The best cheap headphones of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

Headphones are an essential part of your everyday technology. A reliable pair of over-ear headphones helps you get through your daily commute and can even give you the option to silence the outside world. However, headphones from premium brands often command prices upwards of $600. Even with seasonal discounts, some of the best headphones from Apple, Bose, or Sony still have $330+ price tags.

There is usually a significant difference in sound, build, and noise-canceling quality between headphones that cost $40 and $400. But midrange headphones like the ones on this list can give you exceptional value and longevity for as low as $100.

Regardless of budget, everyone should have a great pair of headphones. For this reason, I tested plenty of headphones for $200 or less to help you find the best options in this price range. Keep reading to find some of the best budget-friendly headphones from trusted brands that meet the needs of any audio enthusiast.

What are the best cheap headphones right now?

My top pick for affordable headphones are the Monoprice BT-600ANC, and I love them for their impressive build quality, strong ANC, and all-day battery life. The BT-600ANC have noise-canceling on par with what you can get from Sony and Bose, and their design is modern, durable, and practical.

The best cheap headphones of 2024

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Beats Solo 4

Best cheap headphones overall

Beats refreshed its most popular headphone model and gave the headphones a much-needed facelift. It had been eight years since Beats released the Solo 3, and the Solo 4 were worth the wait. These on-ear headphones deliver a revamped, muted design, redesigned audio components, and deeper native integration with both iOS and Android devices.

Review: Beats Solo 4

The Solo 4 lack noise-canceling or transparency modes, but their passive isolation is enough for people who don’t like either audio mode. However, these headphones are the first in the Solo lineup to have spatial audio. Additionally, the lack of fancy audio modes gives these headphones a lengthy 50-hour battery life, making them perfect for people who regularly forget to charge their headphones before they leave for the day.

The Solo 4 debuted with new audio technology, ditching the overly bassy sound once synonymous with the Beats brand. Of course, these headphones still have deep, boomy bass, but it’s not as overwhelming as it was in previous models.

For those with Android devices, the Solo 4 have a companion app, Google Fast Pair, Bluetooth Multipoint, and Google Find My Device. Apple users can access iCloud pairing, over-the-air software updates, Siri compatibility, Find My, and Handoff.

If you have larger ears, wear glasses, or have multiple ear piercings, the Solo 4’s on-ear fit may quickly become uncomfortable. These headphones have smaller ear cups, so if you find these uncomfortable, consider over-ear headphones.

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Monoprice BT-600ANC

Best cheap noise-canceling headphones

The Monoprice BT-600ANC headphones are perfect for people looking for incredibly effective noise-canceling for a low price. These headphones can help block noises in the office, study hall, train, plane, or other public places.

The Monoprice BT-600ANC deliver a punchy, warm, bass-forward sound that most casual listeners will enjoy. Their design closely resembles Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones, offering a sturdy build, polyurethane leather accents, and large, oval ear cups.

Review: Monoprice BT-600ANC

These headphones have the best noise-canceling properties out of all the headphones I’ve tested in this price range. Monoprice says the BT-600ANC can cancel up to 35dB of noise, eliminating noises like a running refrigerator, low whispers nearby, and distant traffic noises. For comparison, the Apple AirPods Max can reduce up to 26 dB of external noise, and the Sony WH-1000XM5 can reduce up to 30dB of external noise.

However. the Monoprice BT-600ANC do not have a companion app, so there’s no way to tweak the headphones’ EQ settings. If you’re someone

The Monoprice BT-600ANC headphones lying on a fluffy white pillow

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Soundcore Space One Pro

Best cheap headphones for commuting

I recommend the Soundcore Space One Pro headphones for anyone looking for a solid pair of headphones to take on their daily commute or long traveling stretches. The Space One Pro will best serve anyone who wants an affordable pair of headphones that don’t skimp on the features, including adaptive noise cancellation.

These headphones are the successor to the Soundcore Space One, which we loved for their affordable price and high functionality. The Space One Pro builds off everything great about the first-gen Space One.

Review: Soundcore Space One

The Space One Pro offers great noise-canceling properties for their affordable price, thanks to their upgraded design and microphones. Soundcore upgraded the Space One Pro’s sound profile, offering deep, punchy bass and forward-sounding vocals.

If comfort is your top priority, the Space One Pro won’t disappoint. When ZDNET’s Cesar Cadenas reviewed the headphones, he said they felt “like wearing a cloud.” However, their low price means they’re made from cheaper materials like plastic, which gives them a flimsy-feeling build.

Unfortunately, you still don’t get a hardshell case to carry the Space One Pro for storage and protection. Instead, Soundcore packages the Space One Pro in a leatherette pouch for storage.

