Best headphones for TV: build a home cinema without the speakers

best headphones for TV
(Image credit: TechRadar)

Creating your own home cinema doesn't have to mean filling your house with speakers, soundbars, amplifiers and cables. Whisper it, but even if immersive surround sound – complete with a grumbly subwoofer – is what you really want, the best headphones for TV can give you all that and more. 

This will depend on why you want to use headphones with a TV, though. Maybe you’re sharing a living space with flatmates or family who are constantly distracting you. Or perhaps you like to watch movies late at night with the volume turned right up and don’t want to disturb the neighbors. 

Whatever your goal, a little know-how can go along way when it comes to choosing the right pair of wireless headphones for a home cinema-equivalent experience – and prevent you making any silly purchasing mistakes. 

For the best headphones for TV watching, here’s what you need to know. 

While not every pair of headphones in this list has been fully reviewed yet, we hope the specs will speak for themselves – though it’s always a safer bet to go with a model that has been through our testing process (see entries two and five).

TV headphones: buying advice

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Make them wireless and make them wonderful. In practice, there are major issues with using regular Bluetooth wireless headphones with a TV. Even if you’ve a smart TV that has Bluetooth, it’s going to be a vanilla kind of Bluetooth that will cause lip-sync delays. There are two technology solutions; 

  • TV headphones that communicate with a Bluetooth transmitter inserted into a TV. They’re generally compatible with the aptX HD and aptX Low Latency codecs.
  • TV headphones that communicate with an RF (radio frequency) base station that’s connected to a TV’s headphones jack. 

Either way, if you want a good pair of TV headphones for this purpose, you’re going to need a specific product created for that purpose. Here are some of the best headphones for watching TV.

The best headphones for watching TV

(Image credit: JVC)

1. JVC XP-EXT1 Wireless Theater System

Best TV headphones for Dolby Atmos

Specifications

Range: TBC (5GHz RF)
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
Drivers: 40mm neodymium
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz range
Weight: 330g

Reasons to buy

+
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
+
7.1.4 channel system

Reasons to avoid

-
Short battery life
-
Expensive compared to competition

If you’re after a pair of headphones for watching movies, you can’t do much better than the JVC XP-EXT1. Compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound technologies, the JVC XP-EXT1 puts a 7.1.4-channel home cinema system on your head. 

The key tech at work here is Exofield, JVC’s proprietary processing algorithms that create a 3D soundfield between the two ear cups. The JVC XP-EXT1 cans are also able to upscale stereo or 5.1 audio to immersive multi-channel sound, and connect to a digital processor box via 5GHz RF; the box itself hooks-up to a TV via HDMI.

the sennheiser rs 5200 tv headphones

(Image credit: Sennheiser)
The best TV headphones for movie dialogue

Specifications

Range: 70 meters
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
Drivers: Dynamic neodymium
Frequency response: 15 – 16,000Hz
Weight: 61 g (receiver, incl batteries) 235 g (transmitter)

Reasons to buy

+
Dialogue is emphasised
+
Immersive movie soundtracks

Reasons to avoid

-
Odd stethoscope-style design
-
No Bluetooth

The RS 5200 is basically an audio sender – a long, slim base station attaches to either the optical or analogue audio outputs on a TV, and wireless transmits the sound to the earphones

Not any old earphones, mind. This contraption is Y-shaped, with a receiver and battery on its stem and two arms that each host a rather large, protruding ear tip. Yes, it looks like a doctor’s stethoscope, and it does take some time to get used to … but these TV headphones work, especially for boosting dialogue.

Read more: Sennheiser RS 5200 review 

(Image credit: Creative)
The best TV headphones for movies and gaming

Specifications

Range: Up to 10m/33 ft (2.4 GHz RF)
Battery life: Up to 30 hours
Drivers: 50mm neodymium
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz range
Weight: 346g

Reasons to buy

+
Works with PC/Mac, PS4 and Switch
+
Super X-Fi sounds great

Reasons to avoid

-
USB only
-
No Bluetooth or TV inputs

Strictly speaking, the Creative SxFi are for gaming. The first clue is that they come with a detachable mic (for voice chat). They also use an SXFi TX wireless transmitter (a USB dongle) that only works in PC or Mac computers, a PlayStation or a Nintendo Switch (it doesn’t work with Xbox). However, since movies and TV from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime can be binged on games consoles, we think the Creative SxFi Theater cans deserve a place here. 

