We’ve all seen the eye-watering prices attached to high-end audio artefacts, from headphones and speakers to hi-fi amplifiers to snake-oil ‘audiophile-grade power cables’ (which, if you’re ever in need of a laugh, are well worth spending two minutes Googling). The very existence of these top-flight slices of hi-fi suggests that anyone with a small budget would be slumming it in audio terms – but this is demonstrably not the case.
There are many incredible sets of headphones on the market with price tags to match, boasting clever and cutting-edge technology to bring out the best in your music sources. The entry level, though, is not the minefield of mediocre that many might think it to be. Some of the best brands in hi-fi do their best work in this range, and it’s only getting more competitive too. I’ll even prove it to you, with this list of brilliant budget-range bonce-blasters that come in under £100.
What follows is a mish-mash of the best headphones under £100 on the market today, incorporating both wireless, noise-cancelling day-to-day devices and delicate, detailed headphones for audiophilic at-home listening. Each is highly merit-able for its own reasons, but especially so for bringing high-quality audio down to, in audio terms, an easily-affordable price.
To get you started, my top recommendation is the AKG K92 which offer clear and well-balanced audio for a great price, but if a pair of in-ear headphones is more your thing, then take a closer look at the Sennheiser CX Plus - another set of headphones that punch well above their price tag.
If you’re new to buying headphones, new to audio stuff in general or just want a little more context in what to look for when buying headphones of the cheaper variety, drop on down to my buyer’s advice section at the bottom; there, you’ll find some fleshed-out thinking on what it is that makes a pair of headphones good.
If you’re just here for some cheap headphone recommendations, read on to find out what makes the cut.
Quick list
The AKG K92 is a quintessential bit of budget music-studio kit. These reference headphones are clear as a bell and extremely well-balanced, giving you studio-quality sound for less than half of this article’s self-imposed budget limit. A fabulous pair of headphones that are my no.1 pick in the list.
The Soundcore Anker Q20 are wireless and also offer ANC. Audio is great thanks to the 40mm drivers, while you get 30 hours of music with ANC engaged, and 60 hours without. The Soundcore Anker Q20 are definitely worth a closer look if wireless headphones are your thing.
The JBL Tune 720 BT headphones are an excellent choice for someone who wants a lot from their headphones, without having to pay a lot for the privilege. Lengthy battery life, handy voice control and JBL’s proprietary Pure Bass Sound make these cans a delight for the rocker-about-town.
If earbuds are more your thing and you're looking for a great pair under £100, then I think the SoundMagic E11C are definitely worth a closer look. Audio delivery is balanced and perfect for rock and metal - and talking about metal, these in-ear headphones won't get in a tangle like so many other options thanks to the silver-plated copper cable.
You don't have to pay top dollar for a great set of Sony over-ear headphones, because for less than 100 sheets, you can nab a pair of the excellent WH-CH720N. Noise cancelling is great, audio delivery is clear and balanced, while you'll get 35 hours of music from a single charge. They don't fold though, but they still come highly recommended.
Sennheiser’s CX Plus wireless earbuds are both feature-rich and rich in sound, with 24 hours of battery, smart touch controls and some responsive, weighty bass to them too. They’re surprisingly comfy to wear, they do a great job of isolating sound and they’re very flattering to noise rock.
The Louder choice
✅ Buy if you want a no nonsense pair of budget cans: The AKG K92 punch well above their price tag when it comes to pure audio.
❌ Avoid if you're after a few more bells and whistles: There's no denying the value for money on these headphones, but they're as bare bones as tech comes.
Audio rating: ★★★★★
Comfort rating: ★★★★★
Battery rating: N/A
Overall: ★★★★★
The best-performing headphones under £100 in my list aren’t the most feature-rich, nor are they the newest kids on the block. In fact, they’re about as simple as they come, and they were launched about a decade ago. This still-phenomenal set of cans is the AKG K92, an exceedingly lightweight pair of closed-back headphones that doesn’t just coast under the £100 mark, but also comes in well below £50 – and sounds incredible while doing it.
