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Best Headphones under $500
After hands-on testing, these are the headphones we’d actually recommend.
September 10, 2025
Adam is an Editor at SoundGuys specializing in gaming headsets, flagship headphones, and earbuds. A lifelong fan of video games and cinema, he brings a sharp ear and passion for immersive sound to every review. Beyond hardware, Adam writes thought-provoking features and opinion pieces that explore how audio tech shapes our lives. Armed with a BA in Cognitive Science, he pairs technical insight with a love for music’s psychological uplift. At home, he still rocks his original Sennheiser MOMENTUM over-ears, switches to Bose QuietComfort Ultra on flights, and relies on Galaxy Buds2 Pro while out and about.
Whether money’s no object or you just subscribe to the idea that spending big on headphones will pay off, there are a ton of different options in the high-end part of the audio market. Yes, many of them will be good, but not every pair of headphones at this price range are created equal. Some of these options will do better for specific needs than others.
We’ve tested hundreds of headphones in our lab, and below you’ll find our picks for the best headphones under $500 based on our reviews and extensive testing.
Each headphone receives a single overall headphone score, calculated from multiple testing data points: ANC, durability, isolation, value, design, connectivity, portability, battery life, features, and comfort.
Compare table
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- Compare tableProductVotes
- 1 total votes1 total votes
$200
8.4
7.6
8.4
6.9
7.7
8.0
9.5
7.5
9.9
9.0
9.0
- 3 total votes3 total votes
$450
8.3
6.8
8.7
8.0
8.0
8.0
9.5
7.0
9.9
9.0
8.0
- 6 total votes6 total votes
$80
8.3
7.2
8.1
6.7
9.5
8.0
7.5
7.7
9.9
9.5
8.5
- 4 total votes4 total votes
$300
8.3
7.6
8.5
8.0
9.0
7.0
9.0
7.0
9.7
9.0
8.0
- 0 total votes0 total votes
$429
8.3
6.5
8.5
6.9
7.9
8.0
9.5
7.5
9.5
8.9
9.0
- 0 total votes0 total votes
$218
8.3
7.0
8.0
6.9
8.5
8.0
9.5
7.5
9.9
7.5
9.0
- 1 total votes1 total votes
$289
8.2
4.8
7.6
6.9
8.9
8.0
8.5
7.5
9.9
8.8
8.8
- 1 total votes1 total votes
$100
8.2
7.1
8.0
6.5
9.0
7.5
9.0
7.0
9.8
9.0
8.0
- 1 total votes1 total votes
$449
8.1
6.7
8.4
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.5
7.0
9.6
7.0
8.0
- 0 total votes0 total votes
$349
8.1
3.7
6.4
7.3
8.8
8.0
9.8
7.0
9.9
9.5
7.2
- 1 total votes1 total votes
$448
7.9
7.6
8.7
7.0
6.5
7.0
9.0
7.0
9.8
9.0
8.0
- 0 total votes0 total votes
$80
7.9
7.2
8.0
6.0
9.5
6.0
9.0
7.0
9.9
8.5
8.0
Product chart
In the chart above, you can see how each of the headphones compares in terms of price and performance.
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Our Verdict on the Top 7 Products
The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless stands out with its exceptionally long battery life, offering over 56 hours of playback with ANC, and provides a generally pleasing sound quality right out of the box that adheres closely to our preference curve, though its noise canceling is slightly behind the absolute best.
For those prioritizing supreme comfort and future-proof Android connectivity, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones deliver rock-solid noise canceling that significantly reduces environmental noise, and they support aptX Lossless for higher-quality audio with compatible devices, though their battery life is moderate at around 27 hours.
The JBL Tour ONE M3 emerges as a top contender for best-in-class noise canceling, excelling at attenuating outside noise across frequencies, and impresses with an expansive feature set including a unique SMART Tx accessory for versatile connectivity and multi-device listening via Auracast, alongside an excellent 55-hour battery life.
Meanwhile, the Nothing Headphone (1) offers a striking, unique design coupled with practical IP52 water and dust resistance, long battery life exceeding 42 hours with ANC, and a highly customizable 8-band EQ in its app, though its default sound signature often benefits from user-tweaking to achieve optimal clarity.
The Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus presents a reliable middle-ground option, providing a comfortable and lightweight design with decent active noise canceling and over 53 hours of battery life, alongside useful app features like Sound Zones and EQ customization, despite having narrower earcups and no IP rating.
If deep, thumping bass is a priority for your commutes, the Sony ULT WEAR offers good build quality, comfort, and features with a decent 32-hour battery life and effective noise attenuation, though we found its out-of-the-box sound to be excessively bass-heavy, strongly suggesting app-based equalization.
Finally, for the budget-conscious consumer, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC delivers remarkable value under $100, providing respectable battery life of over 44 hours and decent noise canceling for daily commutes, alongside a solid app experience, despite its weaker ANC and only SBC Bluetooth codec support compared to its pricier rivals.
How we test the best headphones and earbuds
To gather information about how well each of the earbuds and headphones work, we subject each product to a number of objective tests. We use a Bruel & Kjaer 5128 acoustic measurement system to test headphones and earbuds in our SoundGuys lab. The ear canal of the artificial head was created by averaging and smoothing 3D models of individual ear canal features from the MRI scans of 40 different people.
We perform the following testing to determine the best headphones and best earbuds:
- We run sequences to determine the best fit of the headphones, and if there are any manufacturing issues with the product.
- We measure the headphones’ performance and compare the frequency response to our industry-validated SoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve to give context to readers.
- To rate sound quality, we use the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics. These are virtual mean opinion scores as calculated by a powerful machine learning model based on the input of real listeners.
- We play several samples of shaped noise over loudspeakers to test noise canceling and record with our artificial head. We take samples with ANC on, ANC off, and with the headphones off the head. After subtracting the appropriate curves from each other, we can see how well the headphones block out noise.
- To evaluate microphone quality, we play pre-recorded spoken Harvard sentences from a calibrated artificial mouth in our test chamber, either with or without simulated background noises, simulated reverberant spaces, or artificial wind.
- To measure battery life, we play back music through the headphones or earbuds peaking at 75dB(SPL), a safe and realistic listening level.
In addition to objective testing, our team of audio experts uses each of the headphones and earbuds to evaluate the experience of using the product. By wearing the headphones in day-to-day use, we evaluate the comfort, noting any pain points. We also make sure to try out each of the features that the headphones have to offer, such as using the equalizer in the companion app.
Using a combination of subjective and objective testing, we score each product. To learn more about how we evaluate headphones and earbuds, check out our in-depth explainer on how we test.
Why you should trust SoundGuys
Here at SoundGuys, we’ve been testing audio products for over a decade. Our team comprises audio product experts who have tested hundreds of different headphones, earbuds, and speakers. Moreover, our team comes from diverse backgrounds and a wealth of expertise, including audio engineering, film production, journalism, podcasting, music production, and even touring musicians.
Everything we recommend results from our objective measurements and great subjective experiences. Ultimately, we want you to enjoy your purchase or, at the very least, leave our site with a little more knowledge about the inner workings of audio. To see why you can trust us with your purchase decision, make sure to check out our ethics policy.
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