The 7 Best Budget Noise Cancelling Headphones - Fall 2019
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. 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 versatile Bluetooth headphones that are comfortable enough for daily use. Their ear cups are covered in soft, plush padding and they’re relatively lightweight. Thanks to their wireless design and noise cancelling feature, they’re a decent choice for folks on-the-go.

They have a decently well-balanced sound that's versatile enough to be suitable for most genres of music. Their ANC feature is decent and does a fairly good job at isolating noise throughout the frequency range, from the low rumbles of bus engines to the sharp sounds created by fans or A/C systems. They have a great 23-hour battery life, a standby mode to save power, and can be used while they’re charging too, which is great.

Unfortunately, these headphones don’t feel very durably built, especially compared to the cheaper Mpow H5. When folding the ear cups inward, the headband loudly snaps, which makes it sound like the headphones are breaking. Although this doesn’t seem to result in any actual damage, it’s still a bit concerning. The cheaper Mpow H5 Wireless feel better-built, but the H10 sound more balanced, have significantly better noise isolation, and have nearly twice the battery life, which makes them a better choice overall.

The best budget noise cancelling headphones under $150 we’ve tested so far are the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2; they’re among our overall best noise cancelling headphones and provide excellent value for their price. They’re comfortable enough to wear for long periods and feel like well-built, durable headphones. They have an efficient control scheme with responsive buttons and an intuitive layout that’s easy-to-use when you’re on-the-go.

These headphones have an exciting bass-rich sound that provides the deep thump and rumble necessary to satisfy fans of hip-hop and EDM without overpowering vocals and lead instruments. They have an outstanding 30-hour battery life and a bunch of power-saving features like smart pause and an auto-off timer to even further extend their battery. They can connect to two devices simultaneously, which is great at the office. The SE version even supports NFC, but it’s more expensive.

On the downside, these headphones don't isolate as well as more premium ANC models like the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless, and they have a rather clunky design. Fans of a more neutral sound profile and sleeker design may prefer the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless, but they don’t isolate noise as well and they’re less comfortable. Overall, the BackBeat Pro 2 are feature-packed Bluetooth headphones that are very easy to recommend.