Best headphones for under $50
Looking for inexpensive headphones that sound decent for the money? Here are CNET's top bargain picks among the products we've reviewed.
- Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
Headphones are among the most popular products on CNET, and, not surprisingly, many of you are looking for a pair that delivers a lot of bang for the buck -- and so are we.
Earlier I put together a list of headphones that cost less than $100. While that list included some models that you could pick up for less than $50, the ones I've rounded up here all come in under $50 -- and a few are even under $10. Like the previous list, it's a hodgepodge of products, with a mix of in-ear, on-ear, and over-the-ear headphones, and even a few Bluetooth models.
Notice I said they sound "decent," not "great" or "fantastic." Yes, some inexpensive headphones do sound quite good, but you can't expect the world in this price range.
Truth be told, we don't review as many sub-$50 headphones as we probably should (we're working on it). We've most likely missed some great deals, but we're determined to find as many headphone bargains as we can, so feel free to offer up your own nominations in the comments section below.
Click on an image to see the top picks.
Editors' note: This post is updated frequently. It was updated February 12, 2014, to add the JLab Epic and Panasonic ErgoFit RP-TCM125 in-ear headphones.