Headphone buying guide: Which are the best of the bunch?
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One of the hardest things to shop for is headphones because there's so many different styles, designs, and features that they have.
So I'm here to show you some of the best of the bunch in the $300 price range.
Now there's really three things to consider when you're buying headphones is number one is sound quality because how it sounds really matters the most to you.
Then secondly comfort because you're probably going to be wearing these for a long period of time.
And the number three is design because let's be honest, style matters.
Now, different headphones really excel with different genres of music, and I tested out these with everything from classical music, to rock, to pop, to hip hop, electronic, everything you can think of.
And the headphone that really stood out the most and was kind of a surprise to me, that had the best overall sound, was the Monster DNA Pro 2.0 that had really crystal clear highs and then a deep full base.
It wasn't overbearing, but across all genres it sounded really great.
Then when we're talking about something more of like the classical music genre, something that isn't as base dependent, we're looking at the Bose QuietComfort 25 which have noise cancelling technology.
Also really excels with classical music, you have these clear dynamic [UNKNOWN], but I do think that you lose kinda some of that umph with base heavy track.
And the Beats Solo2 Wireless, these had a really nice sound overall, but I think because of the wireless tech, once in a while you'd hear like a sound pop before a track.
It was distracting and they still sounded great overall, but it's something that you have to consider.
Now if you're talking about comfort, really hands down, the most comfortable are the Bose Quiet Comfort 25s.
The reason why, these soft pillow-like marshmallows on your ears.
There's also noise cancelling technology built inside, so this is really my top recommendation if you're someone that's traveling, on the go, you're on the plane a lot.
These are the best headphones if you're a traveler.
The Beats Solo 2 wireless also stood out for two reasons, soft ear pads, not as soft as the Bose, but also, they're wireless.
There's no cables, there's no mess, and they connected easily over bluetooth, and being wireless really makes a difference with how you move around.
And use these compared to the other headphones.
And the Monster DNA Pro-2 were probably the least comfortable all because they kind of fit really tight and also their ear pads, not the softest.
Again, their sound is great and amazing but not the most comfortable out of this group.
And finally, if you're talking sell we know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Beats has consistently brought the hippest and really trendiest style overall with their titan design and really bold colors.
Then you have Monster's DNA Pro2.0 that bring in the edgy angular design.
It's not your traditional round earphone shape, but it's something different that they bring to the table.
And this isn't a knock against Bose but they tend to have the more, let's call it, mature older look.
No one is gonna call them hip but they're the most comfortable you'll find.
And one headphone here that really deserves an honorable mention are the Audio Technica ATH-M50x.
Really a Cnet favorite for the best sounding overall headphones that are under $200.
There you go, I'm Brian Tong with cnet.com with what to look for for the top headphone model around that $300 price point.
And remember, you can always check out all our reviews at cnet.com/headphones and happy hunting.
