Creative Megaphone Jam V2.0
Over-ear headphones under $40
Edifier WH500
Wireless on-ear headphones at low prices
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Full-size around-the-ear or over-the-ear headphones tend to be more comfortable to wear and sound better than on-ear headphones, but not everyone likes them because they can be a little bulky and make your ears steamy on warmer days. On-ear models with smaller ear cups are more compact, travel-friendly, and often less expensive. While many can be fairly low-frills, some on-ear models feature active noise cancellation and other advanced features.
I tested all the models on this list, evaluating their design, comfort level, sound quality, voice call performance, and noise cancellation quality if they offer this feature. They are all wireless headphones excludes For the Beats EP, which provides a wired connection. I’ll be updating this list as new earphone candidates hit the market – I recently added the Sony CH-520 to the list – and if none of these models interest you, you can check out Other CNET best headphones listslike List of best wireless headphones And The best noise canceling headphones existing.
Sony released its new CH-720N noise-canceling headphones in 2023. They’re pretty good, but if you can’t afford them (they clock in at $150), the company’s new budget CH-520 in-ear headphones are: an interesting option for only about $50.
It lacks noise cancellation and is no-frills, but it does sound good for its price, it’s lightweight and very comfortable earbuds, and it also has excellent battery life (it’s rated for up to 50 hours at moderate volume levels. Plus, they have multi-point pairing via Bluetooth , so you can pair them with two devices simultaneously (such as a smartphone and a computer) and switch the audio. Voice calling performance is decent, although it doesn’t quite reach the level of what you get with the CH-720N.
Note that there is no wired option – this is a wireless Bluetooth headset only. The CH-520 delivers an overall balanced sound with decent clarity. The bass has some punch but doesn’t get loud, and you won’t get quite as wide a sound range as you get from Sony’s more expensive over-ear headphones. But these definitely sound better than Sony’s previous entry-level headphones and sound better than I thought. I tried the white but they also come in blue and black.
Product details
battery life Rated up to 22 hoursNoise canceling Yes (Qualcomm cVc 8.0)multipoint YesHeadphone type Wireless on-ear headphonesWater resistant There is no IP rating
I was a fan of the original Sound Blaster Jam speakers from Creative which came out in 2015 and had a very retro look and feel with good sound for the money. The headset is now available in a 2.0 version that has some major upgrades, including Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C charging, improved call quality, and Bluetooth multipoint pairing that lets you pair it with two devices at once. Battery life is rated at up to 22 hours.
I was able to pair the headphones to my Mac Mini and iPhone and then switch audio between them. Often when pairing Bluetooth headphones with Mac and Windows computers, one can run into some issues, but once I got the headphones paired with both my PC and phone, they made a good pair of headphones for working from home. Also, the price is right for parents looking for a decent set of kids headphones for distance learning and everyday use.
The Jam V2 are comfortable on-ear headphones that are lightweight and feature well-balanced sound with good detail and ample, but not overwhelming, bass. Call quality was good in my tests with callers saying they could hear me well even on the noisy streets of New York. There’s no carrying case included, but you do get an extra set of foam earpads, which is good because they will wear down over time.
The headphones have physical buttons for volume and playback controls and there’s aptX support for devices that support wireless streaming codecs.
Read our Creative Sound Blaster Jam review.
Product details
battery life Rated up to 50 hoursNoise canceling nomultipoint YesHeadphone type Wireless on-ear headphonesWater resistant There is no IP rating
Released in mid-2020, the Jabra Elite 45h is basically touted as the best on-ear headphone for the money. While there’s nothing terribly fancy about it, it’s one of the best value earphones out there right now, with good sound quality, a sturdy design, and a comfortable fit (for on-ear headphones, anyway). In addition, the Bluetooth earphone works well as a headset for taking calls and includes a side tone feature that allows you to hear your own voice in the headphones so you’re not talking too loud. Battery life is also good. Available in multiple color options, it lists for $100 but is often discounted to $80 or less.
