The 7 Best Headphones Under $200 - Winter 2020
Reviews

The best over-ear headphones under $200 we've tested so far are the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2. They’re well-built wireless over-ears with active noise cancelling. They have a comfortable design with padding that feels plushy and large oval-like cups that should fit most ears. Their control scheme is simple and straightforward and they're fairly versatile headphones.

They have a very well-balanced sound profile, but they do have a slight overemphasis in the bass range. They're versatile for a wide variety of music genres and bass lovers will more than likely appreciate the extra thump and rumble. Their mid-range and vocal reproduction is outstanding and will satisfy most users. They also have a 30-hour battery and power-saving features, which means you'll rarely need to charge them.

Unfortunately, their active noise cancelling feature isn’t very strong, so they’re not the best option for very noisy conditions. Consider the Skullcandy Venue if you prefer stronger noise cancelling in the lower frequencies, like the rumbling engine of a long bus ride. However, the Skullcandy don’t isolate very much in the treble range and don’t feel as durable as the Plantronics.

The best on-ear headphones under $200 that we’ve tested so far are the Marshall MID ANC. They sport Marshall’s signature black and gold color scheme and have a stylish design that not only looks and feels great but is also very practical. They have one of the easiest to use control schemes we’ve tested and can fold up into a more compact format that fits in their provided carrying case.

These headphones sound very good and have a balanced frequency response that caters well to music of nearly all genres. They have a good 17-hour battery life and can be used while charging or even passively with their provided audio cable when the battery runs out. The cable is coiled and even comes with an in-line microphone, which is great if you need to take calls on-the-go without using the integrated Bluetooth mic.

These are noise cancelling headphones that isolate a decent amount of noise, but their ANC feature doesn’t perform as well as that of the AKG N60NC. However, the AKG sound more boomy and cluttered, so fans of a more neutral sound will likely prefer the Marshall. Their treble is noticeably bright, though, so fans of classical or jazz may find they sound a bit sharp at times. The wired Beats EP sound less bright, but they don’t feel as well-built and don’t support Bluetooth like the Marshall.

The best wireless earbuds under $200 that we’ve tested so far are the Jaybird Tarah Pro. They’re well-designed, wireless in-ears that are easy-to-use and have a secure, stable earbud-like fit. Although we don’t test for waterproofing, they’re rated IPX7 for advanced water and sweat resistance, which is great for sports, and are versatile enough to be a decent choice for most uses.

These Bluetooth earbuds have a great audio reproduction and you can even tune them to your preference inside their app. You have access to an amazing parametric EQ that lets you play around with the sound signature until you find your desired sound. They also have pretty good battery life for small wireless earbuds. With 13 hours of continuous playback, you'll be able to use them during a full workday or they'll last you a few workouts without needing recharging. They even magnetic earbuds that trigger their auto-off timer to help save power. Unfortunately, they have a proprietary charging cradle. This means that you'll always need to bring it around when you're on-the-go, if you ever need to charge the headphones. If that sounds like something you wouldn't want to always think about, check out the JBL Reflect Mini 2, which charge via micro-USB and have fairly similar performance.

Overall, the Jaybird are one of the best wireless headphones under $200 and will please active people just like they'll be a great option for anyone looking for wireless earbuds.