Today I have prepared for you the list of what I think are the best headphones that you can get under $100 in 2023. There are twelve pairs from 8 manufacturers on my list along with three honorable mentions from three more brands. The main criteria were MSRP pricing under $100, sound quality per dollar, accessories, build quality and my user experience.
Looking for the best IEMs under $100 instead? I invite you to take a look at my 2024 IEM recommendations list
My list starts with Audio-Technica. If you need a closed-back, I suggest you take a look at Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. To me, it’s the most interesting one out of the whole M series and while the top-end of the M series has a more refined tuning, M40x in my opinion is the best value for money among them all.
PROS: Pleasant sound signature, good fit and comfort, foldable design & detachable cables,
CONS: Build is not the best and there is an occasional bass bloat
If you need an open-back, then take a look at Audio-Technica ATH-AD500X. Not only does it provide outstanding fit and comfort for long listening sessions, but it also offers quite spacious and open sound-stage that is not only beneficial for music listening, but it’s good for gaming too.
PROS: Open and airy sound presentation, relatively neutral sound signature, good midrange, and the headphones are light and comfortable
CONS: bass light, non-detachable cable and wing mechanism can be too loose for some people
Now let’s move to look Brooklyn based Grado. Grado SR60x, despite being an entry-level model of the line, still has famous Grado DNA. It’s an open-back on ear headphone, and while it’s not the most comfortable pair out of the box, if you get used to the fit, the sound signature is quite rewarding.
PROS: Engaging and exciting sound signature, headphones have quite a distinctive look and are easy to drive
CONS: Bass light, especially combined with slightly bright presentation and fit & comfort may vary
Time to fly back to Japan, as we are going to talk about Sony. The first closed-back that we are going to take a look at is Sony MDR-7506. This pair of headphones is used for decades in the studios all over the world, and it’s famous for their monitoring sound that has some additional energy in the upper mids.
PROS: exceptional clarity and detail, good for music listening or professional work, solid build, and headphones are easy to drive
CONS: Headphones can be fatiguing during long listening sessions, long non-detachable cable and overall not very musical sound presentation
On the other hand, if you need a closed-back from Sony with a lot of bass I suggest taking a look at Sony MDR-XB800. It has a very punchy bass, which a lot of bassheads will like.
PROS: Strong punchy bass and a stylish build
CONS: Midrange and treble definition is lacking and detail retrieval is average as well.
The next model on my list is Philips SHP9500. It doesn’t need any special introduction as it’s probably one of the most suggested entry-level open-back headphones in our hobby.
PROS: Excellent comfort, good and light build, detachable cable, wide soundstage, crisp and balanced sound with a fantastic detail retrieval at this price
CONS: A bit artificial and grainy treble, so the headphones can sometimes be sibilant
Now lets see what Sennheiser can offer us in this price bracket. If you need a closed-back, take a look at Sennheiser HD 280 PRO
It’s probably one of Sennheiser’s most significant closed-back models introduced in years. It’s mainly designed for a professional environment and meets the needs of a lot of applications, but it’s good for music listening too.
PROS: Balanced and detailed sound presentation, quite flat signature, the headphones are great for audio editing and monitoring
CONS: Sub-bass rolls off quite fast, clamping force out of the box is quite high, and sound presentation can be boring for some people.
If you need an open-back, then take a look at Sennheiser HD 559. It’s the most affordable headphone in Sennheiser’s HD-5 series and the manufacturer classifies these headphones for home use, which still places them as entry-level open-backs in our hobby.
PROS: Spacious sound, very comfortable, the headphones are relatively easy to drive and have a great price/performance ratio.
CONS: Bass rolls off quite fast and the treble is a bit veiled.
The next model on my list is Shure SRH-440. SRH440 was mainly designed for professional use, which makes it a very interesting pair for those who love analytical headphones with a lot of details. It’s tuned to deliver accurate audio reproduction and offers a mix of professional sound quality and comfort ideal for recording, monitoring and long listening sessions.