Soundcore Space One Pro headphones in carry case

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Sony Ult Wear

Best cheap headphones for bass lovers

Sony’s latest mid-range headphones are fabulous for people looking for comfortable headphones with adequate noise-canceling and a serious bass kick. These headphones feature Sony’s Ult Power Sound bass, which gives anything you’re listening to a significant bass boost. Sony’s other headphones naturally have a bass-forward sound, so the Ult Power Sound feature may be too intense for some.

The Ult Wear headphones have comfortable, oval ear cups suitable for hours-long wear, while a lengthy 40-hour battery life can stick with you all week. The Ult Wear’s noise-canceling properties are the best of Sony’s mid-range headphones lineup but don’t expect it to compare to the WH-1000XM5.

Review: Sony Ult Wear

Like all of Sony’s other headphones, the Ult Wear are stacked with software features you can customize in the Sony Headphones app. You also get a sturdy, well-made carrying case, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and a 3.5mm headphone cable with your purchase.

Overall, if you want a pair of new headphones with plenty of software features and an intense bass boost, you’ll like the Ult Wear. If you enjoy a balanced and neutral sound, you won’t like these.

Sony ULT Wear headphones on a brick mantle

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Sennheiser Accentum

Best cheap headphones for music

The Sennheiser Accentum are great headphones for budding audiophiles on a budget. They offer clear and detailed audio, and you don’t need fancy equipment and access to other Bluetooth codecs for high-quality sound. However, if you’re looking for strong noise-canceling abilities, these may not be for you since the ANC is weak.

Review: Sennheiser Accentum

The Sennheiser Accentum are an affordable sibling to the company’s flagship headphones, the Sennheiser Momentum 4, which I love for their clear, detailed, and vibrant sound. The Accentum’s sound quality is definitely the headphones’ major selling point, as their internal audio components are almost identical to the Momentum 4.

The Sennheiser Accentum headphones may be uncomfortable for people with larger heads and ears. In my testing, I found that the headphones’ small ear cups and tight fit weren’t suitable for hours-long wear. Best Buy customers agree with me here; if these headphones are slightly uncomfortable at first, they’ll become unbearable within a few hours.

Sennheiser Accentum headphones lying on a brick mantle

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Sony WH-CH720N

Best cheap lightweight headphones

If you’ve always wanted a pair of Sony’s flagship WH-1000X series headphones but can’t justify paying hundreds of dollars, the Sony WH-CH720N are a highly affordable alternative. These headphones borrow some of the audio and noise-canceling tech found in Sony’s flagship headphones, offering a great listening experience for a lower price.

The WH-CH720N headphones are incredibly lightweight, which makes them comfortable for hours-long wear. I wore them all day without any head, neck, or ear fatigue. Despite their small frame, these headphones have a bass-forward sound and deliver a warm and full audio experience.

Review: Sony WH-CH720N

The WH-CH720N also features Sony’s DSEE technology, which enhances the quality of compressed audio files, such as those you listen to on Spotify or Apple Music.

The WH-CH720N headphones have a plasticky build, so they do not feel like premium headphones. You’re paying for what’s inside the ear cups, not outside. Redditors say the build quality is the only major drawback of these headphones, but Sony can only give you so much for $100.

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It can be easy to choose a pair of headphones solely because they fit into your budget. But it’s important to consider a few factors before making a purchase. Sound is heavily subjective and varies from person to person, and you won’t know how a pair of headphones sounds until you try them.

However, my top pick for the best cheap headphones are the Monoprice BT-600ANC for their full bass response, crisp sound, high-quality build, and impressive ANC.

Consider your personal use cases and choose the headphones that best align with your lifestyle. The great thing about headphones is that they can last for many years, so once you find the pair that works best for you, you can hold onto them for a while.

Here’s how all the headphones in this list measure up to each other.

Headphones	Price	Bluetooth version	Battery life
Beats Solo 4	$200	5.3	50 hours
Monoprice BT-600ANC	$100	5.0	40 hours (ANC off)
Soundcore Space One Pro	$200	5.3	60 hours (ANC off)
Sony Ult Wear	$200	5.3	40 hours (ANC off)
Sennheiser Accentum	$150	5.2	50 hours (ANC off)
Sony WH-CH720N	$150	5.2	40 hours (ANC off)

Each pair of headphones in this list will best suit different people for different reasons. If you need more help deciding which pair is best for you, consider these quick summaries.