Designed as accessibly-priced studio reference monitors for musicians and producers, these headphones have clarity very much in mind. There is supple handling of bass and mid ranges without getting too pumpy, and the high end is a veritable delight. The K92 is extremely amenable to long listening sessions too, on account of the light build and comfy ear cups.
If your needs are a little more day-to-day than the AKG K92 can provide, then these naturally won’t be right for you, being wired, passive and microphone-less. But as far as bang-for-buck bare-bones listening quality goes, there are few better options on the market. For those of you that want to rediscover the detail in your desert-rock vinyl catalogue, look no further!
Best for battery
✅ Buy if you want excellent battery life: The Q20 offer 30 hours of music with noise cancellation added, and 60 hours without.
❌ Avoid if you're not a big fan of bass: I found the Q20s offered were a little bass heavy for my liking.
Audio rating: ★★★★★
Comfort rating: ★★★★½
Battery rating: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★★
When it comes to cheap but brilliant headphones, the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 really are hard to beat. These headphones are enhanced with noise cancelling tech that some of the bigger and more expensive brands would be hard pressed to match – especially at these prices.
These wireless headphones boast 40mm drivers to bring out the best in your music collection, while the in-build BassUp feature does exactly what it says on the tin. Battery life is thoroughly decent too, with 30 hours of perfect playback with ANC on or a whopping 60 hours when switched off.
If you’re after a great set of headphones for less than the price of a AAA video game, then the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 are definitely worth a closer look.
"The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 headphones are a little bass-heavy and lack some fine detail but, taken as a whole, they're a decent pair of over-ear headphones for the money."
Read more: Anker Soundcore Life Q20 review
Best for bass
✅ Buy if you want a comfortable, bass-heavy pair of headphones: The JBL Tune 720 BT really do pump out the bass and offer excellent battery life.
❌ Avoid if you want noise cancelling: Given their price, it's no surprise that noise cancelling takes a back seat, so look elsewhere if that's what you need.
Audio rating: ★★★★½
Comfort rating: ★★★★½
Battery rating: ★★★★★
Overall: ★★★★½
JBL is a consumer brand through and through, most recognised for its contributions to the world of party speakers and hi-fi systems. Its headphones are just as capable of partying hard – even if you, like I, have absolutely no time for Andrew W.K.’s most famous work whatsoever. This is the Tune 720 BT, an iteration of JBL’s Bluetooth-connective headphone range that brings the heat with a capacious battery and a significant bass-boost.
For the former, these headphones will last for up to 76 hours on a single charge, and can get charged right back up in just two. For the latter, JBL’s Pure Bass Sound puts some oomph behind your listenings; if you really want to feel like your head is all the way up Dave Grohl’s bass drum, then these are the cans for you.
The JBL Tune 720 BT may not be the most representative headphones under £100, and may even be proud of their maximalist bass-interventionism – but this may be to their credit. If you want something cheap, dependable and drowning in low end, this is it.
Best in-ears
✅ Buy if you want a wired pair of in-ears: The E11C are better than most bundled in earphones and are a great wired option for fitness fanatics.
❌ Avoid if a wired connection in a challenge: Wired connections might be getting a little long in the tooth for some, so if your tech has no headphoned jack, try the Sennheiser CX Plus instead.
Audio rating: ★★★★
Comfort rating: ★★★★
Battery rating: N/A
Overall: ★★★★
The awesome SoundMagic E11C are a neat pair of wired headphones that perform above their price point and are a great option if you still rock an audio device with room for a headphone jack. Sure, that's becoming rarer and rarer these days but if this applies to you, in my opinion, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything better in this price bracket.
The SoundMagic E11C boast excellent sound, with the balance beautifully pitched: There's no heavy bass trying to take over, while the treble notes aren't too high either.
There's something fun about these earbuds and when you take everything into consideration, it's hard to be too critical.