PROS: Impressive detail retrieval and soundstage, fast bass, shimmery highs, de-attachable cable and a good Isolation.
CONS: Bass quantity can be a deal breaker for some people, not the most comfortable headband, and analytical sound signature is not for everyone
Now let’s see what AKG can offer us in this price bracket. If you need a closed-back under $100, AKG K361 is the way to go.
Being a small brother of the well known K371, it’s also tuned to closely follow the Harman neutral curve. K361 is mainly designed for podcasters & voice recording, but it’s great for casual music listening too.It has less sub-bass which is the reason that the K371 sounds more bassy. In addition the upper mids on K361 have some more pronounced peaks and this is the reason the vocals on the K361 can sometimes be a little harsh.
PROS: Lightweight and foldable design, quite neutral sounding presentation and de-attachable cable
CONS: Upper mids can be sometimes harsh and the overall tonality can be dry & uninspiring
If you need an open-back, then you should take a look at AKG K 240 MK II. K 240 MK II is an updated version of AKG’s most successful headphones. It features a semi-open design, and delivers a solid bass, accurate mids and crystal-clear treble.
PROS: Accurate and beautiful midrage, great detail retrieval, laidback reference tuning, quite realistic soundstage, de-attachable cable and a classic AKG look.
CONS: A bit artificial treble, headphones might require a lot of power to truly open-up, tuning can be too forward for some people and the bass slightly lacks punch.
The next headphones on my list are Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro. DT 240 Pro was initially designed as a mobile studio headphone for monitoring and recording purposes which ironically it’s not very good at. But taking into consideration its footprint, it makes it a good portable listening pair of headphones too and I must say, it sounds quite impressive for its price.
PROS: Lightweight and portable design, de-attachable cable that can be plugged into either side, engaging sound presentation, and a good value per dollar.
CONS: Due to earpads size and fit, the comfort may vary as for many users it sits on-ear, while called by manufacturer an over-ear headphones.The headphones also don’t have a very resolving sound signature and the bass can sometimes be muddy.
Honorable mentions
The first one in this section is Koss Porta Pro. Porta Pro doesn’t need any special introduction, it costs only $50 and can go even lower when on sale. Over the years, Koss has preserved the original design and performance that made the Porta Pro a portable music icon. You should consider this pair if you need a light and portable pair of headphones to use on the go. In addition, it features semi-open back design which is impressive to see at this price range.
PROS: Affordable, light and portable, warm tonality, Intimate vocals and a surprising sound presentation for its price.
CONS: The bass is sometimes muddy, detail retrieval is average, headband is not very comfortable, the cable is not very durable, and the headphones design can be a deal breaker for some people
The second headphones in this section are Superlux HD 681
The HD681 headphones feature a semi-open design intended for use in professional monitoring applications at an affordable price. And while you should not expect miracles at this price point, HD 681 does a lot of things right and is suitable both for professional applications and music listening.
PROS: Surprising tonality at this price point, good soundstage, tight and punchy bass, affordable and mod-able
CONS: Treble can be harsh, build is a bit questionable, plastic feels cheap and comfort may vary depending on your head size
If you need a bit more bass, then you can consider Superlux 668B, instead of 681. While they both can sound sometimes bright, the HD668B has more bass rumble, but this can sometimes lead to a muddier bass presentation.
And the last pair in the honorable mention section is Samson SR850
Samson’s SR850 is a budget studio reference headphones that are good for music listening too. It has quite a surprising bass response and quite detailed and clean treble. The semi-open design of the SR850s works in favor of soundstage and the whole music presentation is quite spacious.
PROS: Resolution, performance per dollar ratio, good bass response and natural midrange.
CONS: Overall tuning is not very balanced, upper mids and treble can be bright on occasions.
I hope this list has been helpful and if you’d like to see more content like this, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for future updates. Thank you for reading, and happy listening!
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