Your smartphone is the most advanced music player ever
invented.
Every song ever recorded by mankind is at your
fingertips.
It's a miracle of human achievement, and you're
listening to it on the tin cans that came in the box.
How dare
you?
You don't have to drop $300 on a pair of headphones just to
hear your music.
In this Top 5 we're counting down the best
headphones under $50.
BODY
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Starting off at #5, the Panasonic ErgoFit.
This is your bare
minimum upgrade, and they'll only set you back $10.
They come
in a bunch of colors, and yes, they even come in white.
Another in-ear headphone comes in at #4: the MEElectronics
A151.
Now these ones will take you right up to that $50 price, but
CNET's resident audiophile Steve GUTtenberg calls these the
best in-ear headphone under $100.
That's high praise.
#3 moves us into the world of on-ear headphones: the Koss
PortaPro.
If the design looks like it's straight out of the '80s, it's
because they are.
Koss has been cranking these out since 1984.
They're $40, they sound great, they fold up, and they come with
a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty.
These could be the last
headphones you ever buy.
But if you want an even better value, let's talk about over the ear
headphones.
At #2, the Audio-Technica ATH-M30.
They're not
much to look at, but the fact that we're even talking about quality,
full-sized headphones for under $50 is amazing.
Plus, a design
like this is like a big do not disturb sign for your head.
Now before we get to the best headphone value under $50, let's
put this in perspective.
On CNET's list of the Best 5 headphones,
the number one pick goes to the Shure SE535.
They get a nearly
perfect score.
They're also $500.
And now, the best headphones you can buy for under $50 as
selected by CNET Associate Editor Justin Yu and Executive
Editor David Carnoy: the Panasonic RP HTX7.
For around $40,
you're getting both sound quality and style.
Compared to the
Audio Technica, you get a little more sonic detail and a lot less
bulk.
So there you have it.
Those are CNET's best headphones for
under $50.
Your ears and your music deserve better than those
stock earbuds.
For more like this, check out Top5.
CNET.com
I'm Donald Bell, thanks for watching.