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The best budget over ear headphones
Save your cash with these great budget headphone picks.
August 21, 2025
Chase is the Managing Editor at SoundGuys, where he oversees content related to headphones, earbuds, speakers, and all things audio. As a founder of the non profit organization Music For Mental Health, Chase is also passionate in uncovering the ways music creation and listening can serve individuals and the community. You can find music he produces by searching his name on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other streaming platforms. Chase studied Commerce and Applied Music Technology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Finding a solid pair of over-ear headphones on a budget used to mean making big sacrifices—tinny audio, flimsy builds, and nonexistent comfort. But not anymore. Today, you can get impressive sound quality, long battery life, and even features like Bluetooth or noise cancellation without spending a fortune. We’ve tested dozens of budget-friendly over-ear headphones, and there are now several options we can easily recommend.
Whether you’re looking for a comfortable set for working from home, something durable for the gym, or just a reliable pair to enjoy your playlists without breaking the bank, we’ve got you covered. These are the best budget over-ear headphones worth your money right now, as tested in the SoundGuys lab.
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$269
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$70
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$349
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$429
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$350
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Product chart
In the chart above, you can see how each of the headphones compares in terms of price and performance.
Our Verdict on the Top 7 Products
The Beats Solo 3 Wireless, with its on-ear design, offers a subdued aesthetic and impressive battery life, making it a decent option for iPhone users who prioritize style and long listening sessions, though it lacks ANC and may cause discomfort for some. The Beats Studio Pro steps up with really good ANC and a surprisingly balanced sound, but its small earcups and stiff band can lead to significant comfort issues for many, making fit a critical factor. For those prioritizing absolute top-tier noise canceling and comfort, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are an excellent choice, offering a lightweight design, effective ANC, and advanced future-proof features like aptX Lossless, though its immersive audio mode didn't particularly impress us. The Bose QuietComfort Headphones excel in comfort and solid noise canceling, closely mirroring its predecessor, but we found its default sound profile to have an over-emphasized sub-bass that could be too much for some listeners. The Edifier W820NB Plus delivers excellent sound quality and decent noise canceling at a budget-friendly price, ideal for casual listeners and commuters, though its lack of folding earcups and an IP rating makes it less travel-friendly. Meanwhile, the Heavys H1H are a standout for heavy music enthusiasts, providing a powerful and clear sound signature specifically tuned for metal, along with a comfortable fit and useful features like a physical volume knob, although its battery life was not specified in our review. Finally, the Sony WH-1000XM6 offers the best sound in its series, fantastic microphone quality, and competitive ANC, addressing many past grievances with its improved design, making it a strong all-rounder for commuters and travelers, despite the absence of USB-C audio passthrough. Overall, if you are looking for the best all-around noise canceling and sound performance, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is our top recommendation for most people. If comfort is paramount and you want cutting-edge wireless audio, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is a strong contender, particularly for Android users. For those on a tighter budget who still want good sound and ANC, the Edifier W820NB Plus offers incredible value, while metalheads should absolutely consider the Heavys H1H for its tailored sound.
How we test the best headphones and earbuds
To gather information about how well each of the earbuds and headphones work, we subject each product to a number of objective tests. We use a Bruel & Kjaer 5128 acoustic measurement system to test headphones and earbuds in our SoundGuys lab. The ear canal of the artificial head was created by averaging and smoothing 3D models of individual ear canal features from the MRI scans of 40 different people.
We perform the following testing to determine the best headphones and best earbuds:
- We run sequences to determine the best fit of the headphones, and if there are any manufacturing issues with the product.
- We measure the headphones’ performance and compare the frequency response to our industry-validated SoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve to give context to readers.
- To rate sound quality, we use the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics. These are virtual mean opinion scores as calculated by a powerful machine learning model based on the input of real listeners.
- We play several samples of shaped noise over loudspeakers to test noise canceling and record with our artificial head. We take samples with ANC on, ANC off, and with the headphones off the head. After subtracting the appropriate curves from each other, we can see how well the headphones block out noise.
- To evaluate microphone quality, we play pre-recorded spoken Harvard sentences from a calibrated artificial mouth in our test chamber, either with or without simulated background noises, simulated reverberant spaces, or artificial wind.
- To measure battery life, we play back music through the headphones or earbuds peaking at 75dB(SPL), a safe and realistic listening level.
In addition to objective testing, our team of audio experts uses each of the headphones and earbuds to evaluate the experience of using the product. By wearing the headphones in day-to-day use, we evaluate the comfort, noting any pain points. We also make sure to try out each of the features that the headphones have to offer, such as using the equalizer in the companion app.
Using a combination of subjective and objective testing, we score each product. To learn more about how we evaluate headphones and earbuds, check out our in-depth explainer on how we test.
Why you should trust SoundGuys
Here at SoundGuys, we’ve been testing audio products for over a decade. Our team comprises audio product experts who have tested hundreds of different headphones, earbuds, and speakers. Moreover, our team comes from diverse backgrounds and a wealth of expertise, including audio engineering, film production, journalism, podcasting, music production, and even touring musicians.
Everything we recommend results from our objective measurements and great subjective experiences. Ultimately, we want you to enjoy your purchase or, at the very least, leave our site with a little more knowledge about the inner workings of audio. To see why you can trust us with your purchase decision, make sure to check out our ethics policy.
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