Audio companies suck at naming their products, here’s what needs to change

Ever wondered why you can’t remember the name of Sony’s flagship headphones, or why it seems like you have déjà vu when the latest Bose earbuds come out? While we’ve seen tons of innovation in the industry, from bone conduction to brain-tracking headphones, one thing never seems to change: terrible product names. From the Sony WH-InsertSerialNumberHere headphones to the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (again), even the biggest brands in the industry aren’t immune to terrible product naming. Let’s dive into some of the worst offenders, and see if we can identify a few reasons why headphone companies are so bad at naming their products.

Will Sony ever change the name of their headphones?

Let’s start off with the most well-known of the product name offenders – Sony. Anyone who has shopped around for headphones has probably come across the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, or their wireless earbud counterparts the Sony WF-1000XM5. Amongst the audio review community, these are pretty much unanimously agreed upon as great, or at the very least very good products. Respectively, we’ve had these products featured on our list of the best headphones and the best wireless earbuds for years. So why does such a great product, from a company with a huge marketing budget, have a name that sounds like it was given by Elon Musk to one of his children?

In the past, Sony has given some indication of the naming of its headphones, which is as follows:

WH = Wireless Headband
1000X = Premium noise-canceling line (started with MDR-1000X in 2016)
M5 = Mark 5 (fifth generation)

We appreciate that Sony has been consistent with the naming scheme for the last few years, but it’s about time they shorten the name. In everyday conversation, most people already just say “the XM5 headphones” when referring to Sony’s flagship model. It’s a shame that many people who own these great products can’t even remember what they are called.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, as it appears someone has finally talked some sense into Sony. When Sony decided to update the WH-XB910N headphones last year, they changed the name to a much improved Sony ULT Wear. This coincides with other mid-range audio products such as the Sony ULT Field 1 Bluetooth speaker. We’ve also seen Sony scrap the serial numbers for the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds speaker. With the newest flagship headphones from Sony expected to release this year, will they go with WH-1000XM6, or something entirely new? Only time will tell.

Going back to the future with Bose and Nothing

In 2020, Bose introduced the QuietComfort Earbuds. Then, in 2022, we got the QuietComfort Earbuds II. So, following that pattern, in 2024, we got … the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. Wait, again? If you’re going to spend all the time and effort to release a new product, the least you could do is give it a new name. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds III would seem like an obvious choice to me.

The crazy thing is Bose isn’t the first company to do this. In fact, they weren’t even the only earbud company to pull this in 2024. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Nothing. First, they released the Nothing Ear 1 in 2021. Then we got the Nothing Ear (2) in 2023. So in 2024, we got…drumroll please…. the Nothing Ear! That’s right, not the Nothing Ear 3, not the Nothing Ear Pro, just “Nothing Ear.”

It may seem appealing to maintain continuity, but these repetitive naming conventions present a host of problems. Primarily, if you go to search “Bose QuietComfort Earbuds” or “Nothing Ear” on Google or Amazon, who knows which product you’ll find. Along with the older models, you might come across other current versions of the products, including the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and the Nothing Ear (a).

Who approved the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation?

When it comes to marketing, Apple is known for being the cream of the crop. After all, you don’t make a profit of $180B a year without convincing people to pay a lot of money for your products. That’s why when they released their new AirPods last year, we were all left scratching our heads. Ahead of the launch event, rumors pointed to an upgraded AirPods 4, and then a cheaper model, possibly known as the AirPods SE or the AirPods Lite. Instead, Apple reduced the price of the standard AirPods 4 model, and then added a new model called the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. Huh?

First of all, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are not the only AirPods with noise canceling technology. The AirPods Pro had ANC first, and were well-known for being the version of AirPods that came with noise canceling. Second, that is just such a long name. This is pretty much the opposite case of the Sony dilemma, where Apple seems afraid to use any acronyms at all. Shortening the name to AirPods 4 with ANC would make too much sense.

Where do we go from here?

To be clear, I don’t dislike any of the aforementioned products, in fact, they were all some of my favorite releases of 2024. It’s just the product names themselves that need a complete rethink. What happened to just going in numerical order, like Apple does with each new iPhone model? Or keeping the same name, but adding the year the product was released, as is well-established in the auto industry. Maybe I’m just a dreamer, but I’d love to live in a world where someone asks me what my favorite headphones are, and I can respond with a product name that they’ll actually remember and can search for later.

While there’s no exact formula for product naming, I propose a manifesto of three things that all product names should aspire towards:

1. Simple. The product name should be no longer than a few words, and should not be an alphanumeric soup of symbols. The Beats Solo 4 is a simple name that is easy to identify.
2. Descriptive. You should have an idea of what the product is just by reading its name. For example, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 makes it clear that the product is earbuds, and that it is the second generation of the Pro model.
3. Unique. A unique term in the product name helps ensure it is memorable. While “Apple Wireless Headphones” would be both simple and descriptive, the name AirPods Max ensures the consumer finds the exact right product that they are searching for.

Do audio product names confuse you? What are some of the worst examples that I missed? Let us know in the comments down below.