Away from the audio, the SoundMagic E11C have a silver-plated copper cable which has been introduced to reduce tangles – which, as we know, is the Achilles heel of most wired buds – and there's a three-button remote and mic. I still can't believe they're as cheap as they are.
"For a budget price, you can get a solid pair of in-ears offering great comfort and sound quality. The Soundmagic E11Cs aren't wireless, and they don't offer genuine noise-cancelling, but if you can cope without those things, there's a lot to like here."
Read more: SoundMagic E11C review
Best noise cancelling
✅ Buy if you want noise cancelling on a budget: The noise cancelling in Sony's range of cans is always great - and it's o different here. You'll also get 35 hours of battery when its activated
❌ Avoid if you want headphones for travel: Like the more expensive Sony WH-1000XM5, the WH-CH720N don't fold down.
Audio rating: ★★★★
Comfort rating: ★★★★
Battery rating: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
When it comes to noise cancelling headphones, Sony have some of the best on the market such as the over-ear WH-1000XM5 and the in-ear WF-1000XM5. However, those two examples cost way over £100, so if you're after a pair of Sonys for a great price that also offer noise cancelling, let me introduce you to the Sony WH-CH720N.
As you would expect from a Sony product, audio delivery through these over-ear headphones is well-balanced and clean - and to make things even better, they're 360 Reality Audio certified. And if you want to make things more to your tastes, the WH-CH720N are fully integrated with the official Sony headphone app where you can tweak your EQ settings to hit your personal sweet spot.
We can't quibble about the sound of these headphones, and we also can't criticise their comfort level. Their lightweight design and soft earcups ensure long listening sessions are possible, while the 35-hour battery life with noise cancellation activated is just amazing.
A seriously awesome set up headphones under £100 - and you can even find them on sale occasionally as they still tend to fly a bit under the radar.
Best for travel
✅ Buy if you want Bluetooth earbuds with ANC: A lovely alternative to some of the more well-known in-ears, the Active Noise Cancellation here is great and there's 24 hours of battery.
❌ Avoid if you want a more robust sound: Other, pricier in-ear options will give you more oomph, but just look at the price!
Audio rating: ★★★★
Comfort rating: ★★★★
Battery rating: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
Sennheiser’s earbud range is, thankfully, just as impressive as its incredible, expansive range of high-quality headphones. These are the CX Plus, a set of wireless earbuds that boast 24 hours of battery and a host of handy little tricks – including touch-sensitive earbud surfaces for controlling your phone with.
The CX Plus’ earbud design is pretty smart – and was enough to win me around to wireless earbuds as a concept, having previously been let down by ungainly products in the past.
They aren’t too light that you don’t notice them, but their weight distribution is such that they sit quite happily in your ear when seated. Unless your ear canals are remarkably unusual, or you try your absolute hardest, they don’t typically go anywhere unassisted.
The bass is a little ooshy, but this is no bad thing when you’re on a crowded bus mid-commute. If you’ve some big journeys ahead, these are a great space-saving alternative that do a decent job of both isolating sound and serving you some serious noise.
FAQ
What features can I get for less than £100?
When working to a budget, you’ll inevitably have to cherry-pick when it comes to feature niceties. Increasingly, you’ll find headphones with Active Noise Cancelling on budget models that sell for £100 or less. If you’re planning to commute with your headphones, this is a feature worth having.
Since you’ll be out and about with these headphones, you might also look for a level of water resistance - ideally IPX5 or higher. This means you won’t have to give up on your umpteenth listen-through of Songs For The Deaf when the heavens open.
Wireless headphones are highly useful for out-and-about-i-ness too, minimising tangles and clutter for easier travel. This means you need to consider battery life too; of course, the longer the better.
However, most of these features are only really of value if you intend to use your headphones everywhere – on errands, commuting to work, or as a hands-free way of talking to loved ones. If you’re just looking for a way to listen to your Municipal Waste records loud at home, without frustrating your partner/child/neighbour/local council, then a whole new world of budget headphones opens up to you.
