9 of the biggest new headphones and earbuds unveiled in September: top releases from Apple, Bose, Nothing, Sonos, Sony and more

In what has been a huge month for headphones and earbuds, we pick just the 9 most-prominent products in the portable audio listening gear space — strap in, there's a lot to get through!

A collection of headphones in a futuristic shop window. The headphones are mostly pastel colors

Busy month in portable audio gear, September. In fact, those of us in the game have taken to calling this particular month 'Techtember', owing to the huge volume of new products entering the market during this important 30-day juncture.

And portable audio is always one of the biggest areas for growth. In fact, in the time since we started writing this little roundup, Bose (aside from releasing a set of $99 wired earbuds with ANC which you'll find below) has also released not one buttwo new open earbuds propositions (which are not — that's how busy this space is right now).

Why is Techtember like this? Well, Apple typically kicks things off with its annual event at the top of the month. This year, the Cupertino giant's "Surprise and Shine" event on September 9 saw the release of two new AirPods 5 models at refreshingly affordable price-points.

Sony quickly joined in, going one better and launching three new sets of headphones, namely theSony WH-CH730N, WH-CH530 and WH-1000XM4C, to update its own slam-dunk hits for 2026.

So, Apple lost out on the tally sheet by one product? Not so fast: meet Beats 360, the Apple sub-brand's all-new (and heavily leaked) cans that let you customize the ear cup and headband colors for a look that's unique to you.

Now, Sonos: the company's hotly-anticipated update to its Sonos Ace cans landed — and yes, the superb Sonos Ace Ultra fix the key Sonos ecosystem compatibility snag of the originals to become one of our favorite releases of the year, and that's not something we say lightly.

Then, on September 29, two of the biggest releases in the premium over-ear space landed within hours of each other, namely Nothing's most expensive cans to date, the striking Nothing Headphone (1) Pro, which we've reviewed in full, and the aesthetically gorgeous** Technics EAH-A1000**, which I've delivered an initial verdict on, pending further tests.

For further information on any product in this roundup, select the 'view details' toggle below the image. Or, if you're already sold on a certain set, simply click through to shop these all-new products. Have fun — and above all, enjoy the music!