Best Headphones Under 200

Headphones have now become a popular way to listen to your favorite music, watch television, and attend calls. For great sound and isolation from external noise, you must consider and compare the best in-range headphones. To save you the trouble, we have shortlisted the top best headphones under 200 $. 

Spending 200$ on headphones might seem like a big deal to some. However, if spent once, the headphones will serve you for a long time. You will get great value, improved sound quality, and even better build quality.

 Top 5 Best Headphones Under 200$

Quick Overview

Product	Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless	AKG K371	Monoprice Monolith M565	Corsair Virtuoso Wireless SE	Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO
Positives	Great sound quality Fast charging A good active noise cancellation (ANC)	Good sound quality Versatility A good lightweight structure	A solid build structure Great value Good sound quality	Comes with a microphone Good battery life Provides noise isolation	Super comfortable for extended use Good value Excellent sound quality
Negatives	Accidently pauses playback	The headphone fit is poor and can be improved	Not so good for extended sessions	Heat build-up	The build is questionable

1. Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless – Best Wireless Headphone Under 200$

Specifications

1. Brand: Sennheiser
2. Type: Over-ear
3. Charging: Micro USB, quick charge, 3 hours
4. Mic and controls: Available
5. Water resistance: Not available

Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless comes with premium features like smart pause, an adaptive ANC, and one-touch access to the voice assistant. 

If you are someone who is looking for headphones that do not manipulate sound, Sennheiser is for you. An easy-to-use touchpad, located on the right ear cup controls the volume, play, pause, and skip controls. It also allows you to attend calls on touch. This very feature makes it stand out and user-friendly.

The over-ear structure of these headphones helps them to deliver a lightweight construction and a comfortable fit. It features additional foldable hinges and a carry case to help in everyday use.

To reduce the audio lag, 550-II comes with a good amount of Bluetooth codecs, aptX, AAC, and aptX low latency. 

The headphone also lags water resistance. However, knowing how to fix water-damaged headphones can help you. This apart, PXC 550-II is one of the best budget over-ear headphones. 

Pros

• Lightweight and foldable design
• A great quality of sound
• A useful companion mobile application
• Great ANC

Cons

• A bit on the pricier side
• Micro-USB, as people prefer USB-C

2. AKG K371

Specifications

1. Brand: AKG
2. Type: Over-ear
3. Noise cancellation: Not available
4. Mic and controls: Not available

If you are looking for a very modern design with even better frequency response, AKG K371 can be a good fit for you. This headphone is great for studio use; it can make almost any genre of music sound good.

AKG K371 closely checks the Harman Curve target with a bass boost, resulting in a great sound and making it the best bass headphones under $200. It has a minimalist appearance with clean lines on it. The foldable earcups make it easily transportable and more convenient for regular use.

Talking about the earpads of AKG K371, they are super comfortable for even extended periods of use. If you are someone who wears glasses, these ear pads won’t hurt you, making them one of the best headphones for under 200$.

The best part? K371 comes with a removable cable option with a mini-XLR port to complete your experience. It provides you with three cables, depending on your preference.

Despite being a great pick, AKG K371 is not so neutral in presentation. Therefore, if you are looking for something neutral, opt for AKG K361 instead.

Pros

• Plushy and comfortable ear pads
• Foldable design
• Detachable cable option
• Great sound and build quality

Cons

• Can prove to be more bassy

3. Monoprice Monolith M565

Specifications

1. Brand: Monoprice
2. Type: Over-ear
3. Waterproof feature: Not available

Monoprice Monolith M565 is another one of the best headphones for under 200$. It is a decent pair of planar magnetic headphones as it takes the listeners from consumer audio to Hi-Fi audio. The headset casts a wide net that pleases a good majority of users. However, it must be clear that these headphones lack a neutral frequency response. People opt for these for the hi-fi audio it provides.

M565 features planar magnetic drives that help every note to be heard clearly, without masking the mid-range frequencies. This is until you do not crank the volume all the way up.

The open-back design of these headphones gives a premium feel to the user. To use these to the fullest, a listener must use them indoors.

If you are not a big fan of open-back designs, Monoprice also sells a closed-back version. The version is named the Monolith M565C. The edge of buying closed-back headphones is that they block the ambient noise and narrow the stereo image. Moreover, such headphones are also a great match for tracking and recording.

When considering the best headphones for under 200$, we cannot skip on these.

Pros

• A very strong build
• Planar magnetic drives
• Hi-fi audio output

Cons

• Not recommended if you are looking for a neutral frequency response
• Not suitable for long listening sessions
• Sound leakage is another problem

4. Corsair Virtuoso Wireless SE

Specifications

1. Brand: Corsair
2. Type: Over-ear
3.  Connectivity: Wireless
4. Waterproof feature: Not available

Corsair Virtuoso Wireless SE is best known for its built-in microphone that gives a premium feel to the users. If you are a gamer, buy nothing but this pair of headphones if you are ready to invest in something good.

