If you are looking for the best headphones under $300, you’ve come to the right place.
At under the $300 price tag, you can get really good headphones that deliver near-audiophile quality sound performance with luxurious comfort. They are a great investment if you want a set of headphones to listen to for the long term.
We have compiled a list of our top picks that we have tested ourselves – we rank these headphones according to their overall sound quality, performance and comfort. We’ve spent nearly a hundred hours listening to these headphones and comparing their sound quality with a variety of music genres.
If you are in the market for a set of headphones slightly under $300, we highly recommend checking out our top picks below. We also feature our favorite headphone of choice, the Meze 99 Classics, as the number 1 choice in this category.
#1 The Meze 99 Classics Walnut Headphone
Sound Quality: Excellent sound quality, wide frequency response
Type: Over ear headphones
What we liked: Vibrant sound performance with crisp highs
View full specs: Meze 99 Classics Headphone
The Meze 99 Classics is our favorite headphone of choice when it comes to the best headphone under $300. These headphones deliver near-audiophile grade sound quality, with crisp timbre ranges, extremely clear vocals and surprisingly deep bass.
The 99 Classics are constructed from real walnut wood which enhances the sound performance and gives it a nice aesthetic feel. It has a wide frequency range of 15 Hz to 25 kHz and a low impedance of 32 ohms which means that it can be powered straight from your iPhone device.
The sound quality on the Meze 99 headphones is definitely something on another level. With EDM and rock music genres, you can hear exactly where each instrument is coming from. The bass hits hard and mighty, engulfing your eardrums in audio bliss.
We love that these headphones are very comfortable and lightweight. They come with self-adjusting headbands with soft memory foams for effective noise isolation.
They also come with a carrying pouch, 1.2m thread Kevlar cable and detachable 3m Kevlar OFC cable with a 6.3mm gold-plated jack.
#2 V-MODA Crossfade M-100 Headphones
Sound Quality: Full-range sound, deep bass impact
Type: Over-ear wired headphones
What we liked: Very comfortable and sleek design
View full specs: V-MODA Crossfade M-100 Headphones
The V-MODA Crossfades M-100 are another great set of headphones under $300 that you should definitely consider. They feature V-MODA signature sound which delivers silky smooth highs, smooth midranges and punchy bass output.
What we liked about these headphones is the clarity of the sound – the headphones feel bright and crisp, and delivers very good soundstage even though they are closed-back headphones.
These headphones come with dual-diaphragm 50mm drivers with a CCAW Japanese coil which delivers pretty deep bass with high-resolution sound. They also produce plenty of volume without a hint of distortion.
The Crossfade M-100 headphones are equipped with large memory foam cushions and a leather headband for extended periods of listening. It also features an audio cable with a microphone for crystal clear calls.
#3 AudioQuest NightHawk Semi-Open Headphone
Sound Quality: Loud volume, no distortion, clean sound
Type: Over-ear wired headphones
What we liked: 50mm biocellulous diaphragm driver
View full specs: AudioQuest NightHawk Headphone
The AudioQuest Nighthawk is another headphone that you should seriously consider if you are looking for high-fidelity sound. These headphones deliver remarkably low-distortion and exceptionally flat impedance for clean, clear and naturally reproduced sound.
The Nighthawk headphones allow you to appreciate the finer details in studio recordings and music. They are equipped with 50mm dynamic drivers with a biocellulose diaphragm and voice-coil for low distortion and high excursion.
Music on these headphones sounds sublime and very well-defined. It does have a good degree of soundstage due to its semi-open design, and are great for instrumental or vocal performances.
That being said, these headphones do have some degree of sound leakage due to its semi-open design.
These headphones are very comfortable to wear with an ergonomic design; they have a carbon grey metallic high-gloss finish and comes with a high-performance cable with built-in microphone.
