Best over ear headphones for under 100: When it comes to headphones it is important to know your budget.
Best over ear headphones for under 100: Top 5
1. Sony WH-CH700N Over the Ear Headphones
The Sony WH-CH700N
Advantages
- Looks very sexy and stylish in blue color
- It is light
- It sounds simply AMAZING! I just can’t believe that wireless headphones can sound like this!
- It holds 30-35 hours (not tested yet)
- It can be used wired
- It has controls on the unit
- It can be controlled from a mobile phone (Sony app), which is an awesome function! You can edit, modify sound, equalizer, turn on and off NC
- Noise Cancelling not the worst in NC headphones
Disadvantages
- It is totally plastic and this may cause broke one day
- It does not have a case or bag
- Noise Cancelling is moderate, blocks about 50-60% of sounds
- Sony does not use soft leather, but cheap kind of synthetic one
- It may be expensive, as there are some interesting models for a cheaper price
- Digital Noise Cancelling: Blocks Out Distracting Background Noise for a Better Music Experience
- AI Powered: Hold the NC Button for Uniquely Tuned Noise Cancellation Courtesy of Next Gen AI Tech
- Hands Free Calling: A Built in Microphone Lets You Take, Make Calls and Access Your Voice Assistant
- LONG BATTERY LIFE: Enjoy up to 35 hours of wireless playback and 10 min quick charge capability
- Voice Assistant: Alexa Enabled for Voice Access to Music, Information, and More. Activate with a Simple Touch
Last update on 2024-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2. Sennheiser HD 4.40 Around-Ear Headphones
The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is a good choice for casual listeners.
Advantages
- Excellent Audio quality
- Good isolation from the outside
- Decent battery life
- Comfortability
- Quality of materials
- No disturbances in the wireless connection
- The built-in microphone enhances your hearing
- Bluetooth. This is one of the main things that made me choose these over the discontinued Urbanite XLs. The headphone jack on my phone is messed up thanks to the heavy cable from my previous cans, so this was kind of a necessity for me.
- Can be powered passively. This is a necessity for wireless headphones in my eyes. Especially with someone who will likely forget to charge these (aka me).
- Sound isolation is actually pretty decent, on par with the Status Audio CB-1s.
Disadvantages
- The App isn’t compatible with YouTube / Audible
- The arc can’t be minimized perfectly
- A hard case would be nice
- Padding. The headband has no padding at all, meaning I had to tape pieces of foam to the headband for the 4 hours I used these.
- Speaking of padding, the earcups. I’ve seen other reviews that say these aren’t for large ears. I’d go a step further and say these aren’t for medium-sized ears, either.
- And the worst of all, sound quality. These sound like those speakers that come with those $20 cassette players, but with bass. I am not kidding, these go HARD on the 500-750hz range. What sucks is that no EQ app I’ve used can filter out these frequencies (they jump from 230 to 910hz). This is the thing that made me package these backup
- Incredible Sound Loved by 20 Million+ People
- Hi-Res Audio: Custom oversized 40 mm dynamic drivers produce Hi-Res sound. Life Q20 active noise canceling headphones reproduce music with extended high frequencies that reach up to 40 kHz for extraordinary clarity and detail.
- Reduce Ambient Noises By Up to 90%: Our team of engineers conducted more than 100,000 tests in real-life scenarios to fine-tune Life Q20s 4 built-in ANC microphones and digital active noise cancellation algorithm. As a result, the hybrid active noise cancellation can detect and cancel out a wider range of low and mid-frequency noises such as cars and airplane engines.
- 100% Stronger Bass: Our exclusive BassUp technology conducts real-time analysis of the low frequencies to instantly strengthen the bass output. Double press the play button when listening to bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop for an amplified listening experience.
- 60-Hour Playtime*: Up to 40 hours of non-stop playtime in wireless active noise cancellation mode (at 60% volume) is extended to an enormous 60 hours in standard music mode. A single charge gives you enough juice to listen to over 600 songs or soundtrack multiple long haul flights. And when youre in a rush, charge Life Q20 active noise canceling headphones for 5 minutes and get 4 hours of listening.
Last update on 2024-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
3. Anker Soundcore Life Q20
The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is a good choice for casual listeners.
Advantages
- Nice sound quality, with some reinforcement in the mid-bass frequencies, but the bass is tight, and the mids and highs are mellow
- Almost inaudible difference to sound quality with noise cancellation enabled, and no notable hiss with ANC on
- ANC is not ‘make the world go away’ levels, and lets some higher frequency sound through; this is great, as I am looking to cancel out midrange and bass sounds like an air conditioner, nearby dogs, and the wearing rumble of airplane engines during long flights
- Aside from the slightly too small earcups (for my tastes), they are comfortable to wear – neither too loose nor too tight
- The various audible and voice prompts are pleasant and at a reasonable volume
Disadvantages
- Big problem: can’t charge and listen at the same time
- Big problem: no ability to use as a phone headset in wired mode (these are headphones only when used with the cable, with no mic available)
- The earcup material is too insulative, resulting in unpleasant warmth and sweating under fairly normal circumstances (74F / 45% RH, just sitting at the computer doing work, so these would suck for truly warm, humid, and/or strenuous activity)
- When switching ANC on and off, the enhanced bass enables momentarily, which is just sloppy design, and rather jarring
- They have stiff creaky hinges and pivots, which is emblematic of inexpensive plastic-on-plastic construction
- They have a light but unpleasant chemical smell, which I suspect is from the earcup material, and it’s not dissipating any too quickly
- A general lack of build refinement – they’re nice enough, but the point where the earcup cushions meet the body was wrinkled and unevenly finished
- Incredible Sound Loved by 20 Million+ People
- Hi-Res Audio: Custom oversized 40 mm dynamic drivers produce Hi-Res sound. Life Q20 active noise canceling headphones reproduce music with extended high frequencies that reach up to 40 kHz for extraordinary clarity and detail.
