Not all great headphones have to be super expensive. And not all cheap headphones have to be bad. Sometimes you have to find the middle ground. The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 is a perfect example of this with superb sound quality, long battery life, and are super comfortable to use for long periods.
Best Overall: Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 are by far the best value when it comes to headphones in this price range. They have physical media controls that are super solid, long battery life with up to 30 hours on a single charge, and are ultra-comfortable for long term use.
In terms of sound quality, the BackBeat Pro 2 offer a modest bass boost making it suitable for more bass-heavy genres such as EDM, hip-hop, or rap. However, the rest of the sound is fairly balanced making it versatile enough for most other genres.
For comfort, the BackBeat Pro 2 are decent. The ear cups and headband are super soft and comfy, not causing any discomfort or fatiguing, at least in the short term. For people who have bigger heads (like me), the BackBeat Pro 2 can cause some discomfort after several hours of usage, forcing you to take a break.
The only real downside is the lack of USB-C for charging as these use Micro-USB. Not only do they use Micro-USB, but there’s no fast charging capability, which means you’re looking at around 3 hours to charge them from 0 to 100%.
Pros:
- Great comfort
- Long battery life
- Great, bass-boosted sound
- Tactile and responsive media controls
Cons:
- Micro-USB for charging
- Not fast-charging capable
Best Overall
Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2
- $130 from Amazon
Great for all genres
The BackBeat Pro 2 feature 30 hours of battery life and a solid sound signature, making them suitable for nearly all genres of music.
Best True Wireless: Jabra Elite 75t
The Jabra Elite 75t’s biggest advantage over other true wireless earbuds is comfort. With the Elite 75t, it’s unlikely you’ll experience discomfort or ear fatigue, even after several hours of usage. The earbud comes with several ear tips in the box, and as long as you can find a size that fits your ears, you shouldn’t experience any issues with discomfort.
Sound quality can be excellent once you EQ the sound. The out of the box sound is rather bass-heavy and can sound overly bassy for some. If you’re a bass head, you’ll absolutely love the sound. Otherwise, the rest of the sound is very natural and smooth.
Battery life is excellent for a true wireless earbud. The actual earbud gets up to 7.5 hours of battery life on a single charge. When you add the included charging case, you’ll get an additional 20.5 hours, giving you a total of 28 hours of battery life. The case charges over USB-C, but it doesn’t have wireless charging of any sort, which is a bummer but not a dealbreaker.
Pros:
- USB-C for charging
- IP55 water and dust resistant
- Great, bass-heavy sound
- Excellent comfort
Cons:
- Can be overly bassy for some
Best True Wireless
Jabra Elite 75t
- $180 from Amazon
Long-lasting true wireless
The Jabra Elite Active 75t offer great sound, long battery life, and can be used independently to increase battery life.
Best Wired Buds: 1More Triple Driver
The 1More Triple Driver is the best-wired earbud around for its price range. One of its best characteristics is its sound. The bass gets super low and will give you just the right amount of thump and rumble but still have a ton of detail and definition. The treble is slightly lacking making hi-hats from drums, some female vocals, and tambourines nous a bit muted.
Comfort-wise, they’re excellent. No issues with ear fatigue or the earbud feeling like they’re adding too much weight to the ear. It comes with several sizes in the box, which is great for those who need different sized tips. Being a wired set of earbuds, you’ll also get the standard in-line controls to control volume, play/pause, and manually summon the digital assistant of your choice. And the best part of all? You don’t have to worry about battery life or charging since they’re not wireless.
The only real downside to these is that while the earbuds themselves feel premium, the cable leading up to the earbuds are a bit flimsy and seem prone to breaking really easily.
Pros:
- Premium design
- Solid, warm sound signature
- Superb comfort and fit
Cons:
- Non-detachable/flimsy cable
Best Wired Buds
1More Triple Driver
- $57 from Amazon
No batteries required
The 1More Triple Driver are wired earbuds that are super comfortable, sound great, and don’t require pairing or batteries.
Best On-Ear: Bose SoundLink On-Ear
If you’re looking for comfortable on-ear headphones, look no further than the Bose SoundLink On-Ear. Due to its on-ear design, you won’t have issues such as your ears getting warm like some over-ear headphones. Though, as with most on-ear headphones, you’ll have a good amount of sound leakage with the SoundLink. In louder environments, it probably won’t be much of an issue. But, if you’re in a quiet environment like a library, it’s probably best to use the Soundlink at lower volumes.
For sound quality, the SoundLink sounds pretty natural up until the treble where things start to fall apart. It’s very unnatural and strange. It’s hard to describe, but don’t let that distract you from the otherwise fantastic sounding earbuds.
In terms of battery life, you’ll get 15 hours of battery life, which is decent for an on-ear headphone. Fortunately, the SoundLink has fast charging capability, giving you 2 hours of listening time in a 15-minute charge. Overall charging will still take 3 hours, though. The charging cable is Micro-USB as well.
Pros:
- Quick charging capable
- Superb comfort
- Excellent sound quality
Cons:
- Micro-USB for charging
- Sound leakage at higher volumes
Best On-Ear
Bose SoundLink On-Ear
- $138 from Amazon
Comfortable on-ear tunes
The Bose Soundlink On-Ear headphones are super comfortable whether you’re using them for 30 minutes at a time or several hours.
Best In-Ear: Jaybird Tarah Pro Wireless
The Jaybird Tarah Pro are a solid all-around pair of in-ear earbuds. They’re not true wireless, so you don’t have to worry about a charging case or two separate sets of batteries (the buds and the case). And, with a wire in between, you can easily let them dangle around your neck.