#4 Monolith M1060 Planar Magnetic Headphones
Sound Quality: Neutral frequency range, detailed sound
Type: Over-ear open back headphones
What we liked: Planar magnetic headphones on a budget
View full specs: Monolith M1060 Planar Magnetic Headphones
If you are looking for a planar magnetic headphone under $300, go for the Monolith M1060 headphone. These headphones feature planar drivers which are flat membrane drivers surrounded that magnets – they deliver extremely crisp sound performance with very fast frequency response.
The M1060 headphones have an open-back design which provides a holographic listening experience with very wide soundstage. You can hear music details coming from all directions with pristine accuracy and can even point out where the fine details or instrument is coming from.
One thing that you’d love with the M1060 headphones is how comfortable they are – they come with large comfortable ear-pads which are designed to provide a comfortable listening experience. You can practically wear these headphones for prolonged periods of time without any ear fatigue.
That being said, you’d probably need a headphone amplifier to go with the M1060 headphones as they have an impedance of 50 ohms.
#5 Cleer Flow Wireless Headphone
Sound Quality: Very clear high-resolution audio, good bass
Type: Over-ear wireless headphones
What we liked: Hybrid noise-cancellation technology
View full specs: Cleer Flow Wireless Headphone
The Cleer Flow wireless headphone is a hybrid noise cancellation headphone that delivers excellent quality sound. It’s one of those headphones under $300 that delivers audiophile-like quality sound with very little distortion.
We thoroughly enjoyed listening to these headphones – they provide high-resolution music with audio formats that exceed CD level quality through the 3.5mm audio cable.
The Cleer Flow headphones have active noise cancellation that can supress sound up to 30 dB, providing you with a quiet listening sound experience. There’s also an ambient audio feature that allows you to listen to your surroundings without taking off your headphones.
Our only quibble with the Cleer Flow headphones is that it uses Bluetooth 4.2 which is a slightly outdated Bluetooth version (the latest is Bluetooth 5.0).
You can use these headphones for up to 20 hours at a time and it supports 90-minute rapid-charge which can fully charge the headphone with the micro USB cable.
#6 GRADO SR225e Headphones
Sound Quality: Accurate sound with detailed highs, smooth midranges
Type: Over-ear wired headphones
What we liked: Very good soundstage, good bass response
View full specs: GRADO SR225e Headphones
The Grado SR225e headphones are audiophile-grade quality headphones that deliver accurate and crisp sound performance. Compared with other headphones in the Grado series, these headphones have a better balance of all frequencies with much more conspicuous details and brighter sound. If you are looking for one of the best value headphones in Grado’s lineup, the SR225s are definitely worth their salt.
We were surprised at how good the SR225e headphones sounded straight out of the box. These headphones have a much better spatial depth and you can pick out where each sound is coming from. There is no hint of muddiness in the sound quality at every volume level, even at maximum volume where there is virtually zero distortion.
The GRADO SR225es have a very comfortable design. They are open-back headphones and do have a degree of sound leakage. Despite this, the headphones do produce a surprising amount of bass performance and allows you to appreciate bass-heavy music genres from EDM and rock.
If you intend to go for pure sound quality with a set of Grado headphones under $300, go for the SR 225e headphone.
#7 Sony WH1000XM3 Noise Cancelling Headphones
Sound Quality: Very deep bass, crystal clear treble ranges
Type: Over-ear wireless headphone
What we liked: Great digital noise cancellation, 30 hours battery
View full specs: Sony WH1000XM3 Noise Cancelling Headphones
If noise cancellation is an important factor for you, go for the Sony WH1000XM3 headphones. Sony has come up with some pretty decent headphones lately, and the WH1000XM3 delivers its promise on sound quality and noise cancellation.
We like the sound quality on the Sony WH1000XM3 headphones – they are high-fidelity and we can hear every single detail in the music recording with great accuracy. The bass is also punchy and tight which adds a layer of kick to these headphones.
These headphones provide digital noise cancelling which delivers a virtually soundproof listening experience. It is also voice assistant enabled and works with Alexa for access to music and information.