Designed to produce virtual surround sound for TV junkies and gamers, it uses a TX wireless transmitter dongle that plugs into a dock that connects via USB to any device capable of running audio through it. Once it’s plugged in, it’s all about the Creative SxFi’s Super X-Fi effect, which simulates a 7.1 surround array – though it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos or DTS. 

Read more: Creative SxFi Theater review

(Image credit: Sennheiser)

4. Sennheiser RS 175 RF wireless headphones

Best TV headphones for two people

Specifications

Range: Up to 328ft/100m (2.4 GHz RF)
Battery life: Up to 18 hours
Drivers: 50mm neodymium
Frequency response: 17Hz to 22KHz range
Weight: 310g

Reasons to buy

+
Works with two pairs of headphones
+
Virtual surround sound

Reasons to avoid

-
Ageing product

Sennheiser produces some of the most admired wireless headphones around – check out the Sennheiser Momentum 3, for example – but this pair of TV-specific wireless cans are a little-known gem. With a closed-back design, they’re created specifically for gaming or watching TV. The package consists of a pair of headphones and a TR 175 transmitter that uses RF; the later has an optical audio jack and a simple stereo audio jack (complete with cables) for attaching to a TV, games console or amplifier. 

The headphones, which use two AAA rechargeable batteries, can be recharged on the transmitter itself and, as a nice bonus, that transmitter can broadcast sound to two pairs of Sennheiser RS 175 RFs. Sound modes include a virtual surround sound and a dynamic bass boost. 

(Image credit: Sony)

5. Sony MDR-RF811RK

Best TV headphones for value

Specifications

Range: Up to 100m
Battery life: Up to 13 hours
Drivers: 40mm neodymium
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20KHz range
Weight: 310g

Reasons to buy

+
Works with two pairs of headphones
+
Small base station

Reasons to avoid

-
Basic stereo sound

Here’s another TV-centric product that can support two pairs of headphones connected to one base station. Remarkably good value considering the brand’s high-end noise-cancelling headphones, the MDR-RF811RK use traditional RF technology to create a latency-free connection between base station and headphones. 

The RF unit also doubles as a charging station for the MDR-RF811RK headphones – which use 2x rechargeable AA batteries – and connects to a TV’s headphones jack using a simple 3.5mm audio cable. The stereo sound is pretty basic, but this product is about ease of use and reliability, not surround sound.  

(Image credit: Bowers & Wilkins)
Best TV headphones using Bluetooth

Specifications

Range: Up to 60m (Bluetooth 5.0)
Battery life: Up to 30 hours
Drivers: 2 x 43.6mm
Frequency response: 10Hz to 30KHz range
Weight: 310g

Reasons to buy

+
aptX Adaptive codec
+
Active noise cancellation
+
Slick design

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive compared to rivals

If your smart TV has Bluetooth it’s tempting to use a pair of Bluetooth headphones to watch TV. That can work, but there’s often some lag, which causes a lip-sync issue. However, that’s not a major issue if you’re going to listen to music instead. Cue the PX7, which adopt Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec to further reduce latency on the Bluetooth connection. With three strengths of noise cancellation, the PX7s are also handy to use in noisy environments, and can also play audio via a USB connection from a computer… or from any phone or tablet. 

However, to take advantage of that Low Latency codec, you'll need to plug an aptX Adapative Bluetooth transmitter into a supported device like a PS5, as we aren't aware of any TVs that natively support this at the moment.

Read more: Bowers & Wilkins PX7 review

Headphones for TV: FAQs

How can I listen to TV with wired headphones?

While the headphones in this guide are wireless, you can watch TV using wired headphones. The easiest way to do this is to plug them directly into your TV's 3.5mm audio input (though you will need a pair of cans with a long cable to do this). 

If your TV doesn't have a 3.5mm input, you could buy an RCA-3.5mm adaptor and hook the headphones up to the TV's stereo RCA outputs. 

Can I use AirPods with my TV?

Yes, you can using Bluetooth - but it's even easier if you have an Apple TV 4K streaming device. The AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max are optimized to work with other Apple devices, and Apple TV models are no exception. They even come with spatial audio support for an immersive, cinematic sound.

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Olivia Tambini

Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.