The best headphones you can buy for under $100

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The Insider Pick:

• If you don't mind wires, Status Audio's CB1 headphones offer the best audio quality I've heard in headphones costing less than $100. The headphones themselves are comfortable when listening for extended periods of time, and unlike most studio monitor-style headphones, the cable is manageable. 

Regardless of what music you listen to, you want it to sound good. I've had the opportunity to test dozens of headphones, and while my absolute favorites tend to be pretty spendy, I've noticed you don't have to spend a small fortune to get headphones that sound nice.

Below, you can find my favorite headphones for $100, which is still more than most people spend on a pair (I used earbuds from a drugstore for years), but if you're willing to make the investment in any of these, you'll be happy. I've done my best to pick headphones from a variety of styles, including earbuds, on-ear headphones, over-ear headphones, and more with options that run the gamut in price from under $50 to just under the $100 limit.

Which pair speaks to you will depend on your personal preferences, but despite the hard price cap, there is some variety.

Although the Status Audio CB1 headphones are our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Sony MDR7506 Professional headphones, the iFrogz Impulse Duo earbuds, the Plantronics BackBeat 500 headphones, and the Grado SR80e headphones.

The best overall

Instagram / @statusaudio

Why you'll love it: For the money, I can't think of a pair of headphones that sound better than Status Audio's CB-1 headphones.

These are the headphones I use at my desk every day, and I'm still impressed with how they sound months after trying them for the first time. 

The CB-1's are over-ear wired headphones, which makes them best suited for desk use rather than on the go, but they're not overly bulky. There's enough padding on the earcups and headband for you to have long listening sessions without feeling any discomfort, and the cable is pretty manageable. 

As for their sound, the CB-1's are pretty neutral, with no overly noticeable treble or bass boosting. I've used them to listen to everything from the latest pop singles to 1950s jazz and it all sounded great. There's also a clarity you get with these headphones that I'm used to hearing from options that cost more than twice the price. You can hear the little nuances of songs that would have been buried when listening with lesser headphones.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself noticing things you've never heard before on recordings you thought you knew well.

Pros: Balanced sound, excellent clarity, comfortable, over-ear design, affordable

Cons: Better for sedentary use than portable use, bigger than headphones you might be used to

Buy the Status Audio CB-1 over-ear headphones on Amazon for $79.99

The best headphones for neutral sound

Amazon

Why you'll love it: If you're absolutely devoted to hearing your music completely untouched, you'll want Sony's MDR7506 headphones. 

In the tech world, a product that's a year old is typically considered old, and anything over five years old is considered ancient. Sony has sold the MDR7506 for over 12 years, and as someone who's owned a pair, I completely understand why.

These headphones were made to present music without any added bass or treble so professional audio editors could use it to mix albums. While their ubiquity in that niche world is great, there's also a lot to love about them as a regular music lover.

Listening with the MDR7506 headphones is a little strange at first, you'll notice your music sounds different, and it might take a couple of tracks before you start getting comfortable with it. Like eating foods without added sugar, you'll realize that the headphones you've used before were coloring the sound, however subtly. 

Because this pair of headphones was designed for audio editing, it has a very long cable that makes it difficult to use on-the-go. I did it for a year, and while I appreciated the audio quality, I eventually made them my go-to headphones for listening to music at home.  

Pros: Neutral sound, affordable, comfortable

Cons: Not suited for portable use

Buy the Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones on Amazon for $79.99

The best Bluetooth earbuds under $50

Amazon

Why you'll love it: If you're interested in good-sounding headphones that can be stashed in your pocket at a moment's notice, you'll want the iFrogz's Impulse Duo.

For a pair of earbuds that cost under $50, the new Impulse Duo from iFrogz impressed me. The brand kept a similar design to earbuds it released last year, and instead focused on improving the audio quality. This resulted in a pair of earbuds that look great and sound pretty good for the price.

In a world where most Bluetooth earbuds are a string with an awkward dongle attached close to one end, the Impulse Duo's design sticks out. The technology is all built into a dongle with a pair of magnets that you can use to clip the headphones onto your clothes. After trying a fair share of Bluetooth earbuds, it's still the smartest design I've seen.

As for the sound, it's impressive what iFrogz managed to come up with at such an aggressive price. Music doesn't sound distorted, even at high volumes, and there's a fair amount of clarity present. These earbuds are best-suited for people who are on-the-go and want a pair of earbuds they can stash into a pocket at a moment's notice. I have headphones that sound better, but I wear the Impulse Duos when I'm out and about on weekends.

Pros: Great design, pretty good sound, affordable, wireless

Cons: Not as good sounding as other options on this list

Buy the iFrogz Impulse Duo earbuds on Amazon for $44.95

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