The 7 Best Budget Noise Cancelling Headphones - Spring 2020
Reviews

The best cheap noise cancelling headphones we’ve reviewed so far are the Mpow H5. They’re lightweight and decently well-padded wireless headphones. They have a simple, all-black style and have a more premium feel than the Mpow 059 Wireless. They feel fairly well-built and if they do suffer accidental damage, they don’t cost too much to replace.

These headphones come with a great hard carrying case and support multi-device pairing, which are nice additions at this price point. Their battery lasts 12 hours with both ANC and Bluetooth enabled, and although they have no power-saving features, they charge in just over 2 hours. They sound decent for their price, packing enough punch to be well-suited for bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop.

Unfortunately, they have surprisingly poor noise isolation, especially for ANC headphones. Fans of more vocal-centric music will also find they sound a bit muddy. That said, these are still decently well-built, comfortable, wireless headphones that provide great value for their price.

The best budget noise cancelling headphones under $100 we’ve reviewed so far are the Mpow H10. They're over-the-ear headphones that deliver decent performance for the price. They're somewhat bulky and may not be suitable for those with a smaller head, but they're comfortable and can be worn for an extended period of time. With a 23-hour battery life, they'll definitely last through those long listening sessions. Unfortunately, the build quality is a bit disappointing. The plastic used for the ear cups feels cheap and when folding the headphones for storage, the hinges produce a loud cracking noise, which is concerning for their durability.

The active noise cancelling is the standout feature here, and they do a great job of blocking out ambient noises, such as bus engines and speech. They have an overall sound signature that's versatile and suitable for almost any genre of music, but the mid range is slightly recessed and the treble can sound sibilant to some.

The Mpow H5 Wireless feel better built overall, but the H10 have a better sound and a significantly longer battery life. If you don't mind the higher price, give these headphones a try.

If you have a slightly bigger budget, you can get a decent pair of truly wireless headphones with outstanding noise cancelling for under $150, the Amazon Echo Buds. They're small earbuds that are reasonably comfortable to wear, and they're stable enough to not fall out during vigorous exercise. They have a good build quality, and they come with a charging case to keep the earbuds topped off and ready to go. The earbuds can last a little over 5 hours of continuous playback, and the charging case holds an additional five charges.

These earbuds have a fairly well-balanced sound that suits a variety of genres, though the treble can sound a bit piercing for some. Fortunately, since they're made by Amazon, you can use the Alexa app to customize them to your taste. The app also lets you change the control scheme on the earbuds, and there's a pass-through feature to let in ambient sound without having to pause your music or take the earbuds off. Additionally, you can control the active noise cancelling, which is the highlight of these in-ears. They can cut out a large amount of noise across all frequency ranges, making them great for your daily commute, the office, or a noisy coffee shop.

If you don't mind the slightly higher price tag, the Amazon Echo Buds are definitely worth checking out.