The headphone features acoustic drivers that have very bright and crisp sound performance. We love that these headphones have a frequency response of 4 Hz to 40 kHz which is one of the widest we have ever tested in this category.
To top it off, these headphones provide up to 30 hours of playtime on a single charge for all day listening. They are very comfortable to wear and have an ergonomic foldable design for easy portability.
That being said, do note that listening to these headphones without the noise cancellation turn on somewhat affects the overall sound quality (less clarity and volume), so be sure to regularly charge your headphone before travelling.
#8 COWIN E9 Noise Cancelling Headphones
Sound Quality: Well-balanced sound, vibrant frequency response
Type: Over-ear wireless headphones
What we liked: Bluetooth 5.0 and active noise cancellation
View full specs: COWIN E9 Noise Cancelling Headphones
If you are looking for a highly versatile headphone with the latest technologies, go for the COWIN E9 wireless noise cancelling headphones. These headphones are engineered to deliver very good sound performance and features aptX, aptX HD, low latency and AAC audio codecs. We loved how good these headphones sounded at any volume level and their immersive sound performance.
The COWIN E9 headphones comes with built-in noise cancellation which allows for a quiet listening experience. You can bring these while travelling in the airplane and cancel out engine rumbling noises while listening to music. It’s also possible to just use the noise cancelling function alone and leave these headphones on.
Apart from the noise cancellation, the E9 headphones also support CVC HD calls with Bluetooth 5.0 for hands-free calls. The Bluetooth 5.0 provides quick and stable connectivity with a wireless range of up to 33 feet.
Finally, the F9 headphones come with a 800mAh battery that deliver 30 hours of playtime on a single charge.
#9 Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones
Sound Quality: Deep bass response, punchy beats
Type: On-ear wireless headphones
What we liked: 40 hours battery life, wired support
View full specs: Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones
If you want a wireless headphone with a lot of bass, go for the Beats Solo3 wireless headphones. These headphones are designed to provide bass-heavy sound performance and delivers crystal clear music performance at any volume level without any distortion.
The sound quality on the Beats Solo3 is crisp and clear, and the bass is tight and punchy. The Solo3 headphones have plenty of depth, and vocals sounded natural without any artificial enhancements. We would say that the Beats Solo3 has a natural V-shaped sound signature.
The Beats Solo3 features 40 hours of battery life and takes only 5 minutes to reach a 3 hour playback when the battery is low. It also comes with adjustable fit with comfort-cushion ear cups for long periods of listening.
The Solo3 also comes with a built-in microphone for you to take hands free calls with multi-function on-ear controls. The headphones come with a universal USB-A and USB Micro-B cable together with a quick start guide.
#10 Skullcandy Crusher Wireless Over-Ear Headphone
Sound Quality: Deep bass response, great low-end sound
Type: Over-ear wireless headphones
What we liked: Adjustable sensory bass
View full specs: Skullcandy Crusher Wireless Headphone
The Skullcandy Crushers are very good sounding headphones and definitely one of the best headphones under $300 you can find. These headphones deliver fully immersive sound performance with deep bass and crisp highs using two full-range 40mm audio drivers and dual bass drivers.
The Crushers come with Bluetooth wireless technology and has a built-in battery that delivers up to 40 hours of playtime on a single charge. It also has a wide frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and has adjustable sensory bass functions where you can adjust the amount of bass output.
We loved the sound quality of the Skullcandy Crusher headphones – they deliver crystal clear sound with great midranges. The bass is stunning and hits the bottom hard, adding a lot of punch to EDM and rock music genres. They are also great for vocals with crisp timbre ranges and very little distortion.
These headphones have a sleek and modern looking design with a noise isolating fit. They are quite comfortable to wear with plenty of ear padding. That being said, these headphones may feel slightly uncomfortable at first and will require time to loosen up into your ears.
The Skullcandy Crushers have a microphone, call, track and volume control button for easy use.