Table of Contents▼
In This Article
- How These Headphones Were Tested
- Top Picks: Best Headphones if You Have the Full $150 to Spend
- Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro — Top Pick
- Audio-Technica M50x — Second Place
- Best Headphones for a $50–$80 Budget
- Audio-Technica M30x
- Beyerdynamic DT240 Pro
- Headphones That Didn't Make the Cut
- AKG K240 Mark II — Bottom of the List
- Sony MDR-7506 — Second from Bottom
- Sennheiser HD 280 Pro — Third from Bottom
- AKG K702
- Audio-Technica M20x
- Full Headphone Rankings Summary
- Buying Used Can Get You Even Better Price to Performance
How These Headphones Were Tested
Ten of the most popular headphones between $50 and $150 were tested across build quality, comfort, and sound performance for producing, mixing, and mastering.
The focus was on finding the best price-to-performance across the full budget range. These headphones were chosen based on community recommendations, personal familiarity, and highest-rated options on Amazon.
Testing happened in multiple stages. After an initial build and sound check, each headphone was burned in for four to five hours through audio interfaces and headphone amps. Music included rock, pop, and classical at a wide variety of volumes.
After burn-in, rigorous testing covered comfort, detail, soundstage, bass extension, and high-frequency response. Pricing was largely ignored during this phase to keep the evaluation honest.
- 10 headphones tested between $50 and $150
- Burn-in: 4–5 hours through audio interfaces and headphone amps
- Test music: rock, pop, classical at various volumes
- Evaluated: comfort, detail, soundstage, bass extension, high-frequency response
- Pricing intentionally ignored during testing to keep evaluations honest
Top Picks: Best Headphones if You Have the Full $150 to Spend
There are only two headphones worth buying at the top of this budget, and one is a clear winner.
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro — Top Pick
The DT770 Pro is the top pick overall. They are the most comfortable and offer the best soundstage of any headphone tested.
The bass is really deep, extended, and punchy. They also offer a ton of high-frequency detail, and the sound isn't too closed in on your head.
You hear them quite spacious around your head. You can hear each sound clearly, and that makes mixing easy.
The DT770 Pro is the top pick overall. They are the most comfortable and offer the best soundstage of any headphone tested. The bass is really deep, extended, and punchy. You can hear each sound clearly, and that makes mixing easy.
Audio-Technica M50x — Second Place
The M50x offers a great sound profile with a ton of bass and a lot of high-frequency detail. However, it is a much more closed-in sound.
It feels more like the sound is inside your ear and inside your head. The DT770 Pro sounds a little more spacious — you get the sound in your head, but it also feels like it's around you as well.
That soundstage difference is significant, and it's why the 770 Pro comes out on top.
If you want the M50x, seriously consider the M40x instead. You save $40, still get a ton of low end, they're just as comfortable, foldable, and have a replaceable cable. The high end on the 50s can end up being a little bit fatiguing over time.
Best Headphones for a $50–$80 Budget
At the lower end of the budget, there are again two pairs worth recommending.
Audio-Technica M30x
The M30x is super comfortable, foldable, and sounds great. They're not quite as balanced as the 40s or 50s, but they isolate sound well.
The price-to-performance really did blow me away here. If you've saved up about $45 for the M20x, strongly consider waiting just a little longer and getting the 30s instead.
The difference between the 20s and the 30s is a massive difference in soundstage. So much more bass, so much more detail, and far more comfortable.
The price-to-performance really did blow me away here. The difference between the M20x and the M30x is a massive difference in soundstage. So much more bass, so much more detail, and far more comfortable.
Beyerdynamic DT240 Pro
The DT240 Pro is a little more slim, and the ear cups sit just on top of the ears rather than encompassing them. If you like headphones that sit on top of your ears and press in a little, these would be a great option.
They're really punchy with a lot of low and mid focus. There is also a high end — it's just not extremely extended as you'd expect from other DT headphones.
This one doesn't have the same sound signature as the 770, 880, or 990. These are definitely in their own category.
Headphones That Didn't Make the Cut
Every other headphone tested had significant issues that kept it off the recommendation list.
AKG K240 Mark II — Bottom of the List
The only redeeming quality of the AKG K240 Mark II is that it is lightweight and comfortable. You could wear them for hours on end.
But everything else was extremely disappointing. They lack bass, they're muddy, the high end feels really compressed, and the soundstage isn't great.
Almost everything about them, including build quality, just doesn't inspire confidence. After testing was done, these were passed to a second listener — her exact description was that they sound like the headset you get on an airplane, maybe in economy or premium economy. That felt about right.
