2 weeks Ago By David Carnoy
How cheap? Budget active noise-canceling headphones tend to range in price from $50 to $100. The question you'll have to ask yourself is whether you're looking for the cheapest ANC headphones, or are you willing to spend closer to $100? There usually is a significant difference between a set of ANC cans that cost $50 to $60 and ones that cost $80 to $100, particularly when it comes to build quality. If you're looking for a step-up in audio performance, your best bet is to stick to the higher end of a budget price range.
Design Budget headphones tend to be a little bulkier than more premium models and can also look and feel a little, well, cheap. All our picks on this list offer a reasonably good design (at a minimum), but some are more appealing than others. Finding a design that's appealing to you is obviously important.
Fit It's key that the headphones you buy fit your head well. The key to good noise canceling headphones is the fit of the ear cups around your head, so the best pair should offer a comfortable fit that's snug, yet not too snug. Ideally, you want headphones you can wear over a day with minimal breaks.
Budget headphones can offer a comfortable fit, but more premium headphones tend to feature better memory foam and more ergonomic designs. Durability You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality. Even budget models can come equipped with excellent resiliency in several tougher conditions.
Maximize performance and features for your budget You want the best-sounding headphones with the best noise canceling, call quality and features like wireless charging for whatever you're able to spend. Be sure to pack in as many features as you think you'll need when choosing a set of headphones, even on a budget. Return policy It's critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer's remorse.
Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days, and then return one. We test budget noise-canceling headphones based on six key criteria: design , sound quality , noise-canceling performance , voice-calling performance, features and value . Design We assess not only how comfortably the headphones fit (their ergonomics) but also their build quality and how well the controls are implemented.
Only a few full-size headphones have water- and dust-resistance ratings, so those that are more durable are noted in this list. Sound quality We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of tracks from various music styles and comparing headphones to top competing products. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment, especially as noise-canceling features can sometimes hinder audio production.
If your biggest use case is listening to music, this factor will be a key determinant in choosing your new headphones. Noise-canceling performance Because each model on this list features Active Noise Canceling (ANC), we evaluate ANC performance by wearing the headphones in the same spot indoors near a noisy HVAC unit to see how well they do at muffling lower frequencies. Then we head out onto city streets to test the headphones in a real-world environment where we see how they do at muffling not only traffic noise but also people's voices.
Additional features Some great-sounding budget noise-canceling headphones aren't loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from quick-access awareness with touch controls to transparency modes (your music pauses and the headphones open up to the outside world so you can have a conversation) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears. We also take a look at the companion/control app for the headphones (if there is one) and how user-friendly the app controls are.
Voice-calling When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls on noisy city streets and evaluate how well the headphones or earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear our voices. Value We determine value after considering the strength of the headphones against all these criteria and what they're able to deliver compared with other models in their price class. Because the models on this list are priced similarly, we're sure to compare each one head-to-head to deliver you the best value.
Sony CH-720N : Sony's improved entry-level noise canceling headphones, the CH-720Ns, have a bit of a plasticky budget vibe, but they're lightweight and very comfortable. Part of me was expecting them to sound pretty mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised. No, they don't sound as good as the WH-1000XM5s.
But they sound more premium than they look (and feel), and their overall performance is a step up from their predecessor, the CH-710Ns. JBL Tune 670NC : The JBL Tune 670NC is one of a relatively small number of on-ear headphones to offer active noise canceling. It's something of a value model -- no carrying case is included -- but it does have memory foam ear pads that get you a comfortable fit for an on-ear headphone.
Deliver clear sound with punch bass, it has 32mm drivers and improves on its predecessor's battery life, offering up to a whopping 70 hours (or 44 hours with ANC on), and an extra three hours of battery with just five minutes of charge. Wyze Noise-Canceling Headphones : Wyze is known for its value security cams, but it also made a pretty decent pair of budget noise-canceling headphones for less than $75. Alas, no.
More budget ANC headphones tend to be a little lacking on the sound quality front. Some budget ANC models that cost less than $100 offer surprisingly good sound for the money. You shouldn't expect great sound, but you can certainly get headphones that sound quite decent.
Often, the biggest difference is build quality. Premium headphones tend to feel sturdier and tend to be built with more premium materials. They also have a more premium look and feel to both the headphones themselves and their carrying case (many cheaper headphones don't even include a carrying case or protective pouch).
Performance is also a few steps behind. Premium headphones tend to have more advanced driver designs, chipsets and better microphones for voice calling. Finally, some cheap headphones don't link to a companion app that allows you to tweak their sound with EQ settings or upgrade their firmware.
Some do. Many cheaper headphones now feature multiple microphones and some do a surprisingly good job when it comes to voice calling. A few models on this list have decent noise reduction.
Some also offer multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which allows you to pair the headphones to two devices simultaneously (such as a smartphone and a computer). Noise cancellation is often used as a catch-all term, but it actually refers to two distinct methods - passive and active noise cancellation. Passive noise cancellation relies on the physical design of the headphones -- like dense foam earcups and a snug fit -- to block out external sounds.
Active noise cancellation takes things a step further by using built-in microphones to detect ambient noise, then generating sound waves that effectively cancel it out. The result? A noticeably quieter listening experience, especially in louder environments..