With no Bluetooth connectivity, no built-in microphone, no Active Noise Cancelling and no other bells and whistles filling up the budget, manufacturers can spend more time and money on the sound-good bits of their headphones, and worry a lot less about sound isolation in some cases too. This gives rise to a healthy tranche of low-cost open-back headphones, that sound fulsome and clear as a bell despite their price.
Which brands make the best headphones for under £100?
Naturally, the lower end of the headphone market is flooded with poor imitators of classic brands, or mass-manufactured fast-fashion-esque products with non-existent quality assurance. These are easy enough to recognise, and absolutely not the only options on the market.
There are some obvious and popular names at the entry level, JBL, Soundcore and Beats often hitting the top of best-seller lists for their accessibility and brand recognition. Pretty much every lauded headphone brand has a budget model or two to its name, though, many of which are now pretty surprising for their price – Sony, AKG, Audio-Technica and Sennheiser especially.
Ultimately, which brand makes the best headphones under £100 is subjective, and dependent on what you’re looking for in a set of headphones. For loads of features and a low, low price point, try Soundcore or Sony; for audio quality above all else, try Sennheiser or AKG.
Are wired or wireless headphones better?
For pure convenience, it doesn’t get better than a good set of wireless headphones or earbuds – particularly in the age of the aux-less smartphone, and of Bluetooth-everything. If you’re looking for daily-driver headphones under £100, then you want a set of wireless Bluetooth headphones. Of course, there’s a strong case to be made for wired headphones, (especially if you have one of the best phones for music, replete with 3.5mm jack cable).
For one, most wired headphones are passive devices, meaning no battery life or recharge time to contend with; they’re always good to go. If you’ve a little more to spend in your sub-£100 budget, you’ll also get better sound quality from superior drivers, making them better for listening to the loud stuff than their feature-packed active alternatives – albeit without the Active Noise Cancelling that some wireless options will offer.
Generally, the best-case scenario are wireless Bluetooth headphones that offer a wired 3.5mm connection option. This is particularly useful when travelling, and not just for keeping your listening options open when out of charge; you can use the aux ports on in-flight entertainment systems or public information kiosks, where Bluetooth might not be a possibility.
Should I choose over-ear or in-ear headphones?
Whether you go for over-ear or in-ear headphones is very much dependent on what you want from your listening experience. ln-ear headphones will take up less space in your pocket or bag when out and about, and offer better sonic isolation if you get a good fit. However, over-ears will boast a higher level of comfort, allowing for longer listening periods.
That said, comfort isn’t always a given at the cheaper end of the market. If you’re buying on- or over-ear headphones take a good look at the headphone band itself. Is it padded? Lightweight? Is the padding on the ear cups plush? Is it too plush? You want your headphones to put the ‘hard’ in ‘hard-hitting’, not ‘hard-to-wear’.
Over-ears will also, in all probability, offer better bass clarity and mid-range performance, because they’ll use larger dynamic drivers. Generally, you can expect better range and fidelity from larger headphones – but this doesn’t discount in-ears from being capable of delivering the goods. More and more brands are experimenting with smart design to deliver audiophile-grade earbuds at cheaper and cheaper prices; look out for linear-driver in-ear monitors, and give them a go.
Can I get noise cancelling for under £100?
While noise cancelling isn’t a given when you’re buying at the more affordable end of the market, canny shoppers will find good models that offer the feature.
You might see some manufacturers claim to have ‘passive noise cancelling’ in their headphones, but this is another way of saying there’s some insulation between your ears and the outside world; the one to keep an eye out for is Active Noise Cancelling (often just referred to as ANC), which can be found on headphones of pretty much any shape and size, from big over-ears to small wireless earbuds.
How does Active Noise Cancelling work?
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) is a clever system that all-but eliminates the sound of the outside world from your headphone listening experience.
