Best Headphones Under $300 in 2024

How to Choose the Best Headphones Under $300

Sound Quality

One of the most important considerations when choosing the best headphones is the overall sound quality. For casual listeners, sound quality may not be extremely important as long as you can hear your music well enough. But for audiophiles, studio professionals, recording professionals, and musicians being able to hear every tone and nuance of each note is highly important.

Different headphones can produce different sound quality levels. Some can’t handle extreme highs or lows from bass and treble or soprano vocals or musical notes, while others can offer crisp and clear audio across the board. Headphones that are better made for high quality sound reproduction will normally carry a higher price tag as well, so be aware of this when searching for the best headphones to purchase.

Sound quality will depend on the style of headphones as well. For example, closed back over the ear headphones will produce a better soundstage than earbuds or most open back headphones can provide. This is due to the more enclosed ear cups which help contain sound around your ear while isolating background noise from leaking in.

In addition, most over ear headphones have active noise cancellation technology. When you purchase a wired or wireless headphone that has noise cancellation, you can still enjoy listening to your favorite music or podcast even in busy and noisy environments. These headphones are great for offices, commuting on a bus, train, or plane, as well as in quiet locations where critical listening is important.

Comfort Level

Comfort will come into play for everyone, whether you are a casual listener or a serious audiophile. Headphones can be comfortable when worn for a short time, but may turn uncomfortable or even painful over time. This is due to different pressure points around your ears and scalp of the head.

Padding on the ear cups is normally foam, but silicone, neoprene, and gel pads are also found in some bands and models. Foam is the most common by far, and will normally be the style of padding you get when purchasing a new headset. However, all foam is not created equal.

Memory foam is extremely soft and will form itself to the shape of your ears and scalp leading to long term comfort. High density foam is firm and can be comfortable over short periods of time, but may cause fatigue and pressure pain after more than an hour or two.

Earbuds also come with their own levels of comfort, though this is usually due to the material used on the ear tips. Silicone and foam are normally the tip styles you will find. Foam is great for both short term comfort and keeping the earbud snug in your ear, but can become uncomfortable over time.

Silicone earbud tips can be extremely comfortable over the long term, and are also excellent for reducing the amount of moisture and swear in and around your ear when the buds are being worn. Silicone earbuds come in multiple sizes and a few different shapes so you can find one that fits your ear perfectly.

Design Quality

Design and build quality is more linked to aesthetics than anything, though it can have some minimal effect on detailed sound quality as well. For the most part, design quality can make a headphone look sleek and stylish or large and bulky. Many headphones are made to be heavy duty and durable, but also heavy in weight.

Differences in designs can make even bulky over-ear headsets extremely lightweight, or sleek over-ear headsets may be made from dense materials which add some weight to their exterior housing. Lightweight over-ear headsets are normally more comfortable over long term listening, but some audiophiles say the lightweight feel reduces the depth of booming bass and can reduce the overall sound quality.

Casual listeners have not expressed this opinion in general and seem relatively happy with lightweight over-ear headsets. In the end, the design quality and weight of the headset itself will be personal preference and should not normally be tied to sound quality. If given the chance, try to test the headphones in advance before making your final decision.

Battery Life

For wired headphones, battery life will not be a concern as you’ll be getting your power needs from the device the headset is connected to. This can be a stereo system, MIDI system, desktop PC, laptop, tablet, or any number of other audio devices.

For wireless headphones however, battery life plays a huge role and can make or break wireless headphones for professional use. Obviously if you are using wireless headphones, especially for long hours throughout the day, you don’t want the battery life to run out in the middle of an important project.

A majority of factors can affect the battery life in wireless headphones including the brand and type of battery, the temperature the battery reaches, and how often the battery is left on the charger. Some batteries do better with partial charging, while others will have better battery life overall with full charging and even some overcharging.

Connection Options

Most modern wired headphones in today’s market will be connected to your devices via USB connection. Certain stereo systems can be connected via 6mm jack, and tablets and other devices can be connected via 3.5mm jack depending on the frequency response you are hoping to get through your audio cable from your wired or wireless audio devices.

Wireless headphones are connected to your device via Bluetooth. In most cases, Bluetooth headphones can be connected to almost any device with a USB dongle. This dongle plugs into laptop computers, desktop computers, and various other devices to provide a strong Bluetooth connection point for your headphones.

Additionally, some headphones can sync with Bluetooth devices independently. Smartphones for example can sync with some wireless headphones without needing a dongle or other connected source. This gives you the option of having two Bluetooth devices connected to the same device for shared audio monitoring between individuals during professional mixing sessions.

