| Overall | Audio features | Comfort | Control | Wireless audio features | Wireless connectivity | Battery | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT | 7.3 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 8 | Check price |
| Sennheiser HD 25 | 7 | 8 | 6 | inapt | inapt | inapt | inapt | Check price |
| Sennheiser RS120 | 7 | 7 | 7 | inapt | inapt | inapt | inapt | Check price |
| GRADO SR225e | 6.5 | 6 | 7 | inapt | inapt | inapt | inapt | Check price |
| Beats Solo3 | 6.1 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 10 | Check price |
| AKG N60NC | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 7 | Check price |
| Bose Soundlink On-ear | 5.8 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 8 | Check price |
| Beats EP | 5.3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | inapt | inapt | inapt | Check price |
Don’t know how to choose the best on ear headphones under 200? This problem seems extremely urgent nowadays. Nowadays, every headphone manufacturer has a variety of models, for every and each of customer needs. So I decided to take advantage of this situation and test a couple of interesting models. So today we're gonna figure out the greatest on ear headphones under $200.
The main goal of this review is to help you not to get lost in this headphone chaos, where everyone tries to convince you that their product is better than the other ones. No more talking, let’s go straight to the results I got!
Best Wireless On Ear Headphones
Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT - best overall
Our first appliance is SR5BT by Audio-Technica. These are the best on ear headphones under $200. The model positions itself as an affordable Hi-Res wireless decision for those who want both comfort and sound quality, so, let’s check this out.
The SR5BTs come in a solid box that contains the headphones itself, 1m/3.3ft USB charging cable, 1.2m/3.9ft audio 3.5mm cable with a mic and control button, and a soft carrying case. The overall design is closed back, it looks clean and well built, the device is extremely lightweight 185g/6.5oz made of plastic and metal with a matte finish and company logo on the back of the ear cups. On the head they feel great and give no pressure to ears, the model is also foldable so you can wear them on your neck without any discomfort.
What about specs? Inside of this tinys we’ve got 45mm drivers that had an impressive 5 to 40,000 Hz frequency response which combined with 45 Ohm impedance and 103 dB of sensitivity gives us a solid sound range, also they support an aptX and AAC codecs.The battery charges from 0 to 100 in 5 hours and lasts 38 hours which is huge for such a compact model.
Sound
The only question you will ask yourself after the first usage of SR5BTs is how Audio-Technicas engineers manage to get such an incredible quality sound in these headphones, cause it is truly comparable with more expensive and bigger models. The sound they produce is very detailed and has little bright notes on the upper mids and some in highs, bass is balanced and punchy, but in some genres like club music or some hip-hop tracks you might not have enough of them, but mostly you can fix this using the equalizer. Using the wired mode you can get more in a dynamic range and increase the sound scene quality.
Key specs
- Enclosure: closed back
- Impedance, Ohm: 47
- Frequency response: 5Hz-40KHz
- Sensitivity, dB: 103
- Weight, g/oz: 185/6.5
- Battery life, hrs: 38
- aptX: yes
- aptX HD: no
- Official website
- Full specs
Pros
- Great build quality and clean design
- Incredible sound scene quality due to premium Audio-Technicas technologies
- Big battery life allows you to take them in long trips without the need for charging
- Comfort fit let you use them for all day straight without getting tired at all
Cons
- Due to their compactness and on ear fit they don’t have much noise cancellation, and in very loud places like subway you will hear the environment
- To push the limits of these headphones and get the full hi-res quality you need to use wired mode
Beats Solo3
The next reviewed model is Solo 3 by Beats, highly popular and competing headphones. Solo 3 comes in a bright stylish box, inside we will find the headphones, carrying case, and USB charging cable. The model looks good, made mostly of plastic with a metal skeleton. The pads are made of synthetic leather and feel soft and elastic. Design is closed back, which is typical for Beats production, it looks fresh and stylish plus there are many color schemes available for this model.
They are foldable and light enough, 215g/7.5oz, the fit is quite tight and seems that they will pressure your ears after 2 hours of usage. The controls are all on the right cup and are easy and intuitive. The battery was upgraded since the previous version and now can last 40 hours with Beats fast fuel technology they can charge for 3 hours of usage in 5 minutes. As for specs, not much is available to look at, but no doubt the tech part is decent and gives us the proper sound.
Sound
The sound of this model is also typical to all Beats models, solid aggressive bassline, balanced mids and highs, not as many details as we wanted to, but still overall quality is high. You can listen to different music genres with this device but it will sound better for hip hop or bass-oriented tracks.
Key specs
- Enclosure: closed back
- Impedance, Ohm: N/A
- Frequency response: N/A
- Sensitivity, dB: N/A
- Weight, g/oz: 215/7.5
- Battery life, hrs: 40
- aptX: no
- aptX HD: no
- Official website
- Full specs
Pros
- Great connection stability and bluetooth due to Apple W1 chip
- Many color designs available helps to fit your style
- Comfort usage both with Android and Apple devices
- Huge battery life allows you not to think much about charging
Cons
- Tight fit makes unavailable long usage sessions
- Mostly plastic build forces you to care more about cracking or scratching the device
Best Wired On Ear Headphones
Sennheiser HD 25
Today's wired representative is an HD 25 model made by Sennheiser. This model is iconic to many audiophiles all around the globe for its incredible sound scene and German build quality. The package is simple, only headset itself and adapter 3.5 to 6.3mm. The headphones are solid built even if they are made of plastic, they feel heavy and don’t make a single squeak. The model Is super lightweight, only 140g/4.9oz and ready for a long usage session.
The overall design of this closed back based device is simple and functional, highly adjustable headband allows you to find the comfiest fit for your head. They also are almost fully modular, you can detach cable, change ear pads and even take the drivers. We can talk about their features and design all day, but let's move to the specs. The headphones are equipped with 41mm drivers with the frequency response from 16 to 22,000 Hz, 70 Ohm of impedance, and 120 dB of sensitivity.
Sound
The HD 25 delivers powerful intense and yet still extremely detailed sound signature, every frequency is nearly ideally balanced. Bass is rich, mids and highs are clear and crisp. Even at the highest volumes this gear sounds decent and premium especially for its price. Sennheiser engineers has found an impressive combination that allows you to enjoy any kind of music you ever can imagine.
Key specs
- Wearing style: on ear
- Enclosure: closed back
- Wireless: no
- Wired: yes
- Official website
- Full specs
Pros
- Great modular system that improves durability and comfort usage of headphones
- Highly balanced full-spectrum sound scene that allows you to listen or work with any kind of audio material
- Very nice choice for those who want to work in the sound sphere and looking for a device to begin with
Cons
- If you are looking for the home only listening headset, you can certainly find friendlier variants
-
Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT
- Audio-Technica
- | 200
- 437
-
Sennheiser HD 25
- Sennheiser
- | 200
- 957
-
Sennheiser RS120
- Sennheiser
- | 200
- 19882
-
GRADO SR225e
- GRADO
- | 200
- 3006
-
Beats Solo3
- Beats
- | 200
- 7971
-
AKG N60NC
- AKG
- | 200
- 365
-
Bose Soundlink On-ear
- Bose
- | 200
- 1463
-
Beats EP
- Beats
- | 200
- 3755
Recent reviews
