Entertainment
The best wireless headphones for TV in 2025
This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
Watching TV is an all-timer hobby. Who doesn’t love a good binge in front of the box? There’s nothing better than a night on the sofa with your latest Netflix obsession.
But there are distractions everywhere — even in your home — which can interrupt your TV enjoyment. On the flip side of that, you might have housemates who get disturbed by your late night bingeing. Or perhaps you’re hearing impaired and need some help listening to dialogue? If any of those sound familiar, we recommend investing in a good pair of headphones for watching TV.
Wireless headphones will make it easier to fully immerse into a show or movie — and without bothering people around you. If you need help choosing the best pair for you, here’s some useful information and a selection of the best headset options.
Do you need headphones for watching TV?
Reasons for having headphones for the TV can vary. As we’ve already outlined, viewers may be hard of hearing, or may live in busy households. But, not only that, in this day and age of everyone having different devices — often in the same room — it just makes sense to have good headphones. Even if you’re not using them all the time. And, hey, there’s always the option of getting a pair that double up for TV and everyday use.
What makes headphones good for watching TV?
Sound is important when you’re buying any pair of headphones, but if you’re buying specifically for watching TV, you’ll need to consider the sort of things you’ll be watching. Will you need heavy bass for the rumbling carnage of action movies? Or nuanced detail for quieter, emotionally-charged moments? Or maybe all-round, un-fussy performance for casually watching sport and comedy? Also consider headphones with noise cancelling technology. And wireless headphones are probably best — if you’re relaxing in front of the TV, you don’t want to actually be wired into it. In fact, check out the wireless range too, in case you like to move around your home while you’re still connected to the TV audio.
What’s best, Bluetooth or radio frequency technology?
Most wireless headphones are Bluetooth-enabled. Bluetooth is now the standard technology for syncing your headphones to a smart device. While Bluetooth is a good option for podcasts or music on your smartphone or laptop, it’s not necessarily the best tech for wirelessly watching TV. Bluetooth sometimes creates a lag between the action on-screen and the sound in your headphones, which puts the picture and audio slightly out of sync. Believe it or not, headphones that use old school radio frequency technology (RF) are sometimes better for watching TV because lag or latency is almost non-existent, ensuring that the picture and audio are virtually seamless. This doesn’t mean there are no good Bluetooth options out there — there are great Bluetooth headphones that use codecs but minimise latency — but it’s something to consider.
What are Bluetooth codecs?
If you do want to buy a Bluetooth-enabled set of headphones, check out which codecs they support. These encode and decode digital audio signals. Codecs decode at a specific bitrate, which determines whether the headphones have a high or low latency (AKA lag), which is measured in milliseconds. High latency means your picture and sound may be out of sync. Look out for headphones with low latency that support Qaulcomm’s aptX codecs, such as aptX Adaptive, which are generally rated as the best codecs for streaming video content or hooking up to a TV.
Do you need noise cancelling headphones to watch TV?
Ultimately, it’s down to personal preference (or how noisy your home is!) but if you want to totally immerse yourself in a movie or show, noise cancelling headphones will shut you off from the outside world and put you right at the middle of the action. There are two kinds of noise cancellation — passive and active. Passive noise cancellation is achieved by the build of the headphones, which physically blocks out noise. Active noise cancellation (ANC) uses a system of small microphones that pick up incoming sounds and create anti-noise sound waves to cancel them out.
What are the best headphones for watching TV?
If that seems like a lot of information to take in, don’t worry. We’ve scoured the product listings and online reviews, and we’ve come up with a list of headphones for watching TV, including devices from top brands such as Sony and Sennheiser. There’s something for everyone and every budget. Take your time to consider everything on the list and weigh up these choices against your TV watching habits.
These are the best wireless headphones for watching TV in 2025.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 20, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you know collegiate sports.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Baseball nicknames
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Green: Cyclist clothing
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Blue: Geographically specific
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Purple: Same word, different meanings
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: New York Yankees, informally
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Green: Tour de France jerseys
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Blue: Locations of Big 12 Schools
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Purple: What “boot” might mean
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #635 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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New York Yankees, informally: BRONX BOMBERS, EVIL EMPIRE, PINSTRIPES, YANKS
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Tour de France jerseys: GREEN, POLKA DOT, WHITE, YELLOW
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Locations of Big 12 schools: BOULDER, FORT WORTH, MANHATTAN, WACO
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What “boot” might mean: CLEAT, EJECT, KICK, MISHANDLE
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to the latest Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Mini crossword answers, hints for June 20, 2026
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times‘ revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player’s flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
Here are the clues and answers to NYT’s The Mini for Saturday, June 20, 2026:
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Across
The “I” of TGIF
Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today
“Psych!”
Batman villain played by Aaron Eckhart in “The Dark Knight”
Repressive governments
Folding art
Opposite direction of NNW
Streaming issue caused by slow wi-fi
Raggedy ___ (doll)
Down
Icebreakers, e.g.
“The Two ___” (second installment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy)
Cigar, informally
Presidential candidate Harris
2026 #1 album for Drake
Word after “interior” or “intelligent”
Kind of tree that the Buddha is said to have meditated under
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.
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Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for June 20, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
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Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
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Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
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Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
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Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
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Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for June 20 Pips
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed horizontally.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.
Less Than (5): Everything in this space must be less than 5. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for June 20 Pips
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically; 3-3, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.
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Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed horizontally; 1-0, placed vertically.
Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 4-1, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally; 1-0, placed vertically.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for June 20 Pips
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally.
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 0-6, placed horizontally.
Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 5-4, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically.
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically.
Less Than (7): Everything in this space must be less than 7. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically.
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.
Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (9): Everything in this space must be greater than 9. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 3-6, placed vertically.
Greater Than (10): Everything in this space must be greater than 10. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 6-1, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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