Almost everything about them, including build quality, just doesn't inspire confidence. A second listener described them as sounding like the headset you get on an airplane, maybe in economy or premium economy. That felt about right.
Sony MDR-7506 — Second from Bottom
There were quite high hopes for the Sony MDR-7506 because they're almost called the industry standard and are highly recommended. But almost everything about them was disappointing.
They're really plasticky, and the build quality feels like it could snap with just a tiny bit of force. The cups were really uncomfortable, and the soundstage was all over the place.
There was a weird thumping low-mid, but they lacked bass and everything sounded compressed. Absolutely every drum, every pluck of a guitar string — there was no good transient response. Many reviewers call these very neutral and balanced headphones, but the sound profile was anything but balanced, even after burn-in.
They're really plasticky, and the build quality feels like it could snap with just a tiny bit of force. The cups were really uncomfortable, and the soundstage was all over the place. Many reviewers call these very neutral and balanced headphones, but the sound profile was anything but balanced, even after burn-in.
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro — Third from Bottom
The Sennheiser HD 280 Pro was probably the most disappointing just because of the price. They do have one redeeming quality: they isolate sound really well.
When they clamp onto your head, almost no sound escapes — so for recording, they're a great option. However, the clamping force was far too much, and a second listener immediately agreed they clamped really tightly on her ears.
The high end also lacks a lot. There's just not a lot of volume in the high and extended high frequencies, which means these could work for vocal tracking and podcasting, but you need to hear all that top-end detail when mixing.
When they clamp onto your head, almost no sound escapes — so for recording, they're a great option. But the high end lacks a lot, and the clamping force is far too much for comfortable mixing sessions. Vocal tracking and podcasting only.
AKG K702
The AKG K702 headphones were tried on in a music shop many years before this test, and the experience was the same both times. There is just no bass — the extreme sub information is simply missing.
They sound really wide, they're extremely comfortable, very lightweight, and they don't overheat on your ears. But there are elements in arrangements that are audible on every other headphone that simply can't be perceived through these.
If you don't like bass, if you're really sensitive to it and just want to listen to music, enjoy really detailed mids and highs, a great and spacious soundstage, and great transient response with no compression of the high end — they'd be worth recommending. But for mixing, you need to hear all of that sub and low-end material, and these just don't deliver it. They were burned in for far longer than most and still didn't develop any of the bass that was needed.
There are elements in arrangements that are audible on every other headphone that simply can't be perceived through these. They were burned in for far longer than most and still didn't develop any of the bass that was needed. Not suitable for mixing.
Audio-Technica M20x
The M20x was a first pair of pro studio headphones for many people, and they perform exactly as expected for the money. Build quality is decent.
The one warning is the ear pads. Be prepared to replace them — thousands of users report the pads just falling to pieces after a year or two.
If you've saved up about $45 to buy these, strongly, strongly consider waiting just a little bit longer and getting the M30x instead. The performance difference is significant.
Full Headphone Rankings Summary
| Headphone | Price Range | Key Notes | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro | ~$150 | Best soundstage, deep punchy bass, high detail | Mixing and mastering |
| Audio-Technica M50x | ~$150 | Great sound profile, more closed-in sound | General studio use |
| Audio-Technica M40x | ~$100 | Saves $40 over M50x, less fatiguing high end | Budget studio alternative |
| Audio-Technica M30x | ~$70 | Great price to performance, foldable, isolating | Budget tracking and mixing |
| Beyerdynamic DT240 Pro | ~$70 | Punchy, slim, on-ear fit | Listeners who prefer on-ear style |
| Audio-Technica M20x | ~$45 | Decent, but pads degrade; save more for M30x | Entry-level only |
| AKG K702 | Mid-range | Wide, detailed, zero bass | Listening — not mixing |
| Sennheiser HD 280 Pro | ~$100 | Strong isolation, poor high-end, tight clamp | Vocal tracking only |
| Sony MDR-7506 | ~$100 | Plasticky, poor transient response, compressed | Not recommended |
| AKG K240 Mark II | ~$70 | Lightweight only, muddy, no bass, poor build | Not recommended |
Buying Used Can Get You Even Better Price to Performance
You don't need to buy any of these headphones new — they can sound better with a bit of age.
Checking the used market is strongly recommended. You'll save quite a bit of money, and that way you'll get an even better price to performance.
If you do buy used, almost definitely pick up some replacement ear pads. You can pull the old ones off, put the new ones on — and you can also wash them, but getting clean ones for yourself is the better call.
Checking the used market is strongly recommended. You'll save quite a bit of money, and that way you'll get an even better price to performance. If you do buy used, pick up some replacement ear pads — you can pull the old ones off and put the new ones on.