3 biggest audio trends in 2026: What's next for earbuds, soundbars, and more

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• In 2026, the open-ear earbud market is expected to become even more crowded with increased competition.
• More brands will enter the modular home theater system market.
• Spatial audio will continue to be a highly sought-after feature in consumer audio products.

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CES 2026 may be over, but the personal audio and home entertainment products showcased on the show floor have provided a clearer picture of the trends to expect in these industries throughout the year. 

As headphones, earbuds, speakers, and soundbars reach the peak of their core functionalities, companies are redefining the boundaries of their products to encourage consumers to upgrade. 

Also: These 8 audio products at CES 2026 were so impressive, I had to listen twice

From all of the products I saw at CES 2026, three major trends stood out to me the most: open-ear earbuds will continue to be a significant investment for consumer audio companies, home entertainment companies are embracing the art of modular home theaters, and spatial audio is everywhere. Let’s dissect.

1. Open-ear earbuds continue to dominate

Open-ear earbuds are a growing front for headphone makers to explore, but they’ll need to do more than just offer wearers situational awareness. Someone at CES told me that open-ear earbuds are the norm in Asia, but it wasn’t until recent years that the American market began to pop its noise-canceling bubbles in exchange for open-ear earbuds.

Also: Shokz’s latest earbuds have a unique trick that puts them above the OpenRun for me

As a result, companies like Shokz, whose entire brand is built on open-ear listening technology, need to offer Western consumers additional reasons to choose their products over those of their competitors with open-ear earbuds. To up the ante, the company debuted its OpenFit Pro earbuds with noise reduction technology, a trend we’re likely to see more of this year.

I expect Bose to leverage its industry-leading noise-canceling technology in the next generation of the Ultra Open Earbuds, though that won’t likely be for another year or two. Now that the open-earbuds market is hotter and more popular than ever, prepare to see more heavy hitters and well-known brands enter the space, specifically adopting the clip-on style.

Also: I tried Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds’ AI noise cancelling, and can’t go back to regular ANC

We’ll also see more open-ear earbud makers focusing on microphone and sound quality, potentially adopting AI-powered noise filtering algorithms to enhance performance, decrease sound leakage, and reduce ambient noise interference. 

2. Modular is in, boxed sets are out

For the longest time, Sonos has excelled at offering consumers modular home theater setups. Instead of investing in a one-size-fits-all home-theater-in-a-box, Sonos offers interoperable soundbars, speakers, and subwoofers, allowing consumers to build a system that works best within the confines of their budget and square footage.

Also: Samsung’s new Wi-Fi speakers at CES was almost love at first listen for me

However, people prefer to have options. People especially like to have options that offer them more advanced audio features. Samsung and LG debuted individual home entertainment pieces that can be paired together, should you want to. 

In Samsung’s case, the Music Studio 7’s design and sound performance are interesting and powerful enough to act as a standalone smart speaker; alternatively, you can buy a pair and create a system. The Music Studio 7’s purpose is similar to Sonos’ Era 300. 

LG’s Sound Suite comprises one soundbar, two sizes of rear speakers, and a subwoofer. Consumers can choose when and how they add more products to their system, and LG’s products feature Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, the latest advancement of the spatial audio protocol.

Also: LG’s new Dolby Atmos system promises immersive sound no matter where your speakers are

People rarely live in perfectly square-shaped rooms, as shown on a home theater company’s website, and manufacturers are beginning to accommodate this. Although I don’t see other companies committing to the modular bit as seriously as Sonos, they are offering modular options fitted with proprietary audio features made for the TVs in consumers’ living rooms. That alone is a leg up over Sonos.

3. Spatial audio is everywhere

Dolby was nearly ubiquitous at CES 2026 and will likely become more prevalent in your audio products as the years progress. Companies are getting more creative with licensing Dolby’s audio technologies, implementing Dolby Atmos into aftermarket car audio receivers, open-ear earbuds, and your favorite streaming platform. 

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Aside from Dolby, spatial audio is still everywhere. Companies such as Audioscenic aim to integrate their spatial audio protocol into gaming devices, while companies like Bose and JBL continue to refine their proprietary spatial audio formats and implement them across their device catalogs.

Overall, Dolby Atmos and other spatial audio formats are no longer a unique feature walled behind high-end products. As technology becomes more accessible and advanced, the barriers to entry are lower, making spatial audio a fundamental and expected feature in consumer audio products.