Product details
battery life Rated up to 25 hoursNoise canceling nomultipoint YesHeadphone type Wireless on-ear headphonesWater resistant There is no IP rating
In the past few years I’ve written quite a few new Sennheiser headphones, most of which have had more premium price tags. But now the company has released a new $70 wireless on-ear model, the 250BT, that should appeal to those on a budget. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, its features seem pretty basic, but it has up to 25 hours of battery life, plus support for AAC and aptX audio codecs, and it taps into the Sennheiser Smart Control app, which allows you to customize the sound a little.
Sennheiser describes the 250BT as having a club-like sound, which is somewhat appropriate. There is plenty of energy in the bass and some sparkle in the treble. This is what I like to call an exciting headphone – dynamic and fun. I can’t say that it has an excellent build quality (it feels like a more budget model). But it’s lightweight and comfortable for an on-ear model, though it lacks any padding on the inside of the headband, so I sometimes had to make adjustments to relieve a little pressure on the crown of my head.
You can use the 250BT as a headset to take calls—it works fine for that—but Sennheiser doesn’t really speak volumes about call quality, noting only that the headphones have a built-in microphone. Noise isolating earbuds lower background noise, giving you a better listening experience. This headset is all about sound and has grown with me over time.
Product details
battery life Rated up to 40 hoursNoise canceling Yesmultipoint noHeadphone type Wireless on-ear headphonesWater resistant There is no IP rating
The Solo Pro has technically been discontinued by Apple (yes, Beats owns Apple), but you can still find it at a discount. It was the first Beats on-ear headphone to feature active noise cancellation and the first full-size Beats wireless headphone to charge via Lightning. It remains a very good on-ear headphone but didn’t quite catch on as Beats had hoped, in part because of its $300 list price (and, as with the AirPods Max, the Lightning-to-3.5mm is an optional Bluetooth headphone accessory that costs $35). , which is absurd).
Available in multiple color options, the noise-canceling headset has six mics, two of which are beamforming mics designed to focus on your voice while you’re on calls or talking to your voice assistant (Apple’s H1 chip is on board for Always On Siri).
Read our Beats Solo Pro review.
Skullcandy’s Riff is the spiritual successor to the Grind Wireless, which I loved for the money. Available in multiple color options, these headphones retail for about $50 and have bulging, cushion-like ear cups that make these comfortable headphones for an on-ear model. It also has great sound for its price, with open, detailed sound quality and full, relatively well-defined bass. My only gripe with its ear cup design is that the top doesn’t have a padded headband (at the crown of your head) and feels a little cheap, with no metal parts. However, it’s nice and light and has a double hinge that allows the headset to fold and fold flat. Carrying bag is not included. Battery life is only rated at 12 hours, but the fast charging feature lets you get two hours of juice from a 10-minute charge (this includes micro-USB charging, not USB-C).
Product details
battery life unavailableNoise canceling nomultipoint noHeadphone type Wired on-ear headphonesWater resistant There is no IP rating
Beats makes a lot of pricier Bluetooth headphones, but their entry-level EP wired headphones are a surprisingly good listening experience. The list price is $100, but you can find it online for close to $90 and sometimes less. The EP is an on-ear model that isn’t as luxurious as the somewhat forgotten Mixr on-ear from Beats, as well as the over-ear Executive and Pro models. But thanks to their reinforced metal frame, they remind me of low-frills versions of those headphones. By low-frills, I mean it’s not incredibly flashy and it doesn’t fold or fold flat for travel (it doesn’t have hinges).
I loved the way they sounded and so did Steve Guttenberg, who once wrote an Audiophiliac blog on CNET. These open back headphones display good features Earphone: They are clean and open in sound, especially to the ear EarphoneAnd there’s enough tertiary detailing to give them some sparkle. (In other words: it’s not incredibly dynamic.)
The bass is slightly accentuated—this is Beats after all—but it’s not bloated or boomy. There’s enough bass to satisfy fans of low-end headphones but not much to turn someone off looking for more balanced, neutral sound quality in a headphone.
Available in three color options, there is nothing pretentious about the Edifier WH500 headphones. But they are lightweight, relatively comfortable for on-ear headphones, and sound decent for the money. These have a companion app, so you can upgrade the firmware and customize their sound (there are a few EQ settings to play around with). Battery life is rated at up to 40 hours, and the headphones work well as a headset for taking calls (they work well, but not exceptionally well).