- Reduce Ambient Noises By Up to 90%: Our team of engineers conducted more than 100,000 tests in real-life scenarios to fine-tune Life Q20s 4 built-in ANC microphones and digital active noise cancellation algorithm. As a result, the hybrid active noise cancellation can detect and cancel out a wider range of low and mid-frequency noises such as cars and airplane engines.
- 100% Stronger Bass: Our exclusive BassUp technology conducts real-time analysis of the low frequencies to instantly strengthen the bass output. Double press the play button when listening to bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop for an amplified listening experience.
- 60-Hour Playtime*: Up to 40 hours of non-stop playtime in wireless active noise cancellation mode (at 60% volume) is extended to an enormous 60 hours in standard music mode. A single charge gives you enough juice to listen to over 600 songs or soundtrack multiple long haul flights. And when youre in a rush, charge Life Q20 active noise canceling headphones for 5 minutes and get 4 hours of listening.
Last update on 2024-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
4. JBL Live 500 BT
The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is a good choice for casual listeners.
Advantages
- Good fit and covers the ears very well with plenty of room
- Pretty good at noise canceling
- Quality of sound is good and even better when you download the JBL app and set the settings to bass
- Much better quality than Beats as far as durability
- Overall good headphones for the price
Disadvantages
- Inherent loss of sound when using Bluetooth
- JBL SIGNATURE SOUND: 50mm drivers the JBL sound signature that can be found in the most famous venues all around the world.
- AMAZON ALEXA: Play your favorite playlist, text your friend, check the weather and much more by simply tapping the ear cup to activate Amazon Alexa. Use the all-new JBL App to easily set your voice assistant.
- AMBIENT AWARE AND TALKTHRU: Dont let the music stop! Stay in touch with your surroundings while listening to your tunes. A touch of the Ambient Aware button increases the ambient sound and lets you hear whats happening around you. The TalkThru mode drops the music level down, allowing you to talk to your friends without removing your bluetooth headphones.
- UP TO 30 HOUR BATTERY LIFE: Rock on non-stop for a full day or more and enjoy super-fast recharging if thats not enough. A quick 15-minute charge lets you extend the fun for an additional 2 hours.
- HANDS-FREE CALLS: Stay in touch with your world by managing calls with the buttons on the ear-cup. When the battery is flat, just plug-in the audio cable and continue listening and chatting.
Last update on 2024-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
5. Sennheiser HD 599 SE Around Ear Open Back Headphone
The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 is a good choice for casual listeners.
Advantages
- Spacious sound
- Great sound levels across low, mid, and upper range
- Wonderful detail
- Very good performance on movie special effect soundtracks while still giving plenty of detail in voices, music, etc.
- Nice fit on my larger-than-average head—comfortable to wear for several hours
- Amazing performance and comfort for the price
- The sound is fantastic. The highs are high, the mids are mid, and the lows are low. There is a surprising amount of thump for it being an open ear headphone. There is a good representation across most frequencies.
- The earpads are lush and comfortable.
- The design is hit or miss, but I like it. You don’t get cream and brown much anymore. It makes them look distinctive.
- The box comes with two cables. One unreasonably long cable with a 6.3mm jack and a 3.5mm converter and a normal 3-meter headphone jack with a 3.5mm end.
- 5. 50ohm impedance means they’re relatively easy to drive.
Disadvantages
- Searched the internet high and low for a short 2.5mm balanced male to 3.5mm male cable that could fit and no luck so far. There are some female adapters + another short 3.mm male to male, but the adapters at the end 2.5mm look too fat to fit in the headphones. This is a minor issue b/c the included 3.mm cable isn’t too long to be tucked away and is thin and light to begin with. Still, if Sennheiser would come out with a 1.5 ft version, that’d be pretty sweet.
- Too warm to wear during more active VR games (i.e. beat saber), but that’s expected and the case with any over the ear headphones even with a fan blowing directly at my head and at cool temps.
- The head strap could’ve used some more cushioning. It’s not uncomfortable but compared to the pillow they put on the 558s, these are definitely more noticeable on your head.
- I’m not sure if these sound better amped or not. On some tracks, like Pink Floyd’s Pulse album or the Final Fantasy XV soundtrack, these amped is an amazing experience. However, listening to Sublime with Rome while these are amped make their already overpowered bass guitar even more so and it drowns out some other parts of the track. Without an amp, Sublime with Rome sounds amazing. It’s a weird conundrum. When amped, turning up the sound makes the music sound cluttered and overwhelming. A problem I never had with my 558s. These are definitely not relaxed sounding.
- Premium, audiophile-grade over ear, open back headphones
- Lightweight with luxurious velour covered ear pads for extreme comfort
- Compatible with virtually every audio device including phones, tablets and computers
- Two detachable cables included (3 meter with 6.3 millimeter jack and 1.2 meter with 3.5 millimeter jack)
- Connector type: 3.5mm jack
Last update on 2024-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API