This is made possible by a simple audio trick: phase inversion. Tiny microphones located on the outside of your headphones monitor external noise; the sound picked up by these microphones is inverted and reproduced in your headphones, creating soundwaves equal and opposite to the sound of the outside world. As a result, the sound that leaks into your earcups is cancelled out, leaving just your favourite Trivium record behind.
More expensive headphones are able to deploy more monitoring microphones and have greater processing power, but even inexpensive offerings can be quite effective here. Also, while impressive, ANC isn’t completely perfect at its job. For better noise cancellation, look out for brands that quote a high percentage efficiency for their ANC.
Do noise cancelling headphones sound better?
Headphones with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) do not necessarily sound better. Sure, your listening experience might be improved by the reduction of interference from the outside world, but there’s no impact on the fidelity of the drivers in the headphones. In fact, some headphones under £100 with ANC might sound a little worse than similarly-priced headphones that don’t, simply because more of the production budget has gone to installing extra features than ensuring quality sound in the first place.
Indeed, ANC isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for a fun listening experience either. If your earbuds fit snugly, or those over-ears seal off your lugholes, then you may find that passive isolation does most of the work in dampening any exterior interruptions.
Of course, if you distract easily, or your journey is especially loud, then you are absolutely within rights to find the right set of noise-cancelling headphones for your needs. Just be prepared to pay a little more for good audio quality too.
How we test headphones
When we put headphones through their paces, we hook them up to a variety of musical genres at various volumes from the comfort of our homes and when out and about. We do this to give an accurate representation of how you'll find them when using them. Sure, testing headphones in a controlled environment such as a studio has benefits, but by doing things our way, we believe we can better report on how they perform out in the real world.
We also test to see how comfortable the headphones are and if they stand up to every day wear and tear. If the products have Active Noise Cancelling, we test this too - usually when walking or running on busy roads, in the gym or even at home when the TV is on. Battery life is also important to us and we'll always tell you how much playtime you'll get when fully charged.
Why you can trust us
Louder’s team of writers and reviewers are a collection of passionate music fans, musicians and professional product testers, who between them have racked up years of product testing and written thousands of words on music listening gear across hundreds of reviews on Louder and for other publications.
As lifelong music fans, the whole Louder team are serious about the tech we listen to our favourite artists on. We want them to sound amazing, giving us all the detail those bands intended us to hear, and deliver the perfect balance of bass, mids and highs.
We take into account every aspect, covering audio quality, comfort, Bluetooth capability, battery life and value for money.
We test products in a variety of settings too, from distraction-free intentional listening at home where we can really focus on the music, to our daily commute to the office and out and about on journeys to the gym, pub, shops etc.
These scenarios are real-world and mean we can experience products exactly as you would and report our findings honestly.
Meet the experts
Steve is a home entertainment technology specialist who contributes to a variety of UK websites and mags, including Louder Sound, Yahoo UK, Trusted Reviews, T3, The Luxe Review and Home Cinema Choice. Steve began his career as a music journo, writing for legendary rock weekly Sounds, under the nom de plume Steve Keaton. His coverage of post punk music was cited in the 2015 British Library exhibition Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination, as a seminal influence on the Goth music scene.
James Grimshaw is a freelance writer and music obsessive with over a decade in music and audio writing. They’ve lent their audio-tech opinions (amongst others) to the likes of Guitar World, MusicRadar and the London Evening Standard – before which, they covered everything music and Leeds through their section-editorship of national e-magazine The State Of The Arts. When they aren’t blasting esoteric noise-rock around the house, they’re playing out with esoteric noise-rock bands in DIY venues across the country; James will evangelise to you about Tera Melos until the sun comes up.
Scott has spent 36 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 11 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog.
Latest updates
Recent updates
11/03/25: Three new headphones were added: AKG K92, JBL Tune 720BT and the Sennheiser CX Plus. "At a glance" boxes are now included on all six headphone entries, along with a star rating. Expert verdicts have been included where applicable, while the FAQ section has been expanded. A section detailing why you can trust the Louder team has been included, and there's also now a "meet the experts" section so you get to know the faces behind the guide.
Read more
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
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