Choose these headphones…	If you want…
Beats Solo 4	The latest headphones in Beats’ lineup offer features like Find My Device and spatial audio. These headphones are stylish and functional, making them a wonderful companion for your everyday life.
Monoprice BT-600ANC	Noise-canceling tech that can outperform the big names in the industry. For $100, the BT-600ANC cancels noise just as well as headphones that are much more expensive.
Soundcore Space One Pro	A pair of highly comfortable headphones that don’t break the bank. Soundcore improved the comfort, sound, and noise cancellation in these headphones, making them a great budget option.
Sony Ult Wear	The latest mid-range headphones from Sony. These headphones have great sound, build, and noise-canceling tech quality for their price. If you’re looking for headphones that have deeper bass than usual, give these a try.
Sennheiser Accentum	Highly detailed and clear sound without needing extra Bluetooth codecs or fancy audio equipment. Although these headphones can access AptX codecs, you don’t need them to get the most out of the Accentum’s sound.
Sony WH-CH720N	The closest thing to Sony’s flagship headphones for a quarter of the price. These headphones offer some of Sony’s best technology, but you won’t have to spend all your money on a pair.

I tested many over-ear headphones from popular and lesser-known brands. Aside from being less than $200, I considered other metrics to test a pair of cheap headphones, like sound, comfort, and use cases.

Price: Many of the “best” headphones are at least $300, and not everyone wants to pay that much for headphones. To accommodate people who want the most for the least amount of money, we found plenty of headphones that perform well for $200 or less.
Sound: Sound is a subjective metric, but there are internal audio components that affect sound quality, like driver size, diaphragm material, ear cup thickness, and ear cup material. These factors vary across the headphones in this list, but each pair delivers great sound that will satisfy both casual listeners and budding Hi-Fi enthusiasts.
Comfort: Comfort is another subjective metric, considering everyone has different ear and head shapes and sizes. If you have a larger head or ears, consider headphones with large, oval ear cups. If you have a smaller head or ears, consider headphones with smaller ear cups and a tighter headband. We tried our best to include a diverse selection of headphone sizes in this list to accommodate as many head and ear sizes as possible.
Use cases: Although most people want headphones to listen to music, you should also consider where you’ll wear your headphones the most. If you spend most of your time wearing headphones in a quiet environment, you may not need strong noise canceling. If you plan to take your headphones on long traveling stretches or on your daily commute, you should consider headphones that offer effective noise-canceling properties.

I spend lots of time wearing and testing headphones. Although the latest and greatest headphones bring hype and excitement, some people don’t want to spend hundreds on headphones. To accommodate these people, I occasionally test headphones for less than $200 to test their efficacy in comparison to more expensive, mainstream consumer headphones.

To achieve this, I will wear affordable headphones in noisy and quiet environments to test their noise-canceling, wear them for hours on end to test their comfort, and try my hardest to drain their battery to see how long it lasts. In terms of sound, it’s easy to tell when something sounds really bad. But good sound is highly subjective, and it’s a metric you’ll ultimately have to test for yourself.

There are many affordable headphones out there that sound outright horrible. Their sound lacks bass, it sounds distant and tinny and overall gives a poor audio experience. But you shouldn’t write off affordable headphones, you just need to know what you’re looking for. There are plenty of cheaper headphones that have a robust, full, and enjoyable sound.

Still, you can’t expect as much from cheaper headphones as you can from higher-end headphones. But you should invest in a well-built pair of affordable headphones so you can leave your expensive babies at home.

Everyone’s headphone budget is different because everyone’s headphone needs are different. Some people are audio professionals and choose to buy expensive headphones made for mixing and mastering music. Other people listen to music as a hobby and choose to invest in expensive headphones to achieve a higher-quality audio experience. To these people, spending thousands on headphones is worth it.

However, other people just want headphones to listen to their favorite tunes and block out the world around them — that’s it. And this group of people likely don’t want to spend as much on headphones, and that’s okay. This list is for those people. There are other decent headphones out there for less than $100, but you’re entering risky territory.

I used $200 as this list’s price ceiling because headphones in this price range can have impressive internal audio components, durable build quality, and desirable software features.

Although the headphones in this list perform well for their low price, headphone makers tend to skimp on the physical materials to give you access to higher-quality internal audio components. The only exception in this list are the Monoprice BT-600ANC, but their internal audio components are not as high quality as the affordable headphones from Sennheiser or Sony.

Usually, more expensive headphones are made of materials like leather, cloth, aluminum, or lambskin to keep the headband from breaking and the ear cups from peeling and cracking. Many of the headphones in this list use materials like plastic and synthetic leather, which won’t last as long.

By wiping down your ear cups, storing your headphones in a case or dust bag, and keeping your headphones from bending in unnatural positions, you can make your cheap headphones last a few more years.

Are there alternative cheap headphones worth considering?

These are not the only options available. If you’re looking for headphones that are slightly more expensive or higher quality than these, here are some options in the $250 to $350 range.

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The best cheap headphones of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

What are the best cheap headphones right now?

The best cheap headphones of 2024