Sound quality-wise, the Tarah Pro does well. Bass is neutral and extends very deep. And the treble is only sightly boosted giving you a fantastic, consumer-friendly sound. This type of sound signature is often found in sports/workout earbuds as it is often described as “energetic” or “exciting”.
In terms of battery life, the Tarah Pros last up to 13 hours on a single charge. Charging them from empty will take roughly two hours. Unfortunately, they use a proprietary charging cable, so you’ll have to remember to have it when they die. For comfort, they are excellent — no issues with ear fatigue or heaviness from the earbuds.
Pros:
- Superb sound quality
- Solid battery life
- Great comfort
Cons:
- Proprietary charging cable
Best In-Ear
Jaybird Tarah Pro
- $160 from Best Buy
Superb sound quality
The Jaybird Tarah Pros sound fantastic, have a great battery life, and are super comfortable for long listening sessions.
Best Open-Back (Wired): Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro
If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, at-home listening headphones, the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro are the right pair of headphones for you. They are a set of over-ear open-back headphones, which means they’re staying at home. This is because open-back headphones don’t try to isolate sound and will leak sound like crazy. However, they make up for it by being super comfortable. Since they don’t have to try to isolate sound, the ear cups are made out of very soft leather.
However, they sound fantastic. The DT 990 Pro have a very balanced sound. The bass response is perfect for an open-back headphone. They don’t get as deep as other closed-back headphones but is well balanced. The mid-range is also neutral and free from imperfections. The treble is also relatively neutral, with only an over-emphasis in the mid-treble region, which adds quite a bit of brightness on certain tracks. Some people won’t be a fan of that. And of course, being open-back, they have excellent dynamic range and soundstage.
These are wired headphones, so you’ll need to make sure you have a device with a 3.5mm audio jack. Fortunately, unlike some other open-back headphones, you won’t need an amp for these, and most gadgets will be able to drive them without much issue. But an amp would definitely help.
Pros:
- Open-back, natural sound
- Comfortable for long-term use
- No amp required
Cons:
- Treble can be fatiguing for some
Best Open-Back (Wired)
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro
- $129 from Amazon
Open back goodness
The DT 990 Pro from Beyerdynamic offer great dynamic range and soundstage. While you’re restricted to at-home use, the sound quality is totally worth it.
Best Over-Ear: Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC
The Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC have excellent sound quality. The bass and mid-range are superb and balanced all around. When it comes to the treble, it’s a bit recessed but, overall, it’s evenly balanced, giving the 4.50 BTNC slightly bass-heavy sound. The ANC for the 4.50 BTNC is good, but it affects the sound massively. Unfortunately, we recommend leaving the ANC off if you want outstanding sound quality.
Battery life on the HD 4.50 BTNC is excellent. With ANC enabled, you get 19 hours, and with ANC disabled, you get whopping 25 hours. When it comes to recharging them, it’ll take you a solid 2 hours to recharge them if they’re completely dead.
An important part of any (closed-back) headphone is how much sound they leak. Fortunately, the HD 4.50 BTNC don’t leak too much sound and are perfect for an office environment, even if the guy in the next cubicle is only a few feet away.
Pros:
- Great, treble forward sound
- Low sound leakage
- Long battery life
Cons:
- ANC effects the sound tremendously
Best Over-Ear
Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC
- $95 from Amazon
Excellent sounding wireless headphones
The Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC deliver an overall great sound that has minimal leakage, and excellent battery life.
Best Neckbud: Jabra Elite 65e
The Jabra Elite 65e offer a solid neckbud experience. They offer up to eight hours of battery life, which is plenty to get you through your day. It takes just under two hours to fully recharge them if you deplete the battery completely. The earbuds charge over the included Micro-USB cable.
The earbuds come with multiple (seven pairs in fact) ear tip sizes in the box, which should help with fit and overall comfort. Once you find the right ear tip size, they are relatively comfortable, even over long periods of time. The buds don’t go too deep in your ear, which is great for those who aren’t a fan of in-ear earbuds.
Sound is good, too. Bass is a bit elevated and so is the midrange, which means you’ll experience a lot of bass and instruments such as pianos, violins, and guitars. Female vocals will also sound closer to you. This might not sound appealing, but most earbuds and headphones nowadays boost the bass, so the Elite 65e will sound similar to many consumer headphones on the market.
The Elite 65e are IP54 dust and water-resistant, which means you’ll be able to workout with the earbuds without much issue. They also feature ANC as well for when you need to tune out the rest of the world. The ANC won’t blow you away when compared to high-end ANC headphones, but it’s comparable enough to keep you listening during your commute.
Pros:
- Long battery life
- Superb comfort
- Great sound
Cons:
- Uses Micro-USB for charging
- ANC is just OK
Best Neckbud
Jabra Elite 65e
- $177 from Amazon
Neck tunes
The Jabra Elite 65e are super comfortable, with great battery life. It enables you to always have earbuds on your person.
Bottom line
Great headphones don’t have to be expensive, and cheap headphones don’t have to sound awful. There are a ton of mid-range options available that are really good and have solid features. If you’re looking for a great pair of over-ear portable headphones, the Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2 is a no brainer.
It features great battery life with up to 30 hours on a charge, meaning you can take a long haul flight with them and not worry about them dying on you. The Backbeat Pro 2 also features great sound quality and excellent comfort for long listening sessions.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Peter Cao loves his headphones. Good luck trying to catch him without some sort of headphones on. His hobbies include listening to vinyl and playing video games.
