your head to keep it out of the way. And, they sound way better than the AirPods that you've been using.

Two Other WFH Headphone Options We Like:

Considering that you might be stuck working from home for at least the next few months, now might be the perfect time to buy some of the best headphones we've ever tested. The Bose Noise Cancelling 700s are expensive, usually $400, but if you're going to be using them everyday for work, they're absolutely worth it.

Of course, if you don't want to have to deal with Bluetooth at all-you can just get a cheap pair of wired headphones. This JBL model (which has a better mic than your laptop) will absolutely get the job done.