Extra Features

Whether you are looking for wired headphones or wireless headphones, you can find a variety of extra features that focus on design elements, comfort, aesthetics, and more. These extra features normally won’t affect the sound quality in any way, though can affect your comfort levels due to changes in weight and padding around the ears and on the top of the head.

In addition, you can find certain extra features that differ between manufacturers and models. Some manufacturers will have specific features you can order as upgrades or extras, such as different material for the ear padding or stylish external accents in titanium or silver plating.

Others may offer connection options including brass or copper connections, gold plated connections, woven cords, and more. These extra features may not improve the sound quality of the headphones, but can improve comfort and aesthetics of that model.

Some Bluetooth headsets have a few features or built-in options for voice assistant programs such as Siri or Alexa, giving you the freedom of using your voice or a simple touch pad to access these advanced features easily. In most cases, however, accessing these features on headphones under $300 is done through on-device apps.

Price Range

The price of your headphones can differ depending on a range of different factors. One of the biggest factors can be the brand name of the manufacturer. Big names in the industry, such as Sennheiser, Sony, and Bose, can command higher prices for their products simply due to their reputation, warranty guarantees, and other factors a large and well known entity can provide.

Other price differences can be due to the overall style and aesthetic of the headphones, the internal components used in construction, whether they are wired or wireless, and if there are any special features such as voice control or touchpad controls for volume and balance.

When purchasing your first pair of headphones, take some time to compare both well known and lesser known brands. Sometimes you can find headphones which offer similar or better results from lesser known brands at a more reasonable price. They may not carry the same warranty guarantees as headphones from larger companies, however, so keep this in mind for higher value and investment quality headphones.

Frequently Asked Questions

What defines an audiophile?

Audiophiles are people that absolutely love their music. They put an emphasis on hearing and enjoying every nuance of the tones used in the creation of their music, including the extreme highs and the rumbling lows.

Audiophiles can be more demanding on the type of sound quality they get back from headphones. Average listening is simply not good enough for someone that is passionate about music. Instead, they will search out headphones and other speakers that can reproduce high definition, clear and crisp audio with zero distortions.

These individuals will put an emphasis on having a well balanced and large soundstage for their music, regardless of the genre. In many cases, audiophiles will gravitate towards higher end and professional level headphones as these are the only ones that can provide such a balanced and great sounding musical ambience.

How important is frequency range?

For casual listeners, frequency range and response may not be as important as it would be for studio professionals and audiophiles. A frequency response range can cover a large spectrum from 5 to 50 Hz, however much of this range is inaudible to human ears and can be considered wasted frequency.

The average and accepted range of around 20 to 20,000 Hz, also written as 20Hz to 20 kHz. This is the most commonly found range in most headphones and will cover lows and highs very well for average and semi-professional listening.

Higher frequencies are seen on professional headphones, but that does not mean these headphones are better. In fact, anything over 33kHz is normally wasted, and even treble frequencies that go over 20kHz are not heard by the average listener.

Lower frequencies, such as 20Hz or less are normally felt as vibrations more than they are heard as actual sound. For deep bass music, this can add to the overall listening experience and be highly sought after by audiophiles and audio professionals.

Why are similar over-ear headphones different prices?

Price in headphones, and many other electronics, is determined by a wide range of factors including brand name, construction components both inside and out, and reputation. Headphones that offer special features that others may not, or those that come from extremely well known companies can be priced higher than similar headphones that lack these features.

If you are in the market for a new pair of headphones, don’t be afraid to compare features, frequency ranges, and aesthetics of the headphones between different companies. In many cases you may find similar headphones that are priced drastically different from another pair simply due to the brand name or warranty guarantees they offer.

How do I know what I need in over-ear headphones?

There are many factors that come into play with choosing the right pair of headphones. First and foremost, you need to think about your needs.

For studio professionals, musicians, vocalists, and other audio experts that might be moving around the studio often, a wireless pair of headphones may be extremely important. If you will be sitting at a computer sampling and editing music, not doing much moving around, wired headphones may be perfectly fine for you.

Are you concerned about repping a certain brand? If so, consider big names in the industry such as Sony, Sennheiser, Bose, and others. These are very well known brands which can offer a range of specific features, solid warranties, and excellent internal components to ensure you get the best possible headphones available.

Don’t forget about comfort too. If you will be wearing your headphones for short amounts of time on periodic occasions, ear pad and headband material may not be important. For others that plan on wearing their headphones throughout the day for casual listening or professional work, the quality and type of foam used in the ear cups and head harness may be extremely important.

Uncomfortable headphones can cause bruises and other fatigue pain to your ears and head, as well as potentially leading to headaches and just general discomfort every time you wear the headphones. Ensuring you purchase the most comfortable headset possible can help reduce or even eliminate these risks.