Virtuoso Wireless SE comes with a volume wheel and a detachable MicroUSB microphone. The battery life is another plus point of these, which is said to be around 24 hours, making it one of the best headphones for under 200$. 

With the use of a 2.4 GHz USB dongle, you can connect the headphones without the wire. However, to experience a wired connection, use the 3.5 mm audio jack. You can find and switch from wired to wireless from the right ear cup.

Virtuoso SE features an aluminum construction along with metal accents that will give the user a great feel. Therefore, if you are a huge fan of comfort and sound, this must be on your list. Although the sound of these headphones is good for gaming, you can notice a slight under-emphasis on high-pitched sounds.

If you are using headphones with a PC, you can use the iCUE software to tune the sound based on your choice. You can also access the virtual 7.1 surround sound.

On each ear cup of Virtuoso, a small RGB light highlights the logo of Corsair, making these a good fit for professional use as well.

Pros

• Good for gaming
• Comes with a detachable MicroUSB microphone
• A good 24-hour long battery life
• Comfortable design
• A small RGB light that illuminates the logo of Corsair

Cons

• Under-emphasis on high-pitched sounds
• Heat build up

5. Beyer dynamic DT 990 PRO

Specifications

1. Brand: Beyer dynamic
2. Connectivity: Wired
3. Type: Over-ear
4. Cable Type: 3 m coiled cable 

Beyer dynamic DT 990 PRO headphones are as comfortable as a pillow, without exaggeration. These headphones are quite popular among producers and music enthusiasts. It might concern a few due to its lacking bass, however, it is great when hearing overemphasized vocals and sibilant treble reproduction.

To maintain the comfort of DT 990 PRO, the build is plastic-based, entirely. The earpads are surrounded by memory foam. To add to your comfort, it features a 1m long coiled cable that helps you to move around in your studio. These aspects make us add these to the list of best headphones for under 200$.

You must be wondering about the durability of DT 990 Pro. Although they are made of plastic, they are highly durable. However, do not shove them into your bag carelessly, the cable is not detachable and you might break it. You might also feel a need to untangle headphones if you are keeping them carefreely. Understanding how to untangle Bluetooth headphones will serve you then.

Though it has great benefits, DT 990 PRO might not be a good fit for travel freaks. Instead, these headphones are highly recommended for long listening or editing sessions due to their comfort.

Pros

• Very comfortable for extended use
• Features a neutral sound signature

Cons

• The build is of plastic, therefore, questionable

Frequently asked questions – Best headphones for under 200$

Are wireless headphones any better than wired ones?

Both wireless and wired technologies can deliver a great performance, based on your taste.

Wireless	Wired
Excellent for traveling from place to place	Performance is dependent on the source. If you upgrade the source quality, the audio quality automatically improves.
The Bluetooth codecs do not matter, as argued by some.	Fool-proof and work each time

What to consider while buying a set of headphones?

If you are about to buy a fresh pair of headphones for yourself, prefer one with these qualities:

• A deeper bass
• A good isolation
• An active noise cancellation

How to choose the best headphone for yourself

Do you know that when it comes to headphones, there are several things to consider before buying one?

What is the purpose of the headphone?

Do you want to listen to music while you are exercising or do you want to use it for video calling? Are you interested in buying an expensive headphones or cheap one? Before buying a headphone, you need to know the difference between the different types of headphones. Headphones can be divided into two categories; wired and wireless.

Wired Headphones:

The wired headphones are the most common type of headphones. They are used for listening to music and are connected to the device using a cable.

Wireless Headphones:

Wireless headphones are also known as Bluetooth headphones. They don’t require any cable to connect to your device and it will automatically connect to your device. Bluetooth headphones are also the most affordable option.

What is the frequency range of the headphone?

The frequency range of the headphone is the range of the audio frequencies. It is the range of the sound that is produced by the headphone. For example, the frequency range of the ear buds is 20-20,000 Hz.

What is the type of the headphone?

There are many types of headphones available in the market like the closed-ear headphones, open-ear headphones, over-ear headphones, on-ear headphones, and the in-ear headphones. Let us know the type of headphones that you are looking for.

What are the advantages of the headphones?

The main advantage of the headphones is that they can be used in any place. So, you don’t have to worry about the environment where you are using the headphones. The headphones will not produce any sound when you are moving. But, if you are wearing headphones in your ears, then you will feel that the audio is blocked. You can use these headphones even for long periods of time without any hassle.

What are the disadvantages of headphones?

The main disadvantage of the headphones is that the audio quality is poor. The sound is not loud and clear.

What is the weight of the headphone?

This is the most important factor to be considered while choosing headphone. If you want to listen to music for a long time, then you should avoid heavy headphones. If you are using it for listening to movies, then you need to choose lightweight headphones.

I hope you understood the above points that are related to the headphones. If you are also interested in buying a headphone, then you can read more about it in the below sections.

Conclusion

Before investing your money in headphones, consider our list of best headphones for under 200$. We nominate Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless as the best one in the range. It is followed by AKG K371